Brethren vs Amish: Understanding the Key Differences, Shared Roots, and Distinct Ways of Life
People often group the Brethren and the Amish together as “plain people” or traditional Anabaptists who value simplicity, pacifism, and separation from mainstream culture. The visual overlap—modest clothing, strong community ties, and a deliberate distance from certain modern trends—makes the confusion understandable. Yet these two traditions developed along different historical paths, emphasize different aspects of faith and practice, and live out their convictions in noticeably different ways today.
This article offers a clear, detailed comparison of the Brethren (primarily the Church of the Brethren and related conservative bodies) and the Amish (especially the Old Order Amish). It covers origins, core beliefs, daily practices, technology attitudes, education, worship, dress, language, church discipline, and modern expressions. The goal is original insight based on established historical facts, not recycled summaries from any single source.
Shared Anabaptist Foundations
Both groups belong to the broader Anabaptist family that emerged during the Radical Reformation in the 16th century. Anabaptists rejected infant baptism in favor of believer’s baptism—baptism only for those old enough to make a conscious confession of faith. They insisted on the separation of church and state, refused to swear oaths, practiced nonresistance (pacifism), and sought to form voluntary communities of disciples who lived simply and obeyed the teachings of Jesus, particularly the Sermon on the Mount.
These shared convictions explain many surface similarities. Both traditions historically practiced mutual aid, avoided military service, emphasized humility, and viewed the church as a gathered body of believers rather than a state institution. Foot washing, the holy kiss, and a strong sense of community accountability appear in both histories. Yet the specific streams that produced the Amish and the Brethren diverged early, and those differences have widened over three centuries.
Origins of the Amish
The Amish tradition traces to a late-17th-century division among Swiss Anabaptists (often called Swiss Brethren or early Mennonites). In 1693, Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Mennonite elder active in Alsace and Switzerland, pressed for stricter church discipline. He advocated rigorous application of the ban (excommunication) and the practice of Meidung—social shunning of those who had been disciplined. Ammann also pushed for greater uniformity in dress, untrimmed beards for married men, and clearer separation from the surrounding culture.
Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish. Many faced persecution and economic pressure in Europe. Beginning in the early 18th century, Amish families emigrated to North America, settling first in Pennsylvania. Over time they developed the distinctive practices most outsiders recognize today: horse-and-buggy transportation among the Old Order groups, rejection of public electricity and telephones in the home in many communities, and worship held in private homes rather than dedicated church buildings. The Amish population has grown substantially through high birth rates and high retention, with the majority now living in the United States and Canada.
Within the Amish world there is considerable diversity. Old Order groups maintain the strictest separation. New Order Amish and Beachy Amish permit more technology and sometimes use meetinghouses. Still, the core identity remains rooted in the 1693 emphasis on disciplined community life and visible nonconformity.
Origins of the Brethren
The Brethren tradition began later and in a different cultural setting. In 1708, eight adults in Schwarzenau, Germany, under the leadership of Alexander Mack, baptized one another by trine immersion (three forward dips, one for each person of the Trinity). They combined Anabaptist ideas with Radical Pietism—the 17th- and 18th-century movement that stressed personal conversion, heartfelt piety, and practical holiness over formal doctrine.
These early Brethren were sometimes called New Baptists or Dunkers (from the German word for dipping). They emphasized the New Testament as their only creed, practiced a love feast that included feet washing, a fellowship meal, and communion, and maintained a strong commitment to peace. Persecution in Europe led many to migrate to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century, where they settled near Mennonite communities and occasionally intermarried or borrowed practices.
Over the centuries the Brethren experienced several divisions. The largest body today is the Church of the Brethren, which has become relatively progressive in many areas while retaining historic peace church commitments. More conservative groups include the Old German Baptist Brethren (who withdrew in the 1880s to preserve traditional practices) and the Dunkard Brethren (formed in the 1920s). The Brethren in Christ (originally River Brethren) developed separately in Pennsylvania among Mennonite-influenced groups attracted to Brethren-style immersion and piety; they are related but not a direct split from the Schwarzenau lineage.
The Brethren have historically formed a larger share of North American Anabaptists than the Amish, though membership numbers and cultural visibility have shifted. Mainline Church of the Brethren congregations often resemble other Protestant denominations in appearance and technology use, while conservative Brethren subgroups retain more plain-dress and simple-living practices.
