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.
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Exclusive Brethren (Plymouth Brethren II / PBCC)
Other1848
📍 England (J.N. Darby's breakaway from Plymouth)
🌍 ~50,000 (PBCC); broader exclusive streams several hundred thousand
Origin
When J.N. Darby split from the Open Plymouth Brethren in 1848, the Exclusive Brethren tradition was born. Their foundational conviction: the unity of the Spirit means believers may only break bread with a fellowship that maintains complete separation from all moral evil - including other Christian bodies deemed compromised. Under successive 'leading brothers' (Raven, