1566 · tradition
Flemish Mennonites
Flemish Mennonite communities formed one of the Dutch branches during sixteenth-century disagreements over discipline and congregational life.
Flemish and Frisian Mennonites divided at Franeker in 1566. The name Flemish reflected the background of believers who had moved from the southern Netherlands. Disagreements were about community practice as well as regional identity.
The Flemish stream itself developed different fellowships. Reunion efforts brought Old and Mild Flemish together in 1632, followed by union with the Frisian–High German group in 1639. The source chart also follows Dutch communities east into the Vistula region. A branch name on the chart therefore represents a history of both division and renewed fellowship.
Sources for this history: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
