Assigned roles give members sense of purpose

Like any successful business, Hutterite colonies follow a business structure and assign members specific roles to ensure smooth operations.

Paul Wipf, farm manager of the Viking Colony near Viking, Alta., said one reason colonies split after they reach 120 members is to give everyone a job and a sense of purpose.

“I believe it’s the humanness in us, that everybody wants to have a responsibility or a job, or a reason to do something.”

While the men hold more of the management roles, women also influence colony life.

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“For everyone here that’s a Hutterite, and those here that are married, a woman is a pretty powerful person,” said Wipf, the father of five children.

Specific jobs

The operation of a Hutterite colony includes specific job assignments:

Minister and his assistant – Conducts sermons and baptisms and disciplines church members.
Financial manager – Receives and pays the bills and does the banking with the minister, farm manager and enterprise managers.
Farm manager – Also known as the work distributor, this person is in charge of all male workers older than 15 who haven’t been assigned specific jobs.

Enterprise managers – Supervise the daily operations of the dairy, poultry, swine, beef, electrical and manufacturing sectors.
Advisory council – This committee consists of the minister, financial manager, farm manager and three deacons who are elected for life. The advisory council acts as the director of the church corporation and colony discipline. They make decisions regarding the day-to-day operation of the colony, economics and job positions. The council’s actions are directed by all members of the congregation.

“If any one of the above messes up, they can be removed by the congregation,” Wipf said.

Female roles

Head cook – Directs the cooking and daily menus. At the Viking colony, Wipf said his wife, Martha, is head cook about once every 20 weeks. Women assigned to kitchen duty are divided into two groups. Half work on tasks such as washing dishes and waiting tables, and half work on food preparation, cooking and baking.
Head seamstress – In charge of the supply of fabric and dry goods.

Kindergarten teachers – Older women in the colony tend to the younger children, teaching them prayers, co-operation and morality.
Head gardener – Organizes the gardening and the processing of fruit and vegetables.
Sanitation – The dairyman’s wife usually holds this job. She is in charge of cleaning and sanitizing the milking facility.