Amish church membership begins with baptism, usually between the ages of 16 and 25. It is a requirement for marriage, and once a person has affiliated with the church, he or she may marry only within the faith. Church districts average between 20 and 40 families, and worship services are held every other Sunday in a member's home. The district is led by a bishop and several ministers and deacons. The rules of the church, the Ordnung, must be observed by every member. These rules cover most aspects of day-to-day living, and include prohibitions or limitations on the use of power-line electricity, telephones, and automobiles, as well as regulations on clothing. Many Amish church members may not buy insurance or accept government assistance such as Social Security. As Anabaptists, Amish church members practice nonresistance and will not perform any type of military service.
Members who do not conform to these expectations and who cannot be convinced to repent are excommunicated. In addition to excommunication, members may be shunned, a practice that limits social contacts to shame the wayward member into returning to the church. During adolescence, rumspringa ("running around") in some communities, was nonconforming behavior that would result in the shunning of an adult who had made the permanent commitment of baptism, may meet with a degree of forbearance (refraining from action). Amish church groups seek to maintain a degree of separation from the non-Amish (English) world. There is generally a heavy emphasis on church and family relationships. They typically operate their own one-room schools and discontinue formal education at grade eight (age 13/14). They value rural life, manual labor and humility.
** Information
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Talking:
The Amish community as well as ours here at Grace Bible Fellowship is trying to
fulfill the biblical model in Acts 2 in many ways. If you have ever seen their
community, they stand out in so many ways, not just how they dress, and where
they live, but even in how they interrelate to one another. They truly are
dependent upon one another in almost everything they do; and truly without one
another, they couldn’t survive!
Today,
so few churches try and meet the true needs of God’s people outside of their
spiritual need (church); but we have endeavored to be different. We meet
people’s physical needs (Health ministry, Grace Biggest Loser), emotional needs
(Overcomers), financial needs (Grace Counseling Team), relational needs
(Couples Ministry, Heart to Heart Ministry), practical needs (Grace’s Closet),
educational needs (After School Program, Summer Camp), evangelical needs
(NWTF), and social needs (political forums, voter registration drives, and now
a polling place).
So why won’t we, in particular those in our leadership,
not support a progressive church??
Especially when you have to place some financial support behind it to
succeed?
(1)
Is it a spirit which discourages your
mind making you think that you are already spending too much money at that
church in the first place?
(2)
Is it a spirit which makes one think “if
I support many of these events, is the pastor is getting rich thru all of these
activities?”
(3)
Or is it that if we do too much
together, eat together, educate our kids in the same place, dress alike and
support member businesses, we would begin to look too much like an Amish
community or something that is similar to that?
Some things make you go hmm….
Train: we should be overjoyed! Grace Bible Fellowship
offers what most churches don’t:
Phat Tuesday, Summer camps, Sports programs, Comedy
shows, etc. and because we do doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be supported,
undervalued, or unappreciated. If the comedy show/ crab feed was at the
Paramount, many of us would be attending. If the discounted or free food was at
Sizzler, many of us would be there. If the summer camp was at your kid’s local
school, many of your children would attend. But in many cases you are unaware
of what you are even supporting, who are those people who work there (pedophiles,
verbally abusive, or just uncaring about our kids). At least we know what we’re
getting from the 913!
Should we not support STARBUCKS, because they support
same sex marriages? Should we not support SAFEWAY because they sell alcohol and
the day after pill in their stores? Or should we not support or subscribe to
Oprah’s magazine because she doesn’t adhere to foundational, Christian
doctrine? The Word says everything is
permissible, but not everything is beneficial (1 Cor 10:23). The point is that
we shouldn’t be mastered or manipulated to do anything which is not either Spirit
lead, or a detriment to the building of God’s kingdom. It’s all choice. Spike
Lee said it best, ”Do the Right Thing!”
Our goal or better yet, my goal in writing this is to
help you understand that maybe the Amish group is doing something right. They
are supporting their own, teaching their own, expecting not too much of the
world, reaches their own, commits to taking care of their own, and primarily
fights for and supports their own. Let’s get better Saints and begin to work
towards owning our own (churches, buildings, apartment complexes, restaurants,
banks, grocery stores, etc) by first supporting what we are doing now!
Think about it.
Pastor Kirkland A. Smith
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