Conestoga Mennonite Church (Morgantown, Pennsylvania, USA)
Source: Mennonite Community Photograph Collection, The Congregation (HM4-134 Box 1 photo 010.0-21).
Mennonite Church USA Archives, Goshen, Indiana.
Source: Mennonite Community Photograph Collection, The Congregation (HM4-134 Box 1 photo 010.0-18).
Mennonite Church USA Archives, Goshen, Indiana.
The Conestoga Mennonite Church (former Conestoga Amish Mennonite Church) is a member of Mennonite Church USA. It is located west of Morgantown, in Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Its members, most of whom were farmers in the 1950s, are located in the three adjoining counties of Lancaster, Berks, and Chester.
The church was founded in 1760 and is therefore the first permanent Amish Mennonite congregation in North America. Among the first settlers were those having the family names of Mast, Hoelley, Hertzler, and Lapp. Jacob Mast served as the first resident minister of the congregation and was elected its bishop in 1788. The following bishops served this church into the 1950s: Jacob Hertzler, 1760-1786; Jacob Mast, 1788-1808; Peter Plank, 1808-1831; John Plank, 1831-1835; John Stoltzfus, 1835-1837; David Beiler, 1837-1845; John K. Stoltzfus, 1845-1854; Christian Umble, 1854-1877; John P. Mast, 1877-1888; Gideon Stoltzfus, 1888-1908; John S. Mast, 1908-51; and Ira A. Kurtz, 1944- .
About 1869 differences of opinion arose within the congregation concerning the adoption of more progressive forms of worship. The most conservative minority withdrew from the congregation in 1877, thus establishing an Old Order Amish group in the community. The larger group soon after this built its first church, dedicating it in June 1882. A subsequent church edifice was erected in 1923 (renovated in 1948), and another new facility in 2001. The church experienced a major fire in June 2008 but subsequently rebuilt.
In 1850 the membership of the church was 30, by 1882 it had grown to 80, by 1923 the number had increased to 225, and by 1952 the total was 380. The Conestoga Church had in the early 1950s planted three organized churches under its bishop jurisdiction. The Rock Amish Mennonite Church was organized in 1936, the Oley Church in 1942, and the Zion Church in 1951. The three are situated in Berks County, within a radius of 25 miles.
In August 2023, Conestoga Mennonite Church withdrew from the Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA, and joined LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches.
Bibliography
"2023 Executive Committee Action Summary." Atlantic Coast Conference Currents 46, no. 1 (Fall-Winter 2023-2024)ː 3.
Mast, C. Z. and Robert E. Simpson. Annals of the Conestoga Valley in Lancaster, Berits, and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania. Elverson, Pennsylvania, 1942.
Mast, J. Lemar & Lois Anne. As long as wood grows and water flows: a history of the Conestoga Mennonite Church. Morgantown, Pa.: Conestoga Mennonite Historical Committee, 1982.
Stauffer, Cindy. "Out of the ashes." Lancaster New Era (16 June 2008). Web. 8 September 2012.http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/223173_Out-of-the-ashes.html
Stoltzfus, Grant M. Mennonites of the Ohio and Eastern Conference; From the Colonial Period in Pennsylvania to 1968. Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite history, no. 13. Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 1969
Additional Information
Address: 2779 Main Street, Morgantown, Pennsylvania 19543
Phone: 610-286-9124
Website: Conestoga Mennonite Church
Denominational Affiliations: Atlantic Coast Conference (Until 2023)
LMC: a Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches (2023- )
Mennonite Church USA (Until 2023)
Leading Bishops/Pastors at Conestoga Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| *Jacob Hertzler (1703-1786) | 1760-1786 |
| *Jacob Mast (1738-1808) | 1788-1808 |
| *Peter Plank/Blank (1745-1831) | 1808-1831 |
| *John Plank/Blank (1755-1835) | 1831-1835 |
| *John K. Stoltzfus (1805-1857) | 1835-1837 1845-1854 |
| *David Beiler (1789-1871) | 1837-1845 |
| John Mast (1795-1873) | 1830s?-1860? |
| Moses Hartz (1819-1916) | 1850s?-? |
| *Christian Umble (1809-1896) | 1854-1877 |
| *John P. Mast (1826-1888) | 1877-1888 |
| Christian U. Stoltzfus (1845-1929) | 1879-1929 |
| Daniel Z. Mast (1862-1904) | 1884-1904 |
| Gideon Stoltzfus (1835-1913) * |
1868-1888 1888-1908 |
| Daniel U. Stoltzfus (1841-1920) | 1890-? |
| *John S. Mast (1861-1951) | 1908-1951 |
| David S. Yoder (1884-1967) | 1921-1967 |
| Christian J. Kurtz (1901-1999) | 1931-1942 |
| *Ira A. Kurtz (1902-1981) | 1944-1974 |
| Millard R. Shoup (1914-1996) | 1952-1955? |
| Harvey Z. Stoltzfus (1935-2016) | 1958-1999 |
| Nathan G. Stoltzfus (1933-2007) | 1971-1998 |
| Alvin B. Horning | 1999- |
| Nelson S. Yoder (Associate) | 1999-2004? |
| James L. Hertzler (Associate) | 2006?-? |
| Arnold L. Petersheim (Associate) | 2006?-? |
| Robert Petersheim | 2009-2021 |
| Jeremiah Martin | 2021- |
| * = Bishop |
Membership at Conestoga Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1850 | 30 |
| 1882 | 80 |
| 1920 | 180 |
| 1930 | 382 |
| 1940 | 425 |
| 1950 | 398 |
| 1960 | 307 |
| 1970 | 271 |
| 1980 | 260 |
| 1990 | 238 |
| 2000 | 230 |
| 2007 | 288 |
| 2020 | 135 |
| Author(s) | C. Z Mast |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Mast, C. Z. "Conestoga Mennonite Church (Morgantown, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 25 Jan 2025. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Conestoga_Mennonite_Church_(Morgantown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180062.
APA style
Mast, C. Z. (1953). Conestoga Mennonite Church (Morgantown, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 January 2025, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Conestoga_Mennonite_Church_(Morgantown,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=180062.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 668. All rights reserved.
©1996-2025 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.