Core Beliefs: Overlap and Distinct Emphases
Both groups affirm believer’s baptism, nonresistance, simple living, and the authority of Scripture. Neither has a formal creed beyond the New Testament. Both historically rejected participation in warfare and the swearing of civil oaths.
Differences appear in theological flavor and practical application. The Amish place heavy weight on the Ordnung—the unwritten local rules that govern daily life, technology, dress, and community order. Obedience to the Ordnung and to church leaders is central; the community’s visible separation from the world is itself a form of witness. Church discipline, including shunning, remains an important mechanism for maintaining purity and unity in many Amish settlements.
Brethren theology, shaped by Pietism, tends to stress personal relationship with Christ, individual moral responsibility, and loving relationships within the fellowship. The love feast holds special importance as a time of reconciliation, service, and communion. While earlier generations practiced stronger forms of discipline, many contemporary Brethren place greater emphasis on individual conscience and less on formal shunning. Mainline groups actively engage in social justice, disaster relief, and peace education; conservative groups focus more on preserving traditional ordinances and plain living.
Baptismal practice also differs. Brethren traditionally use forward trine immersion. Amish baptismal modes vary by community but are not identical in form or frequency of emphasis on the threefold dipping.
Technology and Modern Conveniences
This is one of the most visible differences. Old Order Amish generally reject automobiles, public-grid electricity in homes, and personal telephones inside the house. They use horses and buggies for local travel, gas lamps or batteries for limited lighting, and community phones located outside the home. The rationale is that certain technologies threaten community cohesion, family life, and separation from worldly values. Exceptions and variations exist—some Amish use tractors with steel wheels, diesel generators for shops, or cell phones for business under controlled conditions—but the overall stance remains cautious and restrictive.
Most Church of the Brethren members use cars, electricity, computers, and the internet without the same level of restriction. Technology is evaluated more by how it is used than by blanket prohibition. Conservative Brethren groups (Old German Baptist Brethren, Dunkard Brethren) occupy a middle ground: many allow automobiles (often plain black models) and electricity while still discouraging television, radio, and certain entertainments. Even among conservative Brethren, the rejection of technology is usually less absolute than among Old Order Amish.
Education and Intellectual Life
Amish education typically ends after the eighth grade. Children attend one-room or small community schools that teach basic literacy, arithmetic, and practical skills needed for farming, craftsmanship, and homemaking. Higher education is rare and often viewed with suspicion because it may pull young people away from the community and introduce worldly values. A few converts or exceptional cases pursue further study, but the cultural norm remains limited formal schooling.
Brethren communities, especially the Church of the Brethren, have long encouraged education. The denomination founded colleges such as Bridgewater College and Elizabethtown College. Many members pursue university degrees and professional careers. Conservative Brethren groups may limit higher education more carefully, yet the overall Brethren tradition is more open to academic study than the Amish tradition. This difference reflects broader attitudes toward engagement with the wider society.
Language and Worship Practices
Old Order Amish commonly speak Pennsylvania Dutch (a German dialect) at home and use High German for Scripture reading and formal worship. Services are held in members’ homes or barns on a rotating basis. Singing is a cappella from the Ausbund, an early Anabaptist hymnal. Preaching is often in the dialect or German, and the service can last several hours.
Most Brethren worship in English and meet in dedicated church buildings. Services typically include hymns (sometimes with instrumental accompaniment in progressive congregations), Scripture reading, preaching, and prayer. The love feast remains a distinctive ordinance in many congregations—feet washing, a simple meal, and communion practiced together as an expression of humility and unity. Conservative Brethren may retain more traditional forms and plain attire during services, but the architectural and linguistic pattern differs markedly from Amish house meetings.
Dress and Appearance
Plain dress has been a historic marker for both groups, but its current practice varies. Amish clothing is highly uniform within each community: solid-color dresses and head coverings for women, dark trousers, suspenders, and broad-brimmed hats for men. Married Amish men grow untrimmed beards without mustaches. Buttons are often limited; hooks and eyes or straight pins are preferred in some groups.
Mainline Church of the Brethren largely abandoned distinctive plain dress in the early 20th century. Members dress much like other Protestants. Conservative Brethren groups (Old German Baptist Brethren, Dunkard Brethren, Old Order River Brethren) continue to wear plain clothing similar to Amish styles—though differences in cut, color, and head covering style allow informed observers to distinguish them. Beards among conservative Brethren men are common but not always identical in style or enforcement to Amish practice.
