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75-923: In 1946, the majority of the congregations of the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren in Christ to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church . Those congregations who did not participate in this merger are represented by the Evangelical Church of North America , along with the Evangelical Congregational Church , both of which continue the tradition of the Albright Brethren. The Evangelical Church

150-404: A German translation of Methodist Episcopal Church Book of Discipline, was introduced six years later. In 1816, the church took on the name "The Evangelical Association" at its first annual conference. It was not until 1839 that a bishop was elected to replace Albright. John Seybert was elected as part of the young denomination's move towards centralized leadership, and 1843 saw the institution of

225-523: A barn belonging to Isaac Long in Lancaster, Pennsylvania . Martin Boehm (1725–1812), a Mennonite preacher, spoke of his becoming a Christian through crying out to God while plowing in the field. Philip William Otterbein (1726–1813), a Reformed pastor at York, Pennsylvania , left his seat, embraced Boehm and said to him, "Wir sind Brüder (we are brethren)." The followers of Boehm and Otterbein formed

300-453: A derivative of episcopalianism known as connexional polity. It emphasizes essential interdependence through fellowship, consultation, government and oversight. Some Methodist churches have bishops , but those individuals are not nearly as powerful as in episcopal churches. Connexionalism is sometimes identified as an organization, while other times as relationship or theological principle. The United Methodist Church defines connection as

375-554: A general conference, composed of delegates chosen by the annual conferences and constituting the highest legislative and judicial authority in the church. By 1892, the association numbered 148,506 members, not including children, with 1,864 ministers and 2,043 churches, in the United States, Canada, and Germany. In 1891, some members of the Evangelical Association left in a controversy over the ownership of

450-650: A leader of an individual congregation; it may also be used as an honorific, particularly within the Holiness movement . Although a church's polity determines its ministers and discipline, it need not affect relations with other Christian organizations. The unity of a church is an essential doctrine of ecclesiology , but because the divisions between churches presuppose the absence of mutual authority, internal polity does not directly answer how these divisions are treated. For example, among churches of episcopal polity, different theories are expressed: A plurality of elders

525-571: A loose movement for many years. It spread to include German-speaking churches in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio. In 1800, they began a yearly conference. Thirteen ministers attended the first conference at the home of Peter Kemp in Frederick, Maryland . At that conference in 1800, they adopted a name, the United Brethren in Christ. Boehm and Otterbein, now in their 70s, were elected as bishops. The United Brethren Church claims to be

600-577: A mission district meets those requirements, it can apply for national conference status through this procedure: These are the current mission districts: (see also: other Protestant missionary societies in China during the 19th century ) The General Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, International, meets every three years. It is the highest governing body of the church, and

675-459: A mission district, and operated under the supervision of the Canadian national conference, organized as a national conference in 2019. Here is the total list of national conferences: In addition there are various mission districts. A mission district is a collection of churches in a country which are not yet organized into a national conference. Instead, those churches are under the supervision of

750-634: A national conference. For example, UB Global, the joint mission organization of the United Brethren churches in the United States and Canada, currently oversees a mission district in India and the two churches in Macau , while the Hong Kong Conference oversees the work in Thailand . Any mission district can seek status as a national conference if it meets and maintains the following criteria: If

825-484: A publishing house, national offices, and Huntington College . Wright served as bishop until 1905. Until 1946 two groups operated under the name Church of the United Brethren in Christ, distinguished by whether they were the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (Old Constitution) or the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (New Constitution) . Both claimed 1800 as their founding date, with heritage dating to 1767, and

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900-402: A single local church and is called the session or consistory ; its members are called elders . The minister of the church (sometimes referred to as a teaching elder ) is a member of and presides over the session; lay representatives ( ruling elders or, informally, just elders) are elected by the congregation. The session sends representatives to the next level higher council, called

975-828: A small group of members withdrew (primarily over a desire for a stronger stand on pacifism) to form one of the denominations known as the United Christian Church around the middle of the 19th century. In 1848 a small group withdrew to form the Republican United Brethren Church. They later merged with another small splinter group called the Reformed United Brethren Church to create the Evangelical United Brethren Association . The Evangelical United Brethren Association

