What Is The “Church Builders” Conference? Over 700 Amish People Just Attended In Shipshewana
In today’s guest post, Timothy L. Price (who previously gave us a look at the Amish in the “middle of nowhere”) shares his account of a recent Amish conference in northern Indiana, and his main takeaways from the event.
The 2nd Church Builders Conference in Shipshewana, Indiana was put on by Old Order Amish from Shipshewana, mostly, on March 20th and 21st. As to the crowd, 95% of the attendees were Amish of different extractions, from all over. I even saw some from Pennsylvania.
These Amish are what I would call “spiritual” Amish. This means they are seeking a deeper walk and obedience with God, rather than just observing Ordnung rules and brethren agreements. This reality is a growing trend in the Amish world. Some refer to it as a spiritual “revival” to past Amish realities.
This conference was a fraction of the size of last year’s Church Builders conference in Shipshewana. There were 2,300 people at that event, because it was the 500-year anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement.
Still, more than 700 attended the 2026 edition. As the photo shows, the overflow poured into the larger area to accommodate interested attendees.
This year’s gathering was a continuation event to supplement continued spiritual growth, cross-pollination and meeting folks you wouldn’t normally meet.
On March 20th, which was a Friday, fewer people attended, but the highest number registered was on Saturday, because it was an all-day event.
Topics and Highlights
This year’s subjects ranged from comparisons between the Schleitheim and Dordrecht Confessions, to Chester Weaver’s Russian Mennonite story. Also, talks on “Non-Resistance”, and “Parent Choices Affecting Future Generations”.
However, the two highlights for me were a session on Stewardship, and a session titled “Walk Worthy of Your Vocation”, both of which were astounding.
Paul Devon Hochstetler of Middlebury, Indiana, is a successful contractor in the area with a solid reputation for even-handedness, and a mind for developing people. Hochstetler investing in works of the kingdom of God rather than flaunting it or wasting it in wanton living.
To me, from an English perspective, this is fantastic, because non-Anabaptists seem to see money as a sign of success that they can spend on non-kingdom revelry.
Hochstetler’s mindset is much more comprehensive. He was actively talking about looking at discretionary and disposable incomes that one could direct towards kingdom work, rather than “more stuff” or even justifiable things like family vacations.
We need more Paul Hochstetlers to preach to church people that they have a responsibility to God with the income He has given them—about investing in the kingdom of God. Many, many good people are benched on the sidelines because there is no effective way to find funders like what Paul is suggesting.
And many, many givers end up throwing good money after bad to big organizations that just do humanitarian work, when there are many more things to get done in the kingdom of God.
In “Walk Worthy of Your Vocation”, Ernie Miller stepped to the plate—a sports reference—to implore attendees about how their reputation in the marketplace is as much a ministry as their personal ideals being clung to.
Seeing how one can assuage a situation by going the second mile earns tremendous respect and admiration, rather than the curt business dealings of “you get what you get” and moving on.
Most of the sessions were either practical for everyday life or aimed at better understanding. Some were historical, which helps us understand that some in our history lost what was most true and essential about Anabaptists.
This loss then forged the very means to become devilish with the world around us. Chester Weaver would agree that the biggest thing we do not learn from history is that we do not learn from it—thus, as George Santayana once said, we are condemned to repeat it.
More Amish conferences to come?
Amish conferences are rare. However, with many dynamics facing them, this opportunity is becoming a wave of the future. On March 28th, in Hutchinson, Kansas, another one-day event is in the works.
While in Shipshewana, several families from eastern Pennsylvania attended to see if such an opportunity would fly in the Lancaster area. A Mennonite from Canada asked me whether a conference would be held on the other side of the border. The air was rife with expectancy and innovation. Several book vendors and the Traditional Text Bible translation group were available to dialogue.
This was my third formal Amish engagement since the last week of January. Perhaps you would like to form a group to bring in Anabaptist speakers. Let me know.
Timothy L. Price, a native of Nebraska, has been a publisher and author since 2005. His last two projects are truly unique: 100+ Words I’ve Not Lived Without, a mash-up between a memoir and a vocabulary book, and Anabaptism at 500, a book about the historical origins of the Amish. He spends about 1.5 months a year living with the Amish all over the United States. His website is: https://
Old Order Amish
I love reading this post. Just saying that because I honestly have a question. I’ve been in Shipshewana almost every week for a few years to take an Old Order Amish person to shoe horses there. Being from Adams Co. IN & I am confused about saying Old Order Amish in Shipshewana? I’ve Mets lots of great Amish people there. They are super nice, but Old Order? They have generators. & lots of things allowed for comfortable living. None of the Amish have that here in Adams County.