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Church of the Brethren

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren ("Schwarzenauer Neutäufer") organized in 1708 by eight people led by Alexander Mack, a miller, in Schwarzenau (Bad Berleburg), Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Pietist and Anabaptist ideas. The first of its churches in America was established in 1723. These churches became commonly known as German Baptist Brethren. The denomination holds the New Testament as its only creed. Historically the church has taken a strong stance for non-resistance or pacifism. Distinctive practices include believers baptism by trine immersion; a threefold Love Feast consisting of feet washing, a fellowship meal, and communion; anointing for healing; and the holy kiss.

The Church of the Brethren represents the largest body descending from Mack's Schwarzenau Brethren church. The German Baptist Brethren suffered major division in the early 1880s, creating the Old German Baptist Brethren, the Brethren Church, and the majority adopting the name Church of the Brethren in 1908. It has 127,526 members, 1,010 congregations and 39 fellowships as of June, 2007 . There are six liberal arts colleges and one seminary (Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana) related to the Church of the Brethren. General offices and the Brethren Press are located in Elgin, Illinois.

The church's most famous minister is Olympic athlete Bob Richards.

In 1948 the Church of the Brethren joined the World Council of Churches as a charter member and was a forming member of the National Council of Churches in 1950.

Beliefs

Non-creedalism

The Brethren state that they have "no creed but the New Testament." If there is a single part of the New Testament that is most pointed to as a guide for member's life it is The Sermon on the Mount. The early Brethren were very meticulous in applying the New Testament to every situation. For example, they baptize in a forward direction because "we are baptized into his death," and at the moment of his death, Jesus' head fell forward.

When disagreements arise as to the correct interpretation of New Testament passages, the final authority for settling such disputes is the Annual Conference. The minutes of Annual Conference give a clear picture of what matters have been in dispute and how Brethren interpret the New Testament.

Brethren espouse the basic beliefs of Christianity, such as the divinity of Christ. They emphasize peace, simplicity, the equality of believers, and consistent obedience to Christ.

They also believe that "faith without works is dead", and have been heavily involved in disaster relief and other charitable work. Brethren often describe themselves in terms of what they do rather than what they believe.

Peace

The Church of the Brethren is one of the historic peace churches. Its position is summarized in the phrase, "all war is sin" (Annual Conference, 1935). Many Brethren have declined to engage in military service. Some have been imprisoned for that stance.

During the Second World War, Brethren worked with the government to create a system of alternative service, which would allow conscientious objectors to serve their nation and humanity through non-violent service. Alternative service has evolved into "Brethren Volunteer Service," a church agency that places many young people and some older persons in volunteer human service jobs, usually for a one-year term.

Despite the church's official peace stance there are many members of the Church of the Brethren that do not agree with pacifism. This was made particularly evident when, during the Second World War 80% of the men in the Church of the Brethren entered active duty in the military. Another 10% served as noncombatants in the military with only 10% taking Conscientious objector status.

Priesthood of all Believers

Brethren follow a non-hierarchical pattern of church life. In the past, most congregations were served by multiple "free" ministers, who supported themselves through other occupations. Today, most congregations have paid pastors, but their function is still somewhat limited, with the laity still taking a very active role in ministerial work.

Simplicity

Brethren have been urged (and in earlier times compelled) to live a relatively simple life-style. At various points in their history, Brethren have been discouraged from attending carnivals, swearing oaths, driving motorized vehicles, attending secular colleges, joining secret societies, filing lawsuits, gambling, and using tobacco or alcoholic beverages.

Simplicity was once very noticeable in Brethren dress and grooming. Men would wear black coats with no collar, and hooks instead of buttons (often referred to as a 'Brethren Suit'). They would wear beards, but no mustaches. The mustache was seen as a sign of belonging to the military. Also, the beards were cut in a manner to avoid interference with the kiss of peace.

In addition, they wore broad-brimmed black hats. Women would wear long dresses in dull colors, and a "prayer covering". Today, the "Brethren Suit" still is worn in the most conservative congregations, although some men dress in a simple style by wearing a collared shirt in a single color without a tie, while women in these congregations may continue to practice the use of a prayer covering. The traditional Brethren dress is very similar to the clothing of the present-day Amish.

Most Brethren were well-acculturated by the second half of the twentieth century. Today, many members of the church take simplicity to mean living a more ecologically friendly lifestyle by consuming less and being aware of the effect of their choices on the earth and other people (see simple living).

Ordinances

The Brethren avoid the use of the term "sacraments," preferring the term "ordinances." This refers to the symbolic actions ordered by Jesus Christ and practiced by the early church. The Brethren ordinances are:

Anointing for healing

A supplicant is administered a small amount of oil on his forehead. This is followed by the laying on of hands and a prayer for wholeness. This is not to be confused with extreme unction (last rites), since healing is prayed for and expected. Healing is explicitly stated to include emotional and spiritual, as well as physical healing.

Anointing and laying on of hands have also been used for other purposes, such as consecrating someone for missions or other special service.

