“What’s the State of Amish Life in Lancaster County Today?”

The Amish are rightly noted for their adherence to tradition, yet anyone who has lived in Lancaster County for any length of time also recognizes that the Amish community here is not static.

Change has been and remains a part of their story. Some changes stem simply from the group’s dramatic growth – a century ago the Amish represented about 1.5 percent of Lancaster County’s population and today they account for more than 6 percent – and the dynamics such growth generates within the community and in terms of increased interaction with neighbors.

Other developments grow out of the broader changes we see in Lancaster County and our regional economy and politics more generally. Nolt will share information about the current size and growth of the Lancaster Amish settlement and examples of recent developments, from technology and youth culture to engagement with local government, all of which illustrate the interplay of continuity and change.

 Steve Nolt is Professor of History and Anabaptist Studies at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. He is the author or coauthor of fifteen books on Amish, Mennonite, and Pennsylvania German history and contemporary life. He is also the series editor for books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.