The Plymouth Brethren

Open Brethren, Exclusive Brethren, the Churches of God and the Local Churches: believers who left the clergy behind in the 1820s and met on the first day of the week to break bread as disciples, and who then divided over who may sit at the table.

Christian Missions in Many Lands (CMML, a service agency of Open Brethren assemblies), What We Believe: Statement of Faith (approved by its Board of Directors, 2021)

Christian Missions in Many Lands (CMML), Our History

Truth & Tidings (a magazine of Open Brethren assemblies), "Question & Answer Forum: The Breaking of Bread" (January 2014)

Truth & Tidings, "The Continuance of Assembly Testimony in the 21st Century (3)"

Open Brethren (Wikipedia; used for facts and practice only, never for their own words)

J. N. Darby, Considerations on the Nature and Unity of the Church of Christ (Dublin, 1828), STEM Publishing

J. N. Darby, The Notion of a Clergyman, dispensationally the sin against the Holy Ghost, STEM Publishing

J. N. Darby, In reply to some questions on the Lord's Supper, STEM Publishing

J. N. Darby, Is the coming of Christ for His saints the proper hope of the Church?, STEM Publishing

J. G. Bellett, Early Days of Brethren (letter to James Kennan), Brethren Archive

J. N. Darby, The Bethesda Circular (August 1848; abridged text)

Bernard Doherty and Steve Knowles, "Plymouth Brethren Christian Church," Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements (Cambridge, 2021)

Credo and Protestant Reformed Churches (CPRC), "Dispensationalism, J. N. Darby and Powerscourt"

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, home page

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Our beliefs

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Any questions?

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Our history

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Dining

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Technology and entertainment

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, Politics and voting

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (Wikipedia; facts only)

Neil T. R. Dickson, "The Exclusive Brethren in Scotland: A Historical Overview, 1838-2018," Journal of CESNUR 5.2 (2021)

Churches of God in the Fellowship of the Son of God, About the Churches of God

Needed Truth Brethren (Wikipedia; facts only)

The Local Churches (localchurches.org), home page and Frequently Asked Questions

The Local Churches, Our Beliefs

The Local Churches, Our Standing

The Local Churches, Our Hope

The Local Churches, Concerning Salvation

The Local Churches, Concerning the Church Life

The Local Churches, Concerning the Recovery

Living Stream Ministry, Statement of Faith

An Open Letter from the Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry, "ETS 2015: 'In Life and Nature but Not in the Godhead'" (a paper on Witness Lee's teaching)

Watchman Nee (Wikipedia; facts only)

Witness Lee (Wikipedia; facts only)

The Brethren began as a protest against the clergy and the denominations, and within twenty years they were divided over a question about the table. A young Church of Ireland priest, John Nelson Darby, left his curacy in 1827. In Dublin a handful of friends, among them Anthony Norris Groves, John Gifford Bellett, Edward Cronin and Francis Hutchinson, began to break bread together without a minister. Darby's teaching on the church and the Lord's return spread the movement. In 1848 a quarrel over how to receive believers from a rival Plymouth meeting divided it into the Open and the Exclusive Brethren, and further divisions followed.

Darby leaves the Church of Ireland

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says that "In 1825 Darby was ordained as a deacon of the established Church of Ireland and the following year as a priest." It adds that he "broke with the established church in Ireland in 1827 and broke bread with those close to him following deep spiritual exercise." J. G. Bellett, who knew him, says Darby was then "in Co. Wicklow as a clergyman."

Darby's first tract

Darby's Considerations on the Nature and Unity of the Church of Christ was printed at Dublin in 1828. In it he argued that no denominational name can be a ground of Christian unity: "what are called communions are (as to the mind of the Lord about His church) disunion."

Groves: come together as disciples

Bellett's letter recalls that Groves, a Devonshire dentist then in Dublin who preached in Poolbeg Street at the close of 1828, said to him one day while they walked: "we should come together in all simplicity as disciples, not waiting on any minister, but trusting that the Lord would edify us together by ministering as He pleased and saw good from the midst of ourselves." This is the principle of the open meeting. The sentence is Groves' as Bellett reports it, not a quotation from a minute.

The Fitzwilliam Square room

Bellett writes that "In November, 1829, F. Hutchinson was quite prepared for communion in the name of the Lord with all who loved Him in sincerity, and proposed to have a room in his house in Fitzwilliam Square for that purpose." In May 1830 the group moved to a large room in Aungier Street, "purposing to let the Lord's Table become more of a witness."

The name "Plymouth Brethren"

By 1829, in the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church's account, "the first permanent meetings had been formed, and the participants adopted the name 'Plymouth Brethren' as some of the founding teachers hailed from Plymouth, Southern England."

The Powerscourt conferences

Three conferences on the last things were held at Powerscourt, a mansion in County Wicklow, in 1831, 1832 and 1833. The Credo and Protestant Reformed Churches' account says they were "highly significant conferences in the history of dispensationalism" and that Darby "proclaimed and defended his end-times theories" there.