1050-680: A strong stand against slavery in 1821. After 1837, slave owners were no longer allowed to remain as members of the United Brethren Church. In 1847, the United Brethren founded Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio , which continues today. In 1853, the Home, Frontier, and Foreign Missionary Society was organized. Expansion occurred into the western United States, but the church's stance against slavery limited expansion to

1125-656: A two-year effort to merge into the Missionary Church USA denomination. Although the California churches had strongly supported the initiatives of UBHope, a group which opposed joining with the Missionary Church, USA, and although many of the ideas ultimately adopted originated from UBHope, the California churches continued to disagree with the direction of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA. The smaller group of churches resulting from

1200-720: A wide variety of historical rights and honours which may cut across simple lines of authority. Episcopal polity is the predominant pattern in Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , Oriental Orthodox , and Anglican churches. It is common in some Methodist and Lutheran churches, as well as amongst some of the African-American Pentecostal traditions such as the Church of God in Christ and the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship . Many Methodist and Wesleyan churches use

1275-710: Is based on the local congregation . It continues today. In 1946, the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren in Christ at a meeting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania , to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church . This body, in turn, united with the Methodist Church (USA) in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church . A group of clergy and about fifty local churches withdrew at this time, probably in protest against theological and social liberalism in mainline American Methodism, and formed

1350-683: Is believed to have united with several other groups to form the Christian Union in 1864. In 1909 the Christian Union split into the Christian Union and the Churches of Christ in Christian Union . They are not to be confused with the Evangelical Association that later was known as the Evangelical Church, before merging to become The Evangelical United Brethren Church . The largest "branching" came in 1889 when

1425-492: Is composed of representatives from the various national conferences. Each national conference can send two delegates. The national conference of each country elects its own highest official (often called the bishop). These national conference officials make up an international Executive Committee. The Executive Committee meets annually to take care of business between sessions of the General Conference. The Church of

1500-547: Is considered desirable in some (esp. reformed) traditions, preferring two or more officers in the local church. The contrasts with singular models often found in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican churches, or the "pastor/president" system of some Protestant churches. This is commonly encouraged among Presbyterians , some Pentecostal churches, Churches of Christ , the Disciples of Christ , Baptists and

1575-541: Is paralleled by a system of deputies, who are lay and clerical representatives elected by parishes and, at the national level, by the dioceses. Legislation in the general convention requires the separate consent of the bishops and of the deputies. Congregational polity is historically reformed , like presbyterianism, but retains the autonomy (lit. self-rule) of the local church. Congregational churches dispense titles such as "Popes, Patriarchs, Cardinals, Arch-Bishops, Lord-Bishops, Arch-Deacons, Officials, Commissaries, and

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1650-460: Is part of the current Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The complete list of colleges surviving as independent entities, include: Ecclesiastical polity Ecclesiastical polity is the government of a church. There are local ( congregational ) forms of organization as well as denominational . A church's polity may describe its ministerial offices or an authority structure between churches. Polity relates closely to ecclesiology ,

1725-492: The Church Order of Dordrecht (1618/1619) will, in general, consider their levels of government "broader" rather than "higher" courts. Additionally, the reformed classis is a temporary, delegated body, so the minister is firstly a member of his congregation as opposed to the standing presbytery. The Episcopal Church in the United States of America arguably contains a kind of lay presbyterian polity. Governance by bishops

1800-399: The presbytery or classis . In some Presbyterian churches there are higher level councils ( synods or general assemblies ). Each council has authority over its constituents, and the representatives at each level are expected to use their own judgment. For example, each session approves and installs its own elders, and each presbytery approves the ministers serving within its territory and

1875-842: The Cambridge Platform , Savoy Declaration , Saybrook Platform and Second London Confession . As a "self-governed voluntary institution", it could be considered a type of religious anarchism . Other religious organizations, for example Seventh-day Adventist , Jehovah's Witnesses , the Salvation Army , and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), are unique. Some have hierarchies similar to an episcopal polity, but may be more complex, with additional levels. Leaders are not always called bishops , in some cases they have secular-like titles such as president or overseer . The term bishop may be used to describe functionaries in minor leadership roles, such as

1950-576: The Church of the United Brethren in Christ in a few years. He also studied with a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He became a member of a local Methodist study group and became a powerful preacher. The group authorized him as a lay preacher. Feeling that God had called him to ministry, he decided in 1796 to become a traveling preacher, following in the Methodist Episcopal Church pattern, preaching in homes, vacant buildings, and street corners. He wrote, "I began my travels in

