Peter Burkholder

Peter Burkholder was a prominent Mennonite bishop in Virginia in the first half of the 19th century. He was ordained to the ministry in the Mennonite Church in 1805 at the age of 21. About 32 years later he was ordained to the office of bishop. He was an outstanding and progressive leader among the Mennonites of Virginia. He defended pouring against immersion as being the Scriptural mode of baptism in a booklet entitled Eine Verhandlung von der äusserlichen Wasser-Taufe (Harrisonburg, 1816, English edition in 1882 at Dale Enterprise, VA). He took his stand with the church in 1825 when a division was imminent. He encouraged the expansion of the church by preaching at outposts, such as Mount Clinton and Chimney Rocks. His delivery was marked with pathos. Joseph Funk wrote of him as "our beloved pastor." -- HAB, from gameo.org