Jana Duggar trades family’s religion for husband Stephen Wissmann’s Mennonite Church in Nebraska
From experimenting with revealing clothing to getting married outside of a church, 19 Kids and Counting star Jana Duggar has been forging her own path. Now it appears she has left her family’s fundamentalist Christian church and has become a Mennonite like husband Stephen Wissmann.
What do Mennonites believe, which church do they belong to and how is it different than the rest of the Duggars? Keep reading to find out…
The Duggar’s Independent Baptist Church
One of the most identifiable things about the Duggar family from 19 Kids and Counting is their religion. The Independent Baptists are fundamentalist Christians, many of whom follow the teachings of Bill Gothard. All 19 Duggar children were homeschooled in the Advanced Training Institute curriculum, and several male siblings attended ALERT Academy, a religiously-driven program similar to the National Guard.
19 KIDS AND COUNTING All the Duggar sisters reunited, see who wore pants
Eldest daughter Jana Duggar followed the family’s rules for longer than most of her siblings, wearing modest skirts and dresses up until as recently as 2023. Jana also remained living in the Duggar home for the majority of her adult life, a tradition in their religion until the daughter marries off.
In August 2024 Jana shocked fans by marrying long time love Stephen Wissmann. Duggar and Wissmann had been linked for years and the pair finally decided to make it official the same year as brother Jason Duggar.
What changes will come from this union? For starters Jana has moved from Arkansas to Nebraska, Stephen’s home state. It also appears she has changed churches.
Is Jana Duggar a Mennonite?
Stephen Wissmann is a member of East Fairview Mennonite Church in Milford, Nebraska and they have been immediately welcoming of Jana Duggar following her move across country for love. Below is a program from the August 18, 2024 service which congratulates the couple following their August 15th, 2024 nuptials.
Stephen’s father Loren works as a Pastor and bible study leader at Mennonite Churches in across Nebraska, as does Stephen and his brother Matthias. The Wissmann family appears deeply connected to their faith.
A few main differences between Mennonites and Independent Baptists are Christian pacifism and separation from the world (including separation of church and state.) Many Mennonites don’t use technology (though the Wissmann’s do.)
These differences are pretty fundamental when it comes to what the Wissmann’s and Duggar’s practice. While the Duggars believe very much in training a Christian army, the Mennonites are pacifists and believe in a commitment to social justice. (Often times Mennonites are mistaken for the Amish) As for the separation of church and state, the Duggars believe in running for and holding positions in government while Mennonites would never, as they don’t believe in taking oaths.
Jana now lives in Nebraska with her husband and while it’s unclear if she has ditched her Duggar roots for good, there are a few big clues the 19 Kids and Counting star is moving on and cleaving to Stephen Wissmann’s faith:
#1: Jana Duggar was the first to marry outside of the Independent Baptist church, opting instead for a chapel on site a traditional wedding venue.
#2: Jana has changed her name to Wissmann on all her social media, seeming to drop ‘Duggar’ completely… in more ways than one?
Ashley Marie is a writer for Starcasm and the personality behind Twitter’s @RealityByAshley. You can contact Ashley via Twitter or email at realitybyashley@gmail.com
