Mennonites elect first woman president

GUATEMALA CITY — The Mennonite World Conference has elected its first woman president to lead the body of 1 million Anabaptist Christians around the world.

Nancy Heisey, an associate professor of biblical studies and church history at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., will assume leadership of the organization in 2003.

The Mennonite World Conference is a global network of churches with a shared history in the Anabaptist tradition, which traces its roots to the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

Anabaptists were more radical than other reformers, stressing adult baptism and seeking to adopt a New Testament lifestyle. They were persecuted by both Catholics and other Protestants.