{{Short description|Conservative Anabaptist denomination}} {{Infobox Christian denomination |name = Dunkard Brethren Church |image = |alt = |caption = |main_classification = [[Anabaptist]] |orientation = [[Conservative Anabaptist]] |theology = [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] |structure = |fellowships = |associations = [[Brethren World Assembly]] |area = |website = [http://www.dunkardbrethrenchurch.com/ dunkardbrethrenchurch.com] |founder = |headquarters = |founded_date = 1926 |founded_place = |branched_from = |separations = Conservative German Baptist Brethren Church<ref name="Wenger2000">{{cite book |last1=Wenger |first1=John C. |title=The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan |date=3 October 2000 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-57910-456-6 |page=426 |language=English}}</ref> |nursing_homes = |aid = |congregations = 26 |members = 1,035 |ministers = |missionaries = |primary_schools = |secondary_schools = |tertiary = |footnotes = }} {{Schwarzenau Brethren}} {{Anabaptist vertical}} The '''Dunkard Brethren Church''' is a [[Conservative Anabaptist]] denomination of the [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] tradition, which organized in 1926 when its members withdrew from the [[Church of the Brethren]] in the United States.<ref name="Lewis2001">{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=James R. |title=The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions |date=March 2001 |publisher=Prometheus Books |isbn=978-1-61592-738-8 |page=139 |language=English}}</ref>

The Dunkard Brethren Church observes the [[ordinance (Christianity)|ordinances]] of [[baptism]], [[feetwashing]], [[eucharist|communion]], the [[holy kiss]], [[Christian head covering|headcovering]], and [[anointing of the sick]].<ref name="DBC2021">{{cite book |title=Dunkard Brethren Church Polity |date=1 November 2021 |publisher=Dunkard Brethren Church |page=6}}</ref>

In 2001, the Dunkard Brethren Church had approximately 1035 members in 26 congregations.<ref name="Lewis2001"/> As with other Conservative Anabaptist fellowships, the Dunkard Brethren Church holds [[Christian revival|revival service]]s and [[Sunday School]], in addition to being engaged in [[evangelism]] and [[Christian mission|missionary work]].<ref name="Bronner2015">{{cite book |last1=Bronner |first1=Simon J. |title=Encyclopedia of American Folklife |date=4 March 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-47194-3 |language=English}}</ref>

==Name== The name ''Dunkard'' or ''Dunker'' is derived from the [[Pennsylvania German]] word {{lang|pdc|dunke}},<ref>[https://www.padutchdictionary.com/#d=dunke dunke]</ref> which comes from the [[German language|German]] word {{lang|de|tunken}}, meaning 'to dunk' or 'to dip'. This refers to their preference for the trine [[immersion baptism|immersion]] method of baptism, in the forward position, observed by all of the various branches of [[Schwarzenau Brethren]].<ref name="Durnbaugh1983">{{cite book |last1=Durnbaugh |first1=Donald F. |title=The Brethren Encyclopedia |date=1983 |publisher=Brethren Encyclopedia, Incorporated |isbn=978-0-318-00487-7 |page=82 |language=English}}</ref>

== History == The Dunkard Brethren are a branch of the [[Schwarzenau Brethren]] or Dunkards, an Anabaptist tradition that emerged during the [[Radical Pietist]] revival.<ref name= "Schneider2007">{{cite book |last1= Schneider |first1=Hans |title=German Radical Pietism |date=21 June 2007 |publisher= Scarecrow Press |isbn= 978-1-4616-5884-9 |page=168}}</ref> This movement began in 1708, when [[Alexander Mack]] and seven other believers conducted baptism of new members by immersion in the [[Eder (Fulda)|Eder]] river in [[Germany]].

The [[Church of the Brethren]] represented the largest body of churches that descended from this original [[pietist]] and [[Anabaptists|Anabaptist]] movement. For the history until 1926 see [[Church of the Brethren#Early history|Church of the Brethren: Early history]] and [[Church of the Brethren#The Great Schism|Church of the Brethren: The Great Schism]].

Early in the 20th century, some members of Church of the Brethren in the United States, the largest of the branch of the Schwarzenau Brethren, began to believe that there was a drift away from the old apostolic standards, such as the wearing of [[plain dress]] and the [[Christian head covering|headcovering]].<ref name="Lewis2001"/> Benjamin Elias Kesler (1861–1952), an Elder of the Church of the Brethren in Missouri, addressed these concerns in a monthly paper. It was 20 pages and called ''The Bible Monitor,'' which he first published in October 1922. In 1923, Kesler was refused a seat at the Annual Conference. His conservative sympathizers held a separate meeting in each of the next three years.

