Conservative Anabaptism includes theologically conservative Anabaptist denominations, both in doctrine and practice. Conservative Anabaptists, along with Old Order Anabaptists and mainline Anabaptists, are a subset of the Anabaptist branch of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Conservative Anabaptists adhere to

Anabaptist doctrine Anabaptist theology, also known as Anabaptist doctrine, is a theological tradition reflecting the doctrine of the Anabaptist Churches. The major branches of Anabaptist Christianity (inclusive of Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Bruderhof, Schwarze ...

, such as the belief in

nonresistance Nonresistance (or non-resistance) is "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy. It is considered as a form of pri ...

and the observance of plain dress (including the headcovering), while making judicious use of modern technology. Ordinances commonly observed in many Conservative Anabaptist churches include "

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

, communion,

footwashing Maundy (from Old French ''mandé'', from Latin ''mandatum'' meaning "command"), or Washing of the Saints' Feet, Washing of the Feet, or Pedelavium or Pedilavium, is a religious rite observed by various Christian denominations. The Latin word ...

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, anointing with oil, the

holy kiss The kiss of peace is an ancient traditional Christian greeting, sometimes also called the "holy kiss", "brother kiss" (among men), or "sister kiss" (among women). Such greetings signify a wish and blessing that peace be with the recipient, and be ...

, and the prayer covering." Conservative Anabaptists have Sunday school, hold

revival meeting A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held to inspire active members of a church body to gain new converts and to call sinners to repent. Nineteenth-century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said, "Many blessings may come t ...

s, and operate their own

Christian schools A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures. In some countr ...

( parochial schools). Additionally, Conservative Anabaptist fellowships are highly engaged in evangelism and

missionary work A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

; a 1993 report showed that Conservative Anabaptist denominations in general grew by fifty percent overall within the previous fifteen years. Among Conservative Anabaptists are the

Dunkard Brethren Church The Dunkard Brethren Church is a Conservative Anabaptist denomination of the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition, which organized in 1926 when they withdrew from the Church of the Brethren in the United States. The Dunkard Brethren Church observes th ...

and

Conservative Mennonites Conservative Mennonites include numerous Conservative Anabaptist groups that identify with the theologically conservative element among Mennonite Anabaptist Christian fellowships, but who are not Old Order groups or mainline denominations. Co ...

(inclusive of the

Beachy Mennonites The Beachy Amish Mennonites, also known as the Beachy Mennonites, are an Anabaptist group of churches in the Conservative Mennonite tradition that have Amish roots. Although they have retained the name "Amish" they are quite different from the O ...

), as well as the

Bruderhof Communities The (; 'place of brothers') is an Anabaptist Christian movement that was founded in Germany in 1920 by Eberhard Arnold. The movement has communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Paraguay, and Australia. The Bru ...

Apostolic Christian Church The Apostolic Christian Church (ACC) is a worldwide Christian denomination from the Anabaptist tradition that practices credobaptism, closed communion, greeting other believers with a holy kiss, a capella worship in some branches (in others, s ...

and the

Charity Christian Fellowship Charity Ministries, also called Charity Christian Fellowship, is an Conservative Anabaptist network of churches that was formed in 1982 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Donald B. Kraybill, C. Nelson Hostetter: ''Anabaptist World USA'', Scottdal ...

. Conservative Anabaptists form 15% of Anabaptist Christianity as a whole. In response to a perceived laxity in adherence to Anabaptist doctrine and practice, certain Conservative Anabaptist denominations, such as the

Biblical Mennonite Alliance __NOTOC__ Biblical Mennonite Alliance (BMA) is an organization of Conservative Mennonite Anabaptist congregations located primarily in the eastern two thirds of the US and Canada, with some international affiliates. The BMA congregations are organ ...

and the

, were formed after adherents separated from their parent (usually mainline Anabaptist) bodies; on the other hand, the

are composed of individuals who left Old Order Anabaptist groups and "were deeply committed to evangelism and mission work." Other Conservative Anabaptist denominations, such as

, have been organized by people from diverse backgrounds. ''Beside The Still Waters'' is a

daily devotional A daily devotional is a Christian religious publication that provide a specific spiritual reading for each calendar day. Many daily devotionals take the form of one year devotional books, with many being tailored specifically for children, teenag ...

widely used by Conservative Anabaptists.

References

External links

Conservative Anabaptist Places

Pilgrim Ministry: Conservative Mennonite Anabaptist churches

Biblical Mennonite Alliance

Beachy Amish

Dunkard Brethren Church

Charity Christian Fellowship

Apostolic Christian Church

Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean)

Statement of Beliefs - Anabaptist Disciples of Christ

Christian Aid Ministries
{{Anabaptists Anabaptism Conservative Anabaptists

References

Further reading

External links