Old German Baptist Brethren - History

History

The first American congregation was founded near Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1719. Originally known as NeuTäufer (new Baptists), in America they used the name "German Baptist" and officially adopted the title German Baptist Brethren at their Annual Meeting in 1871. The Old German Baptist Brethren represent a conservative faction that would not tolerate certain modern innovations of the 19th century. In 1881, they broke away from the main body in order to maintain older customs, dress, and forms of worship. OGBB are noted for several ordinances like believer's baptism by trine immersion, feet washing, the love feast, communion of the bread and cup, the holy kiss, and anointing of the sick with oil. Baptism is by trine forward-immersion in water. They hold an Annual Meeting associated with Pentecost, and cooperate in publishing a monthly periodical called The Vindicator. According to the 2009 Directory of Officials, the Old German Baptist Brethren had 6,149 members in 56 churches at the end of 2008. The largest concentration of congregations is in Ohio (16), followed by Indiana (9), California (4), Kansas (5), Pennsylvania (5), Virginia (4), Washington (3), Florida (2), Wisconsin (2), Georgia (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (1), Montana (1), Oregon (1) and West Virginia (1). Almost 54% of the members live in Ohio and Indiana.

From 1881 to 1883, the Old German Baptist Brethren and the The Brethren Church left the German Baptist Brethren over several matters including Sunday Schools, higher education, plain dress, revivalism, and church discipline. The German Baptist Brethren changed their name to the Church of the Brethren in 1908.

The advance of modernity is connected to early 20th century divisions among the Old German Baptists. In 1913, a group broke away in Indiana and formed the Old Brethren. In 1915, another congregation of Old Brethren was organized in California. The issue which is often given as the cause for the division was the acceptance of telephones and automobiles by the Old German Baptist Brethren; but generally, the Old Brethren also wanted a more uniform adherence to annual meeting decisions and wanted to uphold the old order form of annual meeting which was simpler than had developed among the Old German Baptists. After 1930, they placed less stress on annual meeting authority than did the parent body, believing it to be more for edification and teaching. Moral persuasion rather than legislative decisions of annual meeting is the basis for adherence to the church's order. In 1939, Old Brethren who wished to maintain the stress on annual meeting decisions and the rejection of automobiles, telephones, electricity, and tractors formed a group called the Old Brethren German Baptists. Old Brethren membership, among three congregations (California, Indiana, and Ohio), in 2000 was 250. Old Brethren German Baptist membership in 2012 was over 100 and growing rapidly, with congregations in Indiana and Missouri. As the original Old German Baptist Brethren body became more accepting of automobiles, another group withdrew in 1921 to become the Old Order German Baptist Brethren. They do not use automobiles, electric power or telephones but do use tractors in the field. In 2000, the Old Orders numbered 125 from one congregation in Ohio. Two other minor divisions in the parent body of "Old German Baptist Brethren" occurred in the 1990s resulting in three car driving congregations of 185 total members. While each conference has an "official" name, members of all conferences refer to themselves generally as old order German Baptists.

There are several different Brethren groups that are not related to the Schwarzenau movement, such as the Plymouth Brethren that arose in England and Ireland early in the 19th century through the labors of Edward Cronin and John Nelson Darby. However, the teachings of Darby—called Dispensationalism—have been influential among many in the OGBB.

The OGBB are the root of several other Brethren denominations, including the "Old German Baptist Brethren (New Conference)" (see below), Old Order German Baptist Brethren (Petitioners), Old Brethren German Baptist (Ledyites), the Old Brethren Church, and the German Baptist Brethren (a later and more conservative group). Other denominations with roots in the German Baptist Brethren/Church of the Brethren are the Dunkard Brethren, The Brethren Church, the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches (FGBC), the Conservative Grace Brethren Churches, International (CGBCI) and the Brethren Reformed Church.