Other1787
Swedenborgian (New Jerusalem Church)
📍 England (organised); Sweden (Swedenborg's origins)
Heaven opened: Swedenborg's visionary theology of correspondences.
Learn moreFree Resource
Denomination Explorer
Christianity is not one tradition. It is a family shaped by centuries of faith, geography, and the many ways people have met God. Explore the full family here. All branches. No judgment.
Other1838
Christadelphian
📍 England / USA
No immortal soul, no Trinity: Bible truth as first-century Christians understood it.
Learn moreOther1747 (England); 1774 (USA)
Shakers (United Society of Believers)
📍 Manchester, England; then New England, USA
Celibacy, communal life, and worship through ecstatic dance and craftsmanship.
Learn moreOther1785
Rappites (Harmonists)
📍 Württemberg, Germany; Pennsylvania and Indiana, USA
German perfectionist communalists who built Harmony, Pennsylvania.
Learn moreOther~1750s
Doukhobors
📍 Russia (Ukraine, Caucasus); emigrated to Canada 1899
Spirit-wrestlers: inner light, pacifism, and rejection of all external authority.
Learn moreOther~1765
Molokans
📍 Volga region and Caucasus, Russia; later California and Armenia
Russian milk-drinkers: Bible alone, no clergy, no fasting rules.
Learn moreOther1945
United Pentecostal Church International (Oneness)
📍 Hazelwood, Missouri, USA
Jesus Only: one God, baptism in Jesus's name, and the fullness of the Spirit.
Learn moreOther1863
New Apostolic Church
📍 Hamburg, Germany
The restored apostolic office: a living Chief Apostle as God's mouthpiece on earth.
Learn moreOther~1884–1910 (various founders)
African Zionist / Independent Churches (AICs)
📍 South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Kenya, East Africa
The largest African Christian movement: Spirit, healing, prophecy, and indigenous worship.
Learn moreOther1848
Exclusive Brethren (Plymouth Brethren II / PBCC)
📍 England (J.N. Darby's breakaway from Plymouth)
Absolute separation: no fellowship, eating, or worship with those outside the circle.
Learn moreOrigin
Christadelphians were founded by John Thomas (1805–1871), a British physician who emigrated to America and studied the Bible independently. He concluded that most of Christendom had departed from apostolic truth. Christadelphians ('Brethren in Christ' in Greek) reject the Trinity, the immortality of the soul, and believe baptism by immersion is necessary for salvation. They await the literal return of Christ to establish the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem.
Core beliefs
- God is one person; Jesus is the Son of God, not co-equal God
- No immortal soul - soul sleep until bodily resurrection
- Baptism by immersion is essential for salvation
- Pacifism and refusal to bear arms or serve in the military
- Literal Kingdom of God to be established in Jerusalem at Christ's return
Worship style
Simple, non-liturgical Sunday meetings: Scripture reading, hymn-singing, prayer, and Breaking of Bread (communion). No paid clergy; all members may participate. Bible study is the central activity.
Key scriptures
- John 17:3
- 1 Timothy 2:5
- Ecclesiastes 9:5
- Daniel 12:2
Relationship to other denominations
Outside Trinitarian orthodoxy; rejected by mainstream Christianity. Similar non-Trinitarian views to Jehovah's Witnesses but with significant differences in doctrine, practice, and origins.