The emerging "Delano" Anabaptist movement
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2026 1:08 pm
A new Anabaptist movement is emerging in the context of Hoover Mennonites (also known as Scottsville-type churches). For lack of another term, I will refer to them as "Delano" Mennonites, after one of the congregations in Delano, TN.
Some qualities:
- So far, all find their closest fellowship in the Scottsvile-type community.
- Higher proportion of seekers (as high as ⅓ in some places), including in senior leadership such as ordained bishops.
- Church services conducted in English, not German, if there are any families attending who don't understand German.
- A semi-communal approach to property ownership where there is a common farm market owned in common, and land itself is owned in common, including the housing structures there on. However, families and individuals can continue to own their own personal property.
- Restrictions on using drivers - when a driver is used, for example, one community must have a members' meeting to discuss why it was necessary.
- Young people not permitted to attend other types of church's weddings if Charity-type people will be there trying to "evangelise" them.
- Drivers cannot be Charity-type people or otherwise other less-plain groups that will try to "evangelise" them to persuade them to join a less-plain Charity group.
- Members are excommunicated / will have the ban held if they leave to join a non-horse-and-buggy community.
- New members are taught how to conduct a small farm, grow produce, handle horses, and so forth.
- They identify as Mennonites, not Amish.
- There would be fellowship ties with like-minded Amish such as Unity/Smyrna for things such as for example marriage or even visiting each others' communities; there are also warm connections to certain Swartzentruber Amish.
- Dress styles focused on simplicity (eg avoidance of prints, bright colours) but not too much focus on specific patterns/cuts as one might find in Old Order Amish circles.
- Fertility rates amongst the highest (TFR around 9.0 or 10.0), in line with Swartzentruber Amish and higher than other horse and buggy groups like Wengers or Old Order Amish (typically closer to 5.0 - 6.0).
- Membership process consists of visiting a few times, first for a weekend, then eventually for a whole week or two, and then eventually living in the community for a year, and then joining.
- Mode of baptism consisting of going into a body of water and having water poured upon one's head, but a strict stance that no supplicant may request "full immersion" and other mebers existing baptisms by traditional pouring must be accepted and affirmed. (I am not clear on if the pouring-upon is three times but I think it is.)
- Young people typically get married around age 20.
- Communities that are close to each other (e.g. Englewood, TN and Delano, TN) will send important messages via carrier pigeon, such as the result of an ordination. Their publications frequently have articles about carrier pigeons including ones written by a Canadian carrier pigeon club.
- Telephone calls are via a single payphone in the nearest town. Sending letters is the expected (non-avian) way to communicate.
- Visitors or applicants for membership expected not to bring cell phones into the community.
- Have been in existence in this form for about 35 years, but the Hoover Mennonite heritage stretches back much farther than that.
- Requires about 10-15 acres of land per family as opposed to the 100+ that is typical for Amish farming communities.
- Prolific writers/publishers, using mechanical methods of printing based on old typewriters that can be adapted to shaft / belt power, and using a furnace-fed Linotype machine for mass-production of literature.
- Other Amish type groups that are not interested in adopting smartphones, vehicles, Internet in the home, etc. are generally interested in moving more towards the "Delano" model.
I believe there are around 22 Scottsville-type communities, but not all of them would necessarily be "Delano" type of communities.
Oddly enough, my dad's cousin has been familiar with one of these communities since its founding, as they had a close family friend who lived & owned property adjacent to where one of these communities is now.
Some qualities:
- So far, all find their closest fellowship in the Scottsvile-type community.
- Higher proportion of seekers (as high as ⅓ in some places), including in senior leadership such as ordained bishops.
- Church services conducted in English, not German, if there are any families attending who don't understand German.
- A semi-communal approach to property ownership where there is a common farm market owned in common, and land itself is owned in common, including the housing structures there on. However, families and individuals can continue to own their own personal property.
- Restrictions on using drivers - when a driver is used, for example, one community must have a members' meeting to discuss why it was necessary.
- Young people not permitted to attend other types of church's weddings if Charity-type people will be there trying to "evangelise" them.
- Drivers cannot be Charity-type people or otherwise other less-plain groups that will try to "evangelise" them to persuade them to join a less-plain Charity group.
- Members are excommunicated / will have the ban held if they leave to join a non-horse-and-buggy community.
- New members are taught how to conduct a small farm, grow produce, handle horses, and so forth.
- They identify as Mennonites, not Amish.
- There would be fellowship ties with like-minded Amish such as Unity/Smyrna for things such as for example marriage or even visiting each others' communities; there are also warm connections to certain Swartzentruber Amish.
- Dress styles focused on simplicity (eg avoidance of prints, bright colours) but not too much focus on specific patterns/cuts as one might find in Old Order Amish circles.
- Fertility rates amongst the highest (TFR around 9.0 or 10.0), in line with Swartzentruber Amish and higher than other horse and buggy groups like Wengers or Old Order Amish (typically closer to 5.0 - 6.0).
- Membership process consists of visiting a few times, first for a weekend, then eventually for a whole week or two, and then eventually living in the community for a year, and then joining.
- Mode of baptism consisting of going into a body of water and having water poured upon one's head, but a strict stance that no supplicant may request "full immersion" and other mebers existing baptisms by traditional pouring must be accepted and affirmed. (I am not clear on if the pouring-upon is three times but I think it is.)
- Young people typically get married around age 20.
- Communities that are close to each other (e.g. Englewood, TN and Delano, TN) will send important messages via carrier pigeon, such as the result of an ordination. Their publications frequently have articles about carrier pigeons including ones written by a Canadian carrier pigeon club.
- Telephone calls are via a single payphone in the nearest town. Sending letters is the expected (non-avian) way to communicate.
- Visitors or applicants for membership expected not to bring cell phones into the community.
- Have been in existence in this form for about 35 years, but the Hoover Mennonite heritage stretches back much farther than that.
- Requires about 10-15 acres of land per family as opposed to the 100+ that is typical for Amish farming communities.
- Prolific writers/publishers, using mechanical methods of printing based on old typewriters that can be adapted to shaft / belt power, and using a furnace-fed Linotype machine for mass-production of literature.
- Other Amish type groups that are not interested in adopting smartphones, vehicles, Internet in the home, etc. are generally interested in moving more towards the "Delano" model.
I believe there are around 22 Scottsville-type communities, but not all of them would necessarily be "Delano" type of communities.
Oddly enough, my dad's cousin has been familiar with one of these communities since its founding, as they had a close family friend who lived & owned property adjacent to where one of these communities is now.
