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Bible Fellowship Church

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The Bible Fellowship Church is a conservative pietistic Christian denomination with Mennonite roots centered in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Its mid-century denominational leader Donald T. Kirkwood[1] described the denomination as "reformed in theology, Presbyterian in polity, creedal immersionists."[2]

Bible Fellowship Church
AbbreviationBFC
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationMennonite and Reformed
Origin1858
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
Separated fromUnited Missionary Church (1952)
Congregations67 (2023)
Number of followers14,412 (2023)
Ministers146 (2023)
Official websitewww.bfc.org
SloganAn Expanding Fellowship of Churches United to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ

History

Origins (1858—1952)

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.[3] Seven Mennonites who had come under the influence of revivalism—elder William Gehman, bishop William N. Shelly, preachers Henry Diehl and David Henning, and deacons David Gehman, Jacob Gottschall and Joseph Schneider—refused to surrender to the pressure from their bishops to give up their evangelism.[4] 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 1879.[5] In 1883 the Brethren in Christ in Ohio merged with the Evangelical United Mennonites to form the Mennonite Brethren in Christ.[6]

The Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ saw significant growth at the start of the twentieth century. Membership doubled from 1900 to 1920 and again from 1920 to 1940.[7] Since 1879, the Pennsylvania Conference held annual camp meetings.[8] The first location was Chestnut Hill outside Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. In 1910, the denomination purchased land near Allentown called Mitzpah Grove.[9] Located in East Allentown, the camp was located behind Mosser Elementary School encompassing the area between Ellsworth Street at Walnut Street to present-day Ellsworth Street (then inside the camp grounds) and Fairview Street.[10][11] The annual camp meetings ceased during World War II from 1942 to 1945, but resumed again in 1946.[7]

In the 1940s, the relationship of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ 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.[7] 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.[12]

BFC Denominational History (1952 — Present)

Five years later, in 1952, the Pennsylvania Conference officially voted to separate themselves from the other conferences of the United Missionary Church and form their own denomination. The cause of the separation included differences of opinion over church government, the doctrine of holiness, education, foreign missions, and financial autonomy.[13] The Pennsylvania Conference also objected to an expected merger with the Missionary Church Association—which would occur in 1969 creating a new consolidated denomination known as the Missionary Church.

Seven years after forming the new denomination, the Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ adopted a new name in 1959: the Bible Fellowship Church.[14] 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. In 1968, the Bible Fellowship Church sold its Mizpah Grove property in Allentown and acquired Pinebrook Bible Conference in Stroudsburg as the site for its annual camp meeting.[7]

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. In an address at the 1962 Annual Conference in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, Donald Kirkwood noted that "historically we were Arminian; gradually but progressively we became Dispensational; presently we are in transition. There are remnants of Arminianism, and Dispensationalism, also an active Calvinism."[15] However, in a departure from many other reformed churches, Bible Fellowship Churches continue the Anabaptist practice of believer's baptism.[16] It also holds to Premillennialism.[17][18]

Today

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; and Victory Valley Youth Camp. In 2005, there were 7,470 members in 61 congregations.[19] Most of the churches are located in eastern Pennsylvania. There are also churches in New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Virginia, and New Mexico. In 2023, there were 6,687 members in 67 congregations with a total church family size of 14,412.[20]

Pinebrook Ministries

Pinebrook Junior College

In 1950, the Pennsylvania Conference of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ supported the opening of Berean Bible School in Allentown.[21] When the Bible Fellowship Church purchased the Pinebrook Bible Conference in Stroudsburg in 1968, the Allentown campus of the Berean Bible School was sold. The next year, the school reopened as Pinebrook Junior College on the Stroudsburg property.[22] It began granting associates degrees in 1970.[23] In 1976, the college relocated to Coopersburg, Pennsylvania to a property that formerly housed a school and orphanage run by Sisters of the Sacred Heart that had closed in 1974.[23] In 1992, the junior college ceased operations due to declining enrollment causing inadequate finances.[23][24] In response, the Bible Fellowship Church created the Pinebrook Educational Foundation in 1994 to provide financial aid to Christian students studying at Christian post-secondary institutions.[22] In 2014, the former Coopersburg property was destroyed to make way for a new residential condominium development.[25]

