A Peculiar People: Iowa's Old Order Amish

CHAPTER NINE. The Beachy Amish

C HAP T E R N N E The Beachy Amish A frequent distinction made between Amish members is whether they are "house Amish" or "church Amish." The terms indicate a basic difference between the Old Order and the Beachy groups, as the Beachy worship in churches and the Old Order conduct religious services in their homes. Adhering to many of the religious beliefs and social customs of the Old Order, the Beachy groups nevertheless deviate in several significant ways. Overall, they are more liberal in their economic practices and less concerned about maintaining separation from the world. Beachy Amish members work in nonfarm related industries, own automobiles (if they are black), and interact on a more frequent basis with non-Amish people. THE ORIGINS OF THE BEACHY AMISH The Beachy Fellowship has been in existence since the 1920s when it originated in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.1 During that decade friction developed in the district of Moses M. Beachy, an Old Order Amish bishop of the Casselman River District. The conflict centered around the use of electricity, the ownership of automobiles, and the practice of holding Sunday school. Eventually, the controversy also involved more fundamental church doctrine when Bishop Beachy refused to excommunicate and shun members of his congregation for joining Conservative Amish Mennonite churches.:! In 1927 the situation reached a climax when the most conservative members of the involved districts withdrew and joined other Old Order church districts so they would not lose their good standing. This division resulted in the Yoder (Old Order) and the Beachy congregations, both being named after their respective ministers at that time. 3 129 130 CHAPTER NINE During the next three decades other Old Order church districts followed Beachy's example until Beachy congregations were located in many states throughout the central and eastern United States. In 1974 there were Beachy congregations in sixteen states, the District of Columbia, and five foreign countries, with the heaviest concentrations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Their membership at that time was 4,069 located within sixty-two congregations. Although there are a few exceptions , the great majority of Beachy Amish are either former Old Order members or their descendants. On rare occasions a non-Amish might join the Beachy group or a Beachy member might marry a non· Amish who then joins. Throughout North and South America as well as Iowa the Beachy Amish constitute approximately one-fifth of the total Amish population. 4 The Iowa Beachy Amish church began near Kalona in 1946. Typical of previous church schisms, disagreement arose among some Johnson County Old Order members over the use of modern equipment . Precipitating the controversy was the fact that Johnson County highway officials had applied an oil surface to roads in the southern part of the county and had then prohibited the use of vehicles with lugs. Members of the North Church District agreed to use rubber on their machinery, but this decision brought an immediate, negative reaction from other districts. Action was taken to prevent the North District from going ahead with adoption ofrubber tires, and gradually the question of other modern conveniences and equipment also became involved. Soon members were arguing over the propriety of using electricity, owning automobiles, and installing telephones. The more liberal members began to challenge the traditional arguments with comments like "if it is wrong to own a car or use a telephone then why is it right to hire a car or use a neighbor's phone."" As a result of the bickering, seven families left the Old Order church and began meeting separately for religious services; these Amish fathers were Moses E. Yoder, Willie Helmuth, Enos H. Miller, 10hn Helmuth, Chris Stolzfus, Mose Coblentz, and Benedict Kemp. Their place of worship was an unused Lutheran church located northeast of Kalona at Kesselring 1unction. Hard feelings continued, however, as many homes were affected with sons and daughters leaving the Old Order and "going Beachy. "~l Ministers from Beachy churches in other states came to preach until 1ohn Helmuth and Moses E. Yoder were ordained as ministers during the winter of 1946. The Beachy adopted the name, Burkholder Church, after a minister by that name who had visited the group. In 1952 the members built a church five miles north of Kalona and THE BEACHY AMISH 131 changed their name to Sharon Bethel. From the modest beginnings of seven families. by 1974 the congregation had grown to...