2025-493: The Evangelical Church in 1946 to form a new denomination known as the Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB). This in turn merged in 1968 with The Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church (UMC). The Wright-led faction, The Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Old Constitution, continues today as the denomination of about 550 congregations, with 47,300 members in fifteen countries. The US National Conference consists of about 200 churches and 25,000 members in

2100-552: The Evangelical Church of North America . Church of the United Brethren in Christ The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination with churches in 17 countries. It is Protestant , with an episcopal structure and Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities of 18th-century Pennsylvania , as well as close ties to Methodism . It

2175-617: The Evangelical Church of North America . Later, because of international laws and legal requirements by Revenue Canada, the Canadian branch of the Evangelical Church of North America withdrew to form its own denomination. The Evangelical Church in Canada then merged with the Missionary Church of Canada to form the Evangelical Missionary Church in Canada. Fraternal ties between the Evangelical Church and

2250-570: The Freemasons , the proper way to modify the church's constitution, and other issues split the United Brethren into majority liberal and minority conservative blocs, the latter of which was led by Bishop Milton Wright (father of the Wright Brothers ). Both groups continued to use the name Church of the United Brethren in Christ . The majority faction, known as the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (New Constitution) , merged with

2325-842: The Mennonite Brethren in Christ . The Mennonite Brethren in Christ eventually contributed to the convergence of denominations of what is now the Missionary Church , USA, headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana . The remainder of the Wegner/Swank Brethren in Christ became the Pentecostal Brethren in Christ before becoming part of the Pilgrim Holiness Church , which merged to become part of the Wesleyan Church . In addition

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2400-683: The Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church (UMC). In Canada the more liberal United Brethren group after 1889 joined with the Congregationalists in 1906. The Congregationalists then joined with the Methodist Church and most of the Presbyterian Churches in Canada in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada . The more conservative United Brethren Church after 1889 continues to this day as

2475-405: The Missionary Church . The joining was tentatively scheduled to occur in 2005 but was defeated by a vote of the membership in 2004. This action, had it received a favorable vote, would have combined the United Brethren churches in the United States into the Missionary Church USA, so that all of those congregations would have become Missionary Church congregations. At the 2005 National Conference of

2550-711: The Moravian Church .) Although there was influence by Pietism and the Moravians on the founders of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, there is no direct organizational link. Likewise, there are no organizational connections with the Brethren denominations coming out of the German Brethren and Swiss Brethren movements, nor are there any connections with various Latter Day Saint groups that use "United Brethren" in their name. Known branches of

2625-672: The Protestant Reformation , reformers asserted that the New Testament prescribed an ecclesiastical government different from the episcopal polity maintained by the Catholic Church , and consequently different Protestant bodies organized into different types of polities. During this period Richard Hooker wrote Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity , the first volumes of which were published in 1594, to defend

2700-969: The United Brethren Church in Canada . When EUB churches in the United States entered the UMC in 1968, congregations in Central Canada merged with the United Church of Canada. In 1968, a number of the Evangelical United Brethren Churches in the US and Canada left the Evangelical United Brethren Church/United Methodist Church. Some rejoined the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, other denominations, or remained independent. Most joined to form

2775-403: The 1889 division became known as the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (Old Constitution) . Later, after the other Church of the United Brethren in Christ (New Constitution) changed names with its 1946 merger with the Evangelical Church, "Old Constitution" was dropped from the name. Today, they are often casually referred to as United Brethren (UB) or the United Brethren Church (UBC). In

2850-554: The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments , is the inspired Word of God; and that salvation is through faith, repentance and following after Christ. The church holds two ordinances: baptism and the Lord's supper . The church takes a neutral position on the observance of feet washing , stating, "the example of washing feet is left to the judgment of every one to practice or not...". For

2925-517: The Church of the United Brethren in Christ include several congregations led by United Brethren founder Martin Boehm . Initially known as River Brethren , they developed into several denominations, including the Brethren in Christ Church, Calvary Holiness Church , Old Order River Brethren/Yorker Brethren , and United Zion Church . While they were associated with the United Brethren during

