Question #7: In what ways can the Church minister to those individuals who are leaving the Amish culture?

In what ways can the Church minister to those individuals who are leaving the Amish culture?

1. Those who leave their Amish community oftentimes end up becoming excommunicated and shunned by their own family members and close friends. Many find it difficult to adjust and fit in with another culture.  The best thing you can do as a church is give them attention - lots of attention.  Invite them to family functions, love on them, accept them for who they are, and give them time to change.  It takes lots of patience, prayer and understanding on your part.  Even then, the former Amish person may walk away and forget to appreciate (or value) the huge amount of effort you put in.  Loyalty is not at the top of most former Amish people's lists. 
2. Love them, and teach relational/ moral boundaries. Also, pray for them. 
3. Listen to them.
4. Share the word of God with them.
5. Many who leave are lonely. Some no longer have family to go to, so they could use an older Godly couple to take her under their wing, teach them, have them over for holidays, etc. I think this is important because some will fall into bad company or relationships because of loneliness.
6. Tell them who the real Father is (God); let them know that the church family cares for them even though their relatives don't.
7. Don't be "churchy," but also don't shy away from church. When there is an open door to do so, uncover the lies of the enemy.
8. They will need lots of time to sort thing out, so be patient with them.
9. Be there with a listening ear; they are hurting and feeling rejected. Lead them through prayers to forgive and bless those who persecuted them. Point them to Jesus, and encourage them to choose faith in God. Tell them that God isn’t so concerned about what is right and wrong but cares more about getting to know them and have an intimate relationship with each of them; Amish are so used to eating from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil instead of eating from the Tree of Life.
10. Be there for support; involve/invite them to church activities.
11. Share the true gospel with lots of encouragement and love.
12. Be involved in their lives. Help them find a person that they can be comfortable talking with about the trauma they are experiencing and the questions they have. Help them get in contact with those who have already left the Amish culture, are following Jesus, and are rooted and grounded in their faith. Teach them how to hear from God personally; this is key to being able to survive the combat they will be up against.
13. The transition process can be very painful when a person is excommunicated and shunned. Remember that the former Amish person or family may experience feelings of loneliness and uncertainty about how to fit in a new culture.
14. The best thing to do is to simply be there for them and let them know you really care and are trying to understand where they are at. Also, help the person move forward instead of dwell on their loss. Bible studies and discipleship classes are very important, but don’t make the mistake of segregating them by having classes just for them. Involve other church families in the Bible studies or discipleship classes; there is strength in diversity. 
15. Encourage them, and make sure they don't fall into sin.
16. Emotional and spiritual support with Godly encouragement goes a long way. I think we are often too passive in our approach to those leaving a restricted lifestyle. What they need to see is the boldness of a strong believer to speak truth because their leaders often don’t have the courage to speak with authority until things get out of hand. If we can speak with strength and authority, we will show them that Christ is not weak but stands firm in the truth.
17. Be supportive, and listen. Be their friend because it is very hard to leave all family and friends; you feel so alone.
18. Share the gospel with them.
19. Help them learn the proper way to handle themselves in the "Englisher" world.
20. Be kind - very kind - and welcome them the minute you see them. The first things they will be looking for when walking in a new church is "Who is watching me? Who is going to judge me? Am I gonna look out of place with my outfit? Are they gonna know that I don’t feel like I belong here and that I’m not one of them?"
    Make them feel comfortable and at home right away; they’re looking for a place to be accepted. Do everything in your power to make them feel accepted, and give them a sense of importance. Don’t overwhelm them by introducing them to everyone the first time, but help them find at least one person they can befriend; they’ll be a lot more comfortable coming back next time. Don’t make them feel like an outsider because they already feel like that. Also, most of them don’t want to be blasted with all kind of questions about the Amish, regardless of the person's intent or motive. 
21. Come alongside them, and help them where they need help. Acknowledge the mistakes of the Amish doctrine when they talk about it, but try to turn those discussions into a positive opportunity to share what the Bible says about the subject.
22. When they leave the Amish culture, often, young people also are leaving family, lifelong friends and all they knew growing up.
    I left as a young man  at 19 years old. When I left, not many were leaving; I was among the first four or so that I ever knew to leave in our community. I was also the oldest of five brothers and two sisters, and I did not want to be blamed for influencing my siblings to leave, so I went completely away from the community. For me, a great help would have been feeling like I belonged somewhere. It would have also helped to learn how to negotiate in the outside world. Loneliness was big for me, and I ended up following the wrong crowd because of this.
23. In many ways: you can give them a home, find them a job, coach them into receiving a vehicle driver's license, and more. Through all of that, God can use you to influence them.
24. Love without judgement.
25. Most of the time, when young Amish folk leave the culture it's out of rebellion; they've had enough of all the rules, and they want freedom; the last thing on their mind is going to church. During that time of resistance to church, simply be a friend and someone they can trust. Eventually, they will be done blowing off steam, and reality will set in. They will have to make a decision about whether to stay out of the Amish and be cut off from their families, or to go back to the Amish. This is a very difficult time for them, but it's a good time to encourage them to seek God.
