Mennonite vs. Amish Communities, Values and Beliefs

The vast majority of Amish church services take place in private homes, and Amish individuals are considerably less evangelical (engaging in missionary work) than their Mennonite counterparts. More conservative groups of Amish prefer to stick to the safety and security of their own settlements and communities.

Amish people tend to dress conservatively in simple, black suits with broad-brimmed hats. If you ever travel to Ohio's Amish country or Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, you'll witness several instances of traditional Amish practice, including barn building, furniture crafting and families traveling via buggy transportation.

Mennonite culture is a wide spectrum. More conservative Mennonites mirror similar beliefs and practices to Amish people, while modern Mennonites have embraced the changing times closer to a non-Amish religious group like Mormons or the Catholic Church.

The general Mennonite dress code is similar to what you may find in Amish farm communities, although Mennonite congregations allow more flexibility with contemporary clothing styles. Mennonite women wear dresses and head coverings, while Mennonite men wear plain clothes for simple living.

The Amish Church and Mennonite Church are both Christian denominations that stem from the same Anabaptist movement following the European Protestant Reformation beginning in the 16th century C.E. Even today, both church services and religious gatherings have few doctrinal differences

Many Mennonite groups also align with the Bible-focused, charitable belief systems of Amish groups, resulting in a strong community's shared cohesion. However, Mennonite community values are more lenient to modern technology, and they disagree with the Amish on certain practices of excommunication.

Both groups wear modest clothing, practice adult baptism and attend their own schools. Although most Mennonites end their schooling at an early stage, some go on to receive a college education from specialized Mennonite universities.

One obvious difference between Amish and Mennonites is their stance on modern conveniences. Unlike followers of the Amish Church, members of Mennonite communities can enjoy the luxuries of motorized vehicles, electricity and cell phones.

Amish teenagers typically get their first taste of modern technology and comforts during their coming-of-age journey into the contemporary world called Rumspringa. Between the ages of 16 and 21, Amish youth are allowed to enter modern society and experiment with alcohol, modern appliances and other vices.

The Amish tend to return in astounding numbers from Rumspringa's religious freedom, with 85 to 9 percent rejoining their respective Amish communities.

The Mennonite/Amish split in the early days of the Anabaptist movement when the two groups failed to agree on many of the changes they witnessed during the Industrial Revolution. Amish community members opposed modern technology and shunned anyone who did not conform to their strict standards.

Mennonite groups opposed this strict doctrine of excommunication, and many Mennonites broke away to start separate, more lenient societies, further extending the effects of the Protestant Reformation.