The Story of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren Church

the long version

This book tells the story of the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren (KMB) Church, from its beginnings in 1869 through to its merger with the Mennonite Brethren in 1960. During its 90 years of life, this church had a remarkable history. Like other 19th-century revivalist movements that touched numerous Protestant denominations, the KMB emphasized a personal experiential spirituality tied to rigorous Christian discipleship and to mission and evangelism. The KMB movement began in 1869 among the German-speaking Mennonites living in Crimea, Russia (hence Krimmer, the German word for people from Crimea). The whole KMB church (a congregation of 40 people at the time) immigrated *en masse* to Gnadenau, Marion County, Kansas, in 1874. Even though it never grew to more than 2,000 members, scattered in six states (Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, South Dakota, and California) and one province (Saskatchewan), it managed by virtue of its spiritual dynamic to minister in a surprisingly large number of areas (e.g., education, mission work, orphan & senior care, medical care, publications).