A Seeker is a person likely to join an
Old Order 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. ...
community, like 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 churc ...
, the
Old Order Mennonite
Old Order Mennonites (Pennsylvania German: ) form a branch of the Mennonite tradition. Old Order are those Mennonite groups of Swiss German and south German heritage who practice a lifestyle without some elements of modern technology, who still d ...
s, the
Hutterite
Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th centu ...
s, the
Old Order Schwarzenau Brethren or the
Old Order River Brethren
The Old Order River Brethren are a River Brethren denomination of Anabaptist Christianity with roots in the Radical Pietist movement. As their name indicates, they are Old Order Anabaptists.
History
The denomination began about 1778 in Pennsy ...
. Among the 500,000 members of such communities in the United States there are only an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 outsiders who have joined them.
A major obstacle for seekers is the language, because most Old Order communities speak
German dialects
German dialects are the various traditional local varieties of the German language. Though varied by region, those of the southern half of Germany beneath the Benrath line are dominated by the geographical spread of the High German consonant s ...
like
Pennsylvania German
The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spe ...
or
Hutterite German in every day life and in general will not give it up for seekers. Exceptions are the
Old Order Mennonites of Virginia, the
Old Order Schwarzenau Brethren and the Old Order River Brethren who speak English only.
On the other hand,
Conservative Anabaptism
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 Chr ...
(inclusive of 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 t ...
and
Conservative Mennonite
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.
Con ...
denominations, including those of the
Beachy Amish tradition) regularly receive seekers into their churches as visitors, and eventually, as members.
Conservative Anabaptist fellowships are highly engaged in
evangelism
In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...
and
missionary work, in addition to many congregations having an attached
parochial school
A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The wo ...
; a 1993 report showed that Conservative Anabaptist denominations grew overall by fifty percent within the previous fifteen years.
The majority of seekers are young adults who are attracted to "having a strong community, being serious about following the Bible and leading a Christian life and a commitment to modesty".
Types of seekers
Stephen Scott, himself a convert to the
Old Order River Brethren
The Old Order River Brethren are a River Brethren denomination of Anabaptist Christianity with roots in the Radical Pietist movement. As their name indicates, they are Old Order Anabaptists.
History
The denomination began about 1778 in Pennsy ...
, distinguishes four types of seekers:
* ''Checklist seekers'', who look for a couple of certain specifications.
* ''Cultural seekers'', who are more enchanted with the lifestyle of the Amish than with their religion.
* ''Spiritual utopian seekers'', who look for true
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...
Christianity.
* ''Stability seekers'', who come with emotional issues, often from
dysfunctional families.
Seekers among the Old Order Amish
Only a few outsiders have ever joined the Old Order Amish. Since 1950 only some 75 people have joined and remained members of the Amish. Since 1990 some twenty people of
Russian Mennonite
The Russian Mennonites (german: Russlandmennoniten it. "Russia Mennonites", i.e., Mennonites of or from the Russian Empire occasionally Ukrainian Mennonites) are a group of Mennonites who are descendants of Dutch Anabaptists who settled for abo ...
background have joined the Amish in
Aylmer, Ontario
Aylmer is a town in Elgin County in southern Ontario, Canada, just north of Lake Erie, on Catfish Creek. It is south of Highway 401.
Aylmer is surrounded by Malahide Township.
History
In October 1817, John Van Patter, an immigrant from New ...
.
Two whole Christian communities have joined the Amish: The Church at
Smyrna, Maine, one of the five
Christian Communities of
Elmo Stoll after Stoll's death and the Church at
Manton, Michigan, which belonged to a community that was founded by Harry Wanner (1935–2012), a minister of
Stauffer Old Order Mennonite background. The "
Michigan Amish Churches
The Michigan Amish Churches or Michigan related Amish Churches are a subgroup or affiliation of Old Order Amish. They emerged in 1970 in Michigan. This affiliation is more evangelical and more open to outsiders, so-called "seekers", than other Ol ...
", with which Smyrna and Manton affiliated, are said to be more open to seekers and converts than other Amish churches. Most of the members of these two Amish communities originally came from
Plain churches, i. e. Old Order Amish,
Old Order Mennonite
Old Order Mennonites (Pennsylvania German: ) form a branch of the Mennonite tradition. Old Order are those Mennonite groups of Swiss German and south German heritage who practice a lifestyle without some elements of modern technology, who still d ...
or
Old German Baptist Brethren, but others came from non-Amish backgrounds. Another seeker-friendly community in Maine, belonging to the Michigan Churches, is located at
Unity, Maine.
It is stated that there are more people among the "
Michigan Amish Churches
The Michigan Amish Churches or Michigan related Amish Churches are a subgroup or affiliation of Old Order Amish. They emerged in 1970 in Michigan. This affiliation is more evangelical and more open to outsiders, so-called "seekers", than other Ol ...
