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The Open Brethren, sometimes called Christian Brethren or "Plymouth Brethren", are a group of Protestant Evangelical Christian churches that arose in the late 1820s as part of the Assembly Movement. They originated in England and Ireland and now have many small assemblies worldwide. Some areas include the United Kingdom with 1,537 assemblies*, the United States with 820*, Canada (450**), New Zealand (240*), Australia (290*), Europe (such as Romania with 571* and Italy with 230*), Asia (such as Japan with 163* and Laos with 90*), Latin America (Such as Argentina with 818* and Guatemala with 750*) and Africa (such as Angola with 1,200 assemblies*, Zambia with 1000* and Chad with 600*).
The Open Brethren are "open" to anyone who gives verbal confirmation of faith, and this name is given to distinguish them from "Closed Brethren" and "Exclusive Brethren", with whom they share historical roots. They are committed to missionary work and hold that the Holy Bible is the first authority in matters of faith. Each assembly (or congregation) is independent of the others in doctrinal matters, and yet, in practice, there is a high degree of communication and cooperation between them.
Beliefs
Justification by faith
Justification by faith alone (sola fide) states that it is by grace through faith alone that Christians receive salvation and not through any works of their own (see Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:23). Open Brethren have a strong emphasis on the concept of salvation. The brethren teach that the consequence of human sin is condemnation to eternal death in hell. Christ's death on the cross paid sin's penalty and his resurrection is evidence that eternal life is available to any who will have it. The only requirements being that each individual willfully repents of sin, accepts the substitutionary payment of his own sin by faith in Christ's death and declares that Jesus is Lord (see John 3:14-18 and Acts 10:34-43).Believer's Baptism
The Open Brethren teach that baptism plays no role in salvation and, being properly performed only after salvation, is performed after a person professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is an outward expression that is symbolic of the inward cleansing or remission of their sins that has already taken place. It is also a public identification of that person with Christianity and with that particular local church. An individual is often considered a member of the assembly once they are baptized. Open Brethren emphasize baptism by full immersion. This mode is preferred for its parallel imagery to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Leadership
One of the most defining elements of the Open Brethren is the rejection of the concept of clergy. Rather, in keeping with the doctrine of the Priesthood of all believers, they view all Christians as being ordained by God to serve and are therefore ministers.
Generally, Open Brethren recognize two Scriptural offices, those of elder and deacon. The office of pastor, common in some evangelical churches, is usually considered to be the same as that of elder, and not a separate office. The office of overseer or bishop is always considered to be the same as that of elder or presbyter.
The prevalent view among Open Brethren is that these offices are limited to men only, following the model of Christ and His apostles and interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:12-14.
Neither of these roles are served with pay.
Elder
The Open Brethren believe in a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23; 15:6,23; 20:17; Philippians 1:1) - men meeting the Biblical qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9. This position is also taken in some Baptist churches, especially Reformed Baptists.
Deacon
The main role of the deacon is to assist the elders with members' needs. Deacons are usually chosen from members who have demonstrated exceptional Christian piety (see 1 Timothy 3:8-12).
Kerala Brethren
An important stream of the Open Brethren is the Kerala Brethren. Kerala is a small state in India, but has more than 500 Open or Plymouth Brethren Assemblies. Brethren members believe that these assemblies are the result of an independent movement of the Holy Spirit in India. Eventually the Plymouth Brethren and the Kerala Brethren recognized the similarities in both the movements and thus the Kerala Brethren came to be identified as a sub-set of the Open Brethren.
See also
External links
- BrethrenPedia - The Plymouth Brethren Wiki - Documenting the history of the plymouth brethren movement, one assembly at a time
- Brethren Assembly Portal
- Emmaus Bible College
- Kawartha Lakes Bible College
- Plymouth Brethren.Org
- Plymouth Brethren Discussion Forum
- BrethrenOnline.org
- SBS of Brethren
Sources
- Coad, Roy. "A History of the Brethren Movement", 1968
.* Number of assemblies as of 1993. Johnstone, Patrick. "Operation World", Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, Michigan (1993).
.** Bedell, Kenneth (ed.). "Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches 1993". Abingdon Press: Nashville, Tenn (1993).
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"Open Brethren"