Pinebrook Bible Conference

Pinebrook Bible Conference is a Christian camp and conference center in the Pocono Mountains in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1933 by Percy Crawford, an evangelist who led a radio ministry in Philadelphia, Pinebrook hosted prominent speakers and musicians, including Billy Graham, Jack Wyrtzen, J. Oliver Buswell, William Bell Riley, William Henry Houghton, Robert T. Ketcham, Cliff Barrows, and George Beverly Shea.[26]

In 1968, Pinebrook came under the umbrella of Bible Fellowship Church.[27] On October 17, 2018, Spruce Lake took over stewardship of Pinebrook, while Bible Fellowship Church continues to offer events, retreats, and conferences at the property.[28]

Notes

  1. ^ "Donald T. Kirkwood: 12/13/19 - 4/20/08". Bible Fellowship Church Yearbook 2008 (PDF). Bible Fellowship Church. 2008. pp. xx–xxi.
  2. ^ Kirkwood, Donald. "How We Changed – BFC Historical Society". Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  3. ^ Brandt, David. "History of the BFC". The Bible Fellowship Church. Archived from the original on 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  4. ^ Huffman, Jasper Abraham (1920). History of The Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church. New Carlisle, Ohio: Bethel Publishing Company.
  5. ^ Bender, Harold S. (1956). "Evangelical United Mennonites". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  6. ^ Bender, Harold S.; Thiessen, Richard D. (2013-05-01). "Mennonite Brethren in Christ". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  7. ^ a b c d "A Brief History – BFC Historical Society". Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  8. ^ "Camp Meetings". BFC Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  9. ^ Cassel, Willard. "Mizpah Grove – BFC Historical Society". Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  10. ^ "SCHOOL LAND WAS REZONED TO KEEP OUT JAIL, PANEL TOLD". The Morning Call. 1990-03-28. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  11. ^ "ALLENTOWN RECREATION BOARD WANTS SCHOOL LAND SAVED". The Morning Call. 1989-01-13. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  12. ^ "Mennonite Brethren in Christ (1883 - 1947)". www.thearda.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  13. ^ Taylor, Dick. "A Brief History of the Bible Fellowship Church". Bible Fellowship Church Online History Center. Archived from the original on 2023-07-10. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  14. ^ "BFC Denominational Overview". Church Extension Ministries | Bible Fellowship Church. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  15. ^ Kirkwood, Donald T. (1962-10-18). "Why the Bible Fellowship Church Today". Bible Fellowship Church Online History Center. Archived from the original on 2006-05-04. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  16. ^ Bender, Harold S.; Gingerich, Melvin; Taylor, Richard (2010-10-01). "Bible Fellowship Church". Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  17. ^ Beil, James A. (1982-11-20). "What Ties Us Together". Bible Fellowship Church Online History Center. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  18. ^ Brandt, David. "Who We Are". The Bible Fellowship Church. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  19. ^ "2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches". The National Council of Churches. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  20. ^ Kohl, Ronald L. (2023-04-27). "140th Annual Meeting of the Bible Fellowship Church Conference" (PDF). Annual Meeting of the Bible Fellowship Church Conference. 140: 193–195. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-08-04.
  21. ^ Shelly, Harold Patton (1992). The Bible Fellowship Church : formerly Mennonite Brethren in Christ, Pennsylvania Conference, originally die Evangelische Mennoniten Gemeinschaft von Ost-Pennsylvanien. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania: Bible Fellowship Church. pp. 333–334. ISBN 0961260238.
  22. ^ a b Brandt, David. "Pinebrook Educational Foundation". The Bible Fellowship Church. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  23. ^ a b c "Pinebrook College to Close: Declining Enrollment, Finances are the Reasons, President Says". The Morning Call. 1991-10-25. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  24. ^ Dotts, Raymond (1993-07-01). "Report of the Board of Directors of Pinebrook Junior College". Archived from the original on 2008-08-08.
  25. ^ Lane, Hilary (2014-10-23). "Former orphanage, junior college in Coopersburg demolished for upscale housing". WFMZ.com. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  26. ^ "Expanding the Vision at Pinebrook". Eastern District & Franconia Conference, Mennonite Church USA. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  27. ^ VanDerveer, Melanie. "Pinebrook still thriving after 75 years (with video)". Pocono Record. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  28. ^ "About Pinebrook". Retrieved 9 December 2019.

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
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