Church of the Brethren

Church of the Brethren
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), 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
Aid organization	Brethren Disaster Ministries, Brethren Service Center, Brethren Volunteer Service, Children's Disaster Services, Heifer International, SERRV International
Nursing homes	21 (Fellowship of Brethren Homes)
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

Part of a series on the
Schwarzenau Brethren (the German Baptists or Dunkers)
Background
Christianity Protestantism Anabaptism Radical Pietism Radical Reformation
Doctrinal tenets
Non-creedalism Trine baptism Love feast Feet washing Holy kiss Free church Anointing with oil Non-resistance Pacifism The Brethren Card
People
Alexander Mack Shantilal Bhagat Louis Bauman Conrad Beissel Donald F. Durnbaugh Vernard Eller Samuel Kinsey John Kline Peter Nead Christoph Sauer
Groups
Brethren Church Church of the Brethren Conservative Grace Brethren Dunkard Brethren Grace Brethren Old Brethren Old Brethren German Baptist Old German Baptist Brethren Old German Baptist Brethren, New Conference Old Order German Baptist Brethren Defunct groups Ephrata Cloister Church of God (New Dunkers)
Related movements
Amish Bruderhof Community of True Inspiration Hutterites Mennonites River Brethren Quakers
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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.

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]