The plain Anabaptists are Anabaptists who fall into one of seven traditions: Swiss Mennonite, Russian Mennonite, Hutterite, Amish, Brethren, Apostolic Christian, or Bruderhof. These seven traditions sometimes cross-pollinate, as with River Brethren (Swiss Mennonites and Brethren) or Nationwide Mennonites (Swiss and Russian Mennonites).

Within these groups are conservatives, who have adopted some evangelical practices but still retain distinctive, separatist practices, and Old Orders, who focus more on separatism and non- engagement with society.

Plain people may be measured along a scale, but really, such scales should be multidimensional as variables do not line up consistently from one point to another.

While some scholars have portrayed plain Anabaptists as along a ladder or escalator, or plain people think in terms of “drift”, these processes are all portrayed as uni-directional, constant, and without agency. An elevator is a more fitting analogy, as it is bi-directional, and people get on and off at different places as “movements” come and go.

What are the plain Anabaptists? They contain elements of religion (sect, social movement, counter-culture), ethnicity (inward focus, symbols, language) and somewhat akin to minority or transnational people, and a social system (group institutions).