" that feel
sure to be saved or consider themselves to be
born again Christians than among other subgroups of Old Order Amish, a fact that suits seekers. In accordance to that,
G. C. Waldrep stated that the Michigan Churches show many spiritual and material similarities to the
New Orders, while they are still technically considered a part of the larger Old Order group.
More people have tested Amish life for weeks, months or even years but in the end decided not to join. Others remain just close to the Amish and never thought of joining.
On the other hand, the
Beachy Amish, many of whom conduct their services in English and allow for a limited range of modern conveniences, regularly receive seekers into their churches as visitors, and eventually, as members.
Seekers among the Old Order Mennonites
There have been only very few seekers among the different groups of
Old Order Mennonite
Old Order Mennonites (Pennsylvania German: ) form a branch of the Mennonite tradition. Old Order are those Mennonite groups of Swiss German and south German heritage who practice a lifestyle without some elements of modern technology, who still d ...
s, with one exception: the
Noah Hoover Mennonite The Noah Hoover Mennonites, called "Old Order Mennonite Church (Hoover)" by the Mennonite World Conference, and sometimes called " Scottsville Mennonites”, are a group of very plain Old Order Mennonites that originally came from the Stauffer Men ...
s, who resemble the Amish in most outward aspects of life, like dress and the use of technology. Besides Standard German for Church and Bible reading, and
Pennsylvania German
The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spe ...
in everyday life, English is also used in Church and among some members, most of them seekers, who have joined the Noah Hoovers, but without a general tendency of shifting to English. Stephan Scott writes:
Contrary to popular belief Old Order groups do not simply stay as they always have been, but have to struggle in many ways to adapt to the modern world and to preserve traditions, that are important to them. Because the Noah Hoover Mennonites have such a complicated history of splits and mergers, they are unable to rely on tradition in the same way other conservative groups like e. g. the
Swartzentruber Amish The Swartzentruber Amish are the best-known and one of the largest and most conservative subgroups of Old Order Amish. Swartzentruber Amish are considered a subgroup of the Old Order Amish, although they do not fellowship or intermarry with more l ...
do, so they have had to find out in a longer process how they wish to live. This led to a community, that is more
intentionalist-minded than ultra-traditional.
Seekers among the Hutterites
Since the 17th century
Hutterite
Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th centu ...
s in general have not engaged in active mission efforts. In customary Old Order fashion they see their role as model for Christian seekers, according to :
:In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
They do not expect many people to join them. In general the more traditional Hutterites are, the less interested they are in
evangelism
In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...
. The
Schmiedeleut 1 are more open to seekers than the other ''leut''.
In 1972 the
Dariusleut were joined by a group in Japan, the
Owa Hutterite Colony
The Christian Community of New Hutterian Brethren at () was a Hutterite colony of the Dariusleut branch in Japan. It was located near village in Nasu District, Tochigi. It existed from 1972 to the end of 2019. The members of the colony were eth ...
.
In the 1990s the Schmiedeleut 1 and 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 ...
helped a group in Palmgrove, Nigeria to establish communal living, but the soon this affiliation failed.
The
Elmendorf Christian Community, an independent community of Hutterite tradition, that separated from the Schmiedeleut in 2005, is even more open to seekers than the Schmiedeleut 1. The same is true for the four other
Hutterite Christian Communities.
Seekers among the Old Order Schwarzenau Brethren
There are five groups among the
Schwarzenau Brethren
The Schwarzenau Brethren, the German Baptist Brethren, Dunkers, Dunkards, Tunkers, or sometimes simply called the German Baptists, are an Anabaptist group that dissented from Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed European state churches during t ...
which can be described as
Old Order. These groups are the
Old German Baptist Brethren, the
Old Brethren, the
Old Order German Baptist Brethren, the
Old Brethren German Baptist and the
Old German Baptist Brethren, New Conference. They range from horse and buggy groups to
Plain dress
Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christianity, Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of trad ...
ing groups with few restrictions on technology (mainly television and internet).
Since they all have lost the German language and their German ethnic identity in the late 19th century, the cultural gap between these groups and the mainstream society is much smaller than in groups that have preserved their German heritage. They are all influenced by
Pietism
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy an ...
which brings their theology closer to the Protestant mainstream of the
Great Awakening
Great Awakening refers to a number of periods of religious revival in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the lat ...
s. All these groups are quite open for outsiders and the larger ones of these groups do not consist largely of members with German roots anymore.
Seekers among the Old Order River Brethren
There are three subgroups among the
Old Order River Brethren
The Old Order River Brethren are a River Brethren denomination of Anabaptist Christianity with roots in the Radical Pietist movement. As their name indicates, they are Old Order Anabaptists.
History
The denomination began about 1778 in Pennsy ...
