FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
The movement began in England and Ireland in the late 1820s. Christians from various churches, who had become dissatisfied with the formalism, clericalism and spiritual dryness of many British churches, met for communion, prayer, and Bible teaching. They sought a simple New Testament pattern of meeting. Some of their early leaders were John Nelson Darby, Anthony Norris Groves, William Kelly, C. H. Mackintosh, and George Mueller. Two of their larger centers were in Plymouth and Dublin. They rallied around several distinctives. The brethren do not ordain clergy, but prefer to emphasize the priesthood of every believer and lay ministry in the church. They consider worship a primary reason to gather as believers, so they break bread weekly, celebrating communion in an hour-long meeting with open verbal participation from the floor. They are led by a plurality of elders and use various preachers in their pulpits. The theology and practice of the brethren fit well within mainstream evangelicalism. Two of their best contributions to evangelicalism as a whole are plurality of leadership and a dispensational, premillennial view of Christ's kingdom. They were known for evangelism, missions, and personal knowledge of the Bible.