JDM 2025
May 31, 2025
Trinity United Church, Portage la Prairie, MB
and via Zoom
The Speaker
Jesse Hofer
Jesse Hofer is an educator, translator, and historian who is a member of the Silverwinds Community near Sperling, Manitoba. For the past fifeteen years, he has taught Grades 5-12 at Silverwinds School, as well as Hutterite history on the HBNIITV system. In recent years, Jesse has also taught Hutterite history to adult learners, both online and in-person. He teaches Sunday school to youth in his local community.
Jesse has authored several articles on Hutterite history and theology, most recently an essay on cultivating communal conversations published in Navigating Tradition and Innovation. He co-edited the sourcebook For God’s Truth: A Hutterite History Reader (2024). Jesse is one of the founders and organizers of the JDM lecture series and he sits on the committee of the Hutterite Heritage Archives.
Giving and Receiving Counsel
in the Hutterite Tradition.
LECTURE 1 (Saturday, May 31, 2025, 10:00-11:00 am)
Early Hutterite Visions of Life Together
Mutual admonition or giving and receiving counsel was an important aspect of 16th century Anabaptist teaching and Hutterite life. It was central to their understanding of faith as discipleship, which emphasized the responsibility of members to actively participate in the spiritual life of the church community. In what context did this practice develop and what were its biblical and theological roots? How was this practice related to their understanding of the church and its mission? This lecture will explore the convictions and motivations that gave rise to the principle of giving and receiving counsel in the 16th century.
LECTURE 2 (Saturday, May 31, 2025, 1:00-2:00 pm)
Building up the Body with Mutual Admonition Today
As part of their baptismal vows, Hutterites today still promise to give and receive counsel in the context of the local church community. What norms and expectations around giving and receiving counsel exist in our communities today? How might we enrich and extend our understanding of this practice in our communities? This lecture will consider the implications of this practice for reading Scripture, navigating conflict, discipling our youth, and for maintaining the overall spiritual vitality of our communities today.