The Amish Way by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David L. Weaver-Zercher Page B

there is some mobility in Amish society. A family might move to a new settlement in another state, or a couple who began their married life on a rented farm may move to another district to buy land. In that sense, membership in the Gmay fluctuates, but church hopping as a matter of preference rarely occurs. Whether they move down the road or across the country, a family’s new address dictates the Gmay in which they participate.
     

To Be or Not to Be?
     
    Although Amish people have little choice regarding their church district, they do have a choice about church membership. The idea of voluntary church membership has a long history for the Amish, and it’s one they take very seriously. As we saw in Chapter Two, some of their spiritual forebears, the Anabaptists, died for their convictions about adult baptism and church membership. Five hundred years later, the decision to join—or not to join—continues to be the most significant choice an Amish child will ever make. Although we’ve never met a parent who did not want his or her child to join the church, every parent knows that it’s the child’s choice and that some may reject the Amish way.
     
    Before baptism, Amish children live under the discipline of their parents. They are not formally bound by the rules of the church because they are not yet members, though they follow established norms, such as wearing plain dress. Most parents grant their children more leeway after age sixteen, the time when teens begin to socialize with their peers and seek a spouse. This period of teenage “running around,” often called Rumspringa , has attracted media attention because some teens rebel in dramatic ways—racing cars on rural roads or hosting beer parties, for example. For many youth, however, socializing during Rumspringa is more apt to involve hymn singing, volleyball games, and canoe trips. Even those who engage in activities the church discourages are generally doing things the rest of us would consider quite tame, such as waterskiing, snowmobiling, buying a cell phone, or going to a movie.
     
    Rumspringa fascinates and perplexes outsiders, who wonder why seemingly sheltered children are allowed to “run wild” as teenagers. From an Amish perspective, Rumspringa looks quite different. First, no parents send their child into the world, either literally or figuratively. Teens continue to live at home, and those who engage in the most deviant behavior know that their parents strongly disapprove. Rumspringa also serves an important purpose in Amish theology: it underscores the belief that no one should be railroaded into church membership. Amish teens, meanwhile, are sorting out whether to accept the authority of the Gmay as they embark on adulthood. It’s a weighty choice, and Rumspringa reminds them that they will be giving up a bundle of other choices should they opt for the church.
     
    Eventually, about 90 percent of Amish teens choose baptism. The rest end up in a variety of spiritual camps: some in more liberal Anabaptist groups, some in evangelical or Pentecostal circles, and some in no church at all.
     

Baptized on Bended Knee
     
    “I desire to have peace with God, and with the church. And I request that the church pray for me.” These are the age-old sentences a young person speaks to the bishop when she or he decides to get baptized. 2 They are understated, humble words, but they carry a weight that non-Amish people can barely comprehend. Undertaken with eternity in mind, baptism proclaims that a person has chosen to submit to the Gmay for the rest of his or her life. “Baptism is an indication of our willingness to die to self [give up self-interests] . . . so that one can fit into the brotherhood as a useful member” is how Ohio deacon Paul Kline puts it. 3 Other life decisions usually hinge on the choice for church membership: whom to marry, where to live, and what kind of work to pursue. Few contemporary cultures contain a rite that so