Bethesda and the division

In 1848 Darby broke fellowship with Bethesda Chapel, Bristol, where George Müller and Henry Craik had received believers from the Plymouth meeting of B. W. Newton, whose teaching on Christ Darby judged false. His circular says of the matter that it "has been formally and deliberately admitted at Bethesda under the plea of not investigating it." Those who followed him are the Exclusive Brethren. Those who stayed with Müller are the Open Brethren.

Needed Truth and the Churches of God

In 1888 leaders concerned about loose practices among Open Brethren assemblies, including "the receiving of unbaptized believers to the Breaking of Bread," began a magazine, Needed Truth. A conference at Windermere in July 1891 showed "a wide divergence in doctrine and practice." In 1892–94 a minority "withdrew from their former associations and came together as Churches of God."

Open Brethren missions organize

Christian Missions in Many Lands says its roots go back to 1894, when three missionaries were "commended by assemblies in Boston, Buffalo, and New York City respectively to join a team of British missionaries in China." Its magazine was "Founded by Captain L.A. Steen and R.J. MacLachan in the Bronx in New York City, New York in 1904." CMML describes itself as serving "those who were commended by Plymouth Brethren assemblies."

Watchman Nee and the Little Flock

Watchman Nee "initiated church meetings" in China in 1922. From 1930 to 1935 his movement was in contact with the Raven–Taylor Exclusive Brethren. Nee then received a letter dated 31 August 1935, "signed by leading Brethren, severing fellowship with him and his movement." The meetings that followed him are the Local Churches.

James Taylor Jr. and Aberdeen

In 1959 James Taylor Jr. came "to succeed his father" as leader of the largest Exclusive connexion, in the account of Neil Dickson, a historian of the Brethren. Dickson writes that many were unhappy with "stricter rules, especially one in 1960 over 'separate eating' from non-members," and that the connexion "divided over his imposition of rules, culminating in disintegration after allegations over his conduct in Aberdeen in 1970." In his account the Aberdeen assembly withdrew from Taylor Jr. "on the grounds of his behavior at the meeting on the Saturday afternoon," and most in Scotland followed. The allegations are disputed. Dickson notes that the church's defenders deny them and say Taylor Jr. was ill, and Wikipedia reports that the Brethren historian Willem Ouweneel publicly retracted his account of the incident. Taylor Jr. died that October.

Bruce Hales

Wikipedia records that when the previous leader died in 2002 his son, Bruce Hales of Sydney, took over leadership of the Exclusive Brethren. The church's own website names Hales as its "senior elder."

John Nelson Darby

Born in Westminster in November 1800, trained as a barrister, and ordained in the Church of Ireland. He left it in 1827 and wrote against the denominations and the clergy. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says he "was instrumental in forming" it. He taught that the church's hope is Christ's coming to receive the saints to Himself, a coming he distinguished from His appearing.

Anthony Norris Groves

A dentist of Devonshire who had offered himself to the Church Missionary Society and entered a college to prepare. Bellett records that he came to see that college education for the ministry "was not the thing," and that, after preaching in Poolbeg Street at the close of 1828, he urged that believers come together as disciples, not waiting on any minister. A mission party to Baghdad was formed in the summer of 1830.

George Müller

A leader of Bethesda Chapel, Bristol. In May 1848 two men from Newton's Plymouth meeting were received to the Supper there, with Müller and Craik receiving them, which led to Darby's break with Bethesda.

Benjamin Wills Newton

An elder of the Plymouth meeting. His teaching about Christ is the subject of the Bethesda circular, where Darby judges it false. The question of how to treat those who had been with him is where the Open and Exclusive Brethren part.

Watchman Nee and Witness Lee

Nee began church meetings in China in 1922 and was cut off by the Exclusive Brethren in 1935. Lee, whose ministry the Local Churches publish through Living Stream Ministry, moved to Los Angeles in 1962.

Bruce Hales

The "senior elder" of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. The church says it "does not have a formal hierarchical structure," and that Hales and other leaders provide "influence and leadership."

How the family divides. The Open Brethren keep every assembly independent, the Exclusive Brethren hold one connected fellowship, the Churches of God join their overseers at district and world level, and the Local Churches hold one church to a city with "no central headquarters." The Exclusive Brethren's separation. The church says "Fellowship is central to our faith, and we express this by only eating and drinking with those whom we celebrate the Lord’s Supper." It says abstaining from voting "has never been a test of fellowship" and that "generally Brethren do not watch TV." A member "living outside the rules, values and principles of our faith" may be "confined," and one who continues so may be "withdrawn from." The church says it "would never stand in the way of families communicating with each other"; Dickson reports that the writer Norman Adams, who "later withdrew some of his claims," charged the connexion in 1972 "with family breakups." The chart takes each body at its own word and names those who describe it from outside.

The Bible alone is the word of God and the rule of the assembly. No creed binds the Open Brethren, and every assembly stands on its own. The Exclusive Brethren, the Churches of God and the Local Churches each add a connection or a ministry beside it.

All four bodies hold the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. The Open Brethren have no central creed. The statement of faith of Christian Missions in Many Lands, the service agency of the assemblies, begins with Scripture, and Darby's first tract, which all the Brethren trace themselves to, argued that every "communion" built on a name is a division. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says the Bible is "the absolute, infallible, inspired Word of God," and also names a senior elder and other leaders who give "influence and leadership." The Churches of God hold "the apostles' teaching" to be "the form of Christian witness till the end of the present age," and keep "unity of teaching and practice" through the regular meeting of overseers of all the churches. The Local Churches hold the Bible to be "the complete divine revelation," and their publisher, Living Stream Ministry, issues the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee beside it.

