Who was Menno Simons?

Menno Simons (1496—1561) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader and Bible expositor who played a crucial role in shaping the Anabaptist movement in the sixteenth century. Originally ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, Simons began to question Catholic doctrines, particularly transubstantiation and infant baptism. After studying the New Testament and the works of other Protestant reformers, Simons eventually left the Catholic Church and joined the Anabaptist movement. His teachings emphasized a literal interpretation of Scripture, believers’ baptism, strict church discipline, nonviolence, and the concept of a pure church separate from the world. Menno Simons’ leadership, writings, and example were so influential that his followers became known as “Mennonites,” a name that remains in use to this day.

Menno Simons was born in Witmarsum, a village in the province of Friesland, in the northern Netherlands. His father, a dairy farmer of humble means, wished his son to be educated for the Catholic priesthood. Little else is known of his childhood, except that he was sent to live in a monastery for religious preparation. He was ordained in 1524 and served as a parish priest in the nearby village of Pingjum and later in Witmarsum. During this period, Menno Simons lived a conventional clerical life, but seeds of doubt were quietly sprouting within him.

The start of Menno Simons’ transformation can be traced to 1525, a time when Europe was on the brink of sweeping religious reforms that would soon challenge the authority of the Catholic Church. Simons first began to question the doctrine of transubstantiation—the belief that bread and wine in the Eucharist become the actual body and blood of Christ. This doubt led him to study the Bible, something not encouraged for laypeople or even parish priests in that era. Simons realized that many church practices were not found in the New Testament. He became increasingly disturbed by the corruption and worldliness he saw in the Catholic Church and by the lack of scriptural support for infant baptism, a practice he would later reject.

Around this time, a radical Protestant group was emerging in Switzerland and Germany. These reformers, known as Anabaptists, insisted that baptism should be reserved for believers old enough to make a conscious confession of faith. The movement was considered heretical by both Catholic and many Protestant authorities, and its members were often persecuted.

In 1535, a crisis significantly impacted Simons’ decision to embrace Anabaptist teachings and become a leader in the movement. Menno’s brother, Peter Simons, was among hundreds of Anabaptists slaughtered while attempting to establish a “New Jerusalem” in Münster, Germany. His brother’s death, along with the deaths of many who had left his Catholic congregation to join the Anabaptists, deeply affected Menno Simons. He was outraged by the persecution and felt that, as a spiritual leader, he might have been able to prevent the tragedy.

This event, along with his growing concerns about Catholic doctrines, led Menno Simons to leave the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1536. He joined the Anabaptists in 1537 and was rebaptized by Obbe Philips, founder of Holland’s first Anabaptist congregation. Within a year, he was preaching at a church in Groningen.

Believing that Anabaptism reflected the New Testament model, Menno emerged as a moderating voice among some of the movement’s radical reformers. He sought to dissociate Anabaptism from the millennial fervor that had led to the disastrous event in Münster, focusing his ministry primarily on promoting moral integrity and devotional commitment.

Simons was married in 1536, the same year he left his parish and publicly aligned with the Anabaptists. Menno and his wife, Gertrude, had three children, who traveled with him during his years of ministry.

Despite spending much of his life as a hunted man, Menno Simons dedicated himself to preaching, teaching, writing, and traveling secretly to plant and rebuild the scattered Anabaptist communities. His message emphasized peaceful discipleship, non-violent resistance, community living, and the separation of church and state.

Menno Simons dismissed infant baptism as unscriptural. He taught that Christians should not bear arms, participate in war, or seek retribution. He argued that the church should be separate from secular government, a radical stance in a day when state churches were the norm. He emphasized a simple, communal lifestyle based on mutual aid, charity, and accountability among believers. Simons believed that true disciples were called to follow Jesus’ example in every area of life, including loving one’s enemies.

Menno Simons wrote extensively, producing letters, treatises, devotionals, theological works, and confessions of faith designed to instruct and encourage believers. His most famous work, Foundation of Christian Doctrine (1539), outlined his theological beliefs and became a groundwork document for the newly developing Mennonite church.

Menno Simons died in 1561 in Wüstenfelde, in present-day Germany. Despite many hardships in life, he managed to build a resilient network of Anabaptist congregations throughout the Netherlands and northern Germany. The communities that followed Menno Simons’ teachings became known as Mennonites, and their influence spread far beyond Europe. In the centuries that followed, Mennonites migrated to the Americas, Russia, and beyond, often seeking religious freedom and the opportunity to live according to their principles. The Mennonites are the largest group of Anabaptists in existence today.