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The Kauffman Amish Mennonites, also called Sleeping Preacher Churches or Tampico Amish Mennonite Churches, are a plain, car-driving branch of the
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, becoming Mennonites of Amish origin. Over ...
s whose tradition goes back to John D. Kauffman (1847-1913) who preached while being in a state of trance and who was seen as a "
sleeping preacher A sleeping preacher, also called trance-preacher, is a Christian, most often Protestant person who preaches, prophesies or addresses a public audience while "sleeping," that is, in a state of trance. History The first reports of sporadic tranc ...
". In 2017 the Kauffman Amish Mennonites had some 2,000 baptized members and lived mainly in Missouri and
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
. In contrast to other Amish Mennonites they have retained their identity over the last hundred years and also largely the Pennsylvania German language and other Amish Mennonite traditions from the late 1800s.''Sleeping Preacher Churches''
at
Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online The Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO) is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to Mennonites and Anabaptism. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on Anabaptist-related to ...
.


History


Early history

For the early history of the Amish Mennonites, see Amish: History.


The Amish division between 1862 and 1878

Mostly between 1862 and 1878 there were developments that divided the Amish into two mayor branches: the Old Order Amish and the
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, becoming Mennonites of Amish origin. Over ...
s. The Old Order faction rejected change and wanted to cling to the old teachings, whereas the Amish Mennonites embraced change. During that time ''Dienerversammlungen'' (ministerial conferences) were held in Wayne County, Ohio, concerning how the Amish should deal with the pressures of modern society. The meetings themselves were a progressive idea, for bishops to assemble to discuss uniformity was an unprecedented notion in the Amish church. By the first several meetings, the more traditionally minded bishops agreed to
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict so ...
the conferences and then formed with their congregations the Old Order Amish. The more progressive branch, comprising approximately two-thirds of all Amish, drifted toward the Mennonite mainstream over the next decades. They first retained the name Amish Mennonite but eventually dropped the word Amish from their congregations and later united with the Mennonite Church and other Mennonite denominations, especially in the early 20th century. The Tampico Amish Mennonites are the only Amish Mennonites from the division between 1862 and 1878 who have retained their Amish Mennonite identity until now.


The sleeping preacher

John D. Kauffman, who was member of an Amish Mennonite congregation, started to preach in June 1880, but it took until 1907, when he and some of his followers moved from
Elkhart County, Indiana Elkhart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. , the county's population was 207,047. The county seat is Goshen. Elkhart County is part of the Elkhart- Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South ...
, to
Shelby County, Illinois Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 20,990. Its county seat is Shelbyville. History Shelby County was formed in 1827 out of Fayette County. It was named in ho ...
, to form their own congregation, Mt. Hermon Church. In the beginning they were without bishop, but later bishop John R. Zook from
Lawrence County, Pennsylvania Lawrence County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,070. The county seat is New Castle. Lawrence County comprises the entire New Castle, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...
, came and ordained Peter Zimmerman as their bishop. Against his will, but at the instruction of the Holy Spirit, Kauffman was also ordained bishop in 1911. After the death of John D. Kauffman in 1913, Joseph Reber was ordained as the leader of the church in 1914 and in 1954 he was still in this position. Their first congregation, Mt. Hermon near
Shelbyville, Illinois Shelbyville is a city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Illinois, United States, along the Kaskaskia River. As of the 2020 census, the population was at 4,674. HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, located in town, is the county's only hospital. ...
, assimilated into the Mennonite mainstream over the years, but the Fairfield congregation in Tampico, Illinois, which broke away from the Mt. Hermon church in 1933 and moved to
Henry County, Illinois Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2010 United States Census, listed its population at 50,486. Its county seat is Cambridge. Henry County is included in the Davenport- Moline- Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolita ...
in 1938 and to Tampico,
Bureau County, Illinois Bureau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 34,978. Its county seat is Princeton. Bureau County is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area, and the Henn ...
in 1944, preserved the old ways of the Kauffman Amish Mennonite, using German in its services and emphasizing Kauffman's "Spirit preaching". The Kauffman Amish Mennonite later moved to other states, especially to Missouri where about half of them live now and to
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
where about a quarter of them live now.


