Churches Of The Brethren

Worship in the Brethren churches, influenced by Anabaptist and Pietist traditions, rejects formal liturgy in favor of "free worship. " The emphasis in the past and now is on community, the Word, singing, and occasional services that combine the Agape feast and footwashing. Recently some churches have been influenced by either the liturgical movement or the more informal approach of the praise-and-worship tradition. History and Principles of Worship The Brethren were born out of the Anabaptist movement and radical Pietism in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Germany, when small groups of people began meeting for Bible study, discussion, singing, and prayer. A 175-year-old description lifts up several aspects of worship still important in Brethren practice: They gather about a long table, a hymn is sung. The sisters on one side, the brethren on the other, arise and wash one another's feet. Then they eat the Lord's Supper, pass the kiss of charity with the right hand of fellowship, …