10 Amish Marriage Mistakes That Can Get a Couple Called Before The Church

Twice a year, every Amish congregation reviews its bfrules before Communion, and only baptized members fall under church discipline. This video walks through ten marriage-related mistakes that can bring an Amish couple before the church. One caution up front: no source gives an official list of ten, so these are grounds for discipline documented across several sources, and each district has its own Ordnung, so details vary. We cover the most serious ones first, including seeking divorce, leaving a spouse, entering a new relationship while married, and remarrying while a former spouse is still alive. We then look at marrying outside the faith, and at the household-level rules that reach a whole family, such as buying a car, keeping forbidden technology, breaking dress rules, and buying commercial insurance. The last mistake, refusing to confess, explains how the process actually works, from private admonition to the congregational vote, the Bann, and the return that is usually possible after about six weeks. This is an honest look at a system that aims for repair before punishment, and at the tension the sources themselves record between restoring a member and controlling one. Watch to see why, in the Amish view, discipline is meant as correction from love, and why return is always treated as the real goal. DISCLAIMER: This documentary is based on historical research and documented Amish traditions. Practices may vary between communities.