The origins, beliefs and evolution

The Brethren is a Christian denomination that has major branches, none of which is as widespread as the other established denominations. And, it is fair to say that the Brethren Church is little understood locally, so Family and Religion sought to find out about its origin, beliefs and evolution in Jamaica.

The research says it started in early 18th-century Europe, 1708, when there was much control by governments over established churches. The proliferation of religions was not embraced and tolerated. New denominations were always under the threat of persecution. Nonetheless, dissenters were setting up ‘camps’ all over.

The town of Schwarzenau, Germany was particularly accommodating of these dissenters, among whom was a miller named Alexander Mack. He is said to have been influenced by pietism and anabaptism. The former is about living in ways that demonstrate a commitment to God, more than just thinking about the right things about God. Anabaptists generally believe that people may baptise again in a different faith, after their infant baptism in another faith.

Now, in Schwarzenau, there was the Eder River. In August 1708 five men and three women gathered at a point for baptism, which was regarded an illegal act since they were all baptised already as infants. A member of the group first baptised Alexander Mack, who, in turn, baptised the other seven. This group subsequently called itself the Brethren. The term generically means ‘brothers’.

These early Brethren shared many beliefs with other Protestants, but a number of perspectives separated them from the state churches. Their main source of reference and guide was the New Testament. They believed that Jesus wanted his followers to live a life that was “based on peaceful action, plain and compassionate living, and a shared search for truth”. From Schwarzenau, The Brethren sent evangelists to other parts of Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

Yet, the persecution that dissenters faced was growing and times were economically hard, and in 1719, under the leadership of one Peter Becker, Brethren started to migrate to the USA. Alexander Mack himself brought over a group in 1729. By 1740 most of them had left Europe for North America, where the first congregation was established in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1723. From there missionaries were sent to rural areas in Philadelphia.

In the latter part of the 18th century, new congregations were planted in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. The Brethren also settled in Kansas and Iowa, and parts of the west coast. However, as the growth continued, tension and conflict were proliferated among the Brethren, and different branches were established.

The early 1880s saw a major splintering into three major branches, the largest of which was the German Baptist Brethren, who changed their name to the Church of the Brethren in 1908. Despite the splits, missions have been established in India, China, Nigeria, Ecuador, Sudan, South Korea, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. The Church of the Brethren alone has about 100,000 members in about 1,000 congregations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Next week, Family and Religion will look at the evolution of the Brethren churches in Jamaica.