Current Programs and Activities

Brethren programs around the world are administered by the General Board. The board is headquartered in Elgin, Ill., with offices in New Windsor, Md. and Washington, D.C.; as well as the individual offices of many dispersed staff both in the United States and around the world.

The Church of the Brethren has had mission involvements in India since 1895, where former Brethren congregations are now part of the Church of North India; in Ecuador since 1946, where the Brethren congregations are part of the United Evangelical Church of Ecuador; and in Nigeria since 1923, where the Brethren efforts have evolved into the autonomous Ekklesiyar Yanuwa a Nigeria, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria.

The Church of the Brethren also carries out mission and service work through programs such as Brethren Volunteer Service, agricultural exchange programs, its affiliation with A Greater Gift, Cooperative Disaster Child Care, and disaster and refugee work. The church is a member of both the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches.

The denominations policies are set by congregational representatives, elected each year to come together as the Annual Conference, the church’s highest decision-making authority.

Bethany Theological Seminary, in Richmond, Ind., is the denominations graduate school of theology. Five colleges and one university are church-related.

Other bodies that were part of the original Brethren movement in the US are the Old German Baptist Brethren, The Brethren Church, the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, and the Dunkard Brethren. While there are occasional conversations among the Brethren bodies, they are not related organizationally.

Sources:

· Tell Us About the Church of the Brethren, by Edward K. Ziegler

· The Church of the Brethren, by Ora W. Garber

More Church of the Brethren Projects

You may think you have never heard of the Church of the Brethren. If you have heard of Church World Service, CROP, SERRV, or the Heifer Project, then you do know something about the church, for these internationally known programs had their origins with the Church of the Brethren. Foundation for the Peace Corps and student exchange programs were laid by Brethren Volunteer Service and International Christian Youth Exchange -- Brethren programs developed soon after World War II. A newer initiative by the denomination is the Disaster Child Care Program. Members have been specially trained to work with children whose families have experienced disasters such as floods, tornados, etc. This focuses on helping children deal with the pain of loss and at the same time frees the parents to work through finding living accommodations for the family. This program complements Disaster Relief Service in which the Church of the Brethren has participated for many years.