OUR FAITH

People are naturally curious about the history, faith and practices of the Amish and Mennonites. We welcome questions! Here are some of the more common ones that we receive:

Q: Who are you?
A: We are members of the Christian church known as Amish Mennonite. The Mennonites originated with Menno Simons of Holland, an Anabaptist reformer (1496-1561). The Amish arose 150 years later, under the reformer, Jacob Amman (1644-1710?). The Anabaptists are the bridge directly to the ancient, Apostolic church and have continued the Apostolic doctrine of Jesus throughout history.

Why did the Amish and Mennonites leave Europe?
A: You may wonder why the Amish and Mennonite people came to America. Europe, especially Switzerland, was hostile towards them.
They were called Anabaptists, which means re-baptizers (Wiedertaufer). They suffered severely because they would not compromise their beliefs and go along with the state church system. Among the beliefs that differed from the state church were the following:

• They believed in voluntary baptism for new believers in Christ (Mark 16:16) rather than compulsory, infant baptism.
• They would not swear with an oath (Matthew 5:34, 37) or take part in the affairs of government. They believed in a literal separation of church and state. (Romans 13).
• They strictly believed in the sermon on the mount, following Christ in daily life (Matthew 5, 6, 7).
• They were a kind, peace-loving, forgiving people, but they were misunderstood and despised by their political leaders and fellow countrymen. They were captured, persecuted, thrown in dungeons, tortured, put to death, or expelled from their towns.
• They believed that God created men and women to be choice-makers, and that no authority should force a belief on a person against his conscience. Their desire was to continue following Christ (Nachfolge Christi) without the severe persecution which they endured in Europe.

The Anabaptists began immigrating to Pennsylvania, by the invitation of William Penn, around the year of 1720. They came to the New World to find refuge in the land of liberty, to serve God in freedom and to live peaceably with all men.
They did not have an easy life, but they had wonderful peace in their hearts. They also had a clear conscience by following Jesus and doing what was right.
Written by John J. and Vera Overholt

Q: Why do you dress that way?
A: Because God's word requires modesty, separation, economy, sex-distinction and other Bible principles relative to Christian attire (1 Tim. 2:9, 1 Pet. 3:3-4, Deut. 22:5, Gen. 3:2-10).

Q: Why do the women wear the head covering?
A: The women's veiling is the Christian teaching taught in 1 Corinthians 11, and it has been worn by Christian women since the days of the apostles. It shows women's obedience and subjection to God's Biblical order of headship -- God, Christ, man, woman.

Q: What do you believe?
A: We believe all the principles of historic Christianity, such as the divinity, and trinity of God (Mt. 28:19; John 1:1; 15:26), that man is lost in sin, that Jesus is the saviour from sin, and that the Holy Spirit and the Bible, God's Word, are agents in helping to turn man from sin to a life of holiness and service to God. We believe, further, that the Christian church is made up of born again, holy people (1Pet. 2:9) that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and that He is personally coming again to take His Church, the people of Jesus, into heaven (Eph. 4: John 3).
Jesus will, at the end of time, conduct the judgement of all men, and unrepentant sinners will find their abode separated from God. (Mt. 25)

We further believe:

• In the inspiration of the Bible (2 Tim 3:16; Jn 1:1, 14; Heb. 4:12)
• In a strict separation of church and state as "strangers and pilgrims" (1 Pet, 2:11, 12; Jn 18:36; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; (Rom. 13).
• In believer's baptism, not infants or small children (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).
• In love for enemies, non-resistance to evil, non-participation in war (Mt. 5:38-44).
• That the Lord's supper - communion - is to be observed (1 Cor. 11:20 - 34).
• That washing feet in humility is to be practiced (Jn. 13:1-16).
• That the sick may ask for prayer and anointing with oil (Ja. 5:13-16).
• That God created the world in six literal days and that the theory of evolution is false (Gen. 1:31, 2:1-3, Ex. 20:11, Rom. 1:20).
• That the Lord's Day is to be kept for worship and rest and not for work (1 Cor. 16:1,2; Rev. 1:10; Is. 58:13).
• That swearing and oaths are wrong (Mt. 5:34-37; Ja. 5:12).
• That a holy, victorious, blameless life is made possible through Christ (1 Pet. 2:9; 1 Thes. 3:13).
• That it is the Christians responsibility to share the good news of the gospel with everyone (Mt. 28:19; Rom 1:16; 11 Cor. 4:3).

We also believe what the Bible says about marriage and the family:

• God is the author of marriage, and it can only be between a man and a woman who are not already bound (glued together - as written in the original Greek) in a marriage covenant for life (Gen. 2:18-24; Mt 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-12; Gen. 24:58,67). This covenant is watched over until either the husband or the wife dies (Mal. 2:14-15; 1 Cor. 7:39). Any additional marriages while the life-long spouse is living are adulterous marriages (Luke 16:18; Rom 7:2-3) and must be repented of and ended.
• God has created man and woman with equal value (Gal. 3:28) but he has designed headship order with distinct, separate roles (1 Cor. 11:1-15).
• The husband is the head of the wife and is to love her at all times (Eph. 5:23, 25, 28: 1 Pet 3:7-8). The wife is to submit to her husband's leadership and is to love her husband and children (Tit. 2:4-5; 1 Pet. 3:1; Eph. 5:22-24).
• Fathers are to nurture, teach, and discipline their children in love and not provoke them to anger (Col. 3:21; Eph. 6:4; Heb. 12:9) and children are to obey their parents (Eph. 6:1; Col. 3:20).

Q: May others become a member of your church?
A: Yes, our church is open to all persons who:

• Receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord (Eph. 2:8; 11 Tim. 1-9-10; 1 Cor. 12; Col. 1:17-19).
• Follow Jesus in a life of obedience and discipleship (Eph 5: 1-2, 7-8; Rom. 12:4-5).
• Accept the Biblical standards of practical holiness in everyday life.