Old Order Anabaptism

Old Order Anabaptism encompasses those groups which have preserved the old ways of Anabaptist Christian religion and lifestyle.^[1]

Historically, an Old Order movement emerged in the second half of the 19th century among the Amish, Mennonites of South German and Swiss ancestry as well as the Schwarzenau Brethren and River Brethren in the United States and Canada. The Hutterites are additionally regarded as being Old Order Anabaptists, as they continued the practice of communal living.^[2] The Old Order movement led to several Old Order divisions from mainstream Anabaptist groups between 1845 and 1901.^[3] All Old Order Anabaptist groups that emerged after 1901 divided from established Old Order Anabaptist groups or were formed by people coming from different Old Order Anabaptist groups.^[4]

In 1989, Sandra L. Cronk wrote about the Old Order Anabaptists:

The Old Order Amish and the Old Order Mennonites [...] are not premodern relics from a bygone era. The Old Order movement is a conscious attempt to maintain a style of Christian living based on principles different from those of the larger society.^[5]

By the close of the 20th century, there were over a quarter of a million Old Order Anabaptists in North America alone.^[6] Old Order Anabaptists enjoy a rich spiritual and community life, which has attracted seekers who desire to become church members of Old Order Anabaptist denominations.^[7]

^ Wandel, Johanna; Mage, Julius A.; Geography, University of Guelph Dept of (1998). Stability and Change in an Old Order Mennonite Farming System in the Waterloo Region, Ontario. Department of Geography, University of Guelph. ISBN 978-0-88955-493-1. Self-sufficiency, smallness and homogeneity are central principles of the maintenance of Old Order Anabaptist communities (Hostetler, 1968).
^ Joseph, Paul (15 June 2016). The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4833-5991-5. Many of the original members of Hutterites joined various Mennonite groups in the United States. The minority continued communal living and are described as Old Order, and those members fall into one of three tribes: Schmiedleut, Dariuslet, and Lehrerleut, with leut meaning "people."
^ Donner, William W. (8 May 2016). Serious Nonsense: Groundhog Lodges, Versammlinge, and Pennsylvania German Heritage. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-07720-8. The distinctiveness of the Old Order Anabaptists became emphasized in the late nineteenth century as Amish and Mennonite groups splintered over how to preserve religious values in an industrializing society (the Amish were originally a seventeenth-century splinter group from the Mennonites).
^ Donald B. Kraybill, Carl Bowman: On the Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren, Baltimore and London, 2001, pages 10-11.
^ Sandra L. Cronk: A Network of Loving, Caring Relationships in John A. Hostetler (editor): Amish Roots: A Treasury of History, Wisdom, and Lore, Baltimore and London, 1989, page 286.
^ Nolt, Steven M.; Loewen, Harry (11 June 2010). Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History. MennoMedia. ISBN 978-0-8316-9701-3. ...by the end of the twentieth century, there are now more than a quarter million Old Order Anabaptists in North America, in 27 states and several provinces.
^ Briggs, David (28 August 2013). "Who wants to join the Plain Mennonites and Amish? The real seekers of Anabaptist life". Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved 27 May 2022.

[1] Wandel, Johanna; Mage, Julius A.; Geography, University of Guelph Dept of (1998). Stability and Change in an Old Order Mennonite Farming System in the Waterloo Region, Ontario. Department of Geography, University of Guelph. ISBN 978-0-88955-493-1. Self-sufficiency, smallness and homogeneity are central principles of the maintenance of Old Order Anabaptist communities (Hostetler, 1968).

[Joseph2016-2] Joseph, Paul (15 June 2016). The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4833-5991-5. Many of the original members of Hutterites joined various Mennonite groups in the United States. The minority continued communal living and are described as Old Order, and those members fall into one of three tribes: Schmiedleut, Dariuslet, and Lehrerleut, with leut meaning "people."

[Donner2016-3] Donner, William W. (8 May 2016). Serious Nonsense: Groundhog Lodges, Versammlinge, and Pennsylvania German Heritage. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-07720-8. The distinctiveness of the Old Order Anabaptists became emphasized in the late nineteenth century as Amish and Mennonite groups splintered over how to preserve religious values in an industrializing society (the Amish were originally a seventeenth-century splinter group from the Mennonites).

[4] Donald B. Kraybill, Carl Bowman: On the Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren, Baltimore and London, 2001, pages 10-11.

[5] Sandra L. Cronk: A Network of Loving, Caring Relationships in John A. Hostetler (editor): Amish Roots: A Treasury of History, Wisdom, and Lore, Baltimore and London, 1989, page 286.

[6] Nolt, Steven M.; Loewen, Harry (11 June 2010). Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History. MennoMedia. ISBN 978-0-8316-9701-3. ...by the end of the twentieth century, there are now more than a quarter million Old Order Anabaptists in North America, in 27 states and several provinces.

[Briggs2013-7] Briggs, David (28 August 2013). "Who wants to join the Plain Mennonites and Amish? The real seekers of Anabaptist life". Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved 27 May 2022.

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