Zion Amish Mennonite Church (Thomas, Oklahoma, USA)
The Zion Amish Mennonite Church in Thomas, Oklahoma, USA was established in 1956. The congregation started as from an Old Order Amish community that was heavily influenced by the Missions Interest Committee and the revival movement among the Amish in the 1950s.
The Thomas community had begun making technological changes previously. Tractors with steel wheels was accepted in 1937, and with rubber tires in 1947. The switch to automobiles came with the new congregation in 1956, and use of electricity in 1957. A minority who opposed these changes moved away from the community.
The minister of the Amish district at Thomas, David A. Miller (1910-1992), was ordained in 1938, and as bishop in 1953. His theology was not typically Amish however, and he was known in the 1950s as an Amish evangelist who travelled widely. He got this reputation because he preached sin and repentance in an evangelical style foreign to Amish ears. The opposition he faced from other Amish leaders led him to found the non-Old Order congregation in 1956, with a membership of 60. Miller's preaching helped lead to divisions in a number of Old Order Amish communities.
In 2017 the church was a member of the Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship and had a membership of 23. The deacon was LeRoy Peachey.
Bibliography
"Amish Mennonite Churches in Oklahoma." The Beachy Amish Mennonites. 2013. Web. 27 March 2018. http://www.beachyam.org/churches/ok.htm.
Anderson, Cory. The Amish-Mennonites of North America: a portrait of our people. Medina, New York: Ridgeway Publishing, 2012: 138.
Branson, Kay Parker. "The Amish of Thomas, Oklahoma: a study in cultural geography." M.A. dissertation, University of Oklahoma, 1967. Available in full electronic text at: http://www.beachyam.org/librarybooks/Branson(1967)_Amish.pdf.
Mennonite Church directory (2017): 48.
Nolt, Steve. "The Amish “Mission Movement” and the reformulation of Amish identity in the Twentieth Century." Mennonite Quarterly Review 74, no. 1 (January 2001). Available in full electronic text at: https://www.goshen.edu/mqr/2000/12/january-2001-nolt/.
Yoder, Elmer S. The Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship Churches. Hartville, Ohio: Diakonia Ministries, 1987: 346.
Additional Information
Address: North 2420 Road, Thomas, Oklahoma
Phone: 580-661-3369
Website:
Denominational Affiliations:
Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship
Map
| Author(s) | Sam Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | March 2018 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Sam. "Zion Amish Mennonite Church (Thomas, Oklahoma, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. March 2018. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Amish_Mennonite_Church_(Thomas,_Oklahoma,_USA)&oldid=160139.
APA style
Steiner, Sam. (March 2018). Zion Amish Mennonite Church (Thomas, Oklahoma, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Zion_Amish_Mennonite_Church_(Thomas,_Oklahoma,_USA)&oldid=160139.
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