Brethren in Christ Church

The Brethren in Christ Church (BIC) is a River Brethren

Brethren in Christ Church
Christian denomination. Falling within the Anabaptist tradition of
Christianity, the Brethren in Christ Church has roots in the Classification Protestant
Mennonite church, with influences from the revivals of Radical Orientation Anabaptist[1]
Pietism and the holiness movement.[1][4][5] They have also been
Theology River Brethren[2]
known as River Brethren and River Mennonites.[2][6] The
Canadian denomination is called Be In Christ.[7] Origin c. 1778
Marietta,
Pennsylvania
History
Separations Calvary Holiness
The Brethren in Christ have their headquarters in Pennsylvania. It Church (1964)[3]
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. 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 by triune immersion was the scriptural form of baptism.
The River Brethren of the 18th century also held to a firm reliance
on the centricity 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.[6] Their origin in the
Brethren in Christ U.S. logo
Radical Pietistic revivals led the River Brethren to emphasize "the
conversion experience, a strong devotional life, and testimony."[6]
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, when required by the Union government of the United States to register as
a body that held peaceful, non-combatant non-resistance 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, 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.

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 holiness movement.[6]
Members of the Brethren in Christ Church founded Messiah College 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.

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
"centrality of Christ" in the divine revelation, the necessity of holiness, nonviolence and the importance of
community. The church believes that 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 by triune immersion 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, and anointing 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" 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.[8] Pennsylvania remains the hub of the denomination, with nearly half its
congregations and a majority of its members.[9] However, there are numerous congregations in other states,
particularly Florida, Ohio, and California.[9] 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, and focuses on Hispanic 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,[10] 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."[11]
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[12][13]
Bruxy Cavey, author and former pastor
Harold Albrecht, Canadian former Member of Parliament[14] for the riding of Kitchener—
Conestoga in Ontario, founder of Pathway Community Church in Kitchener, Ontario.[15]

See also
Niagara Christian Community of Schools
Old Order River Brethren
United Zion Church
Jay Smith (Christian apologist)
Brethren in Christ Church Society

Notes
1. Snyder, C. Arnold; Hecht, Linda A. Huebert (October 30, 2010). Profiles of Anabaptist
Women: Sixteenth-Century Reforming Pioneers. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-
1-55458-790-2. "Direct descendants of the Anabaptists are present-day Mennonites,
Hutterites, Amish, and some groups of Brethren, such as the Mennonite Brethren, the
Church of the Brethren and the Brethren in Christ"
2. Climenhaga, Asa W. (1942). History of the Brethren in Christ Church. E. V. Publishing
House. p. 45.
3. Lewis, James R. (2002). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus
Books. p. 151. ISBN 9781615927388.
4. Shantz, Douglas H. (2013). An Introduction to German Pietism: Protestant Renewal at the
Dawn of Modern Europe. JHU Press. ISBN 9781421408804.
5. Carter, Craig A. (2007). Rethinking Christ and Culture: A Post-Christendom Perspective.
Brazos Press. ISBN 9781441201225.
6. Kostlevy, William (August 3, 2009). Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement.
Scarecrow Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-8108-6318-7.
7. Brewer, Brian C. (December 30, 2021). T&T Clark Handbook of Anabaptism. Bloomsbury
Publishing. p. 574. ISBN 978-0-567-68950-4.
8. "Historic Archive CD and Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches" (http://www.thearda.
com/Denoms/D_1377.asp). The National Council of Churches. Retrieved December 2,
2009.
9. "2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study" (http://www.thearda.com/Denoms/D
_1377_d.asp). Glenmary Research Center. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
10. "Board for Media Ministries Closes After 126 Years of Operation" (https://bic-history.org/boar
d-for-media-ministries-closes-after-126-years-of-operation/). Brethren In Christ Historical
Society. August 5, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
11. Lester, Todd. "We Have A New Name | Westheights" (http://connect.westheights.org/2017/0
5/14/we-have-a-new-name/). Retrieved March 12, 2021.
12. Eurasian College: "Visiting Lecturers- Jay Smith" (http://www.eurasian-college.com/eng/staf
f.php) Archived (https://archive.today/20150316011447/http://www.eurasian-college.com/en
g/staff.php#) March 16, 2015, at archive.today retrieved March 15, 2015
13. Christianity Today: "Unapologetic Apologist - Jay Smith confronts Muslim fundamentalists
with fundamentalist fervor" by Deann Alford (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/june/2
1.34.html) June 13, 2008
14. "Harold Albrecht - Overview - House of Commons of Canada" (https://www.ourcommons.ca/
Parliamentarians/en/members/Harold-Albrecht(35607)). www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved
March 11, 2019.
15. "Our History" (https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011612/http://www.pathwaycc.ca/our-hi
story/). Pathway Community Church. Archived from the original (http://www.pathwaycc.ca/ou
r-history) on February 12, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.

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 Canada (https://beinchrist.ca/)
Official BIC US website (http://www.bicus.org/)
Brethren in Christ Historical Library and Archives – Archives of Messiah College (http://www.
messiah.edu/archives)
The Sider Institute (https://web.archive.org/web/20031227093034/http://www.messiah.edu/si
derinstitute/morris_sider.shtml)
LibraryThing.com BIC Catalog (http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=bicblogs) –
unofficial listing of librarything.com catalog of BIC related books.
Profile of Brethren in Christ Church on the Association of Religion Data Archives website (htt
p://www.thearda.com/Denoms/D_1377.asp)
GAMEO (http://www.gameo.org/index.php?title=Brethren_in_Christ_Church)

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