“Brethren” in our name refers to not simply the denomination we are a part of (www.thebrethrenchurch.org), but really emphasizes a particular “way of being Christian.”

As a historic Peace Church, the Brethren have a long history of justice and concern for the poor. Over time, we've become a little Evangelical in our thinking concerning these things. However, we welcome the dialogue that comes from those among us who are committed to the historic Brethren values of non-resistance, non-swearing of oaths, and non-conformity to the world.

We've also got a lot of cousins. Church of the Brethren, Grace Brethren, the Dunkard Brethren, Old German Baptist Brethren...we all come from the same tree, and each of us—just like a regular group of cousins or siblings—have particular emphases we like. 2008 marks the 300^th year of the Brethren in America. It's a neat time; a joint celebration between “The Brethren Church” and “Church of the Brethren” (I know, I know, it's a mess...) is going to be held at Richmond Indiana.

We came from a mix of a couple religious movements in Europe--Radical Pietism and Anabaptism. These terms may not sound familiar at all...but that's okay. We can talk a lot more about it in person, or feel free to drop us any questions you've got at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (We know there are some of you out there who are research-fanatics. There's a few of us here too; we thought you'd want to do a little info gathering, and just hoped this would help!)

A lot more could be said about The Brethren Church. If you're interested at all, check out the links below. We think there are some special things about us that are unlike many other Brethren Churches (no moral ascriptions here), so we'd love it if, after you've gathered some info, you come check us out and tell us what you think. (We should note that there are some groups with "brethren" in the title--e.g., The Plymouth Brethren, Mennonite Brethren or Brethren in Christ--who we aren't actually related to. Denominations--different groups who are Christian in different ways--can be so messy it's crazy!)

http://www.brethrenchurch.org/ About: The home of The Brethren Church on the web. This is pretty handy website. As you explore the website's sub-pages, be sure to keep on eye on the right-hand sidebar, and the many links that are stashed there.

 

http://www.ashland.edu About (from the website): “Ashland University is a mid-sized regional teaching university, historically related to the Brethren Church. Our mission is to serve the educational needs of all students -- undergraduate and graduate, traditional and non-traditional, full and part-time -- by providing educational programs of high quality in an environment that is both challenging and supportive.”

 

http://www.ashland.edu/seminary/ About (from the website): “Ashland Theological Seminary exists to equip men and women for ministry as servant leaders in the body of Christ and the world at large through being a community that is committed to Scripture, academic excellence, spiritual formation, and practical training.
” ATS is also the seminary of The Brethren Church.

 

http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/brethren.html About: An interesting overview of the Brethren movement. Its emphasis is on the Church of the Brethren (our faith “cousins”), and we would want to dialogue about details. Worth a read nonetheless.