Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Church of the Brethren

Church of the Brethren

8.8
A Protestant Christian group that opposes military service, refuses to take legal oaths and baptizes by three full immersions
  • noun
  • /tʃɜrʧ əv ðə ˈbrɛðərən/
translation icon : Iglesia de los Hermanos
  • The Church of the Brethren has a long tradition of pacifism and community service.

Examples

  • Many rural communities in Pennsylvania have congregations of the Church of the Brethren.

  • She was baptized in the Church of the Brethren as a child.

  • The Church of the Brethren promotes peace and community service.

  • Many members of the Church of the Brethren participate in volunteer work.

  • The Church of the Brethren believes in pacifism and promotes peace in their community.

  • Members of the Church of the Brethren gather each Sunday for worship and fellowship.

  • The Church of the Brethren is known for its commitment to service and simplicity in worship.

Synonyms

Dunkers
vsChurch of the Brethren
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A member of a Baptist group who baptize by dipping three times and refuse military service

uses a broader Protestant Christian label rather than the narrower Baptist one
Dipper
vsChurch of the Brethren
  • US
9.9

A Christian group that baptizes by dipping people three times and refuses military service and legal oaths

is the denomination as an organization rather than a single person member

Surface Forms

Church of the Brethren singular

Morphology

church + of + the + brethren

The headwords 'church' and 'brethren' compose a predictable basic meaning — a religious body ('church') made up of 'brethren' (brothers/fellow believers) — so a learner who knows those words can infer it denotes a Christian group. However, as a fixed proper name for a specific denomination with particular historical and doctrinal features that are not derivable from the words alone, the expression is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Church of the Brethren takes its name from the word 'brethren', meaning brothers and sisters, because the people who started the group wanted to live like a close Christian family. That's why the name points to their focus on simple worship, 'peace', and helping the local community.