Mennonites in Argentina
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 25,178 members in 2012 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mainly in the province of La Pampa · There are also other established communities in the provinces of Santiago del Estero and Buenos Aires. | |
| Religions | |
| Anabaptist | |
| Scriptures | |
| The Bible | |
| Languages | |
| Plautdietsch · Standard German · Spanish |
Mennonites in Argentina belong to two quite different groups: conservative and very conservative ethnic Mennonites with a German background and converts to the Mennonite faith from the general Argentinian population. The ethnic German Mennonites are the third largest community of German Mennonites in South America, with four colonies in Argentina. While ethnic German Mennonites have their own language and customs and live in colonies, converts to the Mennonite faith normally live in cities and speak Spanish and do not differ much from other Protestants in Argentina. Conservative ethnic Mennonites normally do not engage in missionary activities but look for a quiet and remote place where they can live according to their tradition. More liberal Mennonites are engaged in worldwide missionary work like other North American Protestant denominations. About one third of Mennonites in Argentina are conservative ethnic Mennonites who belong to the Altkolonier branch.
The Mennonites as a religious group can trace back their roots to the time of the Protestant Reformation. They belonged to the radical wing of the Reformation who tried to base its faith only on the Bible as God's word and live according to it.
Most ethnic Mennonites have a long history of migrations. The ethnic Mennonites in Argentina are descendants of Vistula delta Mennonites, who migrated around 1800 to a part of the Russian Empire that today belongs to the Ukraine. From there they migrated to Canada in the 1870s and from there to Mexico and Paraguay in 1920s. A major migration of Mennonites to Argentina occurred from 1986 to 1987, mainly from Mexico, Uruguay and Paraguay.
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