Old Flemish Mennonites

The chart carries an Old Flemish line beside the Lamb and Sun groups. Within that older name, Groningen and Danzig Old Flemish congregations developed distinct histories. They did not join all of the unions undertaken by other Flemish groups around 1632 and 1639. Questions of church discipline, fellowship, and congregational practice lay behind these divisions.

Groningen Old Flemish congregations emphasized plain living, a rigorous ban, and feetwashing associated with the Lord’s Supper. They also cooperated in helping Mennonites expelled from Switzerland and believers in Prussia affected by persecution or disasters. Danzig Old Flemish congregations had their own customs and connections. Keeping both histories visible prevents the exhibit’s single line from concealing the communities and practices it summarizes.