"Who Are the Brethren?"

In August, 1708, five men and three women gathered at the Eder River in the little town of Schwarzenau, Germany.  One of them baptized Alexander Mack Sr. who then baptized the others by trine immersion.  This "adult" or "believers" baptism was an illegal act at that time since all had previously been baptized as infants into one of the existing churches: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, or Reformed.  Because of this adult baptism they aligned themselves with other groups of Christians known as "Anabaptists" - the prefix "ana" meaning "again."  Through intense Bible study and prayer, these first "Brethren" felt led to form a new church, one they sought to pattern after the early church as presented to them in the New Testament.

These Brethren differed from other churches because: they accepted no written creed; declared the New Testament as their rule of faith and practice; practiced radical discipleship by trying to follow Jesus in obedience to his teachings; believed all war is sin and refused to participate in the military; lived a simple and compassionate lifestyle; believed in the importance of the church community; engaged in group Bible study; and included feet-washing and a communal meal (the "Love Feast") along with bread- and-cup Communion.

Because of persecution and economic hardship, the Brethren soon left Europe for the New World.  The first group came to Philadelphia in 1719 under the leadership of Peter Becker and was organized into a congregation at Germantown on Christmas Day 1723.

A second group left in 1729 under the leadership of Alexander Mack, Sr. and joined their brothers and sisters in Pennsylvania.  By 1740 nearly all Brethren had left Europe or been assimilated into other Anabaptist groups such as the Mennonites.

The Brethren spread from Pennsylvania south and west, reaching Kansas and Iowa by the mid 1800s and eventually reached the West Coast.  Although widely dispersed, the Brethren were kept together by elders who traveled thousands of miles visiting among the scattered congregations and through the Yearly Meeting, known today as Annual Conference.  Because of these two factors, the Brethren remained united even during the Civil War which divided most other denominations that had members on both sides of the Mason Dixon Line.

What eventually did divide the Brethren were issues such as church leadership, revival meetings, salaried pastors, Sunday school, and whether the church would remain "conservative" or move in a more "progressive" direction.

The first split came in 1881 when about 4000 withdrew and became what is still known as the "Old Order German Baptist Brethren."  They maintain that they are the true continuation of the original Brethren.  A congregation worships in the building adjacent to what was known as "Price's Church," now Trinity Fellowship north of Waynesboro.

In 1883 another split occurred forming The Brethren Church.  They are represented by the Wayne Heights Brethren Church.

The branch which we belong to continued and in 1908 became the Church of the Brethren.

Further splits include one in 1926 forming The Dunkard Brethren with a congregation on West Third Street and another in 1939 creating the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches with a congregation on Philadelphia Avenue, Waynesboro.  The latest split occurred in 1992 forming the Conservative Grace Brethren Churches International.

At the present time the Church of the Brethren numbers about 135,000 members in more than 1,000 congregations in the United States and Puerto Rico.  About 150,000 members are in the fast-growing Church of the Brethren in Nigeria and hundreds in the Dominican Republic and Brazil.

Today we are a small denomination whose unity is characterized by great diversity.  Our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus is lived-out in many, sometimes even opposing, ways.  While we continue to believe that "all war is sin" we also recognize and value individual conscience.  Our young men and women may serve in the armed forces, become conscientious objectors, enter Brethren Volunteer Service, or respond in some other way to Christ's call to peace-making.  At our heart is the belief that following Jesus means serving others, healing the broken, and bringing new life and hope to the despairing.  We have had a large impact on the world for our small size.  Heifer Project International (providing livestock for poor families) and SERRV (supporting craft producers in developing countries) were both begun by Brethren before they grew into ecumenical and international ministries.

We continue to understand the nature of our Christian faith as turning toward God and our neighbor as expressed in the familiar motto: "For the glory of God and my neighbor's good."

From a sermon by Pastor Prue Yelinek, 6/8/08