, which are part of the
Schwarzenau Brethren
The Schwarzenau Brethren, the German Baptist Brethren, Dunkers, Dunkards, Tunkers, or sometimes simply called the German Baptists, are an Anabaptist group that dissented from Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed European state churches during t ...
tradition of Anabaptism. Prominent personalities from the outside have joined them, like
Stephen Scott and
G. C. Waldrep.
The Christian Communities of Elmo Stoll
Elmo Stoll, a former
Old Order Amish bishop, founded the
"Christian Communities" in 1990 to help seekers to join a Plain, horse-and-buggy, English-speaking community rooted in
Anabaptism
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. ...
. Stoll died early in 1998 and the five "Christian Communities" he and his followers had established soon broke apart, one joining the Old Order Amish of the
"Michigan Churches" affiliation and two joining the
Noah Hoover Old Order Mennonites . A community in
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
of some 15 families, the
Caneyville Christian Community The Caneyville Christian Community is an Anabaptist community, located in Caneyville, Kentucky, living a plain conservative lifestyle, true to the vision of former Old Order Amish bishop Elmo Stoll. G. C. Waldrep classifies them as "para-Amish". Am ...
, founded in 2004 by three men, among them one of Elmo Stoll's sons, still adheres to Elmo Stoll's vision. Both Elmo Stoll's Christian Communities and Caneyville Christian Community are classified as "
para-Amish
Subgroups of Amish developed over the years, as Amish churches have divided many times over doctrinal disputes. The 'Old Order' Amish, a conservative faction that withdrew from fellowship with the wider body of Amish in the 1860s, are those that ha ...
".
Seekers among para-Amish groups
Since the 1960s groups similar to the Amish, called "
para-Amish
Subgroups of Amish developed over the years, as Amish churches have divided many times over doctrinal disputes. The 'Old Order' Amish, a conservative faction that withdrew from fellowship with the wider body of Amish in the 1860s, are those that ha ...
" by
G. C. Waldrep, have arisen to embody their own vision of spiritual renewal in a framework similar to
Old Order groups. These groups use horse-and-buggy and have restriction on technology comparable to other Old Order groups. These groups have attracted many spiritual seekers. Notable "para-Amish" groups are:
* The
Believers in Christ at
Lobelville, Tennessee
Lobelville is a city in Perry County, Tennessee, United States that was established as a trading post on the Buffalo River in 1854. The population was 897 at the 2010 census.
History
Lobelville was established in 1854 by French trader Henri de ...
, established in 1973 and still in existence.
* The community at
Le Roy, Michigan
LeRoy is a village in Osceola County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 256 at the 2010 census. The village is located within LeRoy Township.
History
A post office in LeRoy has been in operation since 1871, with James E. Bevin ...
, founded in 1981 by Harry Wanner, which also started a daughter settlement at
Manton, Michigan. In the 1990s the group eroded and the community at Manton affiliated with the Michigan Amish Churches of the Amish, while the community at Leroy disbanded between 1995 and 1998.
* A church at
Ghent, Kentucky, that was established in 1985 and resolved in 1996.
*
Vernon Community at
Hestand, Kentucky, founded in 1996 by Simon Beachy and his followers. Beachy was the leader in Lobelville and took his followers from there.
[ G. C. Waldrep: "The New Order Amish And Para-Amish Groups: Spiritual Renewal Within Tradition." in Mennonite Quarterly Review 3 (2008), page 415.]
See also
*
"Russian" Mennonite
*
Old Colony Mennonites
*
Old Beachy Amish
The Old Beachy Amish or Old Beachy Amish Mennonites, also called Midwest Beachy Amish Mennonites, are a Plain, car-driving Beachy Amish group, that preserves the old ways of the Beachy Amish including the German language. They live in Kentucky and ...
*
Community Farm of the Brethren
The Community Farm of the Brethren, also called Juliusleut, is a Christian community with communal living at Bright, Ontario. It was in fellowship with the Hutterites from its beginning in 1941 until 1950.
The Community Farm of the Brethren was c ...
References
{{reflist, 3
Literature
* Jeff Smith: ''Becoming Amish: A family's journey of faith, community and purpose'', Dance Hall Press, 2016.
* Cory Anderson: ''Religious Seekers’ Attraction to the Plain Mennonites and Amish'', in Review of Religious Research, 2016, pages 125–147.
* Marlene C. Miller: ''Called to Be Amish: My Journey from Head Majorette to the Old Order'', Harrisonburg, VA and Kitchener, Ontario 2015.
*
Mary-Ann Kirkby: ''I Am Hutterite'', Altona, Manitoba 2008, (The biography of a daughter of seekers who joined the Hutterites).
External links
''So you want to join the Amish'' at amishamerica.comIra Wagler: ''“Wannabe” Amish…'' at irawagler.comJeff Smith: ''Becoming Amish: One Grosse Pointe Family’s Journey to a Simpler Life'' at mynorth.comJeff Smith and Bill Moser: ''We left upper-class suburbia to become Amish and learned what community really means''Kevin Williams: ''Thinking About Joining The Amish? Try These 5 Communities!''
Anabaptism
Conversion to Christianity