Ontario (Old Order) Mennonite Conference

The Ontario (Old Order) Mennonite Conference is an Old Order Mennonite group in the Canadian province of Ontario, that was formed in 1889 as a reaction to modernizing trends among the Mennonites in Ontario. The members use horse and buggy for transportation.

The Conference is sometimes referred to as Old Order Mennonite Church (e. g. Donald Kraybill) , whereas the name given above is used by the Mennonite World Conference and by Stephen Scott . A popular name for the members is Woolwich Mennonites or just Woolwichers, because Abraham Weber Martin, the bishop who was the main force behind the formation of the group, resided in Woolwich, Ontario.

Since 1871, when six bishops in Ontario declared there should be no association with bishop Jacob Wisler of Ohio, who was dismissed because of his conservative stance, there were tensions among the Mennonites in Ontario about the question how much modern practices like Sunday School, revival meetings, English language preaching etc. should be introduced. The final break between the Old Orders and the modernizers occurred when there were two different Conferences, because there was a conflict about the date of the conference.

The members use horse and buggy for transportation. Their stance on technology is quite similar to that of the Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church. The German language is used in worship services and Pennsylvania German is spoken at home.

In 1957 the Old Order Mennonite Conference of Ontario had a membership of 1,061, unbaptized family members not counted. In 1992 there were about 2,200 adult members in 16 congregations. In 2008/9 membership was about 3,200 in 36 congregations.

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