The Brethren in Christ Church (BIC) is a

River Brethren The River Brethren are a group of historically related Anabaptist Christian denominations originating in 1770, during the Radical Pietist movement among German colonists in Pennsylvania. In the 17th century, Mennonite refugees from Switzerl ...

Christian denomination. Falling within the Anabaptist tradition of Christianity, the Brethren in Christ Church has roots in the

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

church, with influences from the revivals of

Radical Pietism Radical Pietism are those Ecclesiastical separatism, Christian churches who decided to break with denominational Lutheranism in order to emphasize certain teachings regarding holy living. Radical Pietists contrast with Church Pietists, who chose t ...

and the

holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christianity, Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakers, Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with ...

. They have also been known as River Brethren and River Mennonites. The Canadian denomination, which formerly shared a name with its American counterpart, is now called Be In Christ.

History

The Brethren in Christ have their headquarters in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It loosely shares an early connection with the United Brethren back to 1767. The Brethren in Christ trace their denomination back to a group of Mennonites who lived just north of Marietta, Pennsylvania, on the east side of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

. As they met to study the Bible and to worship God in the 1770s, the people of this group who became known as the River Brethren searched early church history and developed a conviction that

believer's baptism Believer's baptism (also called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of Infant baptism, baptizing infants. C ...

by triune immersion was the scriptural form of baptism. The River Brethren of the 18th century also held to a firm reliance on the centrality of Jesus in Scripture, especially the literal application of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5-7. Being Anabaptists, the River Brethren emphasized the beliefs of nonresistance and nonconformity to the world. Their origin in the Radical Pietistic revivals led the River Brethren to emphasize "the conversion experience, a strong devotional life, and testimony." Jacob Engle is noted as one of the early leaders (sometimes considered the "founder" of the BIC Church). The first confessional statement of this group was formulated around 1780, after the stressful time of the American Revolution. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, when required by the Union government of the United States to register as a body that held peaceful, non-combatant

non-resistance Nonresistance (or non-resistance) is "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy. It is considered as a form of pr ...

values, the name "Brethren in Christ'" was adopted. "River Brethren" remained the term of popular usage into the 20th century for the American members of the denomination while "Dunkers" was the popular moniker given to the Canadian denomination members until the 1930s. The denomination still holds strongly to its pursuit of peace, but within the denomination there are many different interpretations of how this peaceful lifestyle should be lived out. Many live out social

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

, while others do not view Christ's call to peace as an antiwar statement, but as a call to live peacefully on an interpersonal level. The history of the denomination is replete with stories of

conscientious objection A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

. Other branches of the River Brethren include the Old Order River Brethren (org. 1843), the United Zion Church (org. 1855), and the Calvary Holiness Church. About the turn of the 20th century, the Brethren in Christ was influenced by the

. Members of the Brethren in Christ Church founded

Messiah College Messiah University is a private interdenominational evangelical Christian university in Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, near Mechanicsburg. History The school was founded as "Messiah Bible School and Missionary Training Home" in 1909 by ...

in 1909 ( Grantham, Pennsylvania), and the Niagara Christian College (later Niagara Christian Community of Schools) in 1932 as a Christian preparatory school in

Ontario, Canada Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Beliefs

The church's current Articles of Faith and Doctrine were adopted in 1986 and emphasize the understanding of the inspired scriptures by the church in community with the illumination of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

, the "centrality of

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

" in the divine revelation, the necessity of holiness, nonviolence and the importance of community. The church believes that

God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first Person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, Jesus Christ the Son, and the third person, God th ...

God the Son God the Son (, ; ) is the second Person of the Trinity in Christian theology. According to Christian doctrine, God the Son, in the form of Jesus Christ, is the incarnation of the eternal, pre-existent divine ''Logos'' (Koine Greek for "word") ...

, and

God the Holy Spirit Most Christian denominations believe the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, to be the third Godhead in Christianity, divine Prosopon, Person of the Trinity, a Triple deity, triune god manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, ...

reveals Himself through the divine record of scripture and that salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is received through the response of personal faith and repentance.

Baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

by triune

immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux * ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian group Pendulum * ''Immersion'' (film), a 2021 ...

and the Lord's supper are considered ordinances of the church. Foot washing, the dedication of children, prayer for the sick,

laying on of hands The laying on of hands is a religious practice. In Judaism, ''semikhah'' (, "leaning f the hands) accompanies the conferring of a blessing or authority. In Christianity, Christian churches, chirotony. is used as both a symbolic and formal met ...

, and

anointing Anointing is the ritual, ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body. By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, ...

with oil are important accepted practices but are not called ordinances. A distinctive of the Brethren in Christ, together with other Anabaptist denominations, is the practice of "Community

Hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...

" in which the interpretation of the scriptures is to be done by the church in community, rather than being the responsibility of the church hierarchy or that of the individual Christian.

Status

At the denomination's 2006 General Conference, the Brethren in Christ Church in North America had about 295 churches in the United States and Canada. As of 2001, in the United States there were 20,739 members in 232 churches. Pennsylvania remains the hub of the denomination, with nearly half its congregations and a majority of its members. However, there are numerous congregations in other states, particularly Florida, Ohio, and California. Denominational headquarters is in Grantham, Pennsylvania, next to the Grantham BIC Church and Messiah University. There are 1,100 churches in 23 countries with a worldwide membership of around 80,000. The BIC church maintains some connection to its Mennonite-influenced heritage by partnering in ministry with the Mennonite Central Committee. The church organization is divided into seven regional conferences (each represented by a bishop who sits on the Leadership Council) and one subconference. The conferences are as follows: Allegheny, Atlantic, Great Lakes, Midwest, Pacific, Southeast, and Susquehanna; the subconference is centered around

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, and focuses on

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

ministries. Messiah University in Grantham, and Niagara Christian Collegiate in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, are affiliated with the BIC. The church is also has affiliations with a number of camps, conference centers, and ministries, as well as Evangel Publishing House in

Nappanee, Indiana Nappanee is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, Elkhart and Kosciusko County, Indiana, Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,648 as of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. Census and had grown to 6,913 by the 20 ...

, and Christian Light Bookstores in Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

BIC Canada

In 2012, the Canadian Conference of the Brethren in Christ and the General Conference of the Brethren in Christ recognized the advantage for both of being independent Churches. Both approved a separation affirmation. The result was the development of BIC Canada and the BIC in the USA. They continue to work collaboratively with each other and yet recognize their distinctive national identities and structures. In 2017, BIC Canada changed its name to "Be in Christ Church of Canada." Be In Christ Canada has three different expressions of churches: Community Churches, The Meeting House, and Reunion.

Noted Brethren in Christ people

* Jay Smith, Christian apologist * Bruxy Cavey, author and former pastor * Harold Albrecht, Canadian former Member of Parliament for the riding of Kitchener—Conestoga in Ontario, founder of Pathway Community Church in Kitchener, Ontario.

Notes

References

*''Encyclopedia of American Religions'', J. Gordon Melton, editor *''Handbook of Denominations in the United States'', by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood *''Profiles in Belief: the Religious Bodies of the United States and Canada'', by Arthur Carl Piepkorn *''Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States (2000)'', Glenmary Research Center *''Quest for Piety and Obedience: The Story of the Brethren in Christ'', Carlton O. Wittlinger (1978) *''Two Hundred Years of Tradition and Change: The Brethren in Christ in Canada'', E. Morris Sider (1988) *Brensinger, Terry L., ed. ''Focusing Our Faith: Brethren in Christ Core Values''. Nappanee, IN: Evangel Pub. House, 2000.

External links

beinchrist.ca - Official Be In Christ Church of CanadaOfficial BIC US websiteBrethren in Christ Historical Library and Archives – Archives of Messiah CollegeThe Sider InstituteLibraryThing.com BIC Catalog
– ''unofficial'' listing of librarything.com catalog of BIC related books.
Profile of Brethren in Christ Church on the Association of Religion Data Archives websiteGAMEO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brethren In Christ Church Anabaptist denominations Religious organizations established in the 1770s Protestant denominations established in the 18th century Anabaptism in Indiana Members of the National Association of Evangelicals Holiness denominations Brethren denominations in North America River Brethren Radical Pietism Holiness pacifism Christian denominations founded in the United States