Mennonite Handbook of Information/Chapter 13
CHAPTER XIII
OTHER MENNONITE BODIES
Following is a list of bodies that have either seceded from the Mennonite Church in America, or came from Europe as independent bodies, or are subdivisions of bodies that had previously seceded from the parent church. Though clinging to the name. Mennonite, in some form, they are not in fellowship with the parent body, in some cases differing widely from it in faith and practice.
1. Amish Mennonites (Old Order)—followers of Jacob Ammon, a Mennonite bishop in Europe who was separated from his brethren about the year 1692. Under the leadership of Jacob Hertzler and others, many of these came to America a few decades later. Latest statistics assign this church 84 bishops, 231 ministers, 55 deacons, and 7746 members.
2. Reformed Mennonites—organized in 1811 by John Herr and others. At present this church is credited with 20 places of worship, 15 bishops, 33 ministers, 16 deacons, and 2794 members.
3. Stauffer People—organized in 1846 by Jacob Stauffer. Present membership, about 200.
4. General Conference Mennonites—organized about 1860 by J. H. Oberholtzer and others. This church had its start in eastern Pennsylvania in 1847,. when Oberholtzer severed his connection with the Franconia Conference. He was joined a few years. later by several Swiss Mennonite congregations in Iowa and Illinois, and still later reinforced by several thousand Russian Mennonites who came to America in the early seventies. The present strength of this church is rated at about 136 ministers and 20,000 members.
5. Church of God in Christ, Mennonite—organized by John Holdeman in 1859. The present strength of this church is rated at 5 bishops, 48 ministers, 19 deacons, and 2100 members.
6. Defenceless Mennonites—organized in 1866 by Henry Egli, an Amish Mennonite minister in Indiana. Present statistics give the strength of this church as follows: bishops, 7; ministers, 18; deacons, 19; members, 1040.
7. Wisler Mennonites—organized in 1871 by Jacob Wisler and others, in Indiana, and later reinforced by a number of congregations in Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Latest statistics available assign this church the following strength: bishops, 11; ministers, 34; deacons, 22; members, 1940.
8. Mennonite Brethren in Christ—organized in 1883 by Daniel Brenneman, Solomon Eby, William Gehman, and others; being a union of "Evangelical Mennonites of Eastern Pennsylvania," who had withdrawn from the Oberholtzer faction in 1859, the "Reformed Mennonites" in Indiana who had withdrawn from the Mennonite Church in 1874, the "Evangelical Mennonites" in Canada, and the "Brethren in Christ" in Ohio. This church is credited with 31 bishops, 148 ministers, and 7587 members.
9. Central Illinois Conference of Mennonites—also known as "Stuckey Mennonites," organized by Joseph Stuckey (an Amish Mennonite bishop of Illinois) and others about forty years ago. This church is credited with 23 bishops, 15 ministers, and 2874 members.
10. Amish Mennonites (Conservative)—a branch that separated from the main body of Amish Menno 1 nites and organized themselves into a conference" in 1911. They are credited with 15 bishops, 33 ministers, 16 deacons, and 2794 members.
11. Russian Mennonites.—Among the Russian Mennonites who have come to America since 1870 there are a number of separate bodies such as the "Brueder Gemeinde," the "Krimmer Brueder Gemeinde," the "Kleine Gemeinde" "Bergthal" congregations, etc. In view of the possibilities in the way of Russian Mennonite immigration into America in the near future, it is not unlikely that at some time the largest element of Mennonite population in America may be the descendants from these immigrants from Russia.
Counting all the different Mennonite bodies in America (United States, Canada, and Mexico) the total membership now approximates one hundred thousand. While we rejoice at the growth in numbers, we can not but share in the generally expressed regret that there are so many different bodies of Mennonites. Some have left the parent body on the ground that the Mennonite Church is too strict in its discipline, others on the ground that it is not strict enough. And while one would naturally suppose that the branches inclined toward more advanced conservatism would gravitate together and seek to unite into one body, and that there would naturally be a general coming together on the part of those more inclined toward liberalism, yet this does not seem to be the case. On the other hand there have been further subdivisions in some of the seceding bodies already named. But should there ever be a turn in the tendency toward disunion, and both extreme conservatives and liberalists seek common ground, they will find a common meeting place on the ground now occupied by the parent body, officially known as "The Mennonite Church," which is about half-way between the extremes represented among Mennonite bodies. Concerning these, as well as members of all churches called Christian, we join in the prayer of our Lord "that they all may be one," even as the Father and the Son are one.