[1] Prior to the formation of the Church in 1845, the Stauffer Mennonite Congregation was made up of one of its founders, Jacob Lehman (1723-1794) and his family.
The more conservative group formed a new church called the Piker Mennonites because their meeting house stood near the “pike” U.S. Route 322 in Earl Township near Hinkletown.
The reasons were that understandable church services were harder to perform under the traffic conditions of nearby Rt.
Today the name "Stauffer Mennonite" in a broad sense can refer to at least nine different groups, all descending from the church that was founded in 1845.
Other issues certainly played a role too, especially preaching in the English language, which the group under Arthur Martin introduced into their church services.
There is a traditional view of looking away of youth behavior and accepting their wild attitudes before conversion, which the Groffdale Conference and its split off sees unfitting for Christian parents.
Even the car itself, now forbidden, is in question, as there is tendency to get away with rulings and move forward to Fellowship churches or Conservative Mennonites.
In Illinois it had an harder impact, as just few stayed with the Stauffer Mennonite group, the majority went with the Arthur Martin movement and joined formerly mentioned Midwest Conference.
The main Stauffer Mennonite church has taken a long time to use shunning on members who drifted to this side, in the hope of their return, but finally the "Bann und Meidung" was declared.
They stress strict separation from “the world”, avoid excommunicated members (shunning), wear very plain clothing, and do not have electricity or running water.
According to the newest Stauffer Mennonite church Directory of 2020 their numbers are as follows: Source: Records of Members of the Stauffer Mennonite Church at the Present Time, 2020 Comparing both Directories, one can see which settlement was affected hard by the split and which hardly or not at all: Source: Records of Members of the Stauffer Mennonite Church at the Present Time, 2020 A growth of population in a state, despite membership losses, would identify young settlements where many children are born of young member families in the twenties.
For actual numbers one should know how many people and members the Stauffer Mennonitengemeinde had just before the exodus of hundreds, or who were later shunned, as the church was hesitant in practising it immediately.