About

What To Expect

 

Worship services are casual at Boyertown Mennonite Church. The majority of people wear jeans or dress "business casual."

Our services start with music, often songs you might recognize if you listen to Christian radio. Our pastor teaches a bible-based message with practical application to help you live out your faith during the week. Services are usually a little over an hour, after which you’re welcome to hang out and talk with people.

Our Story

Our congregation was a “church plant” from the Bally congregation and began worshiping in Colebrookdale Township of Berks county in the year 1780. For many years these two faith communities continued to share pastors and many other aspects of church life. It wasn’t until the late 1940’s that Boyertown became completely separate with its own pastor and leadership. Our first buildings were located at the center of Boyertown, but in 1969 we built the present facility on a hill outside the borough of Boyertown.

Al Detweiler served the congregation for about 27 years until 1993. In 1995 Nelson Shenk began serving upon Al’s retirement. Pastor Nelson retired as of January 2022, after 26 years, and Boyertown Mennonite Church is in a transition state, currently in the process of joining together with 2/42 Community Church and Pastor Bryan Raught as of January 2024.

Our mission statement reads: “We strive to be a Christian community of healing and growth.” We are a faith community that ministers to a wide variety of needs within the Boyertown area and strive to have our church be seen as a place of love and acceptance. 

We are a member congregation of Mosaic Mennonite Conference (https://mosaicmennonites.org/). We are a part of the Mennonite World Conference (http://www.mwc-cmm.org/). We believe in the core values of historic Anabaptists and Mennonites with a Christ-centered faith that is Bible-based. 

Shared Convictions

By the grace of God, we seek to live and proclaim the good news of reconciliation in Jesus Christ. As part of the one body of Christ at all times and places, we hold the following to be central to our belief and practice:

    1. God is known to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Creator who seeks to restore fallen humanity by calling a people to be faithful in fellowship, worship, service and witness.
    2. Jesus is the Son of God. Through his life and teachings, his cross and resurrection, he showed us how to be faithful disciples, redeemed the world, and offers eternal life.
    3. As a church, we are a community of those whom God’s Spirit calls to turn from sin,acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, receive baptism upon confession of faith, and follow Christ in life.
    4. As a faith community, we accept the Bible as our authority for faith and life, interpreting it together under Holy Spirit guidance, in the light of Jesus Christ to discern God’s will for our obedience.
    5. The Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and share our possessions with those in need.
    6. We gather regularly to worship, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and to hear the Word of God in a spirit of mutual accountability.
    7. As a world-wide community of faith and life we transcend boundaries of nationality, race, class, gender and language. We seek to live in the world without conforming to the powers of evil, witnessing to God’s grace by serving others, caring for creation, and inviting all people to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

In these convictions we draw inspiration from Anabaptist forebears of the 16th century, who modeled radical discipleship to Jesus Christ. We seek to walk in his name by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we confidently await Christ’s return and the final fulfillment of God’s kingdom.

Adopted by Mennonite World Conference General Council, March 15, 2006
 

For more information on our beliefs click here: http://mennoniteusa.org/confession-of-faith/

Many people confuse Mennonites with the Amish. It is important to note here that Jacob Amen led a group (called the Amish) to leave the Mennonite Church when he thought it was becoming too “worldly”. It is for that reason that the Amish are much less integrated with society and do not allow outsiders to join them. As Mennonites we believe that it is important to remain culturally relevant while still holding to biblical faith. Finally, it is important to note that there are several very “conservative” groups of Mennonites who are similar to the Amish or somewhere between them and Mennonite Church USA.