# Dunkard Brethren Church

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Conservative Anabaptist denomination

Dunkard Brethren Church Classification Anabaptist Orientation Conservative Anabaptist Theology Schwarzenau Brethren Associations Brethren World Assembly Origin 1926 Separations Conservative German Baptist Brethren Church[1] Congregations 26 Members 1,035 Official website dunkardbrethrenchurch.com

Part of a series on the Schwarzenau Brethren (the German Baptists or Dunkers) Background Christianity Protestantism Anabaptism Radical Reformation Radical Pietism Doctrinal tenets Non-creedalism Trine baptism Love feast Feet washing Holy kiss Free church Anointing with oil Non-resistance Pacifism The Brethren Card People Alexander Mack Shantilal Bhagat Louis Bauman Conrad Beissel Donald F. Durnbaugh Vernard Eller Samuel Kinsey John Kline Peter Nead Christoph Sauer Groups Brethren Church Church of the Brethren Conservative Grace Brethren Dunkard Brethren Grace Brethren Old Brethren Old Brethren German Baptist Old German Baptist Brethren Old German Baptist Brethren, New Conference Old Order German Baptist Brethren Defunct groups Ephrata Cloister Church of God (New Dunkers) Related movements Amish Bruderhof Community of True Inspiration Hutterites Mennonites River Brethren Quakers v t e

Part of a series on Anabaptism Background Christianity Radical Reformation Sermon on the Mount Doctrines and practices Theology of Anabaptism Believer's baptism Lovefeast Nonconformity to the world Nonresistance Free will Freedom of religion Priesthood of all believers Separation of church and state Foot washing Holy kiss Plain dress Shunning Simple living Singings Documents Schleitheim Confession Dordrecht Confession Ausbund Martyrs Mirror Key people George Blaurock Hans Denck Conrad Grebel Melchior Hoffman Balthasar Hubmaier Hans Hut Jakob Hutter Alexander Mack Felix Manz Peter Colijn Pilgram Marpeck Melchior Rink Michael Sattler Menno Simons Largest groups Amish Apostolic Christians Brethren in Christ Bruderhof Conservative Mennonites Hutterites Mennonite World Conference Mennonites Mennonite Brethren Old Colony Mennonites Old Order Mennonites River Brethren Russian Mennonites Schwarzenau Brethren Related movements Schwenkfelders Pietism Radical Pietism Moravians Inspirationalists Quakers Neo-Anabaptism Christianity portal v t e

The **Dunkard Brethren Church** is a [Conservative Anabaptist](/source/Conservative_Anabaptist) denomination of the [Schwarzenau Brethren](/source/Schwarzenau_Brethren) tradition, which organized in 1926 when its members withdrew from the [Church of the Brethren](/source/Church_of_the_Brethren) in the United States.[2]

The Dunkard Brethren Church observes the [ordinances](/source/Ordinance_(Christianity)) of [baptism](/source/Baptism), [feetwashing](/source/Feetwashing), [communion](/source/Eucharist), the [holy kiss](/source/Holy_kiss), [headcovering](/source/Christian_head_covering), and [anointing of the sick](/source/Anointing_of_the_sick).[3]

In 2001, the Dunkard Brethren Church had approximately 1035 members in 26 congregations.[2] As with other Conservative Anabaptist fellowships, the Dunkard Brethren Church holds [revival services](/source/Christian_revival) and [Sunday School](/source/Sunday_School), in addition to being engaged in [evangelism](/source/Evangelism) and [missionary work](/source/Christian_mission).[4]

## Name

The name *Dunkard* or *Dunker* is derived from the [Pennsylvania German](/source/Pennsylvania_German) word *dunke*,[5] which comes from the [German](/source/German_language) word *tunken*, meaning 'to dunk' or 'to dip'. This refers to their preference for the trine [immersion](/source/Immersion_baptism) method of baptism, in the forward position, observed by all of the various branches of [Schwarzenau Brethren](/source/Schwarzenau_Brethren).[6]

## History

The Dunkard Brethren are a branch of the [Schwarzenau Brethren](/source/Schwarzenau_Brethren) or Dunkards, an Anabaptist tradition that emerged during the [Radical Pietist](/source/Radical_Pietist) revival.[7] This movement began in 1708, when [Alexander Mack](/source/Alexander_Mack) and seven other believers conducted baptism of new members by immersion in the [Eder](/source/Eder_(Fulda)) river in [Germany](/source/Germany).

