I am a member of the Church of the Brethren, and grew up in the Mennonite Church, so I guess you could call me a true Anabaptist. The word itself means to be re-baptized and was originally a derogatory nickname given by outsiders. The German word is Taufer. One of the main tenets of the Anabaptist movement was Believer's Baptism. They believed that Baptism should take place when one becomes an adult. Incidentally, I was re-baptized when I joined the Church of the Brethren in 1955. The Mennonites baptize by pouring and the Brethren by trine immersion. The Brethren no longer require re-baptism for those who were previously baptized by other methods.

Tour Group in Zurich, Switzerland

In October of 1995, my wife and I spent 11 days on a tour of Europe with what is called the Brethren Heritage Tour . The tour was conducted by Drs. Donald and Hedda Durnbaugh. He is considered the pre-eminent Historian within the Church of the Brethren. The purpose was to tour sites of the early Anabaptists and Radical Pietists from which the Church of the Brethren sprang. Through the experience of being there, I really felt like I had become part of what my ancestors went through in standing up for their beliefs.

The Anabaptist movement began before the Protestant Reformation, but is generally dated as beginning in 1525 in Zurich, Switzerland. These people felt that the Reformation had not gone far enough, and defied Zwingli's state church in Zurich. They were rebaptized as adults (this is sometimes called Believers Baptism). By this act they violated civil law as well as the law of the reformed Church. Many were martyred, including an ancestor of mine named Hans Landis who was beheaded. Many were executed by drowning (somewhat of an irony), some by burning at the stake, and some by more humane methods such as beheading. Many of these executions (more than 2000) are documented in a book called the Martyr's Mirror written by Thieleman J. van Braght in 1660. This book is very precious to both the Mennonites and the Amish.

Dirck Willems

The print of a copper engraving by Jan Luyken(1649-1712) appears to the right. This and103 other sketches by Luyken appeared in Martyr's Mirror. This sketch is a scene depicting Dirck Willems as he turns around to save his pursuer's life. He was then captured, imprisoned, and burned at the stake outside Asperen in AD 1669

The Anabaptists in Switzerland called themselves the Swiss Brethren and later migrated into the Alsace, and the Palatinate in Germany and eventually on to Holland. We have to understand that Switzerland and Germany were divided into Cantons and Principalities. As a result of the Thirty Years War, the decision was made to let the Prince of each state determine the religion of that state. They were all either Catholic, Lutheran, or Reformed. All in that state had to follow the religion of the Prince. Many states did not tolerate the Anabaptists at all, whereas some were reasonably tolerant of them. Many found refuge for a time in the Palatinate in Germany. When things got too tough there, they moved to Holland and eventually in the early 18th century to America. They first settled at Germantown in Philadelphia and many moved on to areas west of Philadelphia, in particular a large number settled permanently in Lancaster County.

There was a splinter group who tried to set up a Theocracy in Muenster. This failed and after a long siege by the Protestant Prince, the leaders were tortured and killed and their bodies were hung on the steeple of the church in cages. These cages are still hanging there.

Menno Simons

A Dutch Catholic Priest by the name of Menno Simons was so moved by the plight of these people in Muenster that he decided they needed leadership and became active amongst the Anabaptists in Holland. Menno is generally looked to as the founder of the Mennonite Church, called Doopsgezinde in Holland. They were nicknamed Mennists and later Mennonites again by outsiders. 1996 was the 500th anniversary of his birth. Hence, that year was celebrated by Mennonites as the year of Menno.

The basic beliefs of the Anabaptists include (1) adult baptism, (2) No swearing of oaths, (3) Non-resistance (i.e. no participation in war) (4) Non-conformity to the "world" (5) Living a simple life and (6) Obedience to God. On all other points, they agreed with the Reformed Church. It always amazed me that people would give their lives for principles that we would find relatively unimportant today. But, I guess that is how new movements survive.

We need to take a quick look at the birth of the Amish church. Menno Simons believed rather strongly in the enforcement of the "ban" in the church. This practice meant that those who fell away from the faith were shunned. Members could not do business with them nor eat at the same table. Very shortly, the Mennonites gave up this practice. However, in 1693-1697, a small group led by Bishop Jacob Ammann split from the Mennonites over this issue. They became known as the Amish. Most of those who broke away with Ammann were from the Alsace and Switzerland. The Amish in America still practice the "ban" today. There is also one small group of Mennonites known as the Reformed Mennonites who practice shunning. They number less than 1,000 members. I should say that the schism was healed in Europe many years ago, but not in America.

During the latter part of the 17th century and the early part of the 18th century, there arose a movement in Germany called Radical Pietism. They dabbled in Mysticism and more Spiritualistic practices than the Reformed or even the Mennonites. A small group of these people led by Alexander Mack formed a church in Schwarzenau, Germany in 1708. They baptized each other in the Eder River. It was never revealed who baptized Alexander Mack. There were nine men and women who formed that first group. They later became known as the Deutch Taufer or German Baptists and later the German Baptist Brethren. In the early part of this century, they became known as the Church of the Brethren.

The Brethren came to America in the early part of the 18th century and settled first at Germantown and later moved west to Schuylkill and Lancaster Counties. During the 19th century, they migrated South to Virginia and the Carolinas where many of them became involved with Universalism. They also moved West and now live in most of the 50 states. They number about 120,000 in this country with many more in Nigeria, which was their main mission field for many years.

The Brethren are considered one of the 3 Historic Peace Churches along with the Quakers and the Mennonites. They do hold Pacifism to be one of their main tenets, although participation in the military is up to the individual members. The Brethren combine the use of the sacraments with a foot-washing service and a love feast. They use the anointing service for healing of the sick, although they make full use of medical services. As was mentioned early in this paper, they practice Trine Immersion, which means that the applicants are put under the water three times during the baptism ceremony. The Church of the Brethren is organized on a congregational basis. Most congregations have no Elders or Bishops. The decisions of the individual congregations are made at congregational meetings, which are conducted by an elected moderator. There is also an annual meeting of the Brotherhood known as The Annual Conference. Decisions made at this meeting (except for church polity) are not binding on the individual congregations.

Although the name Church of the Brethren has a sexist connotation, women have full rights of participation in most congregations. Women have been ordained for many years, however there is only a minority of congregations that have women pastors today. I suspect that is true in most Protestant churches. There have been several women who have served as Moderator of the Church of the Brethren in recent years. The Mennonites also ordain women, but the Amish do not.