Wengerites were an offshoot of the River Brethren

River Brethren

The River Brethren is a name used to indicate certain Christian groups originating in 1770, during a revival movement among German colonizers in Pennsylvania....

 started in Montgomery County, Ohio

Montgomery County, Ohio

Montgomery County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. The population was 535,153 in the 2010 Census. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. The county seat is Dayton...

 and peaking at 15 congregations. They broke from the River Brethren in 1836 over issues of closed communion and meetinghouses. They are named for John Wenger

John Wenger

John Weaver Wenger was the founder of the Pentecostal Church of the Brethren, popularly known as the Wengerites. Wenger was born in Bethel Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA....

, the leader who initiated the separation. In 1861 part of this group joined the Mennonite Brethren in Christ. The remainder became the Pentecostal Brethren in Christ, which joined the Pilgrim Holiness Church

Pilgrim Holiness Church

Pilgrim Holiness Church is a religious denomination associated with the holiness movement that split from the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1897. It was first organized in Cincinnati, Ohio as the International Holiness Union and Prayer League...

in 1924.