to form the Kleine Gemeinde, which was recognized by the Russian government and granted the same rights and privileges of the main Mennonite group. The hostility against Reimer and his fellowship toned down somewhat a few years later, when Elder Enns died. Reimer's challenges were not limited to the main Mennonite body from which they separated. He also faced difficult challenges within his own fellowship. A crisis that has been called the false-humility movement almost destroyed the Kleine Gemeinde in 1828–29 and for a time threatened his leadership. A faction within the church apparently dwelt on guilt and fear and attempted a daily routine of extreme asceticism and self-inflicted punishment. When Reimer strongly admonished this faction in a sermon, many in the congregation walked out in disapproval. At a special meeting, his leadership was challenged and barely survived a vote of confidence. Over time, the movement subsided and Reimer regained control of the fellowship. On December 18, 1837 Klaas Reimer died in Lindenau, Molotschna, South Russia at the age of 67 years. Legacy Reimer remains a controversial figure in Mennonite history. One of Reimer's prominent critics was Mennonite historian Peter M. Friesen (1849–1914) who wrote that Reimer was "devoid of any joyous knowledge of God's grace" and that his movement "was too narrow-minded, too frightened, too isolationist and opposed to education, it never made a profound impact." Delbert Plett, an outspoken advocate of Reimer, writes that "Klaas Reimer was a conservative intellectual whose voice speaks with singular clarity over the centuries." Reimer's autobiography, penned in 1836, has been translated into English and published in the book Leaders by Mennonite historian Delbert Plett. Notes References Plett, Delbert ed., Leaders of the Mennonite Kleine Gemeinde In Russia, 1812 to 1874, Steinbach, Manitoba, 1993, pp. 113–147. Plett, Delbert, Saints and Sinners: The Kleine Gemeinde in Imperial Russia 1812 to 1875, Steinbach, Manitoba, 1999. Friesen, Peter M., The Mennonite Brotherhood in Russia (1789–1910), trans. into English, revised edition, Fresno, California, 1980. External links Reimer, Klaas (1770–1837) at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online 1770 births 1837 deaths Kleine Gemeinde People from Bartoszyce County Prussian Mennonites Mennonite ministers 19th-century Anabaptist ministers Russian Mennonites Mennonite theologians Mennonite writers Vistula delta Mennonites