The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (the Exclusive Brethren)

Movement·Founded 1848 CE·Just over 55,000 members, on the body's own published figure, in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, North and South America and the Caribbean. Australia holds the largest national community. The figure is self-reported and there is no independent count.

Judaism → Christianity → Catholicism → Protestantism → The Plymouth Brethren → The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (the Exclusive Brethren)

Plymouth Brethren Christian ChurchThe recordCharity Commission — Preston Down Trust decision (National Archives)

Branch
Overview Belief 3How to Live 1Practice 1Stories & Scripture 1Community 1 You × The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (the Exclusive Brethren) Discussion
Community of The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (the Exclusive Brethren)

OneSchool Global, and businesses instead of jobs.

The fellowship runs its own school system across some twenty countries, teaching national curricula in fellowship-owned campuses, and members overwhelmingly own or work in businesses run by other members. Employment outside is discouraged, which makes leaving a matter of livelihood as well as of family.

Add to My Beliefs →
How you joinIn practice by birth; the fellowship does not evangelise in the ordinary sense and outside converts are very rare
Who leadsLocal brothers, with a worldwide leader in Sydney whose ministry is read everywhere
The unitThe local meeting, tied to every other meeting — reception or withdrawal in one is binding on all
Understanding it — context, not catechism: how this passage is held

OneSchool Global operates campuses in around twenty countries, teaching national curricula to fellowship children in fellowship-run schools, and is the body's largest institutional undertaking after the meetings themselves. Alongside it sits the Rapid Relief Team, a disaster-response and community-catering operation that is the fellowship's main point of visible contact with the public and was cited in the 2014 charity registration as evidence of public benefit. Economically the fellowship is a network of member-owned businesses that trade with one another, supported by shared services; members are discouraged from working for outside employers. The combined effect is that a person raised in the PBCC has been schooled by it, is employed within it, and has their entire family and social world inside it, which is why the cost of leaving is measured in more than church attendance and is the fact most consistently reported by those who have.

The same ground, other faiths

claims that share this one's ideas
The diaspora. Sikhism Go deeper →
A Pennsylvania farm church whose centre moved to Zimbabwe. The Brethren in Christ · story Read it in full →
A potter and a carpenter walk to the Caribbean. The Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) · story Read it in full →
A day at Jonestown. Peoples Temple Go deeper →
School, coaching, and church form one movement network. Twin Flames Universe Go deeper →
Hanuman leaps the strait. Hinduism · story Read it in full →

The conversation

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The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (the Exclusive Brethren)'s Community roomback up one layer Propose a change to this passageone button — it routes to the review pool

Numbers count Panfaith activity only — never real-world adherence.

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