The Bible, both the Old and New Testament, is given by inspiration of God and is inerrant in its original writings.

what are called communions are (as to the mind of the Lord about His church) disunion

The apostles' teaching, precisely given by the Lord and accurately preserved in the New Testament Scriptures, intended to be the form of Christian witness till the end of the present age.

Exclusive Brethren: "The Bible is no ordinary book. It is a book provided by God for man. It is the absolute, infallible, inspired Word of God." Local Churches: they stand on Scripture "not according to any traditional interpretation, but according to the pure Word of God." Churches of God: "The verbal inspiration of Scripture. The Bible is the Word of God; it is God-breathed." The CMML statement is a mission agency's, not the voice of the whole Open Brethren fellowship, which has no central statement.

A person is saved by faith in Christ, and baptism is by immersion. The Open Brethren baptize believers, as a public witness to a salvation already received. The Exclusive Brethren baptize the infants of their households. The Churches of God hold it a command that follows new birth and a condition of the table. The Local Churches' pages read do not state a doctrine of baptism.

All four teach salvation by grace through faith, apart from works. The Open Brethren statement of Christian Missions in Many Lands says "We are saved by faith in Christ Jesus, unto eternal life, apart from works or religious observances." Wikipedia, describing Open Brethren practice, says baptism is "an outward expression that symbolises the inward cleansing or remission of a person's sins which has already taken place at salvation." The Churches of God teach that at the new birth a person becomes a child of God, and that "the Lord's command is that the disciple should then be baptized by immersion in water and received into a Church of God." They add that "Infant sprinkling, however, is unacceptable as unscriptural." The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says "We believe there are many true believers, and that being one of the Plymouth Brethren is not a guarantee of salvation or the only way to be saved." The Local Churches say "Eternal salvation is by grace through faith, not by our works," and "Once we are saved, we are saved forever."

We are saved by faith in Christ Jesus, unto eternal life, apart from works or religious observances.

Following conversion, otherwise called the new birth, and the accompanying baptism in the Holy Spirit into the one Body, the Lord's command is that the disciple should then be baptized by immersion in water and received into a Church of God.

Eternal salvation is by grace through faith, not by our works.

Churches of God, item 9: "No person, born again, and therefore baptized into the Church which is the Body of Christ, can ever be lost again." Local Churches: "In order to be saved, one must have a living contact with Jesus Christ. Therefore, in bringing unbelievers to salvation, we emphasize prayer and calling on the name of the Lord." Plymouth Brethren Christian Church: the church's own pages read give no statement on baptism. Bernard Doherty and Steve Knowles, writing in the Cambridge Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements, report that "Members of the PBCC practice household baptism (based on their reading of Acts 16:30–34)," usually "within eight days of the birth of the child," and that "Baptism is by full immersion." Darby himself, the Credo and Protestant Reformed Churches' article notes, "held to infant baptism." The Churches of God say that between 1827 and 1892 some Open Brethren assemblies were "receiving of unbaptized believers to the Breaking of Bread," which they judged a retrogression; Truth & Tidings, an Open Brethren magazine, says the apostles "required that every person who would participate in the Breaking of Bread had to have received the Word (be saved), be baptized, be added to a local New Testament church." The Open Brethren do not agree among themselves on whether baptism is required for the table.

All four break bread every Sunday, as the center of their gathering, with no minister to preside. They differ on who may come to the table. The Open Brethren receive believers on the ground of their faith, the Exclusive Brethren and the Churches of God admit only their own fellowship, and the Local Churches welcome all the Lord's children.

The Lord's Supper is the center of Brethren life. The Open Brethren call it the Breaking of Bread, and Truth & Tidings writes that "The highest peak of assembly fellowship is enjoyed in the breaking of bread, when the assembly is gathered to remember our Lord," whose frequency "is taught (Acts 20:7)." The first Brethren were moved by the principle that believers "should come together in all simplicity as disciples, not waiting on any minister." Darby held that "the Lord is really present with us in it, by the Spirit," while the bread and wine remain only bread and wine. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church celebrates the Supper "every Sunday in small groups," and its members "make a commitment to eat meals only with those with whom we would celebrate the Lord's Supper." The Churches of God hold the Breaking of the Bread "on the first day of the week" and allow only "those who have been baptized by immersion as disciples, and have been added to the Church" to partake. The Local Churches hold the table every Sunday and say "all the Lord's children are welcome to partake with us."

The highest peak of assembly fellowship is enjoyed in the breaking of bread, when the assembly is gathered to remember our Lord.

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday in small groups, and this occasion of fellowship is our commitment to one another to live a life in line with Holy scripture.

Only those who have been baptized by immersion as disciples, and have been added to the Church are eligible to partake of the bread and wine.

