Evangelical Association

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Part of a series on
Evangelical United Brethren

Background
Christianity · Protestantism
Reformed · Brethren · Mennonite
Evangelicalism · Pietism · Lutheranism
Methodism · Anglicanism · Arminianism

Doctrinal distinctives
Articles of Religion
Prevenient Grace
Governmental Atonement
Imparted righteousness
Christian perfection

People
Philip William Otterbein · Martin Boehm
Jacob Albright
Christian Newcomer · John Seybert
Andrew Zeller · Joseph Hoffman
Bishops · Theologians

Predecessor groups
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
Evangelical Association
United Evangelical Church
Church of the United Brethren in Christ (Old Constitution)

Related movements
Holiness movement
Salvation Army
Personalism
Pentecostalism

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The Evangelical Church or Evangelical Association, also known as the Albright Brethren, is a "body of American Christians chiefly of German descent", Arminian in doctrine and theology; in its form of church government, Methodist Episcopal.

[edit] History

In the early 20th century it numbered 148,506 members, not including children, with 1,864 ministers and 2,043 churches, in the United States, Canada and Germany. It was founded in 1800, by the Rev. Jacob Albright, a German-speaking Christian native of Pennsylvania (1759-1808), influenced by John Wesley and the Methodist movement. The first meetings were held in 1803, and a Book of Discipline was introduced six years later.

In 1816, the church took on the name "The Evangelical Association". Then in 1891, some members of the Evangelical Association left to form the "United Evangelical Church". Thirty-one years later the two groups reunited and renamed themselves "The Evangelical Church". Those congregations who chose not to re-unite formed a body called the Evangelical Congregational Church, which, despite its name, has no historical relation whatsoever with the Congregational churches derived from New England settlement. Rather, the name refers to its polity.

In 1946, the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren in Christ at a meeting in Johnstown, PA to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church. This body, in turn, united with The Methodist Church (US) in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church. A group of clergy and about fifty local churches withdrew at this time, probably in protest against perceived theological and social liberalism in American Methodism, and formed The Evangelical Church of North America.

[edit] Sources and references

(incomplete)

For information on evangelicals and the evangelical movement, see Evangelicalism.

[edit] Related Links

  • Aaron Yambert, Evangelical Association circuit rider in Ohio

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