3000-665: The Confession of Faith of 1815, as well as a set of seven Core Values adopted in 2001. The other international governing documents include a Constitution and By-Laws. The General Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, International, meets every three years. It is the highest governing body of the church, and is composed of representatives from the ten national conferences. Each national conference can send two delegates, usually its Bishop or General Superintendent and its Missions Director. The national conference of each country elects its own highest official (often called

3075-796: The Evangelical Missionary Church have been maintained. In 1981 a group of former Evangelical United Brethren churches in Pennsylvania separated from the Evangelical Church of North America over concerns regarding the ownership of congregational property. They established the Association of Evangelical Churches . The Association began an annual slate of ministry events with Family Camp in August 1982, and has since added Men's Retreat, Ministers' Retreat, Youth Retreat, and Ladies Retreat. In addition, its Board of Ministry trains, licenses, and ordains workers for ministry. The Association

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3150-630: The Greek word epískopos , which translates as overseer . In the Catholic Church, bishops have authority over the diocese , which is both sacramental and political; as well as performing ordinations , confirmations , and consecrations , the bishop supervises the clergy of the diocese and represents the diocese both secularly and in the hierarchy of church governance. Bishops may be subject to higher ranking bishops (variously called archbishops , metropolitans or patriarchs , depending upon

3225-768: The Reformed Church, pastoring a Reformed Church in Baltimore, Maryland from 1774 until his death in 1813. Martin Boehm was excluded by the Mennonites in 1775. He joined the Methodist Church in 1802, while remaining bishop of the United Brethren until his death in 1812. Francis Asbury , bishop of the Methodist Church in America, spoke at the memorial services of both of these United Brethren bishops. Otterbein had assisted in Asbury's ordination. The United Brethren took

3300-528: The United Brethren Church, USA significant changes were passed that initiated a major restructuring and refocusing of the denomination. The new organizational structure eliminated the multiple geographical "annual conferences" which had existed since 1810, and replaced them with smaller groupings, called "clusters", consisting of 5-10 churches and their senior pastors. Clusters were designed to better equip congregations and their leadership while building stronger relationships and accountability. The new structure did

3375-589: The United Brethren in Christ, USA is the United Brethren national conference for the United States. Its national offices are located in Huntington, Indiana. Led by an elected bishop, it is composed of clergy and lay representatives from US congregations and US-sponsored mission fields. The national conference meets every two years. On October 14, 2003, the Executive Leadership Team of the United Brethren Church, USA voted to pursue joining with

3450-408: The United States, plus mission districts in Haiti and India. The United States national office is located in Huntington, Indiana , as is the denomination's only college, Huntington University . Though the church was not organized until 1800, its roots reach back to 1767. In May of that year, a Great Meeting (part of the interdenominational revival movement the First Great Awakening ) was held at

3525-404: The United States, there are churches in Canada, Costa Rica , El Salvador , Guatemala , Haiti , Honduras , Hong Kong , India, Jamaica , Liberia, Macau , Mexico, Nicaragua , Sierra Leone , France, and Thailand . Since its beginning in the 18th century, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ founded 34 colleges, seminaries, and academies in the United States. Only Huntington University

3600-487: The bishop). These national conference officials make up an international Executive Committee. The Executive Committee meets annually, usually electronically, to take care of business between sessions of the General Conference. Canadian Bishop Brian Magnus is the current chair of the United Brethren International Executive Committee. The Church of the United Brethren in Christ, International currently consists of ten self-governing national conferences. Seven of them existed when

3675-436: The changes that led to the division of 1889 – local conferences have proportional representation at General Conference, and half of the delegates are laypersons. The present church contends that unlike in 1889, these changes were adopted constitutionally, by near consensus. The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is a conservative Trinitarian body of Christians that hold the deity, humanity, and atonement of Jesus ; that

3750-424: The changes violated the Constitution because they were not made by a 2/3 majority of all church members. Milton Wright (the father of aviation pioneers Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright ) was the only one of the church's six bishops to side with the minority. He and 13 other conference delegates left the meeting and resumed the session at the York Opera House. Arguing that based upon church constitution requirements

3825-440: The church generally ranges from two (elder & deacon) to four (pastor, teacher, ruling elder & deacon) in congregational churches. Churches with congregational polity include Congregationalists , Baptists , Quakers and much of Non-denominational Christianity . Congregational polity is sometimes called Baptist polity because of the relative prevalence of Baptists. Historic statements of congregational polity include