Open Brethren: Truth & Tidings says "Believers are not received to the breaking of bread, but to “the fellowship” of the assembly," and lists three cases in which "a true believer could not participate in the Breaking of Bread": unbaptized, not received into a local church, or not holding the apostles' doctrine. This is one writer's answer, not every assembly's. Darby on the elements: "I believe that the bread remains simply and absolutely bread, and the wine, wine."

No clergy and no paid pastor. Each congregation has its elders, and any gifted brother may speak. The Open Brethren and the Churches of God hold to plural elders in each assembly. The Exclusive Brethren have a senior elder who leads worldwide. The Local Churches say they have no official leaders.

All four refuse the clergy-and-laity system. Darby went so far as to write that "I believe the notion of a Clergyman to be the sin against the Holy Ghost in this dispensation." The Open Brethren assemblies are led by their own elders, and Wikipedia notes that in most there is no office of senior pastor. The Churches of God say "Every Church of God is led by two or more overseers and wherever possible, deacons also" and "There is no system of clergy and laity," but they also gather overseers by district and "Overseers of all the Churches world-wide meet at regular intervals." The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says "The Church does not have a formal hierarchical structure or any paid clergy," and also says that "there are persons who would provide influence and leadership," naming Bruce Hales. The Local Churches say "Our unique leader is Christ. We have no official, permanent, organized human leadership," and "In the local churches we have no clergy and we have no laity."

Every Church of God is led by two or more overseers and wherever possible, deacons also.

The Church does not have a formal hierarchical structure or any paid clergy.

Our unique leader is Christ. We have no official, permanent, organized human leadership.

Local Churches, Concerning the Church Life: "We absolutely repudiate the clergy-laity system as a strategy of Satan to frustrate the function of the members of the Body of Christ." Churches of God, item 24: "The apostle Peter described himself simply as a `fellow elder'." Exclusive Brethren: Wikipedia says the church "is now led by Bruce Hales"; the church answers that "as in a family, there are persons who would provide influence and leadership."

Worship centers on the weekly Supper, with open participation by the brothers, hymns, prayer and the Word. Many Open Brethren assemblies use instruments; some Gospel Halls do not. The Churches of God cover sisters' heads and keep them silent in the meeting.

The first day of the week is the day of worship for all four. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says "We gather regularly in simple Gospel Halls to pray together, and we congregate every Sunday to celebrate the Lord’s Supper." The Open Brethren meeting is open to the brothers, and Wikipedia's account describes some assemblies, the more conservative, as without instrumental accompaniment, while others have it. The Churches of God say "Brethren then lead the Church in worship by offering worship and thanksgiving by the Spirit of God," and "sisters take no audible part" beyond the Amen and the singing, with "their heads covered." The Local Churches say "We pray, praise, sing, give testimonies, and minister the Word," and that "The church meetings are open, and all believers are free to participate."

We gather regularly in simple Gospel Halls to pray together, and we congregate every Sunday to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

All are encouraged to say the Amen, but beyond this and the singing, sisters take no audible part in the meeting for the Breaking of the Bread, or on any other occasion when the Assembly meets `in Church'.

We pray, praise, sing, give testimonies, and minister the Word.

Plymouth Brethren Christian Church: women "are involved in all aspects of Church life – from hosting Lord’s Supper to announcing hymns and everything in between." Open Brethren, Truth & Tidings: "With hearts softened, a word of ministry after the emblems are passed is often profitable. Worship comes before service; therefore, this should be the order."

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. The Churches of God teach that miraculous gifts such as tongues belonged to the apostolic age and were withdrawn. Most Open Brethren assemblies hold the same, though a minority have become charismatic. The Local Churches teach the Spirit moves today.

The Churches of God state their position in their own words: "'Miraculous' gifts, such as speaking in tongues, belong to the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the New Covenant revelation. Such gifts were, we believe, then withdrawn." They add "God's healing today in response to prayer is thankfully recognised." The Open Brethren have no single statement. Wikipedia reports that "A significant minority of Open Brethren assemblies" in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom have embraced the Charismatic movement. Darby taught that "To Christ's sitting at the right hand of God answers the presence of the Holy Ghost down here." The Local Churches teach that "the Spirit of God, who is also the Spirit of Christ, is moving on this earth today." The pages of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church read do not give a statement on the gifts.

Tongues were a sign to the unbelieving, not to believers.

To Christ's sitting at the right hand of God answers the presence of the Holy Ghost down here.

the Spirit of God, who is also the Spirit of Christ, is moving on this earth today to convict sinners, to regenerate God’s chosen people, to dwell in the members of Christ for their growth in life, and to build up the Body of Christ for His full expression

Churches of God, item 13: "They are not, therefore, practised in the Churches of God. The idea of a `second blessing', marked by speaking in tongues, which believers should seek as a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit, is seen as unscriptural." Local Churches, Our Beliefs: in resurrection Christ "has become the life-giving Spirit to impart Himself into us as our life and our everything." The Local Churches' pages read do not mention tongues or healing.

Christ is coming again. The Open Brethren, the Churches of God and Darby's followers teach that he will first take the church to himself before the tribulation, then return with it to reign a thousand years. The Local Churches hope for a rapture of overcomers and a millennial reign.

