Editing Open Brethren (section)

== History ==
The separation of the independent or open brethren from the [[Exclusive Brethren]] occurred when [[John Nelson Darby]] denounced [[Benjamin Wills Newton]], an elder of the Plymouth assembly, at that time the largest of the Brethren assemblies, over disagreements concerning prophecy and church organisation. Darby forced him to admit to theological errors, then attacked [[George Müller]] and [[Henry Craik (evangelist)|Henry Craik]] at Bethesda Chapel in Bristol for accepting two others of that assembly, even though they were not implicated in any of Newton's errors.

This led to a separation of Bethesda from Darby and a clear adoption of an independent or [[congregational]] stance by many of the assemblies. The statement of the assembly at Tottenham gives clearly the position of the Open Brethren:

<blockquote>We welcome to the table, on individual grounds, each saint, not because he or she is a member of this or that gathering or denomination of Christians nor because they are followers of any particular leader, but on such testimony as commends itself to us as being sufficient. We distinctly refuse to be parties to any exclusion of those who, we are satisfied, are believers—except on grounds personally applying to their individual faith and conduct.<ref>{{harvnb|Coad|1968|p=301}}</ref></blockquote>

The exclusive Darbyites "became more and more introverted and mystical as the years passed",<ref>{{harvnb|Coad|1968|p=164}}</ref> while the open brethren continued to develop an emphasis on the "[[faith mission]]s" pioneered by [[Anthony Norris Groves]] in India and [[George Müller]] with his orphanages in Bristol. In 1853, they started their first missionary journal, ''The Missionary Reporter''. In 1859, the [[Third Great Awakening|religious revival]] which reached Britain had a transforming effect on many of the assemblies and brought in new leaders such as [[Joseph Denham Smith]]. Ulster became one of the stronger centres, and expansion occurred in Scotland and northern England. In London, [[Thomas John Barnardo]] began his rescue work with orphans. [[Dwight L. Moody]] from Chicago, on a trip to England to visit George Müller and [[Charles H. Spurgeon]], met a young man in a Dublin assembly, [[Henry Moorhouse]], who was to profoundly influence his preaching style when he preached at Moody's church, revolutionising his work as an evangelist.

In Barnstaple, one of the largest early brethren assemblies developed from the inspiring example of [[Robert Chapman (pastor)|Robert Cleaver Chapman]], who continued his ministry until the end of the century. He had made an evangelistic tour of Spain in 1838 and after 1869 the work expanded in Barcelona and Madrid and also in Portugal. In Italy, an indigenous development by [[Count Guicciardini]] linked up with [[T. P. Rossetti]] (a cousin of [[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]]) in England although the Protestant "Brethren" faced persecution and imprisonment by the Catholic church.

The movement soon spread with English-speaking emigrants to Australia and New Zealand as well as to the United States and Canada. Some 600 congregations were recorded in 1959 in the U.S. and 300 in Canada.<ref>
{{citation|author=J.R. Taylor|title=Who Are the Plymouth Brethren?|publisher=World Christian Digest|date=July 1959}}
</ref>

===Increasing diversity===
By the middle of the twentieth century, a number of streams were becoming apparent within the Open Brethren, especially in North America. A clear line of demarcation (albeit with some overlap) appeared between more conservative assemblies, generally known as ''[[Gospel Hall Brethren|Gospel Halls]],'' and the more "progressive" ''[[Bible Chapel Brethren|Bible Chapels]]'', with the latter being more receptive to innovations like accompanied music and collaboration with non-Brethren Christians. [[Robert McClurkin]] was welcome in both circles, but he complained that the Gospel Halls were being influenced by literature from the very strict [[Needed Truth Brethren|Needed Truth]] movement (an 1892 schism from the Open Brethren), and that a rigid line of demarcation was being drawn. This line was far less pronounced outside of North America, however.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the Brethren movement diversified further still, especially through cultural adaptations in [[Third World]] countries. Examples of this include some assemblies in [[Papua New Guinea]], which began using [[coconut]] flesh and milk instead of bread and wine to celebrate Holy Communion (or "the Lord's Supper", as many Brethren prefer to call it). In France, Brethren have established a central committee offering leadership and direction to assemblies that choose to participate, despite the common Brethren aversion to central organisations, while Brethren in [[Ethiopia]] have leadership conferences at which some collective decision-making takes place. In Germany, many Brethren assemblies have joined [[Wiedenest]], a joint Brethren–[[Baptist]] venture which operates a [[seminary]], conference centre, youth movement, and [[missionary]] organisation. In predominantly Muslim [[Pakistan]], some assemblies seat men and women on opposite sides of the room, as in a [[mosque]]. When they pray, they do so on their knees.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.partnershipuk.org/qwicsitePro2/php/docsview.php?docid=1659|title=The 'Brethren' movement – a briefing note|date=Jan 2013|access-date=12 Feb 2013|pages=24|archive-date=1 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201050358/http://www.partnershipuk.org/qwicsitePro2/php/docsview.php?docid=1659|url-status=dead}}</ref>

International Brethren Conferences on Mission (IBCM) were founded in 1993 in [[Singapore]] by unions of churches from various countries.<ref>Neil T. R. Dickson, Tim Grass, ''The Growth of the Brethren Movement: National and International Experiences'', Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2006, p. 9</ref>