Brethren History

The History of the Brethren Assemblies Worldwide 

Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith”. Hebrews 13:7 (NIV)

The following is a short summary of how Brethren assemblies started in Europe and spread to many parts of the world. Historians record that by 1900, there had been at least 8 different Christian groups that held the name ‘Brethren’, as listed below:

The group we are part of is called the Plymouth Brethren. Our founder fathers did not choose this name. They simply wanted to be known as Christians, but it is the historians who started calling them the Plymouth Brethren. In different places they might be known by different names, such as the Assemblies, Gospel Hall, Bible Chapel, Exclusive group, Open group etc.

The name ‘Plymouth Brethren’ makes people wrongly conclude that the Brethren movement started in Plymouth (a city in England). In fact, the Brethren movement started in Dublin, Ireland in 1825. Since Plymouth became a major centre of Brethren activities in 1830s, historians started calling them ‘the Brethren from Plymouth’.

The Plymouth Brethren has no connection with any other groups mentioned above. To know more about the above churches please go to www.cob-net.org/docs/groups.htm.

THE HISTORY

The history of the Brethren movement starts in Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Edward Cronin came to Dublin as a medical student and got saved while he was there. He was happily received as a visitor in many of the Independent churches for communion. But when he decided to stay in Dublin permanently, he was asked to apply for a ‘special membership’ in one of the churches. Because he understood that he was already a member of the body of Christ (Universal Church), he didn’t want to apply for the special membership. Finally, one of the churches, of which Rev. William Cooper was the pastor, publicly excommunicated this young student from all the independent churches. A deacon of this church, Mr. Edward Wilson, disagreed with Cooper’s decision and joined Dr. Cronin. In 1825, these two men gathered in Mr. Wilson’s house for breaking of bread, believing the promise of the Lord Jesus that where two or three are gathered in His name He is there. This was the first time when two believers broke bread without the blessing of a priest. This was the first Brethren gathering. Soon this group started growing. In 1827, F. Hutchinson, J.N Darby and John G. Bellet joined them. John Nelson Darby was the most influential among them who travelled extensively preaching and establishing Brethren assemblies worldwide.

By 1830, Brethren movement spread to England too, and many assemblies started. One such place was Plymouth, where a meeting started at Ebrington Street by Benjamin Wills Newton. By 1845, there were 1200 people in the Ebrington Street Assembly. George Muller (famous for his orphanages) was another Brethren leader who went to Bristol, England and began working at the Bethesda Chapel in 1832.

THE FIRST DIVISION

Darby was ministering elsewhere most of the time, but early in 1845 it was brought to his attention that all was not well in the Plymouth Ebrington Street Assembly. Upon examination it was evident that Newton had been attempting to establish his large group as an independent church with himself as a pastor. This was shocking. To further complicate the matter, Newton came out in open, expressing disdain for Darby’s dispensationalism and distinction between Israel and the church. Darby confronted Newton with many debates and writing papers. Finally, in 1847 Darby and a few others withdrew from the Plymouth Ebrington Assembly. Most Brethren assemblies in England rejected Newton’s teachings and separated themselves from his assembly. When a few people left Newton’s assembly and wanted to join Muller’s Bethesda assembly in Bristol, Darby objected to this, fearing that this would open Bethesda to doctrinal contamination. But Muller had no problem in accepting people from Newton’s assembly. This created a big controversy, and is called the ‘Bethesda Question’ (1848). In this issue, those who sided with Mr. Muller and Bethesda became known as ‘Open Brethren’, while those who sided with Mr. Darby and against Bethesda became known as ‘Exclusive Brethren’.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF JOHN NELSON DARBY

J. N. Darby was the most influential among the Brethren leaders. He is considered to be the greatest Christian teacher that ever lived since the Apostle Paul. To spread the Brethren doctrines, he travelled extensively from 1832 to 1845 and visited Germany, France, Italy, New Zealand, Caribbean Islands, Canada and USA. He established 1400 assemblies. His writings have been gathered in 44 volumes. He translated the entire Bible into English, French and German and the New Testament to Italian. He was a prophetic scholar. His most significant theological contributions are the following doctrines:

1. Difference between the church and Israel
2. Dispensationalism
3. Imminent and pre-tribulational rapture.
4. Futurist interpretation of the book of Revelation

Until Darby’s time, most Christian denominations taught that the church was the continuation of Israel, which gave them the ground to justify the priestly system in the church. Darby taught that Church is not the continuation of Israel, but a new body built on the day of Pentecost (Matthew 16:18). Some others believed that church replaced Israel and now Israel has no place in God’s plan (known as the Replacement Theology). Darby explained that the church hasn’t replaced Israel. Israel has still place in God’s plan. At present, the Nation of Israel is going through a partial hardening (Romans 11:25), and when the church is raptured from the earth, God’s attention will be back on Israel again (during the tribulation period and thereafter). Essentially the church is now between the 69 th and the 70 th week of Daniel chapter 9.

Darby also taught that God deals with people differently in different dispensations (ages). Now we are in the Dispensation of Church/Grace. The church will be taken out of the world before the Dispensation of Tribulation. He taught that chapters 6-22 of Revelation deserves futurist interpretation, meaning the things mentioned there are actually going to happen in future after the rapture of the church, such as the rise of the Antichrist, Armageddon war, millennial kingdom of Christ etc. are going to take place literally.