Belief and practice

As descendants from the
Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churche ...
, the Kauffman Amish Mennonites are an
Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...
Christian group in the tradition of the
Radical Reformation The Radical Reformation represented a response to corruption both in the Catholic Church and in the expanding Magisterial Protestant movement led by Martin Luther and many others. Beginning in Germany and Switzerland in the 16th century, the R ...
of the early 16th century. In contrast to other
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, becoming Mennonites of Amish origin. Over ...
s they have retained the Pennsylvania German language, which they also use for church service. The Pennsylvania German language is seen as a "neat wall" against the evil influence of the "world". Sermons make frequent mention of Kauffman's teachings, referring to his statements as the preaching with the words "The Spirit taught us . . ." According to Pius Hostetler, the followers of Kauffman saw his preaching as "Spirit preaching", therefore regarded as an authoritative interpretation of the Bible and binding upon his followers. The dress of the Kauffman Amish Mennonites is similar to the
Beachy Amish 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 ...
in many respects although the men normally wear longer beards, and lapel coats are with buttons instead of hooks and eyes. In the mid-1980s men still wore Amish-like beards, hats and suspenders while women wore head coverings, bonnets, capes, aprons and black stockings. The practice of avoidance (German: ''Bann und Meidung'') was supported by the spirit preaching of John Kauffman. It is still practiced today but should be done in a spirit of love and according to Matthew 18:15-17.


Members and congregations

The vast majority of members are descending from followers of John Kauffman, thus of old Amish Mennonite stock, and the number of members from a non-Mennonite background is very small. In 1938 the Tampico Amish Mennonites had one church, 17 households and 130 souls and in 1957 the "Sleeping Preacher Churches" had six congregations with a total membership of 540, but only the Fairfield congregation, four miles south of
Tampico, Illinois Tampico () is a village located in Tampico Township, Whiteside County, Illinois, Tampico Township, Whiteside County, Illinois, Whiteside County, Illinois, United States next to Rock Falls and Sterling, Illinois. As of the 2010 census the village ha ...
, which had 143 members in 1953, did not assimilate into the Mennonite mainstream. In the mid 1990s the Tampico Amish Mennonites had eleven congregations with about 900 church members. In 2008 they had 1,450 baptized members. In 2010 the "Tampico Amish Mennonite Churches" had 3,342 adherents, including children and young adults who are not yet baptized. In 2017 there were 18 congregations with 2011 baptized members and in 2014 they had 18 churches, 714 households and more than 3,500 souls, mainly living in Missouri and
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
.


Literature

John D. Kauffman and his followers inspired
Julia Kasdorf Julia Mae Spicher Kasdorf (born December 6, 1962) is an American poet. Early years and education Born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, Julia Spicher grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh near Irwin, Westmoreland County.Julia Spicher, ''Moss Lotus'' ( ...
to write her poetry book "Sleeping Preacher", which was published in 1992 and for which she won the
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize The Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is a major American literary award for a first full-length book of poetry in the English language. This prize of the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States was initiated by ...
.Penn State: The Department of English: ''Julia Spicher Kasdorf has published her third collection of poems''
retrieved 22 May, 2017.


Further reading


Pius Hostetler: ''The Life, Preaching, and Labors of John D. Kauffman'', Shelbyville, Illinois, 1915.
* Jacob Christner: ''Kauffman's Sermons'', Tampico, Illinois: Tornado Print, no date, 24 pages. (First edition, 1915; second edition, 1948). * Aarni Voipio: ''Sleeping Preachers: a Study in Ecstatic Religiosity'', Helsinki, 1951.
Harry H. Hiller: ''The Sleeping Preacher: An Historical Study of the Role of Charisma in Amish Society''
in Pennsylvania Folklife 18 (Winter 1968/69), pages 19-31.
Don Yoder: ''Trance-Preaching in the United States''
in Pennsylvania Folklife 18 (Winter 1968/69), pages 12-18. * Phoebe A. Brubaker: ''Possession Trance and Plain Coats : The Lives, Times, and Trances of Amish Mennonite "Sleeping" Preachers Noah Troyer and John D. Kauffman, 1878-1920'', manuscript at
Goshen College Goshen College is a private Mennonite liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. It was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, and is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. The college is accredited by the Highe ...
, History Senior Seminar, 2003. * Gary Eugene Blosser: ''2016 Church Directory of the "Tampico" Amish-Mennonite Churches'', 2016, 568 pages.


See also

* Subgroups of Amish


References

{{Amish Anabaptism Mennonitism Sub