Elam S. Martin: Father of the Orthodox Mennonite Church
Elam Snyder Martin (1907-1987), Orthodox Mennonite bishop for 30 years, is considered the "Father" of the Orthodox Mennonite Church in Ontario, Canada. From deep Mennonite roots on both sides of his family, Elam Martin grew up to embrace and indeed define the growing expression of Mennonite orthodoxy in southwestern Ontario.
Family History
Elam S. Martin, born April 30, 1907 in Waterloo County, in the Canadian province of Ontario, was the son of John W. Martin and Leah Snyder Martin, both of pioneer Mennonite families. John was the son of David B. Martin and Catherina Weber, the latter a descendant of Joseph Bechtel, first Mennonite minister ordained in Waterloo County in 1804. David B. Martin (1838-1920), a minister in the Old Order Mennonite Church in Ontario, and John's brother, David W. Martin, a deacon in the same church, in 1917 founded what is today known as the Independent Old Order Mennonite Church. John followed them into the new church, bringing his 10 year old son Elam with him.
On August 9, 1925, Elam was baptized by his uncle David W., who had recently become Bishop of the church. Eventually, the man who brought him into the church was the one Elam was to have his greatest differences with. Before that, however, Elam was married to Susy Bauman by his uncle, and his uncle also ordained him into the ministry on October 23, 1934, when Elam was only 27 years old. Elam served as a Mennonite minister then bishop until his death in 1987, when he was 80 years old.
Birth of the Orthodox Mennonite Church
After serving as a minister for 20 years, Elam Martin began to question his uncle's somewhat more open interpretation of Matthew 18 in the New Testament, in that he felt that members were being given too much freedom to stretch the ordnung (communal church guidelines) before being disciplined. Bishop Dave, as he was called, felt there was too much growing controversy, and excommunicated his nephew on March 11, 1956. Later that year, Deacon Samuel Horst (ordained in 1941) was also put in the ban. Several others followed him out of their church. The parting members had various contact with other traditional Mennonites from the United States, a story which is told elsewhere (see Bibliography below).
The new "separated" group eventually organized under the leadership of Elam S. Martin. As their new Bishop "by circumstance", Elam held their first communion with about 60 members on April 6, 1958. From the beginning, these members found themselves of a similar mind regarding their desire for a simpler, more traditional Old Order lifestyle. They were concerned about the usage of modern equipment among their parent church members, and felt a need to remain as plain as their ancestors had been. And so the new group blended orthodox Mennonite theology with orthodox Mennonite practice.
See Also
- Orthodox Mennonite Church, Huron County
- Wellesley Orthodox Mennonites
- David B. Martin: Pioneer of Mennonite Orthodoxy
Bibliography
Peter Hoover: A Record of the Ancestors and Descendants of David B. Martin, 1838-1920, Wallenstein, Ontario (no date).
Peter Hoover: "Orthodox Mennonite Church." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2010. Web. 11 Jan 2017. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Orthodox_Mennonite_Church&oldid=115142.
Donald Martin: Old Order Mennonites of Ontario: Gelassenheit, Discipleship, Brotherhood, Pandora Press, Kitchener, Ontario, 2003.
Amos Sherk: Unpublished History of the David Martin and Orthodox Mennonites, (Primary Source), no date.
