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From: Merle C Rummel <>
Subject: Re: [BRE] Pastors in the Brethren Church
Date: Fri, 08 Apr 2005 06:24:55 -0500
References: <20050407215520.45028.qmail@web60906.mail.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <20050407215520.45028.qmail@web60906.mail.yahoo.com>


There was no formal education for most Brethren Ministers till well in
the 20th Century. Ministers were chosen out of the Deacon body. As
such, they had already gained experience in the visitation ministry. A
minister was chosen by the local congregation on the basis of their
observed life. This included their family relations (normally many
other local families were kin -they were well observed -from childhood)
and habitual actions (how they related to other persons -in work and
recreation, including how representative they would be of the church to
the whole community). They were encouraged to know their Bible. They
might even know and read the Greek New Testament. They obtained much
guidance and advice from the Elders. These same Elders would have a
"young" minister participate with them in the various Church activities,
where they could observe and clarify their understanding of the
particular interpretation of the Scriptures.

This did lead to various differences between churches and communities.
We find this between the Brethren in Eastern Pennsylvania, and the
Brethren in the Carolinas of the 1750s and following, and the Brethren
in Kentucky and Ohio in the early 1800s, and the Brethren in Illinois in
the mid 1800s, as the local Brethren practiced their faith in the ways
taught to them, and were not aware of ways accepted by others. To me,
one of the most outstanding of these is the record of the meeting of the
Annual Conference Elders with the "Far Western Brethren" of Illinois
about 1859. There were considerable differences in the practice of the
foot washing service. It is what is now called: "Single mode" and
"Double mode". The Far Western Brethren practiced the "Single mode",
and were informed by the Elders from the east that it was not
acceptable, that the Brethren Practice was the "Double mode" - until an
Elder from the Germantown Church (the Mother Church in America) told the
gathering that the "Single mode" was the way they had Always done it.

In many ways, this was a more complete education than the modern Seminary.

Merle C Rummel
Church Historian

>How did Brethren ministers receive their training for the ministry?
>
>

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