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| Conference of Amish Mennonites | |
|---|---|
| Name | Conference of Amish Mennonites |
Conference of Amish Mennonites
The Conference of Amish Mennonites is an association within the Amish and Mennonite traditions that reflects a blend of historic Anabaptist streams, aligning with relatives such as the Old Order Amish, Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches, Mennonite Church USA, and Mennonite Brethren. It traces roots through leaders and events connected to Jacob Ammann, Menno Simons, Conrad Grebel, and movements like the Radical Reformation, influenced by regional developments in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Ontario, and Manitoba.
The Conference traces lineage from the 17th-century divisions involving Jacob Ammann and Dirk Philips, and later adaptations influenced by figures such as Peter Hoover, John Hostetler, Donald Kraybill, and H.C. Wolf. It developed amid 19th- and 20th-century pressures including migration to Pennsylvania Dutch Country, industrialization in Lancaster County, responses to laws like the Pennsylvania Dutch identity disputes, and contacts with Mennonite World Conference, Old Order River Brethren, Hutterites, and Bruderhof Communities. Key moments involved schisms and unions similar to events such as the Swiss Amish separations, the formation of the Beachy Amish, and dialogues with the Mennonite Church (Old Mennonite) and Mennonite Central Committee leadership.
The Conference emphasizes Anabaptist distinctives derived from Menno Simons and theological themes debated in venues like the Schleitheim Confession and discussions shaped by commentators such as B.C. Wallace and John F. Funk. Members typically hold to nonresistance associated with Menno Simons and Michael Sattler legacies, believer's baptism as practiced in congregations similar to Old Order Amish and River Brethren, and a lived separation evident in attire and technology approaches debated in forums involving John A. Hostetler and Donald B. Kraybill. Liturgical practices reflect hymnody found in editions related to A Cappella Hymnody and worship patterns paralleling Mennonite Brethren and Dunkard Brethren traditions.
Organizationally the Conference resembles conferences like the Mennonite Conference of Ontario, Lancaster Mennonite Conference, and the Goshen College-linked networks, with congregational representation akin to structures seen in the Mennonite Church USA and regional ties resembling the Ohio Amish Conference. Leadership roles echo titles used by Bishop Jacob-type elders, ministerial teams, and deacon equivalents observed in Old Order Mennonite districts. Membership rolls and polity have been compared in studies by Jonathan Brown and institutions such as Elizabethtown College and Goshen College.
Worship services draw parallels to those in Old Order Amish and Beachy Amish meetinghouses, incorporating scripture readings, sermons influenced by expositors in the Mennonite Brethren tradition, and hymn singing found in collections tied to Anabaptist editors. Ordination practices parallel those debated in the Mennonite World Conference and among elders with patterns similar to ordination in Old Order River Brethren and Dunkard Brethren circles. The Conference has engaged with theological discussions involving scholars like John Howard Yoder and Mennonite ethicists addressing nonviolence and community accountability.
Educational approaches range from one-room school parallels in Old Order Amish districts to engagement with institutions such as Goshen College, Eastern Mennonite University, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and vocational programs akin to those in Lancaster County. Social life reflects communal patterns seen in Pennsylvania Dutch festivals, barn-raisings like those in Old Order Amish culture, and service initiatives reminiscent of Mennonite Central Committee projects and relief work with partners including Amish Aid and other charity efforts historically linked to Anabaptist networks.
The Conference maintains dialogues and sometimes cooperative relationships with Old Order Amish, Beachy Amish, Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Brethren, Hutterites, Amish Mennonite Conference-style bodies, and international partners within the Mennonite World Conference framework. Historic interactions have involved mediators and scholars such as John Hostetler, Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and organizations like the Mennonite Central Committee and Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.
Membership and congregations are concentrated in traditional Anabaptist regions: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Elkhart County, Indiana, Holmes County, Ohio, LaGrange County, Indiana, Allen County, Indiana, and Canadian provinces such as Ontario and Manitoba. Immigrant and diaspora links extend to communities in Mexico, Bolivia, Paraguay, and informal ties with European Anabaptist descendants in Switzerland and Germany. Demographic studies have been undertaken by scholars at Elizabethtown College, Goshen College, Eastern Mennonite University, and researchers like Donald Kraybill and Steven Nolt.
Category:Anabaptist organizations