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Timeline of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Predecessor

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Timeline of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Predecessor By understanding our past, GCAH helps envision the future! timeline of the evangelical united brethren church and predecessor denominations The Evangelical Association (later Church) and the United Brethren Church arose in the midst of a religious awakening (“wachet auf”) in many PA “Dutch”/German communities beginning in the 1760s. A consortium of ministers and lay preachers of various German-American religious bodies “united” themselves for the task of carrying the gospel and Christian culture to the back-country Germans, many of whom had never experienced evangelical preaching let alone been exposed to Christian teaching, discipline, and sacramental life. These Germans introduced Methodist methods—forming societies and classes in several communities in southeastern PA, sending preachers on circuits and holding “big meetings” (camp meetings in summer and fall seasons). One of them was Philip Otterbein, a German Reformed clergyman, another Jacob Albright, a Lutheran farmer. Despite deep affi nities, EVs and UBs did not think of themselves simply as German Methodists. Except for the very early years, both movements thought of themselves as quite separate denominations. NOTE: In the following timeline EV= Evangelical Association/Church, UB= United Brethren Church and EUB= Evangelical United Brethren Church. OTTERBEIN AND BIRTH OF ALBRIGHT AND BIRTH OF THE THE UNITED BRETHREN EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION Philip Wilhelm Otterbein born into a family of ministers 1726 (Dillenberg, Germany) Image of Otterbein Otterbein, university educat- ed, ordained by the Reformed 1749 Church in Germany. Otterbein responds to call for missionaries in America. 1752 Appointed to the German Reformed Church (Lancaster, PA, Experiences a personal conversion. His new found joy leads him to share his passion with his congregation. He begins to preach in rural communities. Jacob Albright born into an 1759 immigrant farm family (Pottstown, PA), baptized and catechized in the Lutheran church. On Pentecost Sunday Otterbe- in attends a camp meeting at 1767 Isaac Long’s Barn, hears Men- nonite bishop Martin Boehm preach and proclaims “Wir sind brüder!” (“We are brethren!”). Otterbein and Boehm take leadership of a community of believers who organize them- selves into the United Brethren. Otterbein begins his ministry at what would become Old 1774 Otterbein Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Now a UMC heritage site Image of Old Otterbein Church Martin Boehm excommunicat- Albright joins the Pennsylvania ed from Mennonites Church 1777 Militia during the Revolutionary charged with propagating false War. At war’s end marries doctrine and practice. Menno- Catherine Cope, settles on a nite Church repents and rein- farm near Ephrata, PA. states Boehm in ecumenical gesture in 2017. Otterbein assists in Francis Asbury’s ordination at Meth- 1784 odist “Christmas Conference” (Baltimore). Otterbein calls evangelical preachers from several Ger- 1789 man-American denominations to meet in his parsonage in Baltimore. Ten of the eighteen preachers were Reformed, six including Boehm were Men- nonites, one was Amish, 1789 and one was Moravian. All agree to 1) accepted each other’s ordinations 2) to preach in homes in their neighborhoods in addition to their resident pastorates, 3) to hold quarterly meetings in regions and 4) to gather at an annual conference for mutual support, training and to map missional strategy. The death of several chil- 1791 dren in an epidemic plunges Albright into crisis of faith. With spiritual help from a United Brethren lay pastor and a Methodist class leader he finds relief and experiences a religious conversion. Joins a Methodist class, and soon licensed as an exhorter (e.g. lay speaker). After much soul searching 1796 Albright travels and preaches a message of salvation through a renewed heart. He is ex- pelled by the Lutheran church as a fanatic. Philip Otterbein, Martin Boehm and a small group 1800 of German preachers hold a conference at Peter Kemp’s home near Frederick, Maryland, and organize the Church of the United Breth- ren in Christ (a.k.a. United Brethren Church). Otterbein suffers serious illness, confined to Balti- 1805 more. Christian Newcomer assumes leadership. Unlike Albright, Otterbein retains residential pastorate and ministerial orders in the Reformed Synod, attending regularly. Albright convenes a confer- 1807 ence in Lebanon, PA, where Evangelical Association is officially organized. Albright elected and ordained bish- op, is asked to preside at the first Baptisms and Commu- nion services, to appoint preachers to circuits, to pre- pare a German translation of the Methodist Book of Discipline, adopt the name “Newly Formed Methodist Conference.” Image of EA First General Conference Although determined to 1808 travel widely, failing health leads to Albright’s death at age forty-nine, a shock to his followers. A biography of Albright is rushed into UB and EV establish anti- print. George Miller takes slavery norms, condemn- leadership. ing