The [Church of the Brethren](/source/Church_of_the_Brethren) represented the largest body of churches that descended from this original [pietist](/source/Pietist) and [Anabaptist](/source/Anabaptists) movement. For the history until 1926 see [Church of the Brethren: Early history](/source/Church_of_the_Brethren#Early_history) and [Church of the Brethren: The Great Schism](/source/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](/source/Plain_dress) and the [headcovering](/source/Christian_head_covering).[2] 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.[8]

### 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.[9]

## Belief and practice

Main article: [Anabaptist doctrine](/source/Anabaptist_doctrine)

Dunkard Brethren practice [believer's baptism](/source/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 manner](/source/Plain_people), which has been associated with other [Conservative Anabaptists](/source/Conservative_Anabaptists), such as the [Conservative Mennonites](/source/Conservative_Mennonites) (including the [Beachy Mennonites](/source/Beachy_Mennonites)), as well as [Old Order Anabaptist](/source/Old_Order_Movement) groups, such as the [Old Order Brethren](/source/Old_Order_Brethren) and [Old Order Mennonites](/source/Old_Order_Mennonites). Women are also expected to wear a plain white [headcovering](/source/Christian_head_covering), usually in the form of a [kapp](/source/Kapp_(headcovering)).[2] Men keep their hair cut short.[2]

The Dunkard Brethren practice the [holy kiss](/source/Holy_kiss) and the [love feast](/source/Agape_feast) with [feetwashing](/source/Feetwashing). Divorce is not allowed for members of the church. They are discouraged from buying [life insurance](/source/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 unions](/source/Labor_union), and membership in secret fraternal societies such as the [Freemasons](/source/Freemasonry), are seen as contrary to the Gospel and a pure heart.[10]

## Members and congregations

In 1980 there were 1,035 members in 26 congregations.[10] The Dunkard Brethren Church has 25 congregations in the [United States](/source/United_States), with approximately 900 members. The majority of the churches are located in [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), [Maryland](/source/Maryland), [Indiana](/source/Indiana), [Iowa](/source/Iowa), [Kansas](/source/Kansas), [California](/source/California), and [Ohio](/source/Ohio). They support a mission among the [Navajo](/source/Navajo_Nation) Indians in [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico), and a mission in [Africa](/source/Africa).

## Publication

The church's publication, a paper that has been published monthly since October 1922, is called *The Bible Monitor*.[1]

## See also

- [Christianity portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Christianity)

- [Conservative Mennonites](/source/Conservative_Mennonites)

- [Beachy Amish](/source/Beachy_Amish)

- [Henry Studebaker](/source/Clement_Studebaker), founder of the automobile company

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Wenger2000_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Wenger2000_1-1) Wenger, John C. (3 October 2000). *The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan*. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 426. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-57910-456-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-57910-456-6).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lewis2001_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lewis2001_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Lewis2001_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Lewis2001_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Lewis2001_2-4) Lewis, James R. (March 2001). *The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions*. Prometheus Books. p. 139. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-61592-738-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-61592-738-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DBC2021_3-0)** *Dunkard Brethren Church Polity*. Dunkard Brethren Church. 1 November 2021. p. 6.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bronner2015_4-0)** Bronner, Simon J. (4 March 2015). *Encyclopedia of American Folklife*. Routledge. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-317-47194-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-317-47194-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [dunke](https://www.padutchdictionary.com/#d=dunke)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Durnbaugh1983_6-0)** Durnbaugh, Donald F. (1983). *The Brethren Encyclopedia*. Brethren Encyclopedia, Incorporated. p. 82. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-318-00487-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-318-00487-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Schneider2007_7-0)** Schneider, Hans (21 June 2007). *German Radical Pietism*. Scarecrow Press. p. 168. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4616-5884-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4616-5884-9).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Donald F. Durnbaugh](/source/Donald_F._Durnbaugh) (ed.) *The Brethren Encyclopedia*, Volume I, Philadelphia, 1983, pp. 408/9.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [History](http://www.dunkardbrethrenchurch.com/Church-History.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170420220736/http://www.dunkardbrethrenchurch.com/Church-History.html) 2017-04-20 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), Dunkard Brethren Church

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_10-1) [Donald F. Durnbaugh](/source/Donald_F._Durnbaugh) (ed.) *The Brethren Encyclopedia*, Volume I, Philadelphia, 1983, page 409.

## 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](/source/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

- [Dunkard Brethren Church](http://www.dunkardbrethrenchurch.com/)

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