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 more⛪
Doukhobors
Other~1750s
📍 Russia (Ukraine, Caucasus); emigrated to Canada 1899
🌍 ~40,000 (mostly Canada)
Origin
The Doukhobors ('Spirit-wrestlers') emerged in 18th-century Russia as a radical pacifist, anti-ecclesiastical movement rejecting the Orthodox Church, external Scriptures, icons, and military service. Persecuted by the Russian Tsar, Leo Tolstoy helped fund their mass emigration to Canada in 1899, where ~7,500 settled in Saskatchewan. They carried their 'Living Book' of oral psalms with them.
Core beliefs
- God is the Spirit within every person; no external Church is needed
- The 'Living Book' of oral hymns and psalms - not the written Bible alone
- Pacifism: total and unconditional refusal of military service
- Rejection of the state, courts, and oaths
- Vegetarianism in many communities
Worship style
Simple gatherings with antiphonal singing of 'Living Book' psalms and hymns. No clergy, typically no church building - meetings held outdoors or in homes. No set liturgy.
Key scriptures
- John 4:24
- Matthew 5:38–48
- Luke 17:21
- Romans 13:8–10
Relationship to other denominations
Outside mainstream Christianity; similar to Quakers in rejecting outward forms but distinct in theology. Influenced by Russian mysticism and Tolstoyan non-resistance.