Kauffman Amish Mennonite
Branch of Amish Mennonites
The Kauffman Amish Mennonites, also called Sleeping Preacher Churches or Tampico Amish Mennonite Churches, are a plain, car-driving branch of the Amish Mennonites whose tradition goes back to John D. Kauffman (1847–1913) and Noah Troyer (1831–1886) who preached while being in a state of trance and who were seen as "sleeping preachers".
In contrast to other Amish Mennonites they have retained their identity over the last hundred years and also largely the Pennsylvania German language and other Amish Mennonite traditions from the late 1800s.
They use many modern technologies, including black cars, but refuse television, radio and internet.
In 2010, there were 16 congregations of Kauffman Amish Mennonites. In 2017 they had around 2,000 baptized members and lived mainly in Missouri and Arkansas.
History
Early history
For the early history of the Amish Mennonites, see Amish: History.
The Amish division between 1862 and 1878
Mostly between 1862 and 1878 there were developments that divided the Amish into two major branches: the Old Order Amish and the Amish Mennonites. The Old Order faction rejected change and wanted to cling to the old teachings, whereas the Amish Mennonites embraced change.
During that time Dienerversammlungen (ministerial conferences) were held in Wayne County, Ohio, and other places, concerning how the Amish should deal with the pressures of modern society. The meetings themselves were a progressive idea, for bishops to assemble to discuss uniformity was an unprecedented notion in the Amish church.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Kauffman Amish Mennonite” is branch of Amish Mennonites. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Kauffman, Amish and Mennonite, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “branch of Amish Mennonites” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q30325261. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1847, 1913, 1831 and 1886.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kauffman Amish Mennonite”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kauffman Amish Mennonite primary sources, Kauffman Amish Mennonite archive and Kauffman research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kauffman Amish Mennonite”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kauffman Amish Mennonite” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.