July 21, 2008

ELGIN, IL – The Church of the Brethren Annual Conference unanimously adopted resolutions approving the plan and agreement of merger of two of the denomination's agencies, during meetings in Richmond, Va., on July 14.

The action merges the Church of the Brethren General Board and the Association of Brethren Caregivers into a single corporation. The action changes the name of the new organization to Church of the Brethren, Inc.

The resolutions were presented by the Implementation Committee elected in 2007 to create a plan for the merger, after the Annual Conference adopted the recommendation of a Review and Evaluation Committee to unite the agencies into a new incorporated legal entity.

In adopting the resolutions, the Conference also approved articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws. The action combines the boards of the two agencies into one new board called the Mission and Ministry Board. It creates a new Leadership Team for the denomination, which will include the Annual Conference Officers and the general secretary of the Church of the Brethren. All ministries of the two boards will continue in the new organization.

The action does not affect the organization of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, which continues to be the highest and final legislative authority of the denomination.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service