In his Encyclopedia of American Religions, 6th edition (1999), J. Gordon
Melton described four main, currently active Amish groups. In alphabetic order, they
are:
The Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches split off from the Old Order
Amish in Pennsylvania after Bishop Moses Beachy refused to pronounce the ban
on some former Old Order members who had left to join a Conservative
Mennonite congregation in Maryland. They are the most liberal Amish group:
they meet in churches, use automobiles, tractors, and electricity. In 1996,
they reported 8,399 adult members in 138 congregations.
The Conservative Mennonite Conference was formed in 1910 from a
group of more liberal Old Order Amish congregations. They use meeting
houses, Sunday schools, and English language services. They are located
mainly in the Midwest. No membership data is available.
The Evangelical Mennonite Church was organized in 1866 by Bishop
Henry Egly in Indiana. They were originally known as the Egly Amish, changed
their name to The Defenseless Mennonite Church in 1898, and to their present
name in 1948. They stress "regeneration, separation and nonconformity to
the world." In 1997, they were reported to have 4,348 adult members in
30 churches.
Old Order Amish Mennonite Church congregations are very
conservative. Transportation is by horse and buggy. Men are required
to grow beards; mustaches are not allowed. Marriage outside the faith is
forbidden. They meet in each other's homes for worship every other Sunday.
About 8% of their membership is made up of converts from outside the
community and their descendents. There were about 30,000 adult members in
the U.S. and 900 in Canada in 1995. Including children, the total population
was about 139,000.
Unchanged!