The Brethren are the home of the pretribulation rapture. Darby wrote that "The Church's hope, in reference to the second, is, beyond all controversy, Christ's coming and receiving the saints to Himself," and he distinguished that coming from Christ's appearing. The Churches of God state: "As to prophetic matters, it is believed that, prior to the Great Tribulation, all believers in the Church which is His Body will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air." After a seven-year tribulation Christ returns "to enter His thousand year reign." Wikipedia reports that the Open Brethren are "generally dispensational, pre-tribulational, and premillennial," with exceptions such as George Müller and G. H. Lang. The CMML statement says "We await the personal and soon coming of the Lord Jesus." The Local Churches believe "that at the end of this age Christ will come back to take up His members, to judge the world, to take possession of the earth, and to establish His eternal kingdom," and that "the overcoming saints will reign with Christ in the millennium."

We await the personal and soon coming of the Lord Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, of the just unto Life, and the unjust unto condemnation.

As to prophetic matters, it is believed that, prior to the Great Tribulation, all believers in the Church which is His Body will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air

The local churches hope that the coming back of the Lord will be hastened by our growth and that we may participate in the blessed rapture and in His coming kingdom.

Local Churches, Our Hope: "The local churches hope that the Lord will have a remnant of overcomers that His Bride may be prepared." Darby: "I have often said, there are three great positions of Christ to which our christian thoughts answer: on the cross; at the right hand of God; and coming again." Plymouth Brethren Christian Church: its own pages read give no statement on the last things; Doherty and Knowles write that its "eschatology sits within a dispensational framework and is both premillennial and pretribulational in orientation."

No clergy: the open meeting

No man is the minister. Any gifted brother may give out a hymn, read, pray or speak at the Supper, and the assembly is led by its elders.

This is where the Brethren began. Groves' plea was that believers meet "not waiting on any minister, but trusting that the Lord would edify us together by ministering as He pleased and saw good from the midst of ourselves." The Churches of God keep it: "All the brethren are encouraged in the exercise of their gift." They also teach that the churches may "give financial support to brethren approved in the ministry of the Word." The Local Churches carry it further: "we have no pastor and no janitor."

we should come together in all simplicity as disciples, not waiting on any minister, but trusting that the Lord would edify us together by ministering as He pleased and saw good from the midst of ourselves

There is no system of clergy and laity. All the brethren are encouraged in the exercise of their gift.

What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even the Christ.

The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.

For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office: so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another.

The Brethren stand nearer the New Testament on this than almost any large body. The apostles knew no clergy class: "all ye are brethren" (Matthew 23:8), and when the church met, "each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation" (1 Corinthians 14:26). Elders were appointed in every church and were "fellow-elder" to Peter (1 Peter 5:1). Where they fall short is in how they use the freedom: the Exclusive Brethren have one man over the worldwide fellowship, and the Churches of God have overseers of all the churches who meet "at regular intervals" to maintain "unity of teaching." The apostles appointed elders in each church and set no board over the churches.

Who may come to the table

The Brethren divided over this. The Exclusive Brethren and the Churches of God admit only members of their own fellowship. The Open Brethren receive believers on the ground of their faith. The Exclusive Brethren extend the line to the meal.

The question of the table is the one that split the Brethren in 1848. Darby's circular on Bethesda said that Bethesda had "formally and deliberately admitted" teaching about Christ "under the plea of not investigating it." The Exclusive Brethren hold that members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church "make a commitment to only eat and drink with those with whom we celebrate the Lord’s Supper." Bernard Doherty and Steve Knowles report that "The doctrine of separation continues to be a non-negotiable core principle in contemporary Brethren life," and that its key texts include 2 Timothy 2:19 and 2 Corinthians 6:14–18. The Churches of God allow to the table only "those who have been baptized by immersion as disciples, and have been added to the Church." The Open Brethren principle, in Truth & Tidings' words, is that "we must not confuse family fellowship with assembly fellowship," and the writer lists those who may not partake: the unbaptized, those not received into an assembly, those whose assembly does not hold the apostles' doctrine, and those under discipline. The Local Churches welcome "all the Lord's children."

We make a commitment to only eat and drink with those with whom we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, also known as Holy Communion.

So, while we are to love every brother and seek his best, we must not confuse family fellowship with assembly fellowship.

Every Sunday we have the Lord’s table at which all the Lord’s children are welcome to partake with us of the bread and wine.

Wherefore receive ye one another, even as Christ also received you, to the glory of God.

I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church that is at Cenchreae: that ye receive her in the Lord, worthily of the saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever matter she may have need of you: for she herself also hath been a helper of many, and of mine own self.

Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?

but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.

The New Testament does close the table to some: the man "named a brother" who lives in open sin is one "with such a one no, not to eat" (1 Corinthians 5:11), and each must "prove himself" (1 Corinthians 11:28). An Open Brethren assembly that receives believers on their faith, baptism and walk, and asks a visitor for a letter as Paul commended Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2), does what the text does. It does not support a table closed to every believer outside one connexion: "receive ye one another, even as Christ also received you" (Romans 15:7). The Exclusive Brethren make that connexion the test and carry it to the family meal, though 1 Corinthians 5:11 names the sinning brother, not the believer of another fellowship; the Churches of God, by admitting only those "added to the Church" of their own connexion, set a smaller test of the same kind.

