id: mennonite-consensus
title: Mennonite Congregational Consensus
description: >-
  A Mennonite practice of seeking congregational consensus through
  prayerful discussion and discernment, without voting. Rooted in the
  Anabaptist tradition of communal discernment and pacifist commitment.
source: Mennonite Church USA / Mennonite World Conference
source_url: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/
tags: [mennonite, anabaptist, consensus, discernment, church]
forked_from: null
image: null
steps:
  - headline: Frame in worship
    description: >-
      The congregation frames the decision in prayer and scripture,
      recognising it as a matter of communal discernment, not preference.
  - headline: Open discussion
    description: >-
      Members share their views and concerns openly, with a moderator
      ensuring that all voices — including the marginal — are heard.
  - headline: Seek the mind of Christ
    description: >-
      The moderator names the emerging sense of the congregation, testing
      whether it reflects a shared discernment rather than a majority.
  - headline: Confirm or hold
    description: >-
      If the congregation can unite, the decision is confirmed. If not, the
      matter is held for further prayer and discussion rather than voted
      through.
outcome: >-
  A decision is made that the congregation can unite behind, or held until
  such unity emerges, without overriding dissent.
practice: >-
  The discipline is not to vote when unity is absent. Holding a matter is
  not failure — it is the form respecting the discernment.