Amish Mennonite

Amish Mennonites came into existence through reform movements among North-American Amish mainly between 1862 and 1878. These Amish moved away from the old Amish traditions and drew near to the Mennonites to become Mennonites of Amish origin. Over the decades most Amish Mennonites groups removed the word "Amish" from the name of their congregations or merged with Mennonite groups.

In the last decades the term "Amish Mennonite" is sometimes erroneously used to designate horse and buggy Old Order Mennonites, whose lifestyle is more or less similar to the Old Order Amish. Sometimes the term "Amish Mennonite" is used to designate all groups of Amish, both the Old Order Amish and the Amish Mennonites and also the Amish before this split in the late 19th century. The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online uses the term "Amish Mennonite" in this sense.[1]

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. 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]

Merging with Mennonites between 1954 and 1963

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

References

  1. ↑ Amish Mennonite at gameo.org.
  2. ↑ Lehman 1998
  3. ↑ Miller 1985
  4. ↑ Steven Nolt: A History of the Amish: Third Edition, Intercourse PA 2016
  5. ↑ See Mennonite Church Directory 2009
  6. ↑ Donald B. Kraybill and C. Nelson Hostetter: Anabaptist World USA, Scottdale, PA 2001, pages 147/8

Literature

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