The texts of separation. The Exclusive Brethren's case rests on "depart from unrighteousness" (2 Timothy 2:19) and "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers" (2 Corinthians 6:14). Both are sound commands, and both draw the line where Paul drew it: between righteousness and iniquity, between the believer and the unbeliever. Neither makes a believer unclean because he breaks bread in another hall, and neither forbids a meal with him.

The rapture before the tribulation

Christ will come for the church in the air before the great tribulation, and then come with the church to earth. Darby worked this scheme out in the 1830s, and most Open Brethren, the Churches of God and Darby's followers hold it.

The Churches of God say that "prior to the Great Tribulation, all believers in the Church which is His Body will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air," followed by "Daniel's seventieth week of seven years in which the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, will wield Satan's power." Darby held that the church's hope is Christ's coming "and receiving the saints to Himself," and that this differs from His appearing; he wrote against those who denied "the difference between Christ's coming to receive the Church and His appearing." The Credo and Protestant Reformed Churches' article, which opposes the teaching, places the development of Darby's view in the years of the Powerscourt conferences of 1831–33. The Open Brethren are "generally" of this mind, but not all: George Müller and G. H. Lang never accepted it.

The Church's hope, in reference to the second, is, beyond all controversy, Christ's coming and receiving the saints to Himself

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,

I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one.

The Brethren are right that Christ will return, that the dead in Christ will rise and the living be "caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The text leans against putting years between the gathering of the church and the Lord's revelation. Christ says the elect are gathered "immediately after the tribulation of those days" (Matthew 24:29). Paul names "our gathering together unto him" and says "it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3), which is the strongest text against placing the gathering before the man of sin. Holding the scheme is an opinion on an order the apostles did not set out. The fault is where it is made doctrine, as the Churches of God make it.

Their best texts. The Brethren cite "I also will keep thee from the hour of trial" (Revelation 3:10) and "God appointed us not unto wrath" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). But to be kept from the evil is not to be taken out of the world before it: the Lord prayed "not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). And wrath is God's judgment on the ungodly, which Paul places "at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven" (2 Thessalonians 1:7), the same day on which the afflicted saints receive their rest.

Sisters silent and covered

In the Churches of God, and in many Brethren assemblies, women wear a head covering at the meeting and take no audible part in the worship. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says its women are "involved in all aspects of Church life."

The Churches of God give the rule in their own words: "sisters take no audible part in the meeting for the Breaking of the Bread, or on any other occasion when the Assembly meets `in Church'. On all such occasions sisters have their heads covered." They cite 1 Corinthians 11 and 14. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church says its women "are involved in all aspects of Church life – from hosting Lord’s Supper to announcing hymns and everything in between," limited "only" by "scriptural principles." Wikipedia, describing Open Brethren practice, notes a section on the head covering and separate roles for men and women.

On all such occasions sisters have their heads covered.

They are involved in all aspects of Church life

But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head; for it is one and the same thing as if she were shaven.

Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law. And if they would learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home: for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church.

The Churches of God keep what many churches have dropped, and on this point they stand on the text. Paul says "every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head" (1 Corinthians 11:5), and "let the women keep silence in the churches" (1 Corinthians 14:34). The apostles gave these as commands for every church, and "we have no such custom, neither the churches of God" (1 Corinthians 11:16) shows that the practice was general. A church that has set them aside has chosen custom over the apostle. The Churches of God and the conservative assemblies are nearer the pattern here than those who have dropped both.

God became man that man may become God, in life and nature

The Local Churches teach, after Witness Lee, that God became a man so that man may become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead. They say believers share God's life and nature and do not become an object of worship.

This is a teaching of Witness Lee that the Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry explain in their own words, and they say it is meant in a limited sense. An Open Letter from the Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry quotes Lee: "God became a man so that man may become God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead)." The same document quotes him on the limit: "We worship God in His Godhead; we do not worship those who have His divine nature." Living Stream Ministry's statement of faith says "Now possessing God's life and nature, the believers enjoy a daily salvation." The Local Churches' beliefs page says that Christ in resurrection "has become the life-giving Spirit to impart Himself into us as our life and our everything."

God became a man so that man may become God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead)

Now possessing God's life and nature, the believers enjoy a daily salvation in His Body in this age and the eternal salvation in the coming age and in eternity.

whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.

I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images.

Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

The Local Churches are right that the New Testament says believers share in God's life: Peter writes that "ye may become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), and the Local Churches rightly add that no believer shares the Godhead. The text does not warrant the phrasing. Scripture never says that man may "become God," and the saying that "I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another" (Isaiah 42:8) makes the word dangerous even with the qualifier. Peter says "partakers of the divine nature," not "become God," and what he describes is the new character a believer receives by the promises, escaping "the corruption that is in the world by lust." The sentence should be dropped, and Peter's words used in its place.

"Ye are gods." Lee's defenders point to John 10:34. But the Lord quotes Psalm 82 of those "unto whom the word of God came" (John 10:35), and the same psalm goes on, "Nevertheless ye shall die like men" (Psalm 82:7). The title was given to men for the office they bore; it was not a promise that they would become what God is. The Local Churches' own qualifier, "but not in the Godhead," concedes the point the phrasing obscures.

