MennoNet.com

This reminds me of the process used by RZehr's community when they decided to create another fellowship community.

http://amishamerica.com/amish-settle-yo ... migration/

There are similarities.

RZehr wrote:There are similarities.

Looks as though they realize that there are good models that are more successful than what they did in the past.

I was going to respond to Amish America that the informal system has worked well in the past for the old order people. My father stuck his neck out - that community is now at 50 years. Between my brother and sisters, we have 4 more communities all on the old system. Then there are 5 more that our family had no part in. During this same 50 year period two more were started that failed. Several years ago, I became involved in helping a group that used the new model to attempt to start a new settlement. That one didn't get off the ground because the new model did not work that time. (Maybe it did - but the location we had chosen did not get accepted.) Again, using the new model, this particular old order group did now start a successful daughter colony.

And yet going back 50 years, or even 35 years, nothing would have happened if we had tried to go with the new model. We had to take the plunge - take the risk without any assurance that things would work out. Having proved ourselves, now the new model can work.

Hats, it sounds like the Old Orders went through a cultural adjustment in order to accept the new model? Is that what happened?

The old attitude was "We all stay at home whether that was in Lancaster County, Pa, or Waterloo County, Ontario, and do what we have always done." In both Pa. and Ontario we proved that daughter churches or colonies can work so we earned the buyin from the naysayers. Either that or they died off.