Alexander Mack

Alexander Mack was born in 1679 at Schriesheim, between Mannheim and Heidelberg. He was brought up in the Reformed faith. He was not satisfied with the formalism of the Catholic, Lutheran, or Reformed churches, but also not satisfied with the Pietists, who believed religion was of the heart, and rejected the organized church. He founded the Church of the Brethren in 1708 in Schwarzenau, Wittgenstein. The church sought to adopt the teachings of the New Testament, and practiced baptism by immersion. Because of this they were also known as "Dunkers." The church grew in Schwarzenau but was scattered by persecution. The leaders decided to come to the United States and nearly the whole denomination migrated to the States starting in 1719. Mack move with his family in 1729, where he led the church until his death in 1735.

Dianne Shapiro from The Religious Poetry of Alexander Mack, Jr. by Samuel B. Heckman (Elgin, IL: Brethren Publishing House, 1912)