Brethren

The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. The title, "The Brethren," is one that many of their number are comfortable with, in that the Bible designates all believers as, "brethren." Christians meeting in so-called, "Brethren assemblies," are commonly perceived as being divided into two branches, the "Open Brethren" and the "Exclusive Brethren."

History

The Plymouth Brethren movement began in Dublin in around 1827 and soon spread to mainland Britain. The first English assembly was in Plymouth where the movement became well known. The diffusion of brethren assemblies occurred throughout Europe and beyond.Assemblies were also formed through Leonard Strong on New Testament principles in British Guiana among the slaves, circa 1836.Those involved in this return to the simplicity of New Testament church principles were, in the beginning, largely unknown to one another, with no direct contact between the various groups.

The two main but conflicting aspirations of the movement were to create a holy and pure fellowship on one hand and to allow all Christians into fellowship on the other. The first aspiration arose from the abandonment or distortion of many of the ancient traditions ofChristendom by the established Church of England, the second from the extreme sectarianism of dissenters, and from the beginning, the emphasis was on meeting together only in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, without reference to denominational differences. Early meetings included Christians from a variety of denominations. The general feeling of dissatisfaction toward the existing church gatherings also led to the formation of the "Oxford Movement," "Irvingism" and other Christian movements of the time.

In Dublin, more than one group of believers met separately around 1827 and for some time were unknown to each other. They were dubbed, "brethren," because of their practice of calling each other, "brother," instead of the titles favored by the mainstream denominations. The first meeting in England was established in December 1831,in Plymouth, primarily by George Wigram, Benjamin Wills Newton and John Nelson Darby. The movement soon spread throughout the UK, and by 1845, the assembly in Plymouth had over 1,000 in fellowship. These became known as, "The brethren from Plymouth," and were soon simply called the "Plymouth Brethren." The term, "Darbyites," has also been used, although it is uncommon and refers mainly to the "Exclusive" branch. Many within the movement refuse to accept any name other than "Christian."

The movement gained rapid popularity and spread worldwide. However, divergence of practice and belief led to the development of two separate branches of the movement in 1848 and despite the disparate nature of the movement, assemblies are still often generalized into two main categories: "Open Brethren" and "Exclusive Brethren."

While it can be argued that numbers of Brethren have been in decline in the UK since the 1950s, others can argue that assemblies with more progressive approaches have prospered. A blurring of distinctions between assemblies and other non-denominational and house church congregations has occurred as some groups abandon certain principles such as salaried ministry and women's silence.Others have maintained these distinctive principles while updating many traditions and practices, while yet others continue in much the same way as they have for the most part of the 20th Century. The main concentrations of more traditional assemblies in the UK today can be found in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Northern England and parts of the South of England, like Hampshire.