Amish Mennonite Categorization

[Josh]

My understanding was that high Amish are progressive/liberal while low Amish are traditional/conservative. The "highest Amish" would have been progressive/fundamental conservative or Theological Conservative not ultra conservative. (Maybe we are referring to different churches?)

I don't really understand the "high Amish" or "car Amish" group. The last I was around such people at all (10 years ago, Spring Garden), they would have driven cars, even worn worldly clothes, etc. during the week but still had a quite traditional Amish service on Sunday. You used to be able to find pictures of it on Facebook but I can't find them anymore.

[Ernie]

Here is the list of churches I see Cory Anderson has listed as highest Amish:
Zion Amish Mennonite & Fairhaven Amish Mennonite (Daviess County, IN)
Pine Haven Amish Mennonite& Mornington Amish Mennonite (Ontario)
Spring Garden Church & Harvest View Church (Lancaster County, PA)
Vicksburg Amish Mennonite (Buffalo Valley Area)
Caanan Amish Mennonite (Daviess County, IN)
Fairview Amish Mennonite (Nappanee, IN)
Morning View Amish Mennonite (Ontario)
Maple Grove Amish Mennonite (Hadley, PA)
Ridgeview Amish Mennonite (Allen County, IN)

These churches have typically been very traditional in dress and church polity, but similar to many Amish in that they tolerate parties, alchohol, unchasity, etc.

I've striked through some that no longer exist. I expect all these to die out eventually.

[Ernie]

I'd say...
MCF and Ambassadors are intermediate-conservative
Maranatha is moderate-conservative

Times have certainly changed! Do they all have Internet now?

I don't know.

[ohio jones]

Here is the list of churches I see Cory Anderson has listed as highest Amish:
Zion Amish Mennonite & Fairhaven Amish Mennonite (Daviess County, IN)
Pine Haven Amish Mennonite& Mornington Amish Mennonite (Ontario)
Spring Garden Church & Harvest View Church (Lancaster County, PA)
Vicksburg Amish Mennonite (Buffalo Valley Area)
Caanan Amish Mennonite (Daviess County, IN)
Fairview Amish Mennonite (Nappanee, IN)
Morning View Amish Mennonite (Ontario)
Maple Grove Amish Mennonite (Hadley, PA)
Ridgeview Amish Mennonite (Allen County, IN)

These churches have typically been very traditional in dress and church polity, but similar to many Amish in that they tolerate parties, alchohol, unchasity, etc.

I've striked through some that no longer exist. I expect all these to die out eventually.

The last one on the list died out around ten years ago.

[barnhart]

Why the enthusiasm for categorization.

[Josh]

Why the enthusiasm for categorization.

Another question is why people who are part of certain categories (usually theological-conservative) complain about categorisation.

[Ernie]

Why the enthusiasm for categorization.

For the same reason some people are enthused about genealogy/family trees. We like to know where branches originate and where they are headed. We do it for a hobby.

I'd probably take up a different hobby if it were not for the fact that I refer seekers to churches and I like to know what the churches stand for a bit, before referring someone to them.

There are many threads on MN that I have no enthusiasm or interest in, and I don't even read those. But those are someone else's hobby.

And thirdly, categorization helps a person know who shares pulpits with who, and who attends various Bible schools, etc. I'm sure this doesn't interest a lot of people, but it can be helpful to know some of these things whenever questions come up about who caucuses with who.

[Elmer]

Does anyone know why the Fellowship Haven Church (Amish Mennonites in D.C.) is not listed in the Christian Light Directory?

[Judas Maccabeus]

Does anyone know why the Fellowship Haven Church (Amish Mennonites in D.C.) is not listed in the Christian Light Directory?

They are not part of Beachy anymore. Have not been for some time.

[JayP]

Like most human endeavors, the Scott book was a good and bad thing.
Good from how it provided clear information for folks, and part of that was his attempt at creating categories.

The bad is that the boo is now quite out of date and…….things change, and those categories were fine if e accept them simply as one man’s attempt to help folks understand. They are not perfect and hardly “official”.

I am confident that the word “liberal” in Anabaptist circles really means “any church in THAT direction compared to mine”
Pilgrim is liberal if you are in Eastern, but no one in Pilgrim thinks they are…LOL

It also so depends on what issues are most important to you….church structure, the covering, the cape dress, etc.

I have old order friends that are ina group (I apologize if I have the number wrong because I find it bizarre) that are a break away from I think the Wengers and called the 49ers or something. Because just 49 families broke away. 49 families?
The categories are ok to help place folks but treat each person and group on their own.