During the Annual Conference in 1926, concerns nearly identical to those of Kesler and his sympathizers were addressed by other members, but not resolved in a way that satisfied Kesler and his followers. Subsequently the Kesler group withdrew from the Church of the Brethren and in 1926 formed the Dunkard Brethren Church.<ref>[[Donald F. Durnbaugh]] (ed.) ''The Brethren Encyclopedia'', Volume I, Philadelphia, 1983, pp. 408/9.</ref>

=== Immigration to the U.S. === In 1719, led by Peter Becker, twenty families left Germany and immigrated to the US. They settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Alexander Mack led 200 other Brethren to the Netherlands in 1720; after living there for nine years, they found that religious conditions had deteriorated. They immigrated to the US, joining the original Dunkard group in Pennsylvania.<ref>[http://www.dunkardbrethrenchurch.com/Church-History.html History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420220736/http://www.dunkardbrethrenchurch.com/Church-History.html |date=2017-04-20 }}, Dunkard Brethren Church</ref>

==Belief and practice== {{Main|Anabaptist doctrine}} Dunkard Brethren practice [[believer's baptism]], that is, reserving baptism for a person old enough to commit to belief. A believer is immersed three times to represent the Trinity: once in the name of the Father, once in the name of the Son, and once in the name of the Holy Spirit. Most of the women of the Dunkard Brethren dress in a [[Plain people|plain manner]], which has been associated with other [[Conservative Anabaptists]], such as the [[Conservative Mennonites]] (including the [[Beachy Mennonites]]), as well as [[Old Order Movement|Old Order Anabaptist]] groups, such as the [[Old Order Brethren]] and [[Old Order Mennonites]]. Women are also expected to wear a plain white [[Christian head covering|headcovering]], usually in the form of a [[kapp (headcovering)|kapp]].<ref name="Lewis2001"/> Men keep their hair cut short.<ref name= "Lewis2001"/>

The Dunkard Brethren practice the [[holy kiss]] and the [[Agape feast|love feast]] with [[feetwashing]]. Divorce is not allowed for members of the church. They are discouraged from buying [[life insurance]]. Dunkard Brethren do not swear oaths to the state or organizations, and do not file lawsuits without permission of the church. The use of alcohol and tobacco is forbidden, as is watching television, or participating in gaming or gambling. Participation in politics, or [[labor union]]s, and membership in secret fraternal societies such as the [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]], are seen as contrary to the Gospel and a pure heart.<ref name=":0">[[Donald F. Durnbaugh]] (ed.) ''The Brethren Encyclopedia'', Volume I, Philadelphia, 1983, page 409.</ref>

==Members and congregations==

In 1980 there were 1,035 members in 26 congregations.<ref name=":0"/> The Dunkard Brethren Church has 25 congregations in the [[United States]], with approximately 900 members.<!-- date? --> The majority of the churches are located in [[Pennsylvania]], [[Maryland]], [[Indiana]], [[Iowa]], [[Kansas]], [[California]], and [[Ohio]]. They support a mission among the [[Navajo Nation|Navajo]] Indians in [[New Mexico]], and a mission in [[Africa]].

==Publication== The church's publication, a paper that has been published monthly since October 1922, is called ''The Bible Monitor''.<ref name="Wenger2000"/>

==See also== {{Portal|Christianity}} *[[Conservative Mennonites]] *[[Beachy Amish]] * [[Clement Studebaker|Henry Studebaker]], founder of the automobile company

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * Keith M. Bailey: ''They Counted the Cost: The History of the Dunkard Brethren Church from 1926 to 2008'', Nappanee, 2009. * [[Donald F. Durnbaugh]]: ''Fruit of the Vine, A History of the Brethren 1708–1995'', Elgin, Illinois, 1997. * Donald F. Durnbaugh (editor): ''The Brethren Encyclopedia'', Philadelphia, 1983. * Cornelius J. Dyck, Dennis Martin, et al. (editors): ''The Mennonite Encyclopedia'', Hillsboro, Canada, 1955-1959.

==External links== *[http://www.dunkardbrethrenchurch.com/ Dunkard Brethren Church]

[[Category:Anabaptist denominations established in the 20th century]] [[Category:Conservative Anabaptists]] [[Category:Brethren denominations in North America]] [[Category:Christian denominations founded in Germany]] [[Category:Christian organizations established in 1926]]