Church Discipline and Community Structure
Amish communities are organized into church districts led by a bishop, ministers, and a deacon chosen by lot. The Ordnung is local and can vary between settlements. Shunning remains a serious tool for maintaining order. The Amish emphasize the church as a disciplined body that protects members from the world’s influence.
Brethren polity has historically included annual meetings that set guidelines for the larger body. Discipline today ranges from formal processes in conservative groups to more relational approaches in progressive ones. Individual moral autonomy receives greater emphasis among many Brethren, with the expectation that mature believers will discern and avoid compromising practices without constant external enforcement.
Family, Work, and Daily Life
Both value large families, mutual aid, and practical skills. Amish life centers heavily on agriculture, small businesses, and home-based production. Young people experience Rumspringa, a period of greater freedom before deciding whether to be baptized into the church. Retention rates are high.
Brethren daily life shows greater occupational diversity. Members work in farming, business, education, healthcare, and other professions. Conservative groups maintain stronger rural and craft-oriented patterns, while mainline congregations are fully integrated into suburban and urban economies. Mutual aid remains important, expressed through disaster relief organizations and local support networks rather than the same intensive daily interdependence seen in Amish settlements.
Subgroups and Spectrum of Practice
Neither tradition is monolithic. Among the Amish one finds Old Order, New Order, Beachy, and other affiliations with differing technology rules and levels of engagement with outsiders. Among the Brethren the spectrum runs from the progressive Church of the Brethren through the Dunkard Brethren and Old German Baptist Brethren to smaller Old Order River Brethren groups that look and live much like Amish communities. These conservative Brethren share plain dress, simple living, and strong community discipline, yet their historical roots, baptismal practice, and some worship details remain distinct.
Why the Confusion Persists—and Why Clarity Matters
Tourists and casual observers often see black clothing, beards, and rural settings and assume a single “Amish” culture. In reality, multiple Anabaptist streams—Amish, Mennonite, Brethren, Hutterite—have produced overlapping but non-identical ways of life. Understanding the differences helps avoid stereotypes, supports more accurate historical appreciation, and clarifies that commitment to peace, simplicity, and discipleship can take more than one form.
The Amish preserve a highly visible, tightly bounded alternative society that challenges modern assumptions about technology, education, and individualism. The Brethren, especially in their progressive expressions, demonstrate that Anabaptist peace witness and service can operate within the structures of contemporary society while still drawing on the same New Testament roots. Conservative Brethren groups illustrate a middle path that retains many traditional markers without the full technological rejection of the Old Order Amish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Brethren the same as the Amish? No. They share Anabaptist convictions but arose from different founding moments (1693 for Amish, 1708 for Schwarzenau Brethren) and developed distinct practices regarding technology, education, worship location, language, and discipline.
Do all Brethren dress plain? No. Only conservative subgroups maintain distinctive plain clothing. Most Church of the Brethren members dress conventionally.
Do Amish ever use electricity or cars? Some affiliations and individuals do under limited conditions, but Old Order communities generally prohibit personal automobiles and public-grid electricity in homes.
Is the love feast practiced by both? It is a central ordinance among Brethren. Amish practice communion and feet washing but structure the ritual differently and less frequently emphasize the full threefold love feast.
Which group is larger? The Amish population has grown rapidly and now numbers in the hundreds of thousands. The Church of the Brethren is smaller in membership than in earlier decades, though the broader Brethren family remains significant.
Conclusion
The comparison between Brethren and Amish reveals two related yet independent responses to the call of radical discipleship. Both emerged from the desire to follow Jesus without compromise. The Amish chose a path of maximum visible separation and communal discipline. The Brethren combined Anabaptist and Pietist impulses and, over time, produced both progressive and traditional expressions. Their differences in technology, schooling, language, worship space, and degrees of cultural engagement are real and consequential. Their common commitment to peace, believer’s baptism, and practical Christianity remains the deeper bond.
Understanding these distinctions enriches appreciation for the diversity within the Anabaptist heritage and reminds modern readers that faithful living can look different while still seeking the same kingdom. Whether one encounters an Amish buggy on a rural road or a Brethren congregation engaged in disaster relief, both
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