Believer's Baptism

The Brethren believe that baptism is an outward sign of an inward experience of salvation. Hence, baptism is not performed until one is able to understand and accept the message of the gospel, typically at about age thirteen. In the early years of the denomination, the age at baptism was generally older. The mode of baptism is trine (three times) immersion in a forward direction, followed by laying on of hands for the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

In the early years of the church, people coming into the Church of the Brethren from other denominations were expected to be re-baptized. Today, most congregations will receive members by reaffirmation of faith or by letter of transfer from another congregation or denomination.

Love Feast

The Brethren love feast is a conscious imitation of Jesus' last supper with his disciples. It begins with foot washing symbolizing humility and service. They then share a meal, symbolizing fellowship. Finally, they share the bread and cup communion, symbolizing participation in Christ's suffering and death. There may also be hymns and a sermon, as well as a preliminary time of self-examination.

Congregations typically hold love feast on Maundy Thursday and again about six months later. Some congregations also have bread-and-cup communion periodically during regular worship services.

Changes over time

Early

The group of Christians who organized themselves into a church at Schwarzenau, Germany in 1708 originally referred to themselves as the Neuen Täufer (New Baptists). The name aluded to the use of the name Täufer (Baptists) by the Mennonites.

After the reorganization of the church in America in 1723, they were known as German Baptists (although this name was not officially recognized until 1836, when the Annual Meeting called itself "The Fraternity of German Baptists"). In 1871, the denomination adopted the name, "The German Baptist Brethren Church," and Brethren were more colloquially as Dunkers or Tunkers (from the German for immersionists).

In 1728, Conrad Beissel, a Brethren minister at Conestoga (Lancaster County, PA) renounced his association with the Brethren and formed his own group at Ephrata, Pennsylvania. They came to be known as the Ephrata Cloister. Beissel practiced a mystical form of Christianity. He encouraged celibacy and a vegetarian diet.

The Great Schism

After the Beissel split, all later splits in the church were based on doctrinal differences. The more conservative members emphasized consistency and obedience. They opposed the use of musical instruments, Sunday Schools, and worldly amusements. They promoted plain dress, simple lifestyle, and church discipline. The progressives in the church focused on grace and acceptance. They promoted higher education, salaried ministers, Sunday Schools, and revivalism. The majority of Brethren held a moderate position between the two extremes.

In 1869 and again in 1880, a group of Brethren in the Miami Valley of Ohio submitted a petition to Annual Conference pleading for a halt to liberalization and a return to traditional Brethren values. On each occasion, a more moderately worded substitute petition was submitted to the delegates. The rewording was totally unacceptable to the Miami Valley group.

In 1881, they resubmitted their petition to Annual Conference. This time it was rejected on a technicality that it had not come through a district meeting. In November of 1881, the conservatives met and formally split from the Church of the Brethren to form the Old German Baptist Brethren. They held their first annual meeting in 1882. Meanwhile, Henry Holsinger, a leader of the progressives in the church, had published some writings that were called slanderous and schismatic. As a result, he was disfellowshipped from the 1882 annual meeting of the Brethren. He met with other progressives on June 6 and 7, 1883, and formed the Brethren Church. At the Annual Conference of 1908 at Des Moines, Iowa, the name of the denomination was officially changed from the German Baptist Brethren to the Church of the Brethren. According to William Eberly, the name change was precipitated by the predominant use of English in the church and to further distance themselves from the Old German Baptist Brethren.

Recent developments

Since the end of the Second World War, church and member positions on social issues have caused further divisions between congregations, districts, and individuals within the church. Particularly difficult issues which have been the source of much debate and division include the authority of the Bible, the ordination of women, tolerance of homosexuality, and the promotion of ecumenicalism.

At the 1958 Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, trine immersion was no longer required for all members, women were given an ordination status equal to men, love feast was opened to members of any church, and bread and cup communion was permitted without having love feast. In response, at the 1959 Annual Conference in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a group of conservative and evangelical Brethren joined to form the Brethren Revival Fellowship (BRF). It describes itself as a loyal concern movement within the Church of the Brethren. The BRF promotes simple dress, biblical inerrancy, church discipline, and a much more evangelical worldview than the denomination as a whole. It has been critical of the church's involvement in political and social causes and its involvement with the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches.

Promoting the more liberal ideas, including changing the name of the church because it is seen to be sexist and exclusionary of women, tolerance of homosexuals (as members and as ministers), and increased social and political activity are groups such as Womaen's Caucus, Voices for an Open Spirit, and the Brethren Mennonite Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Interests (BMC).

Although a great divide exists within the church on these issues, the official position of the Church is that of "unity in diversity", which allows for decisions at the district and congregational level to determine church positions and practice.

