By Nyah Tinsley
What in the world should I expect?
This question was fresh in my mind as I was preparing to attend the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) in Germany. I’d been to one MWC before as a participant when we gathered in Harrisburg in 2015, but I had a feeling my experience this time was going to be different. This year, I was going to be representing LMC and participating in discussions with other Young Anabaptists (YABs). How did I, a young person from a small Mennonite church in Philadelphia, fit into all of this?
A couple Sundays before leaving, I remember a sermon my pastor preached from in Daniel chapter 2, when Daniel was interpreting Nebachundezzar’s dream. The message focused on seeing God’s kingdom on earth, which is part of what the dream foreshadows. Amidst the uncertainty about what my experience as a delegate would be like, the sermon prompted me to ask God to open my eyes while I was in Germany and Switzerland. To open my eyes to see what he’s doing in his kingdom on Earth. It’s very rare one gets to actually see this up close and on a global scale, and I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to witness it. God certainly answered my prayers.
One way he answered my prayers was during our delegate discussions. There were about thirty to forty countries represented among the delegates, and I enjoyed getting to learn from everyone and hear about their life experiences. Most days, we would come together and have three sessions where we would discuss various topics in groups. We talked about many issues affecting young people in the global church today, such as, how do we engage with youth more, how should churches address controversial topics, and how can youth take part in church leadership. Exchanging ideas and sharing stories gave me a glimpse into what God is doing through young people around the world.
One discussion that stays with me was when my group was brainstorming different ways to raise up the next generation of church leaders. One of the delegates in my group, who was from Indonesia, shared with us how her church implemented cell groups where they partake in Bible studies and spend time in prayer for each other and the church. Here, their youth can participate in leadership roles for these groups while having the older generation disciple them at the same time. This is just one of many stories I’ve brought home with me and can possibly implement what I’ve learned in my own church. For this reason, I’m appreciative that we were given a space to experience what God is doing among the youth globally.
I then attended the 500-year anniversary celebration held in Switzerland. I was able to see part of the body of Christ on a larger scale as we came together for fellowship and to remember our heritage as Anabaptists. My favorite part was being able to walk around Zürich and see different parts of our history, such as the Zwingli monument, the house where the Bible study took place that ignited the Anabaptist movement, and the Limmat River, where Felix Manz (the first Anabaptist martyr) was drowned. Even though I was unable to get a seat inside the Grossmünster church for the celebration service, just being able to be in Zürich and learn about our heritage was a surreal experience.
People came from all over the world for the celebration, and I’m glad God gave me the opportunity to see how he’s bringing his kingdom on earth. I’d been asking myself where I—as a young person—fit into all this. The delegate role allowed me to feel that I do have a part to play in the body of Christ, not just in my own church, but globally as well.
Nyah Tinsley was chosen as the youth delegate to represent LMC at the 2025 Mennonite World Conference in Germany. She’s twenty-four and lives in Philadelphia, PA where she is a youth leader and worship team member at Oxford Circle Mennonite Church. She graduated from Temple University with her bachelor’s in Global Studies and Spanish. Nyah is currently a Spanish translator at her church community’s neighborhood high school. She loves to travel, so she was excited to spend her first time in Europe celebrating 500 Years of Anabaptism.