The Bible Fellowship Church is a conservative pietistic Christian denomination with Mennonite roots. Pietism was a movement, in the Lutheran Church, lasting from the late-17th century to the mid-18th Century. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ whom they believe is the saviour of the world. ... The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist (Re-baptizers) denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ...

History

The Bible Fellowship Church (BFC) history begins with the formation of the Evangelische Mennoniten Gemeinschaft (Evangelical Mennonite Society) on September 24, 1858 in Milford Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Seven Mennonites who had come under the influence of revivalism - elder William Gehman, bishop William N. Shelly, preachers Henry Diehl & David Henning, and deacons David Gehman, Jacob Gottschall & Joseph Schneider – refused to surrender to the pressure from their bishops to give up their evangelism. Instead they formed the new society, which combined Mennonite doctrine with enthusiastic evangelism. The Evangelical Mennonites of Pennsylvania consolidated with the United Mennonites (org. 1875) to become the Evangelical United Mennonites in November of 1879. In 1883 the Brethren in Christ in Ohio merged with the Evangelical United Mennonites to form the Mennonite Brethren in Christ. The Bible Fellowship Church (as the Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ) shares a common history of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ (which became the Missionary Church) until 1952. In the 1940s, the relationship of the Pennsylvania Conference with the other Mennonite Brethren in Christ conferences was strained. Disagreements existed over doctrine and ecclesiology, and these were intensified by personality differences. In 1947, the General Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ changed the name of the denomination to the United Missionary Church. The Pennsylvania Conference disagreed with the name change, and was allowed to continue under the old name. Five years later the Pennsylvania Conference voted to separate themselves from the other conferences of the United Missionary Church. Differences of opinion over church government, the doctrine of holiness, education, foreign missions, and financial autonomy combined to bring about the division. They also objected to what was expected to be a merger with the Missionary Church Association (which occurred in 1969). September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1858 (MDCCCLVIII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Lehigh County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Missionary Church, Inc. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Holiness is the state of being holy, that is, set apart for the worship or service of God or gods. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

The Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ adopted a new name in 1959 - the Bible Fellowship Church. At this time, new articles of faith were approved, which included dropping the practice of feet washing. The structure of church government was gradually changed to a more presbyterian style. Local elders rule individual Bible Fellowship churches. Each of the individual churches sends their elders and pastors to the annual conference. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Feet washing is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ...

During the mid-20th century, the denomination's core soteriological viewpoint also gradually changed from its early Anabaptist/Arminian perspective to the current espousal of Reformed Theology. However, in a departure from many other reformed churches, Bible Fellowship Churches continue the Anabaptist practice of believer's baptism. For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation). ... Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo re-baptizers, German: Wiedertäufer) were Christians of the Radical Reformation. ... Arminianism is a Protestant Christian theology founded by the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius. ... Reformed theology is a branch of Protestant Christian theology based primarily on the theology of Jesus. ... The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist system of doctrine but organisationally independent. ... Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo re-baptizers, German: Wiedertäufer) were Christians of the Radical Reformation. ... Believer Baptism (also called credobaptism) is the Christian ritual of baptism as given only to adults and children who first proclaim to believe in Jesus as their personal savior, resurrected by the power of God the Father. ...

Headquarters of the BFC are located in Whitehall, Pennsylvania. Ministries include the Bible Fellowship Board of Missions; Church Extension Ministries; Fellowship Community, a home for the aged; Pinebrook Bible Conference, a Christian conference and retreat center; and Victory Valley Youth Camp. The Bible Fellowship Church in North America has an estimated 8000 members in about 60 churches¹. Most of the churches are located in eastern Pennsylvania. There are also churches in New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Virginia, and New Mexico. Whitehall is the name of some places in the State of Pennsylvania in the United States of America: Whitehall, Adams County, Pennsylvania Whitehall, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

External links

• Bible Fellowship Church Official Web Site
• Bible Fellowship Church Online History Center
• Pinebrook Bible Conference
• Bible Fellowship Church - Board of Missions

References

• Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
• Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
• History of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ, Jasper Huffman, editor
• The Bible Fellowship Church: formerly Mennonite Brethren in Christ, Pennsylvania Conference, originally die Evangelische Mennoniten Gemeinschaft von Ost-Pennsylvanien, by Harold Patton Shelly

Footnote

• 1. Adherents.com