The Ordnung are the rules of expected behavior. It is a code of conduct that baptized members must follow. From Amish Society by John A. Hostetler: The ordnung clarifies what is considered worldly and sinful, for it to be worldly is to be lost. Some of the rules have direct biblical support; others do not. Regulations that cannot be directly supported by biblical references are justified by arguing that to do otherwise would be worldly.
The ordnung evolved gradually over the decades as the church sought to strike a delicate balance between tradition and change. Specific details of the Ordnung vary across church districts and settlements. (From The Riddle of Amish Culture by Donald B. Kraybill)
Before children and youth are baptized they are under the care of their parents, and not the church, thus many teenagers may or may not conform to the Ordnung. When they are baptized and join the church they must submit to the Ordnung for the rest of their lives.
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