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3900-439: The churches to form the United Evangelical Church . Thirty-one years later, in 1923, the two groups reunited under the name "The Evangelical Church". Those congregations which chose not to re-unite formed the Evangelical Congregational Church which, despite its name, has no historical relation with the Congregational churches derived from New England settlement. Rather, the name refers to its organizational structure , which

3975-451: The connections between those ministers and particular congregations. Hence higher level councils act as courts of appeal for church trials and disputes, and it is not uncommon to see rulings and decisions overturned. Presbyterian polity and the Presbyterian tradition are not identical. Continental reformed churches (e.g. Dutch ) can also be described as presbyterian, with a few key differences. Continental churches that historically follow

4050-447: The consensus process for amending the Constitution at the time made it difficult to amend; amendments required a 2/3 majority of all church members. However, the denomination believed these changes were necessary for the good of the church, and chose to enact them without this near consensus at the 1889 General Conference, held in York, Pennsylvania . They also adopted a new Confession of Faith. A minority, mostly conservative faction felt

4125-449: The early decades, they never joined when the movement formalized into a denomination. During the 19th century, John Swank and a small number of supporters left the United Brethren Church. They joined with a small faction that had broken from the larger Brethren in Christ Church. Led by John Wegner, this group was also known by the name " Brethren in Christ ". Part of this group, led by John Swank, later broke off and merged to become part of

4200-414: The first denomination to actually begin in the United States, rather than be transplanted from Europe. A Confession of Faith was adopted in 1815 (similar to one written by Otterbein in 1789), and it has remained the statement of church doctrine to the present. In 1841, they adopted a Constitution. It has remained mostly intact, being changed perhaps a dozen times. William Otterbein retained a connection with

4275-419: The first several decades the Church of the United Brethren in Christ was loosely organized, and known simply as the United Brethren Church. When they officially organized into a denomination they adopted the name "Church of the United Brethren in Christ" in order to avoid confusion with the Unitas Fratrum (Unity of the Brethren), or as it more commonly was called in English, the United Brethren (also known as

4350-542: The following: The covenant must be signed by each church and reciprocally signed by the bishop. If a church chooses not to sign the covenant, they are basically withdrawing from the denomination. The covenant, as most recently revised, includes these points: The total number of United Brethren churches is 600, with a membership of 47,300. In 2017, membership in the United States was around 20,000 in 180 congregations. The majority of United Brethren churches are located in Pennsylvania , Ohio , Indiana , and Michigan . Outside

4425-428: The international structure was adopted in 2001. Two more conferences, Mexico and the Philippines , were accepted as part of the denomination in 2005, and the U.B. churches in Guatemala became the tenth national conference in 2010. The Philippines National Conference was removed from membership by the 2017 General Conference. A group of nearly 30 churches in Haiti, which had affiliated with the United Brethren in 2000 as

4500-404: The late 1980s through the early 21st century, a need to comply with changing international laws resulted in the creation of a number of self-governing United Brethren "national conferences," organized by country. These independent national denominations covenanted together to create an interdependent body called the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, International. They must all agree to follow

4575-458: The like". The congregation has its being without any ministers and is enabled to elect and install its own officers. Ordination may involve officers of other churches, especially when the church participates in a local vicinage , association , or convention. Broader assemblies formed by delegates from congregationally governed churches (e.g. the Southern Baptist Convention ) do not have power to rule their constituents. The number of offices in

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4650-449: The main body divided into two groups. The larger group embraced a new constitution while the smaller group retained the original constitution. The larger group was known as the Church of the United Brethren in Christ or, later, The United Brethren Church (UB). In 1946 the United Brethren Church merged with the Evangelical Church to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB). In 1968 the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged with

4725-419: The majority faction had effectively withdrawn from the denomination, they declared themselves to be the true United Brethren Church. However, most of the congregations that sided with Wright lost their property. Wright led this group— comprising 10,000 to 15,000 constituents—in those early years as they reorganized. A new headquarters began taking shape in 1897 in Huntington, Indiana , with the establishment of

4800-407: The newly organized, unnamed church held its first annual conference, the church had 220 members. Here Albright was elected bishop. He also assigned preachers and did what business was needed. The Conference also adopted the episcopal form of government, articles of faith, and a book of discipline. Albright was asked to prepare a Book of Discipline. Albright died in 1808. A Book of Discipline, based on

