The Beachy Amish Mennonite Church arose from a 1927 division in the (Casselman) River Old Order Amish congregation in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Bishop Moses M. Beachy led the congregation during that time, and though he objected for the sake of humility, his name became associated with the faction favoring a milder discipline for members whose only offense was transfering membership to other Anabaptist churches, specifically the Conservative Amish Mennonite congregation that broke from Beachy's congregation (then not under Beachy's leadership) in 1895. (For a detailed discussion of the 1927 split and its history, see . The author, Alvin J. Beachy , was Moses' eleventh son.)

Until the 1950s, the Beachys resembled the Old Order Amish, but accepted some adaptations in technology and discipline. In contrast to the Old Order Amish, the Beachys have church buildings, Sunday Schools, and a Bible School, and some also support missionary work.

With these innovations, some more closely resemble the conservative Mennonite and Brethren groups rather than the Old Order Amish. Other "orthodox" Beachy churches, most notably in Kentucky and Illinois, still resemble Moses Beachy's early congregation; for example, they would use German in services and not support evangelistic missionary work.

The Beachys are rightly called "Amish Mennonite." The influences of both the Amish and Mennonites are distinguishable, yet the Beachys are neither solely Amish nor Mennonite. While Beachys are the largest Amish Mennonite group, other affiliations include the Mennonite Christian Fellowship and the Maranatha Amish Mennonites (a subgroup of Beachys) as well as a handful of unaffiliated Amish Mennonite churches. The group now known as the "Conservative Mennonites" who resemble mainstream Mennonite groups more than Amish Mennonites were the largest Amish Mennonite group for a couple decades prior to the growth of the broader Beachy church in the 1950s.

In 2004, there were 10,038 Beachy members in 159 churches, with the highest concentrations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. International Beachy churches or mission work can be found

See also

Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church

References

• Mennonite Church Information 2005. Harrisonburg: Christian Light Publications.
• Irwin, Jerry and Douglas Lee. "The Plain People of Pennsylvania." National Geographic. April, 1984: 492-519. Pages 502, 511, 514, and 556 have pictures of Beachy Amish church members from Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church. Page 507 has picture of a family from Pequea Amish Mennonite Church. Accompanying text summarizes Beachy Amish/Amish Mennonite belief and practice.
• Heller, Karen and Rob Clark, Jr. "The Fancy Quilts of the Plain People." Inquirer Magazine. January 25, 1987: 18-23. Includes interviews with and photographs of members of Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church.
• Kito, Makoto. "Contemporary America: The Amish in Lancaster County." The Yomiuri Shimbun (Japanese daily newspaper). June 22, 1994: 4. Brief overview in Japanese of plain churches in America, including brief comments from an Old Order Amish historian and a Weavertown Amish Mennonite church couple; excellent insight by Japanese journalist.
• Amish Mennonite Directory. Millersburg, OH: Abana Book Srevices, 1996. A directory of all US and Canadian members of the Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches.
• Kraybill, Donald B. The Riddle of Amish Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1989. Describes the 1910 split (between the Old Order Amish and what later became Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church) on pages 142-143. Also describes division of 1927.
• Stone, Erika and Merle Good. Nicole Visits an Amish Farm. NY: Walker and Co., 1982. A photo story for children about a New York City girl who visits an Amish Mennonite family for one week under the Fresh Air program. The family members pictured are members of Weavertown.
• Yoder, Elmer S. The Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship Churches. Hartville, OH: Diakonia Ministries, 1987. Comprehensive account by a sympathetic observer.