Brethren, River
Brethren, River
A religious sect which appeared in Pennsylvania, 1770. During a revival of the Lutheran, Mennonite, and Baptist churches, a dispute arose concerning the various forms of Baptism. The believers in trine (triple) immersion separated from the others, and although they had no definite organization, they designated various communities as “brotherhoods,” and looked to the community in the southern part of Lancaster County, called the “Brotherhood down by the River” as their authority. This probably accounts for the name. Dissensions arose, and there are now four bodies under the name of River Brethren:
Brethren in Christ Church
Calvary Holiness Church
Old Order or Yorker Brethren
United Zion’s Children