History Of The Association Of Grace Brethren Ministers

The Association of Grace Brethren Ministers grew out of the Progressive Brethren movement. The 1894 Brethren Annual contains the written record of a meeting, held the year before, to organize The National Brethren Ministerial Association. A complete constitution and a course of study for ministers may be found in the minutes.

By 1939, the organization was known as The National Ministerial Association of the Brethren Church. That year, the Brethren Church broke in half, and ministers reorganized themselves as the National Fellowship of Brethren Ministers. It was the Association's 45th annual meeting.

The ministers revised their constitution in 1974 to reflect the addition of the word Grace to its name. The change was made to clearly indicate its cooperation with the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. The most recent revision occurred in 1999 when the name was changed to Association of Grace Brethren Ministers.

Those who began the Association in 1893 had a dream. They wanted to provide well trained pastors and missionaries to churches in the Progressive Brethren movement. To that end, they agreed to be accountable to each other. The core vision has never changed. Today, nearly 600 licensed and ordained ministers belong to the Association. They offer themselves for service to Grace Brethren churches all over the world.