Amish Mennonite
Amish Mennonites came into existence through reform movements among American Amish churches in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Amish churches had originated in the late 17th century through Berner Oberländer converts to the Swiss Brethren/Mennonite churches of Southern Germany, eastern France, and Switzerland.[1]
Contents
Early conferences
From 1862 to 1878, annual conferences were held among the Amish. The conferences produced a number of polarized groups, with two primary divisions: the Old Order Amish and the Amish Mennonites.[citation needed] The Amish Mennonites formed regional conferences in the late 1880s after the division. During the early 20th century, most of these original Amish Mennonite groups merged with regional Mennonite conferences and lost their Amish identity.[2]
- The Indiana-Michigan Amish Mennonite Conference
- The Western District Amish Mennonite Conference
- The Eastern Amish Mennonite Conference
- The Stuckey Amish (Mennonites) of Illinois
- The Leatherville Amish Mennonites of Missouri
- The Egli Amish also known as the Égly Amish (Amish Mennonites) were organized as the Defenseless Mennonite Church in 1865–1866. They adopted the name Evangelical Mennonite Church in 1949. While Evangelical Mennonite Churches currently exist, in 2003, a broader group of Mennonites became the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches.
Merging with Mennonites between 1954 and 1963
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
The "Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference" was born several decades after the original Amish Mennonite movement. In 1910, leaders from three unaffiliated Amish Mennonite congregations met in Michigan to discuss the formation of a conference that allowed for congregational autonomy yet would be able to assist individual churches with problems. This conference was to be more conservative than the aforementioned Amish Mennonite conferences. Nonetheless it moved closer to mainstream Mennonite groups, eventually losing its Amish identity. In 1954, a majority vote called for the removal of the "Amish" part of the Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference (CMC) name, which was implemented in the 1957 constitution revision. Proponents suggested that "Amish Mennonite" conferences were obsolete.[3]
Leading the process of assimilation further the "Ohio Mennonite and Eastern Amish Mennonite Joint Conference" became the "Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference" in 1955 and the "Ontario Amish Mennonite Conference" became the "Western Ontario Mennonite Conference" in 1963. [4]
Other congregations
A number of other Amish Mennonite congregations exist in an independent, unaffiliated setting. Most identify themselves in name as Conservative Mennonites or conservative Amish Mennonite and may hold fellowship with various Beachy or conservative Mennonite congregations.
Two newer affiliated groups include Berea Amish Mennonite Churches and Ambassador Amish Mennonite Churches. There is also a small group of Conservative Beachy congregations which still use the German Language.[5]
Directory
The Amish Mennonite Directory, published by Abana Books, lists Amish Mennonite congregations within Beachy, Fellowship, and unaffiliated constituencies. The directory includes detailed information, including household demographic and occupational data. The directory was published in 1993, 1996, 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2011.
Membership and congregations
Around the year 2000 there were 13 Amish Mennonite congregations in five states of the USA. Membership of these congregations was 1,222. There were also 16 unaffiliated Amish Mennonite congregations in nine states with 737 members.[6]
See also
- Anabaptist
- Beachy Amish
- Conservative Mennonites
- Biblical Mennonite Alliance
- Conservative Mennonite Conference
Notes
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lehman 1998
- ↑ Miller 1985
- ↑ Steven Nolt: A History of the Amish: Third Edition, Intercourse PA 2016
- ↑ See Mennonite Church Directory 2009
- ↑ Donald B. Kraybill and C. Nelson Hostetter: Anabaptist World USA, Scottdale, PA 2001, pages 147/8
References
- Beachy, A. J. "The Rise and Development of the Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches". Mennonite Quarterly Review (April 1955), 118–140.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Mennonite Church Directory. 2005–2007. Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications.
- Miller, D (ed). 2005. Amish Mennonite Directory 2005. Millersburg, OH: Abana Books.
- Miller, I. J. 1985. History of the Conservative Mennonite Conference: 1910–1985. Grantsville, MD: Ivan J. and Della Miller.
- Yoder, Elmer S. 1987. The Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship Churches. Sugarcreek, OH: Schlabach Printers.
