Church Of The Brethren

Known historically as a pacifist denomination, the Church of the Brethren finds in corporate worship a powerful setting for articulating and advancing the themes of peace and peacemaking.

There will always be a creative tension between a faith response to Jesus Christ and ethical consequences that impact personal lifestyle. Every year books and articles have appeared describing a dialogue between the advocates of personal salvation and the proponents of social action. The New Testament writers give attention to the connection between worship and social relationships. The Church of the Brethren, one of three historic peace churches (the others being Mennonite and Quaker), has endeavored to relate the concept of God's peace to the many conflicts in the existing culture. Having placed an emphasis on "?following Jesus,?" the Brethren sought to embody Jesus' life and teachings in their encounters with neighbors and representatives of government. Historically, since its origin in Germany in 1708, the church has consistently witnessed to the Brethren conviction that "?all war is sin.?" Accompanying this prophetic judgment and witness, the Church of the Brethren has endeavored to live out corporately the model of a peacemaking community. This Brethren conviction has evoked struggles within the faith community and has accounted for tensions felt by Brethren as they have sought to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus in the face of contradictory demands by governments. Worship and Peace Concerns Brethren who have been in tension with the state have found their convictions nurtured through worship. In the worship gathering, they sense themselves accountable to God and to one another in being faithful to the New Testament teachings related to peacemaking. Worship experiences have enabled them to search the Scriptures in a context where the counsel of others within the faith community is assured. Discernment of "?the mind of Christ?" (a key Brethren motivational goal) has been fostered through church hymnody and preaching. In the worship services, Brethren have examined key biblical texts and retold stories of faithful witnesses who took seriously Jesus' teaching and behavior when Jesus confronted hostile culture. While individual peace with God is a component of Brethren theology, the emphasis in the denomination has always been on corporate experiences of shalom, or peace. Worship has created events where blessing could be experienced and hearts could be strengthened to take up the task of peacemaking in home and community. Worship has kept the vision focused on those great passages in the Prophets which beautifully describe a people dwelling together in peace, weapons being fashioned into implements of agriculture, and hostility being overcome as fear is replaced with cooperative interaction. As the Brethren have encountered draft boards and hostile neighbors during wartime, the worship hours have brought encouragement and renewal of courage to "?keep the faith.?" Those who labor to change the climate that fosters war-making will often become cynical when the nation continues its mood of anger and seeks to label all dissenters as unpatriotic. Thus, the worship experiences of the Brethren have been intended to create an awareness of the Spirit's power to energize those faithful to Christ and to his teaching of peace. During these encounters with God and with one another, Brethren are guided in moving beyond opposition to war toward the affirmation of God's power to create new communities of faith marked by trust and love. While expressing support for those who have resisted the demands of the state to be drafted as soldiers, church leaders have ensured that worship included a time of celebration and joy for what God did in sending Christ as the Prince of peace. In this way, feelings of powerlessness and despair, often prevalent in a religious minority, have been transformed into spiritual strength and hope. In the Church of the Brethren, efforts have been made to ensure that people who do not agree with the draft resisters and conscientious objectors to war can remain in relationship with those who support the Brethren's historic peace position. Diversity within the gift of God's unity becomes both proclamation and experience in worship. At one annual conference during the Vietnam War, a respected Brethren sister wearing her prayer veil embraced a draft resister while the congregation sang of being "?one in the Lord.?" Those who enter military service have been able to maintain their membership in this pacifist denomination. During wartime, Brethren have sent gifts and letters both to soldiers and to conscientious objectors. Worship often serves the function as a catalyst to some prophetic witness for peace and to varied actions of Christian service. It has become common at national youth events for a worship service to be followed immediately by a walk to some industrial facility known to be engaged in fulfilling contracts for the Pentagon. Signing petitions urging a peaceful resolution of an international crisis will on occasion be included in the worship service or be offered as a response in the church's narthex. Persons on the threshold of engaging in some demonstration for peace may be commissioned during worship through the laying on of hands. As an alternative model of international leadership (where nations exchange food and medicine, instead of armaments), the Church of the Brethren initiated and became a strong supporter of the Heifer Project. One church in Ohio laid plastic on the center aisle one Sunday morning as several heifers were led to the chancel and prayers were offered for their safe delivery in Europe. Finally, worship provides Brethren with a context where reflection, study, and prayer can aid the discernment process. When official statements are issued by the annual conference, the denomination's highest legislative body, they usually include a line to the effect that "?this represents our best consensus at the moment on this controversial subject, but we remain open to the further guidance of God's Spirit.?" Bible stories are retold so as to shed light on contemporary events. During the prelude to the Persian Gulf War, the Biblical account of the Exodus was the subject for a sermon in a Pennsylvanian congregation. Instead of Americans being the children of Israel, the story was told with the American role approximating the part played by the Egyptians. Parallels were drawn between the Egyptian role played in the Exodus story and the role of the United States in mobilizing the coalition against Saddam Hussein. Worship Components Applied to the Peace Theme The Church of the Brethren has been characterized as a peace church, possessing