The districts of the Church of the Brethren are twenty-four regional divisions that serve to administer approximately one thousand congregations[1] of the Church of the Brethren in the United States and Puerto Rico. Districts are divided along state and county lines with membership and geographic scope varying widely.
The Church of the Brethren is present in thirty-four U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. in addition to its overseas missions.
The district system has existed among Schwarzenau Brethren since 1856—prior to the 1881–1883 split—and served the administrative purpose of determining delegates to the Annual Conference who could represent the interests of various communities and report the proceedings back to church leaders.[2]
Delegates from districts serve the purpose of raising issues at annual conferences (called "queries"), which affect members of the Church of the Brethren at large or which have a scope greater than that of a single congregation or locality, e.g. the ordination of women or how to regulate funds for missions activities. Due to the increase in queries presented to the Annual Conference, in 1856, the Brethren approved the establishment of districts of no less than five churches that would answer queries that had a local scope.[3]
| Name | Territory(ies) | Congregations |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Northeast[4] | Delaware (1), Maine (3), New Jersey (1), New York (3), Pennsylvania (71) | 79 |
| Atlantic Southeast[5] | Florida (19), Puerto Rico (9)[6] | 28 |
| Idaho[7] | Idaho | 6 |
| Illinois and Wisconsin[8] | Illinois (38), Wisconsin (1) | 39 |
| Michigan[9] | Michigan | 20 |
| Mid-Atlantic[10] | Delaware (1), Maryland (46), Pennsylvania (2), Virginia (8), Washington, D. C. (1), West Virginia (4) | 62 |
| Middle Pennsylvania[11] | Maryland (1), Pennsylvania (54) | 55 |
| Missouri and Arkansas[12] | Arkansas (2), Missouri (13) | 15 |
| Northern Indiana[13] | Indiana (39), Michigan (1) | 40 |
| Northern Ohio[14] | Michigan (1), Ohio (50) | 51 |
| Northern Plains[15] | Iowa (26), Minnesota (6), Montana (1) | 33 |
| Oregon and Washington[16] | Oregon (4), Washington (12) | 16 |
| Pacific Southwest[17] | Arizona (3), California (25) | 28 |
| Shenandoah[18] | Virginia (87), West Virginia (10) | 97 |
| South/Central Indiana[19] | Indiana | 48 |
| Southeastern[20] | Alabama (3), North Carolina (13), South Carolina (1), Tennessee (17), Virginia (8) | 42 |
| Southern Ohio[21] | Indiana (1), Kentucky (4), Ohio (49) | 54 |
| Southern Pennsylvania[22] | Pennsylvania | 44 |
| Southern Plains[23] | New Mexico (1), Oklahoma (4), Texas (3) | 8 |
| Virlina[24] | North Carolina (6), Virginia (79), West Virginia (5) | 90 |
| Western Plains[25] | Colorado (9), Kansas (27), Nebraska (4), New Mexico (1) | 41 |
| West Marva[26] | Maryland (15), Pennsylvania (1), West Virginia (47) | 64 |
| Western Pennsylvania[27] | Pennsylvania | 70 |
| Territory | District(s) | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama[28] | Southeastern | 3 |
| Arizona[29] | Pacific Southwest | 3 |
| Arkansas[30] | Missouri and Arkansas | 2 |
| California[31] | Pacific Southwest | 25 |
| Colorado[32] | Western Plains | 9 |
| Delaware[33] | Atlantic Northeast (1), Mid-Atlantic (1) | 2 |
| Florida[34] | Atlantic Southeast | 19 |
| Idaho[35] | Idaho | 6 |
| Illinois[36] | Illinois and Wisconsin | 38 |
| Indiana[37] | Northern Indiana (45), South/Central Indiana (48), Southern Ohio (2) | 95 |
| Iowa[38] | Northern Plains | 26 |
| Kansas[39] | Western Plains | 27 |
| Kentucky[40] | Southern Ohio | 4 |
| Maine[41] | Atlantic Northeast | 3 |
| Maryland[42] | Mid-Atlantic (43), Middle Pennsylvania (1), West Marva (19) | 63 |
| Michigan[43] | Michigan (19), Northern Indiana (1), Northern Ohio (1) | 21 |
| Minnesota[44] | Northern Plains | 6 |
| Missouri[45] | Missouri and Arkansas | 13 |
| Montana[46] | Northern Plains | 1 |
| Nebraska[47] | Western Plains | 4 |
| New Jersey[48] | Atlantic Northeast | 1 |
| New Mexico[49] | Western Plains (1), Southern Plains (1) | 2 |
| New York[50] | Atlantic Northeast | 3 |
| North Carolina[51] | Southeastern (14), Virlina (6) | 20 |
| Ohio[52] | Northern Ohio (51), Southern Ohio (47) | 98 |
| Oklahoma[53] | Southern Plains | 4 |
| Oregon[54] | Oregon and Washington | 4 |
| Pennsylvania[55] | Atlantic Northeast (71), Mid-Atlantic (2), Middle Pennsylvania (54), Southern Pennsylvania (44), West Marva (1), Western Pennsylvania (70) | 242 |
| Puerto Rico[56] | Atlantic Southeast | 9 |
| South Carolina[57] | Southeastern | 1 |
| Tennessee[58] | Southeastern | 17 |
| Texas[59] | Southern Plains | 3 |
| Virginia[60] | Mid-Atlantic (8), Shenandoah (87), Southeastern (7), Virlina (79) | 181 |
| Washington[61] | Oregon and Washington | 12 |
| Washington, D. C.[62] | Mid-Atlantic | 1 |
| West Virginia[63] | Mid-Atlantic (4), Shenandoah (10), Virlina (5), West Marva (47) | 66 |
| Wisconsin[64] | Illinois and Wisconsin | 1 |
The Church of the Brethren began missionary activities in the late 19th century, which included the establishment of churches in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Although most foreign missions closed by the middle of the 20th century, several remain worldwide.[65]
The most successful such mission has been Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria (EYN) (Hausa for "Church of the Children of the Same Mother"), the Nigerian church which was granted autonomy in 1975.
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