How The Order And Council Of Elders Contribute To A Sense Of An Amish Community

The Order and Council of Elders contribute to a sense of community by outlining the guidelines for a variety of daily activities for their Amish society. With shared expectations and social guidelines outlined by The Ordinance and the Council of Elders, these sources of power and authority develop a distinctive community.

The Ordinance unifies the Amish community of Lancaster, by outlining requirements and restrictions for behaviours, including restricting clothing and limiting useable technologies. The ordinance is a set of unwritten rules that determine the beliefs and values of an Amish community, it is a collective wisdom that describes the morals of all individuals and protects the culture of the community. A demonstration of this collective culture is shown through the fashion, with the Lancasterordre demanding women wear head coverings, three-piece dresses, a cape, and an apron,

The Council of Elders is essential to the functioning of an Amish community, for they are responsible for making interpretations of the Bible, which as a result determines the Lancaster Ordinance. Beyond determining community-shared beliefs through the Ordinance, the Church Leadership enacts punishments for these rules, further building a community. As explained by welcome-to-lancaster-county.com “Although rarely implemented, shunning has proven to be an effective means of social control.” Because the Council of Elders holds the authority and power to control who is permitted to be a member of the Amish community, the council constructs a clear shared understanding. The Council of Elders and Church Leadership produce a sense of community by contributing to the social expectations of the Ordinance and distinguishing Amish members from wider society by