Why do members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church choose to live in close-knit communities?

As part of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, we tend to stick together, because of our shared customs and practices. We meet often during the week at local church halls, to pray and discuss scripture, and we gather every Sunday for the Lord’s Supper.

This in no way means we live in isolation from the wider community – we live dispersed throughout normal neighbourhoods in suburbs, towns and cities. There may be 100s of Brethren families in an area, or just a dozen – and they would all attend the same local church halls. This generally means all Brethren in an area usually know each other quite well, from seeing each other at church meetings or other gatherings.

Does the Brethren flock migrate together?

This tendency to stick together isn’t exclusive to the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church community – there are many faith-based communities that have members who choose to live in close proximity with each other. But it has created a point of interest for some commentators in the media.

In the past few years, there have been several media reports on the housing choices of some in our community. One newspaper article in an Australian newspaper detailed the real estate sales of several church members who were moving out of a flood-prone area in Windsor, Sydney, which used terms like “exodus” and “migration”.

The reality was nowhere near that dramatic! Rather, a number of families living in that area had been negatively impacted by flooding on many occasions. Some Brethren houses were inundated by knee high floodwaters more than once. Eventually, those families had enough and decided to move. If you asked any of those families, most of whom moved up the hill to the Blue Mountains area, they’d probably say it was nothing to do with their Brethren beliefs or rules, but a sensible decision based on not wanting wet ankles.

There are also more serious examples. In the 1990s, many members of the Brethren who lived in a community in South Africa, decided to leave after it became too dangerous to live there. Families made the decision to join other Brethren communities around the world.

Where do the Brethren choose to do business?

Many Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members start their own businesses, or work in family businesses. Those who do start business often choose to do so within the communities of which they are already a part. For example, a church member living in an area with a lot of heavy industry may choose to start a business supplying protective equipment. This way, they are supporting the local community through the creation of jobs and opportunities. Generally, they want to see their local area to thrive and contribute in any way they can.

A few years ago, an Australian media outlet wrote an article along these lines about the West Australian township of Dalwallinu. You can read this article here, which features an interview with a member of our church. Please note that the article refers to the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church as “Exclusive Brethren” which is not the correct name.

What are the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church’s beliefs around community?

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has a strong belief in showing care and compassion both to those within our church community and to the wider community. One way we contribute to society is through our charitable arm, the Rapid Relief Team (RRT).

RRT has 16,500 volunteers who actively offer support to emergency services, frontline workers, and other charitable organisations and community groups. RRT will provide food for police, firefighters and emergency workers during crises or natural disasters; donate fencing or livestock feed to farmers during fires, droughts or floods; put on special events to mark occasions such as International Nurses Day, Homelessness Awareness Week, and International Day of People with Disability; and provide food and other support for fundraising events hosted by other charities such as fun runs, marathons, bike rides and so on.

Where in the world is the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church?

There are more than 55,000 members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church across the globe. There are Brethren living in Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Canada, Argentina and the Caribbean. You can listen to stories from church members from across the globe elsewhere on our website, such as Rachel Dallas from Jamaica, Pino D’Amato from Rome, or the Little family from Sydney.