Introduction
There are some 40 different subgroups of Old Order Amish. All the subgroups adhere to the 18 articles of Christian faith found in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith, written in 1632. Because theological authority rests within each of the approximately 1,925 local congregations, the different subgroups and congregations vary in how they apply the principles of their faith to daily life — especially as it relates to dress styles, technology, and the amount of interaction with the outside world. Today, there are about 350,000 Amish living in slightly over 600 communities or settlements in 32 states and four Canadian provinces. Most of these settlements are small (less than a 100 families), but a few are large and well known to tourists, such as the Greater Holmes County, Ohio, settlement, the Lancaster / Chester County, Pennsylvania, settlement (also, the oldest), and the Elkhart / LaGrange / Noble County, Indiana, settlement.
Even in the large settlements, however, the tradition of small-scale is maintained. Each Amish church group or district typically consists of 25-35 families, with a bishop, deacon, and minister (often two ministers) chosen from among the men through a lot or lottery, which is in accordance with passages from the Acts of the Apostles that describes the method used by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas. Because the Amish are usually baptized no earlier than 18 and children are not counted in local congregation numbers, estimating their numbers is difficult. Rough estimates from various studies placed their numbers at 125,000 in 1992, 166,000 in 2000, and 221,000 in 2008. Only a few hundred outsiders, so-called seekers, have ever joined the Old Order Amish. Since 1950, only some 75 non-Anabaptist people have joined and remained lifelong members of the Amish. Since 1990, some twenty people of Russian Mennonite background have joined the Amish in Aylmer, Ontario.
Amish populations have higher incidences of particular conditions, including dwarfism, Angelman syndrome, and various metabolic disorders, as well as an unusual distribution of blood types. When children are born with a disorder, they are accepted into the community and tasked with chores within their ability. However, Amish are willing to participate in studies of genetic diseases. Their extensive family histories are useful to researchers investigating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and macular degeneration.There are over 2,700 Amish church districts, each with its own ordnung or church discipline. Although all church districts conform to a common philosophy of symbolic separation from the modern world, the lack of a formal church hierarchy beyond the church district has created an incredible array of minute variations in rules that dictate everything from buggy style to appropriate clothing for men, women, and children.
Even in the large settlements, however, the tradition of small-scale is maintained. Each Amish church group or district typically consists of 25-35 families, with a bishop, deacon, and minister (often two ministers) chosen from among the men through a lot or lottery, which is in accordance with passages from the Acts of the Apostles that describes the method used by the remaining eleven apostles to replace Judas. Because the Amish are usually baptized no earlier than 18 and children are not counted in local congregation numbers, estimating their numbers is difficult. Rough estimates from various studies placed their numbers at 125,000 in 1992, 166,000 in 2000, and 221,000 in 2008. Only a few hundred outsiders, so-called seekers, have ever joined the Old Order Amish. Since 1950, only some 75 non-Anabaptist people have joined and remained lifelong members of the Amish. Since 1990, some twenty people of Russian Mennonite background have joined the Amish in Aylmer, Ontario.
Amish populations have higher incidences of particular conditions, including dwarfism, Angelman syndrome, and various metabolic disorders, as well as an unusual distribution of blood types. When children are born with a disorder, they are accepted into the community and tasked with chores within their ability. However, Amish are willing to participate in studies of genetic diseases. Their extensive family histories are useful to researchers investigating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and macular degeneration.There are over 2,700 Amish church districts, each with its own ordnung or church discipline. Although all church districts conform to a common philosophy of symbolic separation from the modern world, the lack of a formal church hierarchy beyond the church district has created an incredible array of minute variations in rules that dictate everything from buggy style to appropriate clothing for men, women, and children.
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