Anthony Hertzler
Communal Anabaptists
Anthony Hertzler was born in 1982 in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. His parents were both raised and married in conservative Mennonite churches. His father, an ordained Mennonite minister, grew troubled by aspects of church administration and decision-making, and in 1991 the family relocated to help found an independent Anabaptist congregation in Perkins, Oklahoma. When that congregation dissolved in the late 90's the family moved again, spending time in several other small Anabaptist churches during the next few years. During this time Anthony also committed his life to Christ and was baptized at age 16.
Throughout his teens and early twenties, Anthony and his family experienced a growing desire for fellowship that would go beyond occasional meetings in a church building and address the issues of loneliness and inequality that seemed so common in many congregations. This vision was confirmed and given shape when the family spent a year at Elmendorf Christian Community in Minnesota from 2006-2007. The Hertzler family moved away from Elmendorf in '07, but remained in close fellowship with Elmendorf while working toward building a new community in Oklahoma. After assisting in the early months of that effort, Anthony returned to Elmendorf, where he accepted membership and was married to Abigail Wurtz in 2008. He plans to return soon with his wife to join the work in Oklahoma.
Anthony is currently the main contact person for Elmendorf Books, the publisher of Peter Hoover's books The Secret of the Strength and The Mystery of the Mark. He can be reached via the address given at www.elmendorfbooks.com.
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Why build spiritual bridges?
Most of us have been exposed to the huge ecumenical push of recent decades, and have also seen that this push seems headed towards creating a dumbed down oneness that may eventually include holding hands with the Pope, moderate Islam and the New Age and saying that we “all worship the same God”. So it’s easy for us to react against it and become more isolationist and protective than ever. But, in the end this only results in the true testimony being weakened, while the tares are left to take over. It seems that the wheat, God’s people, need more than ever at this time to build bridges with one another, to learn from one another, to strengthen one another, and to be together a clear New Testament witness to this generation.
Who are the ambassadors in this section?
Each of the “ambassadors” listed in this section of the website have accepted the invitation to represent “their people” (group / denomination / etc), and to be a point of contact for answering questions, helping people find other spiritually sound representatives of “their people” in various locations, and being available to speak in churches or other such meetings of denominational and non-denominational groups. We hope this will provide just one practical means of opening doors between different parts of the body of Christ. Note that these people are not necessarily formal denominational representatives and therefore claim no special endorsement other than their willingness to build bridges and communicate.