Q&A for How to Join the Amish

You would likely rent a room from an Amish family if you are single (and possibly do extra chores as a hired hand to earn money) or, if you are married, possibly rent a "shop" (a building converted from work space into a small living space) until you are able to save enough money for a down payment on a farm. The Amish community reaches out often to help members gain enough money to buy property and live independently.

The Amish consider homosexuality to be a grave sin.

It's doubtful, as the Amish faith is central to life in their communities. You would likely need to convert.

Wear something nice and modest. The Amish don't expect visitors to look like them, so as long as you dress like someone who's trying to be respectful, you should be fine.

If your disability is over 30 percent (for example, a lost limb), a medical review board may convene to determine whether you can perform your duties with little or no strain. If so, you can join.

You will not have to be remarried, but you will have to follow the Amish ways if you convert.

They produce veggies, fruits, meat, milk, wool, silk, honey etc. They consume and save what they need, and sell the extras.

Yes. The Amish are very open to modern medical treatment, so they would be willing to accommodate people with disabilities. In fact, there is a higher rate of disability caused by genetic conditions among the Amish, so having a disability is not anything new in Amish communities.

There are several Amish publications: Two notable ones are "Der Botschaft" and "The Plain Press." Both of these have many Amish-to-Amish communications, personal interest stories, and Amish business listings. Take the time to read through the stories and ads and see if you feel connected to any of them. Once you identify someone you wish to communicate with, send a letter to them explaining that you are "English" (non-Amish), where/how you obtained their address, and your interest in communicating with them. If you are male, do not choose a female to write to and vice versa, because there are strict rules about communications between the sexes.

Either the Amish man leaves the Amish church, or the non Amish women joins the Amish church. The Amish do not allow their people to marry non Amish.

Many Amish return to the Amish community after Rumspringa because they were raised Amish. The English lifestyle is quit a culture shock to Amish teens, since before Rumspringa all they knew was the Amish way of life. This makes it hard to live an English lifestyle. Also, Amish stop education at 13, so they would have a hard time finding work in the English world outside of factories and construction. Another reason Amish teenagers return is because if they leave the Amish faith, they have to leave their communities and families behind and would have limited interaction with them if they left. Many Amish teens aren't willing to give up their family.

If you were starting your own Amish community, you would first want to BE Amish, and that means you wouldn't want to be posting on this website! Get your own Amish house in order before trying to start one! Second, the way I've understood this, the Amish community strictly is based on the Amish church. Start with church and getting Ordnung status, THEN dream bigger.

Yes, they will allow marriage after the outsider has been baptized into the Amish faith.

Yes, you can. You won't find many other black Amish though, except for a few that were adopted by Amish families.

You would have to join the Amish church first in order to marry an Amish woman.

You will have to wait until you are an adult to convert to being Amish. You wouldn't get a "rumspringa" in the traditional sense, as your time in the English world before converting to becoming Amish would be considered sufficient.

Amish are a sect of the Anabaptist faith, so they believe you must be an adult to join. In most Amish communities you must be older than 16, though some require people to wait until they're 21 to be baptized. It's best to ask the bishop of the community what specific age requirement there is.

Being LGBT+ in the Amish community is considered a sin, unfortunately. If you chose to convert, you would have to present in one gender, and if you choose the one opposite you were born as, you would have to hide it, sadly.

No, you cannot. The Amish view homosexuality and bisexuality as sinful.

You are not required to get married, although it will be frowned upon if you don't. It also depends on the community you join.

Yes they can. It is possible for just about anyone to join the Amish if they so desire.

No, the Amish are allowed to interact with English people. It might be hard to keep in contact with your family without the Internet and cell phones, however.

There are some Beachy Amish congregations in European countries such as Ukraine, Belgium and Ireland. There are also Mennonite communities in Europe as well. More conservative Mennonites are very similar to the Amish. It would be easier to try to get in contact with one of those communities than to travel to North America.

No, the Amish would call child protective services or the local sheriff, as required by federal and state law for runaway children.

They have a very specific form of dress and make their own clothes. And they have to be distinctively Amish not just any skirt and shirt.

As with any other outsider wishing to join, it would depend upon the individuals and not necessarily on the race and/or ethnicity of the person wishing to join.

Yes, they would be.

Neither issue will prevent the Amish from accepting you into membership.The tattoos will have to be kept covered from sight and the student loan debt is not a problem.

If your disability is over 30 percent (for example, a lost limb), a medical review board may convene to determine whether you can perform your duties with little or no strain. If so, you can join.

Rumspringa typically starts at 16, and can last a few months or a few years, as long as into one's early 20s. During Rumpspringa, Amish teenagers will listen to English music, dress English, drive cars, etc. Some will start drinking and attending parties. On the extreme end of the spectrum, some Amish teenagers get addicted to drugs or get involved in crime, but that is rare.