Altona Christian Community

Last updated
Altona Christian Community
USA Minnesota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Altona
Location within Minnesota
Coordinates: 44°31′35″N93°58′19″W / 44.526389°N 93.971944°W / 44.526389; -93.971944
Country Flag of the United States.svg  USA
StateFlag of Minnesota.svg  Minnesota
Branch Independent Hutterite
StatusActive
Founded2001
Excommunicated2003
Mother Colony Fordham Colony, SD
Population
~125

Altona Christian Community, called Altona Hutterite Colony by GAMEO, is an independent Anabaptist community of Hutterite tradition. Even though the majority of the members are ethnic Hutterites, there are also members from different other backgrounds in the community. They are located in rural Henderson, Minnesota. As of 2017 the minister is Richard Stahl and the secretary was Mark Wollman [1] [2]

Contents

History

Altona was founded in 2001 as a division from the Fordham Hutterite Colony in South Dakota, which was a Schmiedeleut Hutterite colony. [3]

In 2003 Altona was excommunicated from Schmiedeleut affiliation with the Hutterites due to their continued support for their previously excommunicated sister church Elmendorf Christian Community.

In 2017 Altona and its excommunicated sister churches Fort Pitt and Elmendorf, along with Elmendorf's two daughter communities Detention River and Grand River, officially formed an independent Hutterite affiliation under the name Hutterite Christian Communities.

Affiliation

Altona is affiliated with Elmendorf Christian Community and its daughter colonies and with Fort Pitt Farms Christian Community. [4]

Population

In 2016, there were some 125 people living in Altona.

See also

Related Research Articles

Anabaptism Non-conformist Christian movement

Anabaptism is a Protestant Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation.

Mennonites Anabaptist groups originating in Western Europe

Mennonites are members of certain Christian groups belonging to the church communities of Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings, Simons articulated and formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders, with the early teachings of the Mennonites founded on the belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus, which the original Anabaptist followers held with great conviction, despite persecution by various Roman Catholic and Protestant states. Mennonite beliefs were codified in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith in 1632, which affirmed "the baptism of believers only, the washing of the feet as a symbol of servanthood, church discipline, the shunning of the excommunicated, the non-swearing of oaths, marriage within the same church, strict nonresistance, and in general, more emphasis on true Christianity involving being Christian and obeying Christ".

Hutterites Ethno-religious group since the 16th century; a communal branch of Anabaptists

Hutterites, also called Hutterian Brethren, are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th century and have formed intentional communities.

Mountain Lake Township, Cottonwood County, Minnesota Township in Minnesota, United States

Mountain Lake Township is a township located in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population was 384. The township was organized in 1871.

Plain people

Plain people are Christian groups characterized by separation from the world and by simple living, including plain dressing in modest clothing. Many Plain people have an Anabaptist background. These denominations are largely of German, Swiss German and Dutch ancestry, though people of diverse backgrounds have been incorporated into them. Conservative Friends are traditional Quakers who are also considered plain people; they come from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds.

Anabaptist theology

Anabaptist theology, also known as Anabaptist doctrine, is a theological tradition reflecting the doctrine of the Anabaptist Churches. The major branches of Anabaptist Christianity agree on core doctrines but have nuances in practice. While the adherence to doctrine is important in Anabaptist Christianity, living righteously is stressed to a greater degree.

Radical Reformation Anabaptist movement concurrent with the Protestant Reformation

The Radical Reformation represented a response to corruption both in the Catholic Church and in the expanding Magisterial Protestant movement led by Martin Luther and many others. Beginning in Germany and Switzerland in the 16th century, the Radical Reformation gave birth to many radical Protestant groups throughout Europe. The term covers radical reformers like Thomas Müntzer and Andreas Karlstadt, the Zwickau prophets, and Anabaptist groups like the Hutterites and the Mennonites.

