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The Dunkards had their roots in the Church of the Brethren. The Church of the Brethren formed in 1708 with a group of eight Christians under the leadership of Alexander Mack at Schwarzenau, Germany. The five men (Alexander Mack, John Kipin, George Grevy, Andreas Bhony and Lucas Fetter) and three women (Mack's wife, Anna Margaretta; Kipin's wife, Johanna; and Joanna Nethigum) believed that both the Lutheran and the (German) Reformed denominations were taking too many liberties with the 'true' Christianity as revealed in the New Testament. They were all neighbors, so they decided to meet together to read and study the Bible. Initially referring to themselves as 'New Baptists,' the members of this Protestant sect who immigrated to the North American colonies became known as 'German' Baptists. The name was recognized in 1836 with the Annual Meeting referring to themselves as the 'Fraternity of German Baptists.' The name was officially changed to German Baptist Brethren in 1871, but since the denomination believed in immersion as the proper method of baptism, the German word for dunking: Tunker was commonly used. In fact, the word tunken meant 'to put a morsel in sauce', which was likened to 'dunking.' From the word tunker was derived the names: Dunker and Dunkard.
Twenty families professing the Baptist faith arrived at the port of Philadelphia in the year 1719. They did not stay together; some went to Germantown, some to Oley, some to Skippack, some to Conestoga and the rest to parts unknown. They, being scattered, were unable to maintain a congregation. In 1722 a group of church leaders came over to try to gather the flock together. They visited the various families and encouraged those residing near to each other to form congregations. The congregation building effort was bolstered in 1729 when another group of about thirty German Baptist immigrant families arrived in Pennsylvania. By the 1830s, German Baptists or Brethren were dispersed throughout the United States. They were most numerous in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and Indiana.
Between 1869 and 1880, a schism began to form within the denomination over the growing liberalism in the church. The more conservative members, who among other things saw as too liberal the introduction of musical instruments in the church, split in 1881, taking the name of the Old German Baptist Brethren. During the following two years a group of more progressive members also split to form The Brethren Church. In 1936/37 a denominational school, Ashland College at Ashland, Ohio was being pushed into becoming a more secular school. Quarreling among the members of the Board of Trustees led to two of them resigning. One of those Board members to resign was Louise S. Bauman, who advocated more fundamentalism within the teachings at Ashland. The day after he resigned, Bauman formed the Grace Theological Seminary, and in 1939 it became the National Fellowship of Brethren Churches. Followers increased and the new church expanded. In 1987 the Fellowship was incorporated as the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. A conservative branch separated from the Fellowship in 1992, taking the name of the Conservative Grace Brethren Church. The new group disagreed with allowing individuals who had never been baptized by triune immersion to join the church.
In 1908, the Old German Baptist Brethren changed their name to the Church of the Brethren.
New congregations were formed through the early 1900s, one of which was a group in Indiana that broke away in 1913 to form the Old Brethren. They objected to the use of telephones and automobiles by the Old German Baptist Brethren. In 1939 the Old Brethren even experienced discontent among its members. Some rejected not only telephones and automobiles, but also the use of electricity and automated farm equipment, such as tractors. This new faction took the name of Old Brethren German Baptists.
The Old Order German Baptist Brethren was the name taken by a group that broke off of the original Old German Baptist Brethren in 1921. They rejected the use of electricity in their homes, telephones and automobiles, but accepted the use of tractors in the field.
The main body and most congregations of this denomination have continued to embrace the name of the Church of the Brethren. They believe in the New Testament as their only creed and point to the Sermon on the Mount as the primary guide to a person's conduct here on Earth. Like the Quakers and Mennonites, the Brethren have espoused pacifism, but have not always been as staunch against allowing their sons to enter into the service during times of war as their Quaker and Mennonite cousins. The Church of the Brethren practices baptism by what they call 'trine immersion,' meaning that they are immersed in a forward direction under the names of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. They also practice the 'love feast' in imitation of the Lord's Last Supper. Rather than as an hierarchical figure, the Brethren minister simply fulfills the function of a teacher. According to the Church of the Brethren's web site, "Years ago, all Brethren were immediately recognizable because of their plain dress and reserved ways. Today's Brethren live very much in the world, work in a broad range of occupations, and make use of the latest technology."
In 1926, a group of Schwarzenau Brethren withdrew from the Church of the Brethren and formed a denomination known as the Dunkard Brethren. Benjamin Elias Kesler, an Elder of the Church of the Brethren in Missouri, became concerned that the Brethren were getting away from the old apostolic standards. In 1923, due to Kesler's writings in a monthly paper (The Bible Monitor) that he started publishing in October 1922, he was denied a seat at the Church of the Brethren's Annual Conference. His followers, therefore, held their own meeting. At the Annual Conference in 1926, Kesler's concerns were discussed, but not addressed to Kesler's satisfaction. As a result Kesler and his followers withdrew from the Church of the Brethren and formed the Dunkard Brethren Church.
Before leaving this sketch about the Brethren denominations, it might be noted that as recent as 2007 a new denomination has emerged as a descendant of the original German Baptist / Dunkard church. Known as Progressive Brethren, the new denomination describes itself as "open to new possibilities and directions that God's spirit may be leading. We embrace the gifts of diversity, hospitality, intellectual pursuit, honest engagement, and creative worship."
