Old Order Movement

Belief and practice

Old Order groups do not have seminary trained pastors and never developed written sophisticated theology. Many practices among the Old Orders stem from the biblical principle of nonconformity to the world, according to Romans 12:2 and other Bible verses.

The avoidance of technologies by Old Order communities is based not on a belief that the technology is in some way evil, but over a concern for the nature of their communities. Community is important to members of Old Order groups, and a technology or practice is rejected if it would adversely affect it. This means that the prohibitions are not usually absolute; a member who would not own a car may use a car or other modern transport if a pressing need arises. This basis also means that Old Orders see no contradiction in having electricity in their milking barn, since that is necessary to comply with regulations on milk cooling, but not in their house.

Other aspects of Old Order life are concerned with plainness, which dictates their distinctive dress. Plain to Old Orders is the opposite of showy or ostentatious, and is considered a virtue. It is based on the belief that a person's true worth does not lie in their clothes or appearance.

Nonresistance is a belief held by all Old Order groups.

According to Donald Kraybill and Carl Bowman the following additional practices are common among the Old Orders:

A capella singing

Believer's baptism

Excommunication

Fermented wine in communion

Foot washing

Holy Kiss

Kneeling for prayer

Multiple ministers lead in worship

Ordination of leaders by lot

Segregation by sex during worship

Self-examination before communion

Dress

All Old Order groups dress Plain and all their forms of dress share the same roots in the Pennsylvania Quaker dress style.

Buggies and cars

All Amish Old Order groups are horse and buggy groups, including the New Order Amish. Among the Old Order Mennonites, there are both horse and buggy and car driving groups. The same is true for the Old Orders among the Schwarzenau Brethren. The Old Order River Brethren are a car driving group, except a small subgroup of about half a dozen members, that still use horse and buggy transportation.

Language

All Amish Old Order groups speak a German dialect in every day life, either Pennsylvania German, or one of two Alemannic dialects (Swiss Amish). Among the Old Order Mennonites, all horse and buggy groups, except the Virginia groups, speak Pennsylvania German. The car driving groups the Old Order Mennonites shifted to English in the second half of the 20th century. The groups from which the Old Order Schwarzenau Brethren and Old Order River Brethren split, had already started shifting to English in the 19th century and mostly completed it in the first half of the 20th century.

Demographics

There are about 300,000 Old Order Amish, 60,000 to 80,000 Old Order Mennonites, about 7,000 Old Order Brethren and about 350 Old Order River Brethren. The Amish and Mennonite Old Orders have growth rates between 3 to 5 percent a year, in average about 3.7 percent. Old Order Schwarzenau and River Brethren groups in contrast have low growth rates and were even shrinking during the 20th century. All English speaking groups tend to grow much slower than their German speaking brothers.

Groups

The Old Orders comprise the following groups:

Amish (selection of affiliations; there are some 40 major affiliations, partly with subgroups, and more than 100 unaffiliated congregations)

Nebraska Amish, the most conservative of all Old Order groups, emerged in 1881 as a split from the Byler Amish

Swartzentruber Amish, largest very conservative group, emerged between 1913–1917

Swiss Amish, two different groups, speak two different Alemannic dialects instead of Pennsylvania German

Buchanan Amish, most spread out affiliation, emerged in 1914

Andy Weaver Amish, relatively conservative, emerged in 1952

Troyer Amish, emerged in 1932 as a split from the Swartzentrubers

Byler Amish, a very early split, emerged in 1849

Renno Amish, a quite conservative group, emerged in 1863

Holmes Old Order Amish, second largest Amish affiliation

Elkhart-LaGrange Amish, third largest Amish affiliation

Lancaster Amish, largest Amish affiliation, relatively liberal

Michigan Churches, emerged in the 1970s, in many aspects similar to the New Order Amish

New Order Amish, emerged in the 1960s, the most liberal among the Amish Old Orders

Old Order Mennonites (groups with more than 300 members)

Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church, largest horse and buggy group, emerged 1927 in Pennsylvania as a split from the Weaverland Mennonite Conference

Weaverland Mennonite Conference, largest car diving group, emerged in 1893, allowed cars in the mid 1920s

Ontario Mennonite Conference, largest horse and buggy group in Canada, emerged 1889

Markham-Waterloo Mennonite Conference, largest car driving group in Canada, emerged 1939 as a division from the Ontario Mennonite Conference

Stauffer Mennonite, oldest Old Order group, emerged in 1845

Ohio-Indiana Mennonite Conference, merged in 1872, now a car driving group

Orthodox Mennonites, emerged in 1958, a merger of several very conservative groups

Noah Hoover Mennonite, emerged in 1963 through a long process that started in 1940s, concerning technology the most restricted of all groups

David Martin Mennonites, emerged in 1917, the most isolated from other Old Order groups, do not talk about their belief with outsiders

Virginia Old Order Mennonite Conference, emerged in 1901, the latest Old Order split from a mainstream group

Reidenbach Old Order Mennonites, emerged in 1942 as a split from the Groffdale Conference, divided in very small endogamous subgroups

John Dan Wenger Mennonites, emerged in 1952/53 as a split from the Virginia Old Order Mennonites

Schwarzenau Brethren

Old German Baptist Brethren, emerged 1881, the largest Old Order group of the Schwarzenau Brethren and more liberal than the following three groups

Old Brethren, emerged 1913, a bit more conservative than the Old German Baptist Brethren but in many aspects similar to them

Old Order German Baptist Brethren, emerged 1921, a horse and buggy group that uses tractors for field work

Old Brethren German Baptists, emerged 1939, a horse and buggy group that uses horses also for field work, the most conservative group

Old German Baptist Brethren, New Conference, emerged 2009, a more liberal split from the Old German Baptist Brethren

Old Order River Brethren, emerged 1856, divided in three subgoups, mostly car driving, the only Old Orders among the River Brethren.

Para-Amish groups

Believers in Christ, Lobelville, emerged in 1973 when members of different Old Order groups formed a new one

Vernon Community, Hestand, emerged in 1996 as a split from the Believers in Christ, Lobelville

Caneyville Christian Community, emerged in 2004 when members of different Old Order groups formed a new one