One church in each city

The Local Churches hold that there is one church in each city and that any other name or organization is division. They say they take no name but the Lord's.

The Local Churches say "The local churches do not have a name. The only name we hold and honor is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." They say the term "local church" is "a description of the local nature and expression of the church, that is, the church in a locality," and they point to "the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1)" and "the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1)." They stand on "the ground of the oneness of all believers in each locality." They say of themselves: "We are not sectarian, nor denominational, nor nondenominational, nor interdenominational."

The local churches do not have a name. The only name we hold and honor is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The local churches stand on the ground of the oneness of all believers in each locality; we recognize all the blood-redeemed and Spirit-regenerated believers in Christ as members of the one church in each city.

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles.

and salute the church that is in their house. Salute Epænetus my beloved, who is the first-fruits of Asia unto Christ.

saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The Local Churches reach for a New Testament pattern, and they are right about it: the church was known by its place, "the church which was in Jerusalem" (Acts 8:1), and Paul pleaded that "there be no divisions among you" (1 Corinthians 1:10). A congregation that takes no sect name stands nearer the pattern than the denominations do. But the text does not make one gathering to a city a condition of being a church. In Rome Paul greeted "the church that is in their house" (Romans 16:5) beside "the brethren that are with them" and "all the saints that are with them" in other households (Romans 16:14-15), and he did not call those gatherings a division. To count every other congregation in a city as division because it is not on the ground of locality is a test the apostles did not set.

The plumb line is the New Testament: what the apostles commanded, and what the churches practiced with their approval. Each position above is set against it, and the wall below shows how far each one stands from it. Choose a course to read the Scripture and the reason. The Brethren came out of the denominations because they wanted the church of the New Testament, and on several points they came closer than any large body. The placements follow the Open Brethren, the main body. Where the Exclusive Brethren, the Churches of God or the Local Churches stand further from the line, the verdict says so.

Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.

Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.

Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After these things I will return, And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen; And I will build again the ruins thereof, And I will set it up: That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,

The Brethren set the Bible above every creed, and the Open Brethren have none: this is the Bereans' way, "examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). They stand short in a scheme held beside it. Dispensationalism makes the church a parenthesis between God's dealings with Israel, yet Peter said of Pentecost "this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16), and James read Amos's rebuilt "tabernacle of David" as the calling of "all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called" (Acts 15:16-17). The apostles read the church as the fulfillment of the prophets, not a pause in them, The scheme is widely taught in the family, and that alone is not the fault; but where a body writes it into its statement of faith, as the Churches of God do, it binds a reading the apostles did not give, and that goes "beyond the things which are written" (1 Corinthians 4:6). The Exclusive Brethren and the Local Churches stand further off, for reasons set out below.

Exclusive Brethren. The church says it has no formal hierarchy, but historians such as Dickson describe a connexion under one leader whose rulings bound it, and where that is so the Exclusive Brethren stand much further from the line. Local Churches. Their publisher issues the teachings of Witness Lee beside the Bible as the ministry the churches follow, and to that extent they stand off the line too. Churches of God. They hold "the apostles' teaching" as their standard and are close to the line on it. An Open Brethren assembly adds a scheme its members may question; an Exclusive meeting adds a living authority. The CMML statement is a mission agency's list of the faith, not a binding creed of the assemblies.

And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.

And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.

The Open Brethren and the Churches of God are right on the subject and the form: they baptize penitent believers only, and they immerse, as "We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death" (Romans 6:4) requires. They stand short on what baptism is for. Peter commanded it "unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38) and Ananias told Saul "be baptized, and wash away thy sins" (Acts 22:16), yet Open Brethren teaching, as Wikipedia describes it, calls baptism a witness to a pardon already received at faith, and so puts the forgiveness before the act in which the apostles placed it. The Churches of God at least make it a command every disciple must obey before he is received, but they too place it after the new birth. The Exclusive Brethren, who baptize infants of their households, stand further off: Peter called on those who could "Repent" (Acts 2:38).

Cornelius. The Brethren's best case is Acts 10, where the Spirit fell on Cornelius' house before they were baptized. But Peter still "commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 10:48), and the gift was the sign that convinced the Jewish believers "to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18). It showed that Gentiles could be received; it did not move the pardon Peter had tied to baptism at Pentecost. Gaps. The pages read do not give the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church's or the Local Churches' own teaching on baptism.

And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come.

But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.

On the day and the frequency the Brethren stand on the line, and few large bodies keep it so: "upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread" (Acts 20:7), and they keep it every first day as the center of the gathering, with no priest and no sacrifice, as a remembrance in which "ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Open Brethren receive believers on their faith, baptism and walk, which is Paul's rule: "receive ye one another, even as Christ also received you" (Romans 15:7), and to ask that of a visitor is within the text. The Exclusive Brethren, who admit only their own connexion and refuse to eat with others, and the Churches of God, who admit only those added to their churches, keep out believers for belonging to another fellowship, and that test is not the text's.

This placement follows the Open Brethren row of the lineage chart, where the table is open to believers as disciples. The tests the text sets are a man's baptism and walk (1 Corinthians 5:11; 11:28). The Exclusive Brethren's table, closed to every believer outside one connexion and extended to the family meal, goes past the text and would stand well short of the line.

