The Old Order River Brethren is a small Christian denomination with roots in the Mennonite church and German pietism.
This body began about 1778 in Pennsylvania. It shares an early history with the Brethren in Christ Church. A group of brethren near the Susquehanna River that had separated from the Mennonites became known as the River Brethren. In 1843, a group left the larger body of River Brethren and established a separate Old Order group. They were sometimes referred to as the York Brethren or Yorkers, because most of the members in 1843 were located in York County, Pennsylvania. This minority group believed the majority of the church was becoming lax in nonconformity to the world and non-resistance, and desired to keep the old doctrines and traditions.
The church is composed of five congregations—four in Pennsylvania and one in Iowa—with 331 members in 2000. They retain many conservative practices that are generally associated with the Amish. They do not erect meeting houses, choosing rather to meet in homes or barns.
Famous quotes containing the words order, river and/or brethren:
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—Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)
“Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected in the water. But we missed the white water-lily, which is the queen of river flowers, its reign being over for this season.... Many of this species inhabit our Concord water.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A bargain is in its very essence a hostile transaction ... do not all men try to abate the price of all they buy? I contend that a bargain even between brethren is a declaration of war.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)