WHY CEFN IS UNIQUE - OUR BACKGROUND FROM THE WEB
Church of the Brethren (where Christian Evangelical Church came from)
The Church of the Brethren is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition (German: Schwarzenauer Neutäufer "Schwarzenau New Baptists") that was organized in 1708 by Alexander Mack in Schwarzenau, Germany during the Radical Pietist revival.[1] The denomination holds the New Testament as its only creed. Historically, the church has taken a strong stance for nonresistance or Christian pacifism—it is one of the three historic peace churches, alongside the Mennonites and Quakers. Distinctive practices include believer's baptism by forward trine immersion; a threefold love feast consisting of feet washing, a fellowship meal, and communion; anointing for healing; and the holy kiss. Its headquarters are in Elgin, Illinois, United States.
| Church of the Brethren | |
|---|---|
.png) The Church of the Brethren references the Crucifixion of Jesus with a Latin cross, unity with the circle motif, and biblical references to water and baptism with the wave. | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Evangelical Anabaptist |
| Theology | Non-creedal |
| Structure | Congregationalist with districts that meet together in an Annual Conference |
| Distinct fellowships | The Church of the Brethren, Inc. (ministry and administration), Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust (retirement fund), On Earth Peace (peace initiative) |
| Associations | Brethren World Assembly, Christian Churches Together, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Church World Service, Historic Peace Churches, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches |
| Region | United States (headquarters) and Puerto Rico, with groups in Brazil; the Dominican Republic; Haiti; Nigeria and Oku, Cameroon; Spain; and South Sudan; also present in Ecuador (United Andean Indian Mission) and India having (two Brethren denominations and the Church of North India). |
| Headquarters | Elgin, Illinois, United States |
| Founder | Alexander Mack and the Schwarzenau Brethren |
| Origin | 1708 Schwarzenau, Germany |
| Branched from | Schwarzenau Brethren in the United States |
| Separations | Dunkard Brethren Church (1926) |
| Congregations | 2,600 |
| Members | 600,000 |
| Nursing homes | 21 (Fellowship of Brethren Homes) |
| Aid organization | Brethren Disaster Ministries, Brethren Service Center, Brethren Volunteer Service, Children's Disaster Services, Heifer International, SERRV International |
| Tertiary institutions | Six colleges and universities (Bridgewater College, Elizabethtown College, Juniata College, Manchester University, McPherson College, and University of La Verne), one seminary (Bethany Theological Seminary), see also Brethren Colleges Abroad |
| Official website | brethren.org |
The first Brethren congregation was established in the United States in 1723. These church bodies became commonly known as "Dunkards" or "Dunkers", and more formally as German Baptist Brethren. The Church of the Brethren represents the largest denomination descended from the Schwarzenau Brethren, adopting this name in 1908. In 1926 there was an exodus of some conservative members of the Church of the Brethren, who formed the Dunkard Brethren Church.[2]
History
Statistics
Beliefs
Ordinances
StructureEdit
The Brethren practice the "priesthood of all believers", and their structure is egalitarian. Some members still address each other as "Brother Sam" or "Sister Sarah", 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".
MinistryEdit
The term "minister" is understood as both a spiritual and a functional role rather than a 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) slowly became the predominant model, although some congregations still have "free" (nonsalaried) ministers and plural ministry.
Historically, there have been three degrees of ministry in the Church of the Brethren:
- The first degree (now known as a licensed minister) is bestowed on those who are considering serving as ministers. The period of licensure is a time for education and self-examination, after which the individual either advances to ordination or returns to lay status.
- The second degree minister, or ordained minister, is one who intends to continue serving in a ministerial role, usually as a professional pastor, teacher, counselor, or administrator.
- The third degree of minister, also known as an elder, served as a head minister and supervised other ministers in a congregation. By the 1960s, many roles previously reserved for non-salaried elders had been assigned to salaried pastors, leaving elders with little unique ministerial function. So 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 denomination ordains women as pastors and affirms them for all levels of leadership in the church.[35][36]
The Brethren also select lay leaders as deacons as 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 serve together as deacons.
OfficersEdit
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 current practice, the Annual Conference moderator is elected to a two-year term, serving for the first year as "moderator-elect." An Annual Conference secretary, elected to a five-year term, keeps track of the flow of business. Together, the officers "receive and process the business of Annual Conference, establish and manage agendas ... represent the Conference at district meetings and other appropriate settings, and respond to concerns of denominational members regarding actions and activities of Conference."[37]
Boards, committees, and agenciesEdit
Each congregation selects delegates to serve at an Annual Conference (traditionally 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. Standing Committee, a body composed of representatives from each district, processes the business that comes to Annual Conference and makes recommendations. Often 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, although sometimes a query is returned.
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. Several agencies are given charge of carrying out the ministries of the church under the auspices of Annual Conference.
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 is now known as the Mission and Ministry Board. Headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, its programs include,[38] Global Mission and Service, Brethren Volunteer Service,[39] Youth/Young Adult Ministries, Intercultural Ministries, and Discipleship Ministries. The Messenger periodical,[40] whose roots go back to 1851—making it one of the oldest continually operating church periodicals in the country—is the official magazine of the church.[41]
The general secretary, typically hired for renewable five-year terms, oversees the work of the Church of the Brethren, Inc., and is the chief ecumenical officer of the denomination. Other Annual Conference agencies include Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace.
Edit
- Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia
- Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
- Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
- University of La Verne in La Verne, California
- Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana
- McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas
- Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana
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