Old Order Yorker River Brethren (1843 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: Friends/BrethrenReligious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: The Old Order (or Yorker) River Brethren separated in 1843 from their parent church, the River Brethren (now known as the Brethren in Christ), protesting what they saw as laxity in matters of nonconformity to the world and non-resistance to the military. They are currently the smallest among the River Brethren groups, having only four congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Official Site: Not available
Connections: Old Order Yorker River Brethren
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Maps: Old Order Yorker River Brethren1
Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)
Congregations (2020)
Top 3 Old Order Yorker River Brethren States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | 3 | 603 | 0.05 |
| 2 | Iowa | 1 | 64 | 0.02 |
| 3 | Kansas | 1 | 21 | 0.01 |
Top 4 Old Order Yorker River Brethren Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clay County, KS | 1 | 21 | 2.59 |
| 2 | Franklin County, PA | 2 | 389 | 2.49 |
| 3 | Dallas County, IA | 1 | 64 | 0.64 |
| 4 | Lancaster County, PA | 1 | 214 | 0.39 |
Top 3 Old Order Yorker River Brethren Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA Metro Area | 2 | 389 | 2.49 |
| 2 | Lancaster, PA Metro Area | 1 | 214 | 0.39 |
| 3 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area | 1 | 64 | 0.09 |
Old Order Yorker River Brethren, Trends (1935 - 1937)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 472 | 10 | |
| 1937 | 472 | 10 | |
Sources
1 The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]
2 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.
Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.
When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.
