11/01/2026
Amish beliefs about using technology are different from most people today.
Many traditional Amish communities restrict personal phones. They want to protect the traditional way of life.
The concern isn’t simply the technology, but how it might affect everyday life.
A phone is important for business. However, unrestricted access is believed to damage the fabric of a simple family life.
Each Amish church district follows its own guidelines, known as the Ordnung, which determines which technologies members may use.
That’s why some Amish people avoid personal phones while others use phones only for business.
How do Amish workshops answer their phones?
Here’s where things get interesting.
Rachel, Cabinfield’s customer service rep, regularly reaches out to Amish woodworking shops about orders.
According to her experience, most of the workshops keep their phones in a booth and go out to check their messages once a day.
Rather than answering calls throughout the day, craftsmen can focus on making furniture and return calls when they check their messages.
This is practical for the Amish, but it means our customers wait for answers...
Cabinfield has even received a customer review mentioning the frustration of playing telephone tag with a carpenter.
It’s a useful reminder that doing business with an Amish workshop is different.
Most of our customers respect the Amish lifestyle, and are happy to wait an extra day or two to get an answer from the workshop.
Thank you to our wonderful customers!
Check out our blog for our first-hand stories of communicating with the Amish.
Link in the first comment.