a spiritual heritage going back to the days following the intense religious wars in Europe in the early eighteenth century. In their desire to make a strong witness for peace in the contemporary world, Brethren worship planners have utilized every component of the worship hour as a vehicle to promote the peace message. In a given service, several components will relate directly to shalom as experienced in home or congregational life, in the community surrounding the church, or in respect to moral issues apparent on the domestic or international scene. Several events in the church calendar, such as Palm Sunday, Peace Sabbath, World Communion Sunday, and World Order Sunday, readily lend themselves to this theme. Bible Readings. Favorite biblical passages used in the Church of the Brethren are Matthew 5–7, Matthew 18, Luke 14, 2 Corinthians 5, and John 13–17. The great prophetic peace passages from Isaiah and Micah often find their way into Brethren sermons. Hymns and Musical Interpretations. Brethren worship uses both folk tunes and traditional hymns that focus on peace and justice. The new hymnal published jointly by the Church of the Brethren and two Mennonite denominations in 1992 includes seventy hymns on the theme of peace. Many persons have affirmed the crucial role of hymns and choruses in sustaining the unity of the congregation on the issue of the church's role in wartime. Prayer. Most Brethren services include a time for the sharing of joys and concerns prior to intercessory prayer. During this time, prophetic voices call for the congregation's witness in social action for peace. Brethren seem to have a sense that their witness is more effective when it honestly reflects personal struggles to discern the will of God. Thus, prayers of repentance are appropriate, followed by prayers for people in areas of conflict, prayers for our nation and its leaders, prayers for enemies, and prayers for members of the congregation. Sermon. While two Brethren pastors may select the same text, the way they proclaim the Word may differ. Some pastors focus on peace strategy as a method which could work if only it were tried. Others will consider the pragmatic approach inadequate, for to them the necessary factor is faithfulness to Christ and his teaching. More traditional preachers will stress inner peace as a necessary prelude to becoming a peacemaker. Other pastors will take a confrontational stance in the "?Christ versus culture?" style. A dialogic preaching style seems to be most effective because it recognizes diversity within the congregation on the peace issue, while at the same time proclaiming the biblical message of shalom and recognizing the consistent witness of the Church of the Brethren in its official statements as a pacifist denomination. Sermons may include poems, short readings, or eyewitness accounts of wartime events. Children's Story. Worship in most Brethren churches includes a time for the children to come to the chancel. Stories that children understand are an excellent way to pass on the vision of God's shalom as understood by the Brethren. Folk songs, puppets, and dramatic sketches can illustrate ways to deal with conflict that are alternatives to retaliation. Older worshipers find it meaningful to hear the children speak of their hopes and fears during a time of crisis. Signs and Symbols. Banners, artistic displays on the worship table, bulletin covers, and posters add to an emphasis on peace. An Illinois congregation was being televised on a Chicago station during the Vietnam War. It was not anything spoken or sung that evoked the numerous phone calls of disconcerted viewers to the station, but a depiction of the peace symbol on the worship table. Silence. With issues of life and death erupting in our consciousness, with young people taking positions that may subject them to harassment and possible imprisonment, with some Brethren withholding war taxes, which could lead to governmental liens against their property, a reality of costly discipleship can hang heavily over a congregation. Thus, it can be extremely important for worship to include quiet moments when the brothers and sisters of faith can drink deeply of the life-giving water that Christ offers. The silence can be a time to "?count the cost?" or a time to "?go to the barricades.?" The outcome of a crisis such as the 1962 Cuban missile confrontation between the United States and the USSR is often unknown. When such crises have a potential for war and even for nuclear holocaust, silence in worship, during which members of the congregation seek to be still and listen for the voice of God, is imperative. Commissioning and Benediction. The worship experience provides an occasion to send forth people representing the faith community to some witness for peace or some action of social service to build or strengthen shalom. Through the laying on of hands, those making the witness or engaging in the service can sense the prayers and support of those regarded as representatives of Christ's body. Here, the Brethren and others can see the great encouragement of a relationship built on mutual accountability. The one being sent forth is acting out of God's concern for peace. Every person in the Church of the Brethren does not need to duplicate the action, but each can participate vicariously. Thus, everyone feels some involvement in the effort to make the church a model on earth of what God intends in heaven, as the prayer of Jesus envisions. There are other ways to bring the peace theme into the worship setting. Many traditions exchange a greeting of peace at some point in the liturgy. Litanies and responsive readings can give voice to deep, heartfelt concerns that the gods of war be curbed in their thirst for the blood of young and old alike. Even the time for announcements may include a citing of opportunities to fulfill that beatitude, "?Blessed are the peacemakers?" (Matt. 5:9). There are times when people leaving worship service can sign a pledge or write a letter of concern that will embody the congregation's commitment to peacemaking activities. Offerings to support those engaged in a peace witness can be another expression of how seriously the congregation makes the connection between personal faith and social action. There will always be a vital connection between worship and peace. Without the Spirit's enabling action through corporate and private worship, the peace activist can become a frustrated, impatient, and bitter disciple of the Prince of peace. Without Christian brothers and sisters willing to embody a peace concern in their witness and service, the worship of a congregation can become shallow ritual, empty of meaning and devoid of possibilities to become an expression of Christ's peaceable kingdom.