Swiss Brethren

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Swiss Brethren were Anabaptists, a group of radical evangelical reformers who initially followed Huldrych Zwingli of Zürich. In 1525, Felix Manz, Conrad Grebel, George Blaurock and others formed a new group, which rejected infant baptism and preached a true Christianity. As the movement spread beyond Zürich and throughout Switzerland, its followers became known as the Swiss Brethren.

Because of persecution by the authorities, many of these Anabaptists moved from Switzerland to neighboring countries. The Swiss Brethren became known as Mennonites after the division of 1693, a disagreement between the Jacob Amman and Hans Reist groups. Many of the Mennonites in France, Southern Germany, the Netherlands and North America, as well as most Amish descend from the Swiss Brethren.

Today's Swiss Mennonite Conference can be traced to the Swiss Brethren.