Schwenkfelders, << SHVEHNGK `fehl` duhrz, >> are an American Protestant group that originated in Silesia (now part of Poland). They live in southeastern Pennsylvania, where there are five Schwenkfelder churches with a total of about 3,000 members. Schwenkfelders believe that the spiritual life of the individual is the basis of religious faith. For this reason, they tolerate a variety of beliefs. They conduct simple worship services and emphasize education, Biblical study, and conservative lifestyles. Schwenkfelders are active missionaries.
The Schwenkfelder Church follows the teachings of Caspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig, a German religious reformer of the 1500’s. During the early 1700’s, church members suffered religious persecution in Silesia. More than 500 Schwenkfelders fled to Germany or Holland, and 208 of them moved to America between 1731 and 1737, seeking religious freedom. They settled near Philadelphia, and most became farmers. The European Schwenkfelders died out by the early 1800’s.
