The Anabaptist Family Tree BACKGROUND Theological differences sometimes caused new Anabaptist groups to emerge, such as the Amish, Brethren in Christ, and River Brethren. One example of this was in the 17th century, when the issue of church discipline was hotly debated. In the early 1690s, Jacob Ammann, a bishop from Markirch, had emerged as an important leader among the Anabaptists of Bern, Alsace, and the Palatinate. Ammann felt that the church needed to become less worldly. He called for firmer discipline and the practice of shunning, which severed all ties, both family and social, to any person in the group who sinned. Ammann insisted on holding communion twice a year instead of once a year, attempted to introduce footwashing, and did not allow the wearing of fashionable clothes, or cutting the beard for men. By 1698, two factions had appeared. The followers of Ammann became known as the Amish. Those who opposed Ammann were led by Senior Bishop Hans Reist. As the issues were debated, a chasm grew between the two groups. Eventually some conciliatory actions were taken. The Amish, however, would only return to the Mennonite Church on their own terms. The Amish wanted to keep their prac- tices of shunning and footwashing. These terms were unsatisfactory to the Mennonites. Today the Anabaptist subgroup known as the Amish consists of approximately 100,000 members. Another example of theological differences is the 1881-82 triple-branching of the German Baptist Brethren. There were several reasons for these differences. One difference was in whether or not the church should begin Sunday schools. At that time, Sunday schools were considered worldly and unscriptural. Another dif- ference was in whether or not to support separate educational institutions such as colleges or high schools. Still other differences included whether churches should support revival services, mission work, trained and salaried ministers, and the printing of church materials. Other reasons for branching in the Anabaptist family tree are included in the lesson called “So Many Branches.” Anabaptist History: The Anabaptist Family Tree 170 The Anabaptist Family Tree LESSON 10: SO MANY BRANCHES Objective To learn the origins of the many branches of the Anabaptist family tree. John 17:22-23—The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Key Concepts • Students will examine the branches of the Anabaptist family tree by identifying when each denominational group began. • Students will look closely at some of the issues that caused the groups to branch. • Students will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of branching into new groups. Estimated Lesson Time: 50 minutes Materials • Branch from a tree or bush • “Tiny Timeline” two-sided handouts (pp. 175-176) • “A Church Divided” handouts (pp. 178-179) • (Optional) Copy of The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss, for “What are the belly stars today?” Extend the Lesson exercise Teacher Preparation 1. Cut a small branch from a tree or bush, to demonstrate the idea of a common trunk with many branches. 2. Make enough copies of “Tiny Timeline” handout for each student to have one. Note that the handout has two sides—a fill-in-the-blank timeline on one side, and 13 clues on the other. 3. Make enough copies of “A Church Divided” handout for each student to have one copy. INTRODUCING THE LESSON Branch question. Place the branch from a tree or bush in front of the class. Ask, “What does this branch have to do with the Anabaptist community?” Invite wild to mild guesses. When students have exhausted their list, mention that you have brought the branch as a symbol of the many expressions of a common faith—the branches, and core principles—the main trunk or stem. Say, “The branch we will focus on today is just one limb of the larger tree of Christianity. It has strengths and weaknesses, and specific contributions to offer the larger church. Anabaptist History: So Many Branches 171 LESSON STEPS 1. Tiny Timeline. Divide the class into groups of three and pass out copies of the Tiny Timeline handout. Read the directions from Timester: “Your assignment is to figure out the thirteen Anabaptist branches contained in the Tiny Timeline. Use the clues below to figure out which groups go where. There is only one solution that will make all of the following clues work correctly. Use the dates to help you determine which group branched off from which other group. Remember, the trunk is Anabaptism.” Allow students five to ten minutes to work on the project, as needed. If a group finds this exercise particularly challenging, offer a couple of hints from the completed Answer Sheet (p. 177). When all of the groups are finished, place the Answer Sheet on an overhead projector and allow students to correct their answers. Congratulate all of the groups who filled in all answers correctly. 2. “Because” branches. Working in the same small groups, assign students to write down five reasons that might have caused groups to branch off from anoth- er. If students are familiar with historical reasons, they may include them on their list, but also encourage them to simply imagine some of the reasons and include those on the their list as well. Make a cumulative list on a chalkboard, marker board, or flip chart by inviting small groups to read their lists. Ask the class to identify the top five reasons by nominating ten reasons from the cumulative list and then voting by a show of hands for the reasons they think are most plausible. Write down the following underlined words with the reasons for branching dur- ing the 1881-82 triple branch of the German Baptist Brethren: • whether or not to have Sunday school (Sunday school was considered to be worldly and not scriptural) • whether or not to support separate educational institutions like colleges or high schools (some thought their children should be involved in public schools and others that they should be kept separate) • whether churches should support “revival” services (this method of holding special meetings, often outside of church buildings, struck some people as excessive and unnecessary) • how active congregations should be in mission work (some wanted to focus close to home, others around the country and world, others only by practical witnesses) • how strict churches should be in controlling dress styles (some wanted a dis- tinctive dress style to set members apart from the world) • whether ministers should receive training and a salary or work another full- time job (some did not want ministers set apart from the congregation by being paid to preach, and wanted the money to go to pay for other expenses) • whether the church should be involved in printing church materials (some opposed this because of the associations with larger Christianity and suspicion of education) • how authority should be expressed in the church (some wanted clear lines of authority, while others wanted to have leadership shared throughout the church) As time allows, mention other reasons for branching among Anabaptist groups, such as how foot washing should be practiced; whether various technologies (like Anabaptist History: So Many Branches 172 cars or electrical appliances) should be used; how key Bible passages should be interpreted (such as those regarding women in ministry, baptism, the importance of evangelism, etc.). 3. Pondering the reasons. Discuss with your students: • What are the differences and similarities between the two lists? • What are reasons that church groups split and start new religious communities today? • How do you think the leaders of these groups felt about leaving their congre gations? • What are the results of these many branches in the history of the Anabaptist community? (Discuss the gifts of variety, the strains and discouragement of division, learning to leave rather than to find ways to work together, having multiple perspectives from a similar root, a witness to the world of division rather than unity.) • How might these splits have turned out differently? • How do these multiple branches relate to John 17:22-23? The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Is it possible to be “one” while having many branches? 4. Amish and the Mennonites. Distribute the “A Church Divided” handouts. When students have finished reading the story, each small group may choose between writing an alternate ending to the story that avoids a split, acting out an alternate ending to the story, or drawing pictures of a scene from the story. Direct students in their decision-making, as needed. Allow adequate time for their cre- ative work. Each group should have an opportunity to show their work to the class, either during this class period or at another time. 5. Talking to a tourist. Ask the students, “Based on the information you read in ‘A Church Divided,’ how would you respond if a tourist came up to you and asked, ‘How are Amish and Mennonites connected? Is it because they both wore beards?’ ” Be sure the students’ responses include: —the Amish have historically stressed confessing sin in public more than the Mennonites —the Amish practice shunning, whereas Mennonites do not —the Amish have stressed distinctive dress patterns, whereas Mennonites have a wide variety of practice in dress —both Mennonites and Amish do not practice communion on a regular basis —many Mennonite communities practice footwashing, as the Amish do —the Amish maintain strict regulations on types of technologies used, and do not drive cars or trucks, whereas most Mennonites use technologies freely (although some Mennonite groups do place restrictions on things like radio and television, or the kind of car a church member can drive) 6.