slavery and banning ownership of slaves by any member of their churches First Discipline and Cate- for their churches—and stick 1809 chism of the Evangelical to them. The EVs led the Association are printed. way by condemning slavery From beginning, EVs en- and slave holding by church tertain hope for unity with members in their first dis- the Methodists or the UBs. cipline (1809) and retained Possibility of becoming the their condemnation through German conference of the the Civil War. In 1821 the Methodist Episcopal Church UBs forbade slave owner- went nowhere with Asbury’s ship among their members insistence on use of English. many of whom lived in Mary- Image of Evangelical Church land and Virginia. EVs and Discipline UBs never retreated from this position. The simple rhythmic choruses sung around camp meetings 1810 were translated, adapted and extended beginning by EVs in 1810 and UBs in 1815. The first UB General Confer- ence authorizes the publication of a Discipline, Confession of Faith. Martin Boehm dies. 1812 Newcomer and preachers ask ailing Otterbein to ordain more 1813 preachers so that they could ordain others. Otterbein, six weeks before death (Novem- ber 17), assisted by Methodist elder William Ryland, ordains Newcomer bishop and two preachers as Elders. Christian Newcomer becomes the first bishop for the UBs. John Dreisbach convenes the 1816 first EV General Conference. The assembly approves expan- sion into Ohio and upstate New York, authorized negotiations with the UBs, adopted a new name, Evangelical Association, the first American church body to adopt the term Evangelical in its name. Image of John Dreisbach organizing to beat the devil EVs establish fi rst publishing 1817 house (New Berlin, PA). EV General Conference adopts 1830 a pacifi st amendment to their Articles of Religion. The restric- tion was lifted during the Civil War but reinstated after the war and remained until union with EUB in 1946. EV publishes fi rst English 1832 language Discipline; opens fi rst Sunday School in Lebanon, PA. UB Publishing House is estab- lished in Circleville, OH. 1834 UB members no longer allowed slave ownership. 1837 The Missionary Society of 1838 the Evangelical Association is formed. UBs second bishop, John Sey- bert, elected and consecrated. 1839 The new bishop begins aggres- sive plan of church expansion westward to Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Canada. In contrast to UBs, EVs cling fi rmly to the German language well into the twentieth century. The UB Missionary Society is founded. 1841 Charity Opheral is the fi rst woman to receive commenda- 1847 tion to preach by the White River Annual Conference in 1847 and a local license to preach in 1849. Lydia Sexton voted “rec- ommendation” as a “pulpit 1851 speaker” by the UBs General Conference. Image of Lydia Sexton UB Home, Frontier and Foreign Missionary Society 1853 founded. UB sends fi rst overseas missionaries to Sierra Leone. 1855 Image of Sierra Leone pio- neer missionaries reshaping the churches for mission 1860’s–1900 EV and UBs “main street” themselves moving from rural and back streets to main streets following their Methodist cousins. They from societies for building new churches, establish Sunday school associations, expanding them to include adults; introduce youth fellowships, men’s brotherhoods and Deaconess orders. Schools and colleges, universities and theological schools are founded and endowed, some for newly freed African Americans in the south. Hospitals and homes for children and the aged, heavily dependent on newly authorized Deaconess orders, begin to be established across the nation. Both UB and EVs expand societies for missions overseas. When Civil War breaks out UBs When Civil War breaks out EVs and EVs vigorously support 1861 and UBs vigorously support President Lincoln, sends sol- President Lincoln, sends sol- diers to the battlefi elds, nurses diers to the battlefi elds, nurses to hospitals and prayers to to hospitals and prayers to heaven. heaven. UBs send delegates to the fi rst EVs send delegates to the fi rst Ecumenical Methodist Confer- 1881 Ecumenical Methodist Confer- ence in London, a clear sign ence in London, a clear sign they understood themselves to they understood themselves to be a part of the global Method- be a part of the global Method- ist family [Since 1956 renamed ist family [Since 1956 renamed World Methodist Conferences.] World Methodist Conferences.] Women are ordained. Ella Niswonger is first in the UB. 1889 The EVs, like their Methodist cousins, postpones the ordina- tion of women until the1950s. EV’s were slow to erase the disparities in gender, did not open its seminaries or pulpits to women or include women delegates into its governing conferences throughout its whole life, i.e., to 1946. Adoption of a new UB consti- tution leads to the withdrawal of the United Brethren Church (Old Constitution). Lay delegates of the UB are admitted to General Con- 1893 ference which includes two women. The EVs splits into conservative 1894 heavily German-speaking Evan- gelical Association in mid-west and progressive English favor- ing United Evangelical Church in east Ella Niswonger is elected the first woman clergy delegate to 1900 the UB General Conference.
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