What It Means To Be Brethren

by James F. Myer

1 . To know that we are Christians only as our faith is centered in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

2. To understand that we are Christians first and Brethren second.

3. To be generally well aware of the major strokes in our Brethren heritage that brought us to this place.

4. To be unashamed that we are a part of the Pietist and Anabaptist tradition and the values which they suggest.

5. To accept the Bible as God's written Word and be committed to the study of the Scriptures with special emphasis on New Testament doctrines.

6. To be sure we have experienced a spiritual conversion empowered by the Holy Spirit, which includes an inner transformation and outer nonconformity.

7. To discover afresh how to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and embody His teachings and purposes.

8. To be dedicated to the church where our walk of discipleship can be nurtured and guided.

9. To be a people who love sincerely.

10. To be diligent about practicing New Testament rites and ordinances and then applying these principles in a practical expression of daily life.

11. To bear witness to a peace ethic that affects our interpersonal, domestic, and marital relationships.

12. To be careful about personal moral purity and oppose the sins of fornication, adultery, and homosexual practice.

13. To be a servant people who desire humble ways of expression through simple living.

14. To be diligent in witnessing to the unreached masses with God's saving grace in Jesus Christ.