RESTORATION OF THE FIRST CENTURY CHURCH PRACTICES

The leaders of the Brethren movement were particular in going back to the church pattern of the first century. They rediscovered the following truth from the Bible:

1. Breaking of bread on every Sunday. Acts 20:7
2. Unstructured and non-liturgical meetings 1 Cor 14:26
3. Lack of clergy/laity distinction 1 Pet 2:5
4. Ministry based upon the call of God rather than the ordination of men Eph 4:11-12

THE ORIGIN OF ASSEMBLIES IN CANADA

The first brethren preacher who came to Ontario (in 1845) was Joseph M. Scriven, who wrote the much-loved hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” He preached on the streets of Bewdley around the 1860s, a village near Port Hope on Lake Ontario, where his grave can be seen. As new immigrants started coming from Britain to Canada in the mid-1860s, some of them began to meet in small groups in Brethren pattern as they used to do in their homeland. Thus, Brethren assemblies started in Canada. John Nelson Darby’s visits also strengthened the assemblies in Canada. He made at least 5 missionary journeys to North America between 1862 and 1877. He worked mostly in New England, Ontario, and the Great Lakes region.

In 1871 Donald Munro came from Scotland and visited his family in south-western Canada where he spread the Gospel and a number of people were saved. Because of his ministry, many assemblies were established, such as Parkhill Assembly, Forest Assembly, and Lakeshore Gospel Hall. The Parkhill Assembly was the first ‘open’ brethren assembly in Canada, established in 1872.

After this initial work, Donald Munro helped spread the Gospel in various areas between southwestern Ontario and Toronto, and assemblies such as Clyde Assembly, Valens Assembly, and Galt Assembly were started. About this time (1874) Donald Munro also preached in Hamilton, where along with many others, T.D.W. Muir was saved as a young man of nineteen years, and who became a strong evangelist spreading the Gospel in many localities and planting new assemblies. Because of his ministry was established the McNab Street Gospel Hall in Hamilton (now West Fifth Bible Chapel).

When Donald Munro came to Toronto in 1875, he stayed with John Ironside (father to Harry Ironside, a renowned Bible teacher). Together they attended Elizabeth Street Hall, an assembly which had been planted by a man named Mr. McKenzie. Donald Munro had meetings here for 3 weeks in 1879. In 1886 he moved to Toronto as an evangelist and worked spreading the Gospel in the city. One of the early outreaches was in a tent on Yonge Street where he preached with T.D.W. Muir.

Brock Street Temperance Hall (eventually renamed Farley Avenue Hall, and then Central Gospel Hall) was where Donald Munro fellowshipped. In time, the Christians there wanted to start an assembly in the east end of Toronto, so Donald Munro had Bible studies, and as a consequence Broadview Gospel Hall began in 1891, moving to the current location in 1901. In a similar way, Brock Gospel Hall in the west end of Toronto was started in 1892 after meetings a brother named John Brimason held. These three Gospel Halls were the main assemblies in Toronto at that time, and united together for the first united Toronto Conference in 1894.

BRETHREN MOVEMENT IN INDIA (SPECIFICALLY KERALA)

Anthony Norris Groves, a Brethren missionary from Dublin, came to Andhra Pradesh, India in 1833. He established several churches in Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. One of Anthony’s disciples John Arulappan, a native missionary from Tamilnadu, came to Kerala and conducted numerous revival meetings. The second wave of great revival started in Kerala by the arrival of Tamil David in 1894. Tamil David’s message influenced a Marthoma priest from Kumbanadu, Rev. P.E. Mamman (known as Kumbanattachan) and he got saved in 1895. In 1898 he learned about baptism from missionary J.G. Gregson and then got baptized by another missionary Handley Bird. P.E. Mamman learned about breaking of bread from Handley Bird. Soon he left his high position in Marthoma church and on 19 March, 1899 with three other brethren (Kuttiyil Mathai, P.C. John and P.C.Chacko), he started a Brethren gathering in Kumbanadu. This was the first native Brethren gathering in Kerala. (Though 2 years earlier (in 1897), another Brethren missionary V. Nagel had started a Brethren assembly in Kunnamkulam, Thrissur, with breaking of bread. But what happened in Kumbanadu was the first native gathering, without the presence of a foreign missionary).

Four prominent people in the early Brethren history of Kerala are: two foreign missionaries V. Nagel and E. H. Noel and two native people P. E. Mamman and Mahakavi (Great Poet) K.V. Simon.

PRACTICES OF OUR FOREFATHERS IN KERALA, SHOWING ‘SEPARATION’ (‘VERPADU’) AND SIMPLE LIFE STYLE:

Brethren forefathers in Kerala (India) wanted to lead a simple and separated life because of their Christian faith. For this reason, they said ‘No’ to many worldly temptations, including the following:

1. No extra-biblical elements in the worship services
2. No worldly entertainment in daily life
3. No special day celebration
4. No extravagant marriages
5. No fancy clothes
6. No ornaments – 1 Tim 2: 9-10

CRITICISM

The Brethren movement has a glorious beginning, but there are a few things that historians point out against us. The following are the main flaws:

1. Since Brethren are strong in the Biblical teachings, they serve mainly believers, ignoring evangelization.
2. They split frequently because of the autonomous structure of their assemblies.

The Brethren are remarkable people for rightly dividing the Word of Truth and wrongly dividing themselves”. – Dr. Griffith Thomas

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BRETHREN HISTORY, ASSEMBLIES AND DOCTRINE

Please visit the following websites to get more information about the Plymouth Brethren:www.brethrenonline.org
www.mybrethren.org

Brethren movement is the story of how God used ordinary people to restore the first century church principles in our time. May we do our part to pass on these truths to the next generation!