Membership today

Although no formal splits have occurred recently, the Church of the Brethren, like many other mainline churches, has suffered a steep, steady decline in membership from about 203,000 members in 1963 to 129,340 in 2005. Studies were underway in 2006 to determine the reasons for this decline. Some key things found in the report were: the Church is too prideful and needs to live more in humility, and the Church needs to remove idols, and has lost its first love for Jesus as found in Rev. II. Another possible reason for the decline is that the Church of Brethren is not evangelical and often does not actively seek out new members. Despite the overall decline, there has been a noteworthy growth in the church in Puerto Rico (where it is called "Iglesia de los Hermanos"), since the late 1970s. It has also spread into other countries including the Dominican Republic.

In Nigeria, the Church of the Brethren is known as Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria, or the EYN. Mission work began in Nigeria in 1923 and the membership of EYN, which must be renewed annually, reached 148,000 members in 2002, surpassing the membership of the US-based church . In 1965, the Brethren missionaries working in Ecuador since 1945, merged the churches they planted with those of the United Andean Indian Mission, to form the United Evangelical Church, now United Evangelical Methodist Church of Ecuador. In a similar way, in 1970 the mission in India merged with the anglicans, baptists, Disciples of Christ and presbyterians to form the Church of North India, though some congregations have seceded since the merger.

Structure

The Brethren practice the "priesthood of all believers," and their structure is egalitarian. Some members still address each other as "Brother Smith" or "Sister Jones," for example. The practice is more common in the Eastern United States. Even the moderator of Annual Conference, the highest elected office in the church, is addressed as "Brother (or sister) Moderator."

Ministry

The term "minister" is understood as a functional role rather than an hierarchical position of authority. In the early days, most congregations had several ministers chosen ("called" or "elected") by the members of the congregation. The concept of a professional pastor (first explicitly permitted in 1911) has slowly become the predominant model, although many congregations still have "free" (nonsalaried) ministers and plural ministry.

There have been three degrees of ministry in the Church of the Brethren:

The first degree (now known as licensed minister) is bestowed on those who are considering serving as ministers. The first degree is a time for education and self-examination, after which the individual either advances to the second degree or returns to lay status.
The second degree minister or ordained minister is one who intends to continue serving in a ministerial role, usually, but not always as a professional pastor, teacher, counselor, or administrator.
The third degree of minister, also known as an elder, serves as a head minister and supervises other ministers in a congregation. Some elders were perceived as being arrogant regarding their position, and the Annual Conference of 1967 decided that no elders would be elected after that time. Some congregations in the Southern Pennsylvania and Atlantic Northeast Districts still elect elders.

The Brethren also select deacons in most congregations. They assist in ministerial functions, particularly by tending to the physical and spiritual needs of individual members. Often, a husband and wife will serve together as deacons.

Officers

The leading officers in the Church of the Brethren for business purposes are called moderators. Their principal function is to chair business meetings. There are congregational moderators, district moderators, and an annual conference (denominational) moderator. In recent years, the annual conference moderator has been elected a year in advance, and in the interim serves as "moderator elect."

Geographical structure

Geographically, the church is divided into congregations, which have indistinct and often overlapping geographic boundaries. Since 1856, congregations are collected into districts (23 as of 2006), whose boundaries are clear and usually correspond with state borders or county lines. The vast majority of present congregations are located east of the Mississippi.

Each congregation also selects delegates to serve at an Annual Conference (sometimes called annual meeting), which is the final human authority in questions of faith and practice. Issues that cannot be resolved on a local level, or which have implications for the church as a whole are framed as "queries," which are submitted by a congregation to the district (since 1866), and then, if necessary, are passed on to Annual Conference. Typically, a committee is formed to study the matter, and an answer is reported and adopted by a vote of the delegates at a subsequent Annual Conference.

Boards, Committees, and Agencies

The Brethren have numerous boards and committees (sometimes called "teams") that can be either temporary or permanent and either highly focused on one issue (e.g. evangelism) or general in scope. There are also several agencies of the church, institutions given charge of carrying out the ministries of the church.

At the 2008 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren, two of these agencies, the Church of the Brethren General Board and the Association of Brethren Caregivers were combined into a single entity, the Church of the Brethren, Inc., the ministry arm of which will be known as the Mission and Ministry Board.

Other Annual Conference agencies include Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace.

External links

Liberal arts colleges related to the Church of the Brethren

Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia
Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
University of La Verne in La Verne, California
Manchester College in North Manchester, Indiana
McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas

Related groups that trace their beginnings to the Schwarzenau Brethren

References

Church of the Brethren Pacifism in Review 1708 to the Present
Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People, Carl F. Bowman (1995) Johns Hopkins University Press
Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. I-III, Donald F. Durnbaugh, editor (1983) The Brethren Encyclopedia Inc.
Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, Donald F. Durnbaugh and Dale V. Ulrich, editors, Carl Bowman, contributing editor (2006) The Brethren Encyclopedia Inc.
Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
Fruit of the Vine, A History of the Brethren 1708-1995, Donald F. Durnbaugh (1997) Brethren Press
Handbook of Denominations, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
Profiles in Belief: the Religious Bodies of the United States and Canada, by Arthur Carl Piepkorn
Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States (2000), Glenmary Research Center
The Believers' Church: The History and Character of Radical Protestantism, Donald F. Durnbaugh (1968) The Macmillan Company