Home | Brethren Heritage Center | Brookville, Ohio

Preserving

Brethren Historical Materials

for Future Generations

Mission, Vision
& Commitment

Exhibits, Authors,
Presentations & More

Volunteer,
Participate & Donate

A Vital Brethren Archive and Genealogy Resource

The Brethren Heritage Center (BHC) has an extensive research library as well as an in-house and online bookstore. Visitors are welcome to use our large conference table and comfortable chairs to do their historical and genealogical research. Assistance in finding materials is always available.

Serving Christ by preserving and sharing our heritage

Our Events

The Brethren Heritage Center regularly sponsors events onsite with a variety of speakers and programs. Future programs will permit participants who cannot be physically present with us to join via Zoom computer software. Just watch for a “ZOOM” link when you see a program you would like to join.

Please check back regularly for updates on upcoming programs.
We also would welcome your suggestions for programs and speakers.

Support Us

Make a donation online using PayPal with your credit card.

Denominations

There are traditions and values that The Brethren Church has that shape our identity, our understanding of God, and our practices. This “Brethren Life” is fundamental to our way of being God’s Church in the world. The Brethren movement was born in Germany in 1708 out of the Anabaptist and Radical Pietist reform movements of the 16th through the 18th centuries. To be “Brethren” is to recognize that God has made us “brothers and sisters” of one another; such a belief marks our fundamentally relational nature as a church (Heb. 2:9-11). Some of our most basic Brethren practices are Trine Immersion Believer Baptism and Threefold Communion (which includes the Lord’s Supper or Love Feast, the Eucharist, and the Service of Feetwashing). We refer to these practices as “ordinances;” that is, those practices that the Church was “ordered” to do in the New Testament. Other ordinances the Brethren hold include confirmation by the laying on of hands and anointing the sick with oil.

We maintain a commitment to making decisions through the difficult, yet worthwhile, process of consensus. We also hold to the non-creedal position that marks The Brethren Church. Rather than a creed, we attempt to be faithful to “the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible" as we live out our lives of Christian discipleship. We do this knowing that this book is best understood within the context of Spirit-led Christian community.

There are also historically Brethren values, drawn from the Bible, that are no longer universally held by Brethren, such as non-resistance, non-swearing of oaths, and non-conformity to the world. Although we may not agree on how to apply these values, we do take them seriously and support the practice of these disciplines by our brothers and sisters. We celebrate our Brethren history and heritage, and seek to promote our unique way of following the Lord, which we believe is one of our great strengths, and a gift for both the world and us.

We recognize that our Brethren Life is played out in many different contexts, not only in North America, but also throughout the world. We promote a contextual application of our Brethren identity that is sensitive to issues of culture, gender, class, race, language, and age. We don’t easily give up our traditions or practices, even as we seek to adapt them for the place and time our congregations and members find themselves. We attempt to translate our traditions into the idioms and needs of the day.

The Conservative Grace Brethren Churches, International is a fellowship of autonomous churches who cooperate together to fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord, Jesus Christ, as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20 of the Bible. These churches base their cooperation on commonly held biblical beliefs as stated in the CGBCI statement of faith. Our desire is to practice these beliefs in harmony with the historic Grace Brethren position forged from the Anabaptist tradition.

The Dunkard Brethren Church is comprised of congregations organized in four districts extending from Eastern Pennsylvania to California. Cross-cultural missions are carried on among the Navajo Indians in New Mexico. The mission in Kenya, East Africa is the major overseas mission work of the Dunkard Brethren Church. Dunkard Brethren missionaries also work in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Nepal and other countries through a network of Anabaptist mission endeavors. In the modern scene, Dunkard Brethren Churches offer the opportunity to worship the Lord Jesus in simplicity and conformity to biblical truth. The Brethren take separation from the world seriously. They have a sense of community and regard for fellow believers that promotes true brotherhood. Sound Bible-based preaching and teaching help the congregations grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Brethren believe people need the gospel and they also often need physical and material help to deal with their problems. Supplying such needs in Christ’s name is doing church His way.

The ultraconservative branch of the 19th century Brethren heritage with historical roots in the Brethren Old Order movement of the late 19th century. Among themselves OGBB have consistently sought a balanced lifestyle between traditionalism and acculturation. They stress the need for repentance, public confession, the literal interpretation of scripture and a life of righteousness. They stress salvation by grace, faith and a life of obedient works. Their ordinance include baptism, feet washing, the love feast meal, communion, the holy kiss and the anointing of the sick.

Beliefs are centered in the power of the Spirit of God, our calling is to live and preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, centering upon the person and work of the Savior and the teachings of His kingdom. We believe the Holy Spirit will use this message to convict the hearts of men, calling them to repentance, salvation, holiness of life, loving obedience to His Word, and unity of faith. He will, through the diversity of gifts given to the church, gently feed, instruct, and discipline, that every man may be presented perfect in Christ. The lives of transformed saints living in a humble, closely-knit fellowship of believers will clearly display to a watching world the person of Jesus Christ as King, Redeemer and Judge of all.

There are traditions and values that The Brethren Church has that shape our identity, our understanding of God, and our practices. This “Brethren Life” is fundamental to our way of being God’s Church in the world. The Brethren movement was born in Germany in 1708 out of the Anabaptist and Radical Pietist reform movements of the 16th through the 18th centuries. To be “Brethren” is to recognize that God has made us “brothers and sisters” of one another; such a belief marks our fundamentally relational nature as a church (Heb. 2:9-11). Some of our most basic Brethren practices are Trine Immersion Believer Baptism and Threefold Communion (which includes the Lord’s Supper or Love Feast, the Eucharist, and the Service of Feetwashing). We refer to these practices as “ordinances;” that is, those practices that the Church was “ordered” to do in the New Testament. Other ordinances the Brethren hold include confirmation by the laying on of hands and anointing the sick with oil.

We maintain a commitment to making decisions through the difficult, yet worthwhile, process of consensus. We also hold to the non-creedal position that marks The Brethren Church. Rather than a creed, we attempt to be faithful to “the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible" as we live out our lives of Christian discipleship. We do this knowing that this book is best understood within the context of Spirit-led Christian community.

There are also historically Brethren values, drawn from the Bible, that are no longer universally held by Brethren, such as non-resistance, non-swearing of oaths, and non-conformity to the world. Although we may not agree on how to apply these values, we do take them seriously and support the practice of these disciplines by our brothers and sisters. We celebrate our Brethren history and heritage, and seek to promote our unique way of following the Lord, which we believe is one of our great strengths, and a gift for both the world and us.

We recognize that our Brethren Life is played out in many different contexts, not only in North America, but also throughout the world. We promote a contextual application of our Brethren identity that is sensitive to issues of culture, gender, class, race, language, and age. We don’t easily give up our traditions or practices, even as we seek to adapt them for the place and time our congregations and members find themselves. We attempt to translate our traditions into the idioms and needs of the day.