4875-578: The polity of the Church of England against Puritan objections. It is from the title of this work that the term ecclesiastical polity may have originated. With respect to ecclesiology , Hooker preferred the term polity to government as the former term "containeth both [the] government and also whatsoever besides belongeth to the ordering of the Church in public." There are four general types of polity: episcopal , connexional , presbyterian , and congregational . Churches having episcopal polity are governed by bishops . The title bishop comes from

4950-404: The principle that "all leaders and congregations are connected in a network of loyalties and commitments that support, yet supersede, local concerns." A minority of Methodist denominations use another non-connexional form of government, such as the Congregational Methodist Church . Many Reformed churches are governed by a hierarchy of councils (or courts ). The lowest level council governs

5025-409: The same history up to 1889. In 1946, the larger New Constitution United Brethren church merged with the Evangelical Association to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church . That body in turn merged with The Methodist Church (USA) in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church . The present United Brethren Church is descended from the Old Constitution faction. This group eventually adopted two of

5100-422: The south. By 1889, the United Brethren had grown to over 200,000 members with six bishops. In that same year they experienced a division. Denominational leaders desired to make three changes: to give local conferences proportional representation at the General Conference; to allow laymen to serve as delegates to General Conference; and to allow United Brethren members to hold membership in secret societies. However,

5175-442: The theological study of the church. Questions of church government were documented early on in the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles and "theological debate about the nature, location, and exercise of authority, in the church" has been ongoing ever since. The first act recorded after the Ascension of Jesus Christ was the election of Saint Matthias as one of the Twelve Apostles , to replace Judas Iscariot . During

5250-558: The tradition; see article Bishop ) They also meet in councils or synods . These synods, subject to precedency by higher ranking bishops, may govern the dioceses which are represented in the council, though the synod may also be purely advisory. In episcopal polity, presbyter (elder) refers to a priest . Churches governed by episcopacy do not simply adhere to a chain of command . Instead, some authority may be held by synods and colleges of bishops, and other authority by lay and clerical councils. Patterns of authority are subject to

5325-603: The year 1776 in the month of October in order to obey the call of God in proclaiming his holy way as revealed in the Gospel." He began speaking across eastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and Virginia, and organizing small groups. At some point Albright asked Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Francis Asbury to appoint a German-speaking ordained minister to serve his German-speaking groups with baptisms and communion. Bishop Asbury turned him down. By 1800 he had three groups with about 20 members, and by 1803 he had five groups with 40. Albright had never given any indication that he

5400-649: Was a member of the Christian Holiness Partnership . Four chairmen have served the Association since its inception: Rev. Evans Mitchell 1982–1986; Rev. Gary Lyons 1986–1998; Rev. James Nelson 1998–2006; and Rev. Allen Young since 2006. All but one of the churches of California Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA, withdrew from the denomination during the fall of 2005 and started their own group, called United Believers in Christ . The denomination had just gone through

5475-566: Was founded in 1800 by Jacob Albright (1759–1808), a German-speaking Christian native of the Lancaster , Pennsylvania , area, influenced by John Wesley and the Methodist Episcopal Church and by followers of Philip William Otterbein . In 1790, several of his children died of dysentery. Although a member of a German Lutheran church, he asked a friend of Otterbein to conduct the funeral. Impressed, he began daily studies with another member of Otterbein's group, which became

5550-526: Was interested in forming a new organization or church, but in 1803, at the insistence of the leaders of his classes, he called a general meeting of the lay leaders and preachers for November 1803. Besides himself, two preachers and 14 lay leaders attended. The group drew up a license and the two pastors ordained Albright. The group wrote a brief statement of faith. In 1806, a major revival movement spread throughout eastern Pennsylvania, affecting many religious groups. Albright's followers grew greatly. By 1807, when

5625-516: Was organized in 1800 by Martin Boehm and Philip William Otterbein and is the first American denomination that was not transplanted from Europe. It emerged from United Brethren churches that were at first unorganized, and not all of which joined this church when it was formally organized in 1800, following a 1789 conference at the Otterbein Church (Baltimore, Maryland) . In 1889, a controversy over membership in secret societies such as

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