26. Show the love of Christ to them, and if possible, preach the truth in love to them. Remember, everybody must come to Christ the same way no matter what culture they come from. God can use anybody, but it is better for a converted ex-Amish who has received the reality of the Power of the love of Jesus Christ by Faith to deal with other former Amish who are seeking the same thing.
27. Be available for them by staying in contact and making an effort to establish a strong friendship. When they first leave is probably your best time to make a big impact on their lives.
28. Reach out to them through Bible studies. Many of the former Amish might not have a solid grasp of what scripture says. However, don’t pressure them to change their lifestyle as an expression of ‘freedom.’ Too many that leave will change their dress and lifestyle due to a false sense of freedom, while in reality, they are doing it out of reaction, which actually means that they are not free.
29. Just be there to listen. Answer their many questions, and be a safe place as they adjust to a new culture.
30. Don’t judge; get to know the person you are helping and really really listen to them. After some time, ask them to join you on a Sunday for a service; go slowly. Most of all, never ever give up on them, and show them you really love and care for them without judging
31. Treat them like family; go out of your way invite them over, and then let them talk.
32. Through the Word and Bible studies, replace false doctrine with the true Word of God, so consciences are not seared; this is very important.
33. First, we need to find out where they currently are. Some will be anxious about God hating them, others will be out for party time, and a few will be suffering past abuse and many more situations. Try to get down to what their deepest concern is, and then minister to that person in the way that suits them best.
34. Share the truth of the gospel with them.
35. Have Bible studies, and be there for them.  Don't push them away just because you already think your family is too big, and you don't have time or room for more.
36. Pray for them and show them in a tangible way that you care
37. How do you help young individuals? I was fortunate enough to work with an older gentleman, who was like a personal mentor for me when I first left the Amish. Young individuals who break from the Amish do not possess the necessary life skills (basic English, proper etiquette, etc.) and are therefore taken advantage of.  My wife and I have served as stand in parents/grandparents, and open our door for young Amish, who miss not being able to talk to their Moms or Dads. 
38. Be family; they lost all of theirs and have no one.
39. Pray that they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have been Born Again; leaving the Amish culture won't do any good unless they are Born Again.
40. Explain to them that all the disciples had to leave the religion they had been taught from their youth and their ways of life to follow Jesus.
41. Reassure them that they are not damned for leaving the Amish.
42. Share the gospel with them; if they are saved, do all you can to get them in a gospel preaching church.
43. Let them know they're not going to hell for leaving man’s rules to follow God's rules. 
44. First and foremost, let them know you care and are a believer!
45. Show love and meet them where they're at; bring them around the body of Christ.
46. Be there for them; answer questions they may have about the new culture they are entering.
47. Support, guide, and offer them lots of love and encouragement from God’s word.
48. Pray for them, and let them know you care about them. Give them the opportunity to share their feelings and their doubts; comfort them with God's word. Study the Bible with them; they are often confused, and struggle with their decision to leave.
49. The biggest thing to remember is that in leaving the Amish culture, these people have left their whole social system behind, and they will be grieving that to some extent for a long time or more likely, the rest of their lives.  For this reason, be friends to them.  Invite them to your home for a meal (Don't expect them to follow all the cultural rules you are used to.  Remember, they come from a different culture) 
    Find things in common with them.  If you become close, you will have many opportunities to answer questions about your culture and ask questions about their culture.  First, you have to allow them to get to a place where they feel safe and comfortable with you.  Most plain people are physically active in their daily lives, and they enjoy activities where there is action or things to do together.  It is very important to provide in home Bible studies, where they can get together with others to study the scriptures and ask questions.  Be ready to answer their questions, or seek for answers if you don't know the answer.  Be ready to examine your own life in view of the questions they have.
50. Direct them to the truth. Most young Amish that leave are looking for the truth, and they may feel lost or confused. It gives a great opportunity for you to point them in the right direction; if you don't, they may follow someone else down another road. All of your interactions have to be done while respecting their views because they have been pushed around all their life, so they want space and love; it takes time.
51. If someone is leaving the Amish or is saved but hasn't left the Amish yet, you can be there to guide them in the Word. They experience a lot of confusion; exhort them and comfort them.
52. The truth will set them free, and the goodness of God leads them to repentance. They have been told lies about God and have not heard about how He loves them. As you offer them help with their physical needs, tell them there is a better way to live if they are born again and that it far succeeds the Amish lifestyle and brings peace and rest like they have not experienced. Tell them that they are in for the treat of being loved by God himself and that Grace changes them into the character of God. 
53. Treat them as family because usually they will not have their own family to rely on anymore.
54. Having possibly lost all former friends and even family connections, it is a blessing when they can find people who come alongside them to be friends - someone to help get a drivers license, figure out insurance, and just teach them some things about the new culture they are joining in general. Extra Bible studies are needed and appreciated as well; they help young people to really learn the truth of scripture because the way they've heard the Bible explained for many years is not easily forgotten. 
55. Treat them the same as you do anyone else; be there for them if they need to talk, and don't make assumptions of how things were.