We are part of the Brethren in Christ, a great family of churches represented around the world.
The Brethren in Christ are one of the best kept secrets around! A group that wants to center their lives around God—not just in beliefs but in practical everyday living; who work for peace and justice in the world; who work to make the Bible their guide to life; and are learning to be real with God and each other.
It’s a great group to be a part of. Our affiliation with them enables us to have a larger participation in missions, be a part of camps and conferences we couldn’t put on for ourselves, find help from outside our selves when we need it (like during a pastoral transition), tap into collective wisdom , and have a special tie with a group of bel
ievers around the world. Our denomination is considered a “connectional organization.” This means that the local congregation has significant freedom to do church as we sense the Holy Spirit’s direction, while retaining connection with a larger group of churches for things that can be done better collectively.
One of the great things about our denomination, is that the denomination is not the most important thing!
Jesus is! Nor do we think we have a corner on what God is doing—we work with many other churches and Christian organizations around the world. We desire to join hands and hearts with Jesus followers of all stripes.
We have elements of all three of the major models of organizing a church: As in the presbyterian model, we have a group of elders who lead the way in seeking the Lord’s purposes. As in the congregational model those elders are accountable to the congregation, acting as a whole. As in the episcopalian model, we have a bishop who gives us wise counsel from outside our situation, ties us together with other churches and helps us in difficult circumstances.