And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed.

For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that were wanting, and appoint elders in every city, as I gave thee charge;

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

The Open Brethren stand on the line: a plurality of elders in each assembly and no clergy class, as Paul told Titus to "appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5), elders who tend the flock "neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you" (1 Peter 5:3). The Brethren recovered this when the denominations had lost it. The Churches of God keep plural elders but add district and world meetings of overseers, which the text does not give. The Exclusive Brethren, though their website says they have no formal hierarchy, are described by historians as led by one man whose ministry binds the connexion, and so stand furthest from the line. The Local Churches reject clergy and say they have no permanent leaders, and in what they say they stand on the line.

Exclusive Brethren. Doherty and Knowles write that the spoken ministry of "the Elect Vessel or world leader" is "transcribed and distributed world-wide to all members," and that "Along with the Bible, printed ministry of Brethren leaders is a primary and authoritative source on matters pertaining to doctrine and practice." That is an office over the churches the apostles did not leave. Open Brethren. Wikipedia says their elders are men "recognised by others within the individual assemblies."

speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.

The Brethren worship in the pattern of the apostolic gathering: the Supper at the center, the brothers taking part, and the Word taught. "speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19) names the singing the New Testament commands, and it names no instrument. The conservative Gospel Hall assemblies sing without instruments and stand on the line. Most Open Brethren assemblies use them, which the apostles never did, and so they stand short.

Wikipedia reports that the more conservative assemblies do not have instrumental accompaniment, and that Bible Chapels are more likely to have it than Gospel Halls. The Churches of God keep the sisters silent and covered, as Paul says (1 Corinthians 14:34). The pages read give no statement on instruments from the Exclusive Brethren or the Local Churches.

Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;

Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works.

The Churches of God teach what the apostles' own words show: the miraculous gifts "belong to the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the New Covenant revelation," as "God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit" (Hebrews 2:4), and "the signs of an apostle" were the apostles' own (2 Corinthians 12:12). In this the Churches of God stand on the line. The Open Brethren have no single statement, and the significant minority of their assemblies that have taken up the charismatic movement stand away from it. The pages read do not say whether the Local Churches seek the sign-gifts, nor give the Exclusive Brethren's teaching.

The Churches of God offer a reason that stands, and one that is weaker. The reason that stands is that gifts confirmed the revelation, and the revelation is complete. The weaker one is the comparison with Moses, Elijah and Elisha as men who had miraculous powers for "limited periods only"; the stronger argument is Hebrews 2:3-4, which names the apostles' hearing as the point.

and to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day.

who also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.

The Brethren hold the core: Christ will return in person, the dead will rise, and each will be judged. "this Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Holding a gathering of the church seven years before the revelation is not the fault by itself, though the text leans against it: Christ gathers his elect "immediately after the tribulation of those days" (Matthew 24:29), and "rest" comes to the afflicted "at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven" (2 Thessalonians 1:7). The fault is where the scheme is made doctrine. The Churches of God state it among the things their churches believe, and the Local Churches set a condition on the Lord's reign that the text does not state. The Open Brethren hold it "generally," with Müller and Lang as exceptions, and the sources read describe the Exclusive Brethren's eschatology as "premillennial and pretribulational" without showing that they bind it, so the family as a whole stands one course short and not two.

The Local Churches' hope that "the coming back of the Lord will be hastened by our growth" and that only "overcoming saints" reign in the millennium sets a condition on the Lord's reign that the text does not state. The rapture of the church and the thousand years are held with variations in the family.

The Brethren hold much that Scripture also teaches, and it should be said plainly. They hold the Bible to be God's Word and above every creed. They confess one God in three persons, Christ truly God and man, who died for sins, rose and will return. They teach salvation by grace through faith, and the Open Brethren and the Churches of God immerse believers, as the apostles did. They keep the Lord's Supper every first day of the week, as the apostles' churches did, with no priest and no sacrifice. They refuse the clergy system, appoint a plurality of elders in each congregation, and let the brothers take part in the meeting. Their assemblies have sent out missionaries on their own commendation for more than a century. In these things they stand nearer the pattern of Acts than the great majority of churches.

Measured by the New Testament alone, the Open Brethren stand nearer the pattern than almost any large body on the Supper, on elders and on the open meeting. They stand short where their reading of the last things is bound as doctrine, where baptism is made a witness to a pardon already received, and where most assemblies have added instruments to the singing. The Exclusive Brethren, who came out for the same purpose, now stand furthest: one man's ministry leads the fellowship, the infants of its households are baptized, and the table is closed to every believer outside it, down to the family meal. The Churches of God keep the baptized table and the covered sisters but add overseers over all the churches. The Local Churches reach for the pattern of the church in the city but lean on one man's ministry and teach a phrase about man becoming God that Scripture does not use.

They began by asking what the first disciples did. Groves' answer, about 1828, was to meet "in all simplicity as disciples." The Brethren were right to ask, and right in much of what they found. The remedy is to ask it again, of the scheme of the last things, of baptism's purpose and of the singing, and to let the text decide there as they did at the table.

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