1812 · event
Kleine Gemeinde begins
A reform movement in the Molotschna settlement that began in 1812 under Klaas Reimer and later developed different national histories.
Klaas Reimer and other Mennonites at Molotschna organized the Kleine Gemeinde, or Little Church, in 1812. Their call for reform concerned church discipline and the conduct of Christian life. A separate fellowship allowed them to order congregational life according to those convictions within the wider settlement history.
Families migrated to Canada in 1874–1875, carrying this church identity with them. Later developments included the Canadian Evangelical Mennonite Conference, while other communities retained the Kleine Gemeinde name, including congregations in Mexico. The founding event is therefore the beginning of several later local histories, each of which needs to be followed through its own migrations and decisions.
Sources for this history: [1] [2] [3]