Amish Mennonite

Amish Mennonites came into existence through reform movements among North American Amish mainly between 1862 and 1878. These Amish moved away from the old Amish traditions and drew near to the Mennonites, becoming Mennonites of Amish origin. Over the decades, most Amish Mennonites groups removed the word "Amish" from the name of their congregations or merged with Mennonite groups.

Plain dress Clothing worn by some religious groups

Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of traditional gender roles, modesty, and readiness to work and serve, and to preserve communal identity and separation from the immodest, ever-changing fashions of the world. For men, this often takes the form of trousers secured by suspenders, while for women, plain dress usually takes the form of a cape dress along with a headcovering.

Amish Group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships

The Amish, formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches, another Anabaptist denomination. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, Christian pacifism, and slowness to adopt many conveniences of modern technology, with a view neither to interrupt family time, nor replace face-to-face conversations whenever possible, and a view to maintain self-sufficiency. The Amish value rural life, manual labor, humility, and Gelassenheit, all under the auspices of living what they interpret to be God's word.

Old Colony Mennonites Part of the Russian Mennonite movement

The name Old Colony Mennonites is used to describe that part of the Russian Mennonite movement that is descended from colonists who migrated from the Chortitza Colony in Russia to settlements in Canada. Theologically, Old Colony Mennonites are largely Conservative Mennonites.

The Noah Hoover Mennonites, called "Old Order Mennonite Church (Hoover)" by the Mennonite World Conference, and sometimes called "Scottsville Mennonites”, are a group of very plain Old Order Mennonites that originally came from the Stauffer Mennonites and later merged with several other groups. Today it is seen as an independent branch of Old Order Mennonites. The group differs from other Old Order Mennonites by having settlements outside the US and Canada and by attracting new members from other groups on a larger scale. They have more restrictions on modern technology than all other Old Order Mennonite groups. They are rather intentionalist minded than ultra traditional.

The Elmendorf Christian Community is an independent Anabaptist community of Hutterite tradition. Even though the majority of the members are ethnic Hutterites, there are also members from different other backgrounds in the community. They are located in rural Mountain Lake, Minnesota. As of 2016 the ministers are Gary Wurtz and Dwayne Wipf and the manager is William Wurtz.

Schmiedeleut

The Schmiedeleut, also Schmiedeleit, are a branch of the Hutterites that emerged in 1859. It is divided into two subgroups.

A Seeker is a person likely to join an Old Order Anabaptist community, like the Amish, the Old Order Mennonites, the Hutterites, the Old Order Schwarzenau Brethren or the Old Order River Brethren. Among the 500,000 members of such communities in the United States there are only an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 outsiders who have joined them.

Fort Pitt Farms Christian Community is a Christian Community of Dariusleut Hutterite origin and of many Hutterite traditions, but that is fully autonomous since 1999. It is located in Frenchman Butte, Saskatchewan, Canada close to Fort Pitt Provincial Park. Its spiritual leaders are Reuben Walter and Ben Walter.

The Hutterite Christian Communities are an affiliation of independent Hutterite colonies that work closely together and also have their preachers delivering sermons in the other colonies of this affiliation. Currently there are five colonies:

Old Order Anabaptism Branch of Anabaptist Christianity

Old Order Anabaptism encompasses those groups which have preserved the old ways of Anabaptist Christian religion and lifestyle.

The Stuckey Amish or Stuckey Amish Mennonites were a subgroup of the Amish that emerged from a division in 1872 under the leadership of Joseph Stuckey (1825–1902) and that merged with the Mennonite mainstream in the middle of the 20th century. In the second half of the 19th century, the Stuckey Amish were the most liberal faction of all Amish groups.

References

  1. Altona Hutterite Colony at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
  2. Website of Altona Christian Community
  3. Upland Hutterite Colony at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
  4. Peter Hoover’s Newsletters at scrollpublishing.com

Coordinates: 44°31′34″N93°58′19″W / 44.526°N 93.972°W / 44.526; -93.972