Statement of Faith
1. The Bible
We believe the original writings of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are fully inspired by God, and are without error and completely trustworthy. We believe that God has faithfully preserved His Word throughout all generations and that it is fully authoritative and final. We believe it is our ultimate source for all information about Almighty God, the world He has created, and is our sole rule of faith and practice.
2. God
We believe there is only one Almighty God eternally existent in three distinct, co-equal and co-eternal Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth and sinless life, and in the sin-pardoning value of Christ’s shed blood and death on the cross. We believe in Christ’s bodily resurrection from the tomb, His ascension to glory and His personal and visible return to the earth. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling a Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
3. Salvation
We believe that all people are created in God’s image. Because of Adam’s disobedience to God’s command, Adam and all people have fallen into sin, have a sin nature, and are separated from God. God, who is rich in mercy, has made one provision for the salvation of people, which is faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the satisfactory payment for sin. The gospel is the good news that God will receive to Himself all persons who, with penitent heart, confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead: of the believer to the eternal blessedness of the saved, and of the unbeliever to the eternal suffering of the lost.
4. The Church
We believe that all persons who have received God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ constitute the Church. The Bible defines the Church as those who have been called out of the world to be God’s special people, the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. The mission of the Church is both external and internal and includes both word and deed. Externally, the Church is to proclaim the saving grace of Jesus Christ to a sinful humanity and to impact its community for the glory of God as His representatives in the world. Internally, the Church is to teach believers the whole counsel of God which includes encouragement to live a holy life and accountability to one another.
AFFIRMATIONS WE HOLD TO
- We affirm that God has established particular roles and relationships for the good of human society. We affirm the sanctity of marriage and that God’s pattern for marriage is revealed at creation. God created one biological5 male and one biological female and blessed their union through marriage. God has ordained sexual intimacy to be a sacred gift enjoyed only by a man and a woman within the holy covenant of marriage. Any other form of sexual intimacy is sin and is something from which God desires to free His children.
- We affirm the sanctity of all human life from conception until death.
About the Brethren
The people known today as "Brethren" trace their roots back to Schwartzenau, Germany, and the year, 1708. This spiritual family, which began with eight people, eventually grew into what is today a movement which includes several major groups in the U.S., including the Covenant Brethren Church. In addition, there are other fellowships around the world which have resulted from missions. (Adapted and updated from Finding Our Focus, p.1).
Two particular groups influenced the founding Brethren: The Anabaptists and the Pietists. While the Protestant Reformation made many steps in the right direction, both the Anabaptists and the Pietists saw a serious need for further reforms.
The Anabaptist movement ("Anabaptist" literally means "one who rebaptizes") arose out of concerns about the condition of the post-reformation Protestant church, which they viewed as having become dangerously connected to the state. Certain laws had been put in place to force uniformity among Christians. One example was state-mandated infant baptism. As a result, those Christians who were convinced that the Bible teaches "believer's baptism," chose to be baptized after they had personally trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. Because of this, they were labeled by their opponents as "Anabaptists" (rebaptizers), and were considered to be in violation of accepted state practice.
Anabaptists believed in a "free church" (religious liberty), based upon the New Testament model of a local church, separate from government control. They also called for a lifestyle which sought to follow the will of God rather than the sinful practices of the world. Because of their strong convictions, "thousands of them were burned to death, decapitated, drowned, or tortured and martyred in other ways. They considered suffering to be one of the marks of the faithful church." (The Brethren Encyclopedia, vol.1, p.28)
The Pietists also had concerns about the health of the Protestant church following the reformation. Pietists emphasized the clear need of the "new birth" (John 3:3), as well as continuing spiritual growth in the life of each believer. This would bring about a clear and visible transformation in the life of the believer, which would create an example within the church and a powerful testimony to those outside the church.
When it came to their source of authority, the Pietists held the Bible to be their unquestioned standard of faith and practice. They believed that even the details of Scripture were to be heeded and faithfully practiced to produce fruitfulness for the cause of Christ. They also regarded Christian fellowship as being vital to the spiritual health of both the church and individual Christians.
Out of this background of Anabaptist and Pietist influence, Alexander Mack (considered by most to be the founder of the Brethren), along with a handful of others, began to meet together for Bible study and prayer. They established "the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible" as their source of authority for both faith and practice. (Brethren Beliefs and Practices, p.45)
As a result, some time in August of 1708, eight individuals (five men and three women) gathered at the Eder River in Schwartzenau and took part in believer’s baptism. Choosing not to name the group after any leader of their day, they simply chose to be referred to as "Brethren," a Biblical term used to describe fellow believers in Christ who have fellowship (hold their faith in common). In spite of persecution, by 1715, a sizable congregation formed in Schwartzenau and another arose in Creyfelt (and produced several leaders). Other congregations were also established at that time.
Not long afterward though, the persecution intensified and eventually led to two major waves of the Brethren to America; the first in 1719, and the second in 1729. Many of them were responding to an offer by William Penn, who had received a grant of territory in America and offered complete religious freedom to everyone who settled there (in what is now Pennsylvania).
The early Brethren were referred to by various names. They were called "Tunkers" (German for "dunkers"), because they baptized by immersion (going completely under the water). They were also called "dompelaers," which was Dutch for "baptizers" or "dippers." In addition, some referred to them as "Anabaptists" (rebaptizers), along with others who had rejected state-mandated infant baptism in favor of believer’s baptism.
The Covenant Brethren Church (CBC), which began in 2020, already has over 200 congregations in the United States and 11 countries. The Covenant Brethren Church fully affirms Biblical authority, the sanctity of marriage as expressed in Genesis 2 and affirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 19, the sanctity of human life from conception, and the historical New Testament ideals and practices held by the Brethren since 1708.
Covenant Brethren Church is built around the "covenant" or agreement of its congregations and members in relation to its Statement of Faith. Local congregations apply for and receive membership in CBC only after affirming the Statement of Faith. Member churches are autonomous, plan their own ministries, and select their own leaders (Acts 6:3,5). Pastors and others in set-apart ministry receive their ordination (or licensing) from the Executive Board of the denomination and, among other training requirements, must affirm and abide by the CBC Statement of Faith.
Those who are interested in attending and learning more about Waterford Covenant Brethren Church (WCBC) should eventually determine the answer to the two following questions:
1) "Where does this local congregation stand in essential areas of faith and practice?"
2) "Am I of sufficient agreement with the beliefs, practices, and purpose of this congregation, to the degree that I desire to become a growing and active member of this local church family?"
Those who have made Waterford Covenant Brethren Church their church home have answered, "yes" to that final question!
Sources Quoted or Consulted
Durnbaugh, Donald F., Editor, Meet The Brethren. Elgin, IL, The Brethren Press
Etling, Harold, Our Heritage: Brethren Beliefs and Practices. Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books
Frequently Asked Questions - https://covenantbrethren.org/
Kent, Homer A. Sr., Conquering Frontiers. Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books
Martin, Harold, Major Bible Doctrines 2: The Church: It’s Nature and Practices. York, PA, Brethren Bible Institute
Plaster, David R. Plaster, Finding Our Focus: A History of the Grace Brethren Church. Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books
The Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. 1. Philadelphia, PA, and Oak Brook, IL: The Brethren Encyclopedia Inc.