In the biting cold of a January evening in 1525, a small circle of believers huddled in a Zurich home, hearts burning with conviction. One man, George Blaurock, turned to another, Conrad Grebel, and asked to be baptized—not as an infant, but as a confessing adult. What followed was a simple act: water, words of faith, a pledge to follow Christ. One by one, all who gathered were baptized by each other in what they understood to be their first true baptism. Five hundred years ago, these were no ordinary baptisms and their decision cost many of them their lives.
Simple Acts With Immense Consequences
For centuries there had been only one church in Europe–the Roman Catholic Church. It did not tolerate practices that differed from the official stance of the church and adult rebaptism threatened the tradition of infant baptism. It was therefore seen as an act of rebellion against the state church and became a crime punishable by death. These believers, who would later be called Anabaptists, were driven not by a political agenda, but by a singular passion to obey God’s Word. They read Scripture and saw clearly: true baptism must follow a conscious decision to follow Jesus. And so they acted—courageously, obediently, sacrificially–growing in numbers even as they met in secret. Even other church reformers of their time refused to stand with them, and they were persecuted in Europe for many decades.
A Family Celebration
The many varieties of Mennonites all find their roots in this movement and, even though thousands faced martyrdom and exile, this faith family has grown to include 2.13 million baptized believers in 86 countries (according to the Mennonite World Conference). On May 29, 2025, over 3000 people gathered in Zurich from around the world to commemorate the event mentioned above and the persecution that followed. I had the honor of being among them, and what a joy it was to gather and celebrate God’s goodness with a truly global family!
Why Does This Matter Today?
More than just a historical footnote, that small gathering in Zurich challenges us in the 21st century. As modern Christians, we live in a world of comfort, convenience, and compromise. The temptation to blend in, to soften our convictions, or to follow God only when it’s easy, is ever-present. But the story of the early Anabaptists reminds us that true discipleship is costly.
Their example calls us to a deeper faith—one that refuses to settle for ritual without relationship, tradition without truth, or religion without transformation. Their courage asks us: What are we willing to risk, in order to follow Jesus?
Returning to the Heart of the Gospel
Anabaptists, like many Christians throughout history, understood that the Christian life is rooted not in church structures, traditions or cultural identity, but in Jesus Christ. Their story calls us to return to the simplicity and power of the Gospel:
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Salvation is through Christ alone.
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Faith must be personal and active.
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Scripture is our ultimate authority.
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Discipleship is a daily journey, not a one-time decision.
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The church is a community of the committed, not a club of the comfortable.
Like those early believers, we are invited to renew our commitment—to lay aside safe, superficial Christianity and step into courageous, Spirit-led obedience.
An Invitation to Courage
We may not face martyrdom, but we are still called to be bold. Baptism is more than a symbol—it is a stake in the ground, a public declaration that we belong to Christ. And like the first Anabaptists, we are called to live lives that reflect that commitment: loving our enemies, seeking peace, resisting worldly compromise, and embracing the radical teachings of Jesus.
Let their simple act remind us all: obedience to God, even in small things, can have world-changing consequences.
So what is God calling you to do? And will you, like George Blaurock and Conrad Grebel, have the courage to obey?
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
— Luke 9:23
Click to watch the Anabaptist@500 event video recording
