Do the Amish Believe in Jesus? The Quiet, Powerful Faith Behind Those Horse-Drawn Buggies
If you’ve ever wondered do the amish believe in jesus while watching a family in plain clothes ride past in a black buggy, you’re asking a question that deserves a real answer. Yes — the Amish believe in Jesus Christ with every fiber of their being. He is their Savior, their Lord, and the reason they choose a life that looks so different from the rest of the world. But their faith isn’t loud, flashy, or wrapped in modern church marketing. It’s steady, embodied, and lived out in barns, kitchens, and fields every single day.
You might picture the Amish as mysterious or even outdated, but once you understand how Jesus sits at the center of everything they do, you start to see something beautiful. Their belief isn’t just words on a Sunday. It’s the reason they forgive when it hurts, work hard without complaining, and stay together when the world pulls everyone else apart. In this post, we’re going to walk through their history, their actual beliefs about Jesus, how they worship, what salvation looks like to them, and what their way of following Him can teach you — no matter where you are in your own faith journey.
The Amish Story: How a Group of Jesus-Followers Ended Up Living This Way
The Amish didn’t just decide one day to reject electricity and cars. Their story begins in the 1500s with the Anabaptists — people who believed baptism should be a conscious choice made by adults who understood what they were committing to. That idea got them persecuted, drowned, and burned at the stake by both Catholics and Protestants.
Out of that suffering came a man named Jakob Ammann in the late 1600s. He felt the Mennonites (another Anabaptist group) were getting too comfortable with the world. So he and his followers broke away and became stricter about church discipline, simplicity, and staying separate. That’s where the Amish name comes from.
By the early 1700s, many of them sailed to America looking for a place where they could live their faith without government interference. Pennsylvania welcomed them, and the rest is history. Today there are over 350,000 Amish in North America, and the number keeps growing because they have big families and most young people choose to stay.
What kept them going through all that pain and change? Their conviction that Jesus meant what He said when He told His followers to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, and not get tangled up in the systems of power. That conviction still drives them today.
Do the Amish Believe in Jesus? Yes — Here’s Exactly What They Affirm
When people ask do the amish believe in jesus, the answer is a clear and confident yes. They believe in the Trinity — one God existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They believe Jesus is God’s only Son, born of a virgin, who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and will come again.
They read the Bible as God’s Word and take the teachings of Jesus seriously — especially the Sermon on the Mount. That’s why they refuse to go to war, why they won’t take oaths in court, and why they try to forgive even when it costs them everything. Jesus isn’t a distant figure to them. He’s the example they’re trying to follow with their whole lives.
You won’t hear a lot of dramatic “I got saved at revival” testimonies in Amish country. Their faith feels more like a steady marriage than a whirlwind romance. They believe salvation comes through Jesus, but they also believe that real faith shows itself in how you live every day after you’ve been baptized. It’s not about earning heaven — they know only Jesus can save. But they take seriously the call to stay faithful to Him and to the church family He gave them.
How the Amish Actually Worship Jesus Together
Forget big buildings with stages and lights. Amish church happens in someone’s home or barn, and the location rotates every other Sunday. Men sit on one side, women on the other. There are no instruments, no PowerPoint, and no paid pastor.
A few men in the community — chosen by drawing lots, because they believe God should pick the leaders — take turns preaching. The sermons are long, thoughtful, and delivered from memory or notes in their Pennsylvania Dutch dialect mixed with High German. The whole service is built around remembering Jesus: His birth, His life, His death, and His call to follow Him.
Twice a year they hold Communion. It’s a solemn, beautiful time where they share bread and wine to remember Jesus’ sacrifice, then wash each other’s feet just like Jesus did with His disciples. That foot-washing isn’t just a ritual — it’s a reminder that following Jesus means serving one another, even in the most humble ways.
After church, the young people often stick around to visit, play games, and eat together. Faith isn’t something you do alone in the Amish world. It’s something you do shoulder-to-shoulder with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Baptism: When an Amish Person Says “Yes” to Jesus
Around ages 18 to 22, young Amish men and women go through several months of instruction about what it means to follow Jesus and join the church. Then they’re baptized by pouring water on their heads three times — in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This isn’t a baby dedication. It’s a grown-up decision. Once you’re baptized, you’re making a covenant with God and with the church. You agree to live according to the Ordnung (the agreed-upon way of life for that community) and to stay under the accountability of your brothers and sisters.
