Mennonite/Amish - American Family Tree [Return to List of Trees]
The Mennonite/Amish family includes groups that trace their heritage to the 16th century Anabaptist movement in present-day Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. They take their name from Menno Simmons (1496-1561) an early Dutch leader in the movement. Led by Jacob Amman (1644-1711) and supporting stricter disciplines for their members, including the shunning of excommunicated members, the Amish became a separate branch within the Anabaptist movement in the 17th century. The Mennonites and the Amish were early immigrants to the Pennsylvania colony, arriving in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
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| Religious Group | Founded | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mennonite Church | 1683 | The Mennonite Church grew out of the 16th century Swiss Brethren and was named for Menno Simons, one of their Dutch leaders. The first permanent Mennonite colony was established in 1683 at Germantown, Pennsylvania. In 2002, the Mennonite Church merged with the General Conference Mennonite Church to form Mennonite Church USA. |
| Reformed Mennonite Church | 1812 | The Reformed Mennonite Church, a very conservative Mennonite body known for its use of shunning (or avoidance) of deviating members, was founded in 1812 by John Herr and former members of the Mennonite Church. They emphasize the exclusive claims of their distinct faith, practices, and community. They dress plainly and live in plain surroundings. |
| Church of God in Christ, Mennonite | 1859 | The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, was founded in 1859 by John Holdeman, a former member of the Mennonite Church. |
| Old Order (Wisler) Mennonite Church | 1870 | The Old Order (Wisler) Mennonites, one of several factions of the Old Order Mennonites, was founded in 1870 by Jacob Wisler. As a group, they remain among the most conservative in dress, forms of worship, and social customs. |
| Old Order Amish Mennonite Church | 1700s | The Old Order Amish Mennonite Church was founded in Switzerland in the seventeenth century by Mennonites under the leadership of Jacob Amman. The Amish first came to America in the eighteenth century and have become known for the horse and buggy culture they perpetuate. |
| Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference | 1910 | The Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference was founded in 1910 as an association of more liberal Amish Mennonite congregations. "Amish" was dropped from the name in 1954. |
| Conference of United Mennonite Brethren of North America | 1889 | The Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America can be traced to work organized in 1889 by Isaac Peters and Aaron Walls. In that year, they joined their congregations to create the United Mennonite Brethren of North America, though the name was soon changed to Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America. |
| Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America | 1917 | The Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America can be traced to work organized in 1889 by Isaac Peters and Aaron Walls. In that year, they joined their congregations to create the United Mennonite Brethren of North America, though the name was soon changed to Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America. In 1937, the name was changed to Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference, and in 1987 it adopted its present name, the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches. |
| Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches | 1927 | The Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches started when Bishop Moses Beachy refused to pronounce the ban against some former Old Order Amish members. |
| Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference | 1937 | The Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference can be traced to work organized in 1889 by Isaac Peters and Aaron Walls. In that year, they joined their congregations to create the United Mennonite Brethren of North America, though the name was soon changed to Defenseless Mennonite Brethren of Christ in North America. In 1937, the name was changed to Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference, and in 1987 it adopted its present name, the Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches. |
| Defenseless Mennonite Church | 1898 | The Defenseless Mennonite Church grew out of a spiritual awakening among the Amish of Indiana in 1866. Its founder was Bishop Henry Egly. This group adopted the name "The Defenseless Mennonite Church" in 1898, and became known as the Evangelical Mennonite Church in 1948. In 2003, it took on the name Fellowship of Evangelical Churches. |
| Evangelical Mennonite Church | 1948 | The Evangelical Mennonite Church grew out of a spiritual awakening among the Amish of Indiana in 1866. Its founder was Bishop Henry Egly. This group adopted the name "The Defenseless Mennonite Church" in 1898, and became known as the Evangelical Mennonite Church in 1948. In 2003, it took on the name Fellowship of Evangelical Churches. |
| Conservative Mennonite Conference | 1954 | The Conservative Mennonite Conference dates back to 1910 when it was originally founded as the Conservative Amish Mennonite Conference. The group changed its name in 1954, dropping the word "Amish," and they usually go by their shortened name, "CMC." The group strives to glorify God by providing leaders and congregations with worship, teachings, fellowship, and service. The group's mission is to mature and multiply churches both locally and globally. |
| Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church | 1869 | The Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church was organized by Jacob Wiebe in 1869 as the Crimean Brethren. The Crimean Brethren came to the United States in 1874, settling in Kansas. In 1960, this group (now called the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church) was absorbed into the Mennonite Brethren Church. |
| Mennonite Brethren Church of North America (Bruedergemeinde) | 1860 | The Mennonite Brethren Church of North America (Bruedergemeinde) was founded by Pastor Edward Wuest in 1860 and came to the United States in 1879 under the leadership of Abraham Schellenberg. Today it is known as the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. |
| Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches | 1987 | The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches can be traced to work organized in 1889 by Isaac Peters and Aaron Walls. Prior to 1987, the group was known as the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Conference. |
| Maranatha Amish Mennonite | 1997 | The Maranatha Amish Mennonite Church has its origins within the Beachy Amish Mennonites. During the 1980s, concerns among some Beachy leaders over multiple issues within the denomination prompted a call for restructuring. Some progress was made during the early 1990s, prompted by new guidelines proposed by conservative ministers on 18 issues of concern (called "A Charge to Keep, I Have"), but these efforts were soon abandoned. Nevertheless, some church leaders rallied in response, holding a meeting in Tennessee in 1997. This would become the first Maranatha Amish Mennonite meeting, though the development of the group's separate identity from the Beachys would take several years, leading into the early 2000s. |
| Mennonite Brethren Churches, U.S. Conference of | 2000 | The U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches was founded by Pastor Edward Wuest in 1860 and came to the United States in 1879 under the leadership of Abraham Schellenberg. This group specifically formed in 2000 when the Canadian and U.S. Mennonite Brethren divested the General Conference into two national conferences. |
| General Conference Mennonite Church | 1860 | The General Conference Mennonite Church was founded in 1860 through the union of more liberal and innovative Mennonite congregations under the leadership of John H. Oberholtzer. In 2002, it merged with the Mennonite Church to create the Mennonite Church USA. |
| Mennonite Church, USA | 2002 | The Mennonite Church, USA, is the largest of the Mennonite bodies in North America and was formed in 2002 from a merger between the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. |
| Fellowship of Evangelical Churches | 2003 | The Fellowship of Evangelical Churches grew out of a spiritual awakening among the Amish of Indiana in 1866. Its founder was Bishop Henry Egly. This group adopted the name "The Defenseless Mennonite Church" in 1898, and became known as the Evangelical Mennonite Church in 1948. It took its present name in 2003. |
| Ambassadors Amish Mennonite | 2008 | The origins of the Ambassadors Amish Mennonite date back to 1993, when the Cedar Springs Amish Mennonite congregation was founded in Leitchfield, Kentucky. This group was formed by several families emigrating from Auburn-Franklin, Kentucky, who were part of Beachy Amish Mennonite churches at the time. The new church, Cedar Springs, planted churches and attracted new families. Over time, leaders within the Cedar Springs network became concerned with the Beachy's lack of denominational structure and declining distinctiveness of historic practices. Aided by their larger numbers, they began the process of independence in the early 2000s and became their own denomination in 2008. |
