| Beachy Amish Beachy Mennonites | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Anabaptist |
| Orientation | Conservative Anabaptism[1] |
| Scripture | King James Version |
| Language | English |
| Origin | 1927 Somerset County,Pennsylvania, United States |
| Congregations | 154 |
| Members | 9,310 |
TheBeachy Amish Mennonites, also known as theBeachy Amish orBeachy Mennonites, are aConservative Anabaptist tradition of Christianity.[1][2][3][4]
Commonalities held by Beachy Amish congregations include adhering to theDordrecht Confession of Faith and practicingAnabaptist distinctives, such asnonresistance,plain dress, separation from the state, andbeliever's baptism.[1] They form a loose association of churches without a central governing body. Other Beachy congregations have organized into denominations, such as the Ambassadors Amish Mennonite Churches and the Maranatha Amish-Mennonite Churches.[5][6]
The Beachy Amish originated as a schism from theOld Order Amish over practices related tochurch discipline andrevivalism, though over time, people from various backgrounds have come to join Beachy Amish congregations.[7] Although they have retained the name "Amish" they are quite different from the Old Order Amish: they do not use horse and buggy for transportation, nor do they have restrictions on technology except for radio and television; additionally, with a few exceptions, they no longer speakPennsylvania Dutch. In the years 1946 to 1977 a majority of the Beachy Amish incorporated certain elements of revivalist practice, such as the preaching of theNew Birth.[2] The traditionalists who wanted to preserve the old Beachy Amish ways then withdrew and formed their own congregations. Today they are known as Midwest Beachy Amish Mennonites orOld Beachy Amish.[2]
The Beachy church arose from a 1927 division in the (Casselman) RiverOld Order Amish congregation inSomerset County,Pennsylvania.[8] BishopMoses M. Beachy led the congregation during that time and his name became associated with the faction. The Beachys favored a milder discipline for members whose only offense was transferring membership to otherAnabaptist churches, specifically the conservativeAmish Mennonite congregation that broke from Moses Beachy's congregation (then not under Beachy's leadership) in 1895.[9][better source needed]
The Beachy Amish were transformed at mid-20th century into a more evangelical group by both the incorporation of revivalist Amish who had left their original churches and joined the Beachy Amish and by a growing revivalist influence within the Beachys.[2] One especially influential man in Lancaster County was an Amish (and later Beachy Amish) evangelist from Oklahoma, David A. Miller. Through his and other revivalist influences an Amish youth group evolved known as the "Goodies" due to their emphasis on a renewed spiritual life and avoiding the period ofrumspringa as experienced in many Amish youth groups. Many of the "Goodies" eventually joined the Beachy Amish community in Lancaster County.[10]
In contrast to the Old Order Amish, the Beachys have meetinghouses,Sunday School, and a Bible School for young adults, and most also supportmissionary work.Excommunication is used less frequently and accompanying bans are even rarer.
Many Beachy churches identify as being a part of theConservative Mennonite tradition,[4] though they have retained certain practices and a lifestyle still similar to the Old Order Amish include:
Practices that distinguish the Beachy church from the Old Order Amish include:
Beachy Amish Mennonites differ from other Conservative Mennonites in that their congregations usually have more autonomy, as opposed to a stronger centralized governance.[12]
Branches off of the Beachy Amish Mennonite Church include more conservative denominations, such as the Ambassadors Amish Mennonite Churches, the Maranatha Amish-Mennonite Churches, and the more traditionalOld Beachy Amish, also called Midwest Beachy Amish-Mennonites, who retained much of the traditions of 1940s and 50s, including the use of theGerman language in church and everyday life.[5][6][13] The Tampico orKauffman Amish Mennonites also retained much of the old Amish traditions, includingPennsylvania Dutch andHochdeutsch.
According to a graph at beachyam.org, an unofficial website of the Beachy Amish, the membership had risen from less than 3,000 in 1957 to more than 11,000 in 2009.[14]
In 2006, there were 11,487 Beachy members in 207 churches.[15] In 2020, the states with the highest representation werePennsylvania,Kansas andOhio.[16] However, the county with the highest proportion isMacon County, Georgia, with 3.41% of the population in 2020 being Beachy Amish adherents.[17] International Beachy churches or mission work can be found inEl Salvador,Belize,Nicaragua,Costa Rica,Paraguay,Ireland,[18]Ukraine,Romania,Kenya,Australia, andCanada. Mission work is sponsored by Amish Mennonite Aid (AMA), Mennonite Interests Committee (MIC), or individual churches.
In 2017, there were 9,310 Beachy Amish members in 154 churches worldwide according to theGlobal Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO). There were churches in the US, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ireland, Kenya, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Romania and Ukraine.[19]
The most common hymnary used by the Beachy Amish is theChristian Hymnary (1972). The hymn book,Hymns of the Church, (2011), edited by John D. Martin, is gaining in popularity among the denomination.[20][21]
The Beachy Amish Mennonites are a conservative Anabaptist denomination with Old Order Amish origins. They have supported the 1632 Dordrecht Confession of Faith and also maintained a set of distinctive practices and limits on lifestyle choices. However, they are not as strict in their practices as the Old Order Amish and have been evangelically oriented, prompting them to engage in outreach and mission programs. The Beachy denomination has been congregational but with many service programs stitching the individual churches together. While the formal Beachy denomination is the largest Amish Mennonite constituency, several other constituencies have their roots in the Beachy movement, including Maranatha Amish Mennonite, Ambassadors Amish Mennonite, Berea Amish Mennonite, Midwest Beachy Amish Mennonite, and Mennonite Christian Fellowship.
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