That’s why leaving the Amish later feels so painful for many. It’s not just leaving a culture — it’s breaking a promise made to Jesus and to the people who baptized you. Most young people who get baptized stay for life because that commitment runs so deep.
Salvation in the Amish World: More Than a One-Time Prayer
Here’s where things can feel different if you grew up in an evangelical church. Many Amish do not believe in “eternal security” the way some Protestants teach it. They don’t usually stand up and say “I know for sure I’m going to heaven.” Instead, they talk about having a “living hope” and trusting in God’s mercy.
They believe Jesus paid the price for sin. They believe grace is real. But they also believe that the way you live after baptism matters — a lot. Obedience to Jesus, staying humble, serving the community, and keeping the promises you made at baptism are all part of walking with Him.
Some people outside the Amish world hear this and think they’re trying to earn salvation. But that’s not how most Amish see it. They would say true faith in Jesus naturally produces a changed life. If someone claims to believe but lives however they want, that person’s faith might not be real. It’s the same thing James talks about in the Bible when he says faith without works is dead.
You might not agree with every detail of how they talk about assurance, but you can respect that they take following Jesus seriously instead of treating it like a get-out-of-hell-free card.
Living Like Jesus: The Amish Way of Discipleship
This is where the Amish faith in Jesus becomes most visible. They believe Jesus was a carpenter who worked with His hands, so hard work is honorable. They believe Jesus taught simplicity and warned against loving money, so they limit technology and keep life plain. They believe Jesus said “love your enemies,” so they won’t fight back or sue people.
When a barn burns down, the whole community shows up to rebuild it — no questions asked. When someone is sick, neighbors bring food and help with chores. When someone sins, the church tries to restore them gently before things get worse. All of this flows from their understanding of what it means to follow Jesus together.
You won’t see Amish people knocking on doors trying to convert you. They believe the best way to show Jesus to the world is by living a life that makes people ask questions. Their witness is their lifestyle.
Common Misconceptions About Amish Faith in Jesus
A lot of people assume the Amish are a cult or that they don’t really know Jesus. That’s just not true. They are a Christian church with deep roots in the Anabaptist movement. They believe the same core truths about Jesus that you’ll find in the Apostles’ Creed.
Another misconception is that they’re perfect or that they never struggle. Of course they do. They deal with the same human problems everyone else faces — pride, temptation, family conflict. The difference is they try to handle those struggles inside the safety of their church community instead of running from them.
And yes, some Amish young people do leave. Some come back later. Some find Jesus in new ways outside the community. But many who stay do so because they genuinely love the simple, Jesus-centered life they’ve been given.
What the Amish Way of Following Jesus Can Teach You
You don’t have to sell your car and move to Lancaster County to learn from them. Their faith invites you to ask some honest questions:
What would it look like for my belief in Jesus to shape how I spend my money, how I treat my neighbors, and how I use my time? Am I more interested in looking spiritual or actually becoming like Jesus in the ordinary moments? Do I have people in my life who can lovingly hold me accountable the way the Amish church does for each other?
Their commitment to simplicity can challenge your addiction to noise and screens. Their practice of forgiveness can expose how quickly you hold grudges. Their emphasis on community can make you realize how lonely modern faith can feel when we try to do it all by ourselves.
You don’t have to copy their exact rules. But you can let their example push you closer to the heart of Jesus.
So… Do the Amish Believe in Jesus?
Yes. They believe He is the Son of God who died and rose again to save them. They believe following Him means more than just saying a prayer — it means letting His words shape every part of life. They believe the church is a family that helps you stay faithful. And they believe that one day, by God’s mercy, they will see Him face to face.
Their faith might look quiet and old-fashioned to you, but it’s alive and sincere. In a world full of noise, performance, and constant change, the Amish keep pointing back to Jesus with their whole lives.
If you’ve been curious about do the amish believe in jesus, I hope this helped you see the real people behind the buggies and bonnets. They’re not perfect, but they’re trying — with steady hearts and calloused hands — to follow the One who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Maybe their story will make you look at your own faith with fresh eyes. Maybe it’ll make you want to slow down, forgive a little faster, or invest more deeply in the people God has put around you. Whatever it stirs in you, I’m glad you asked the question.
Because when you start wondering about the Amish and Jesus, you’re really wondering about what it looks like to take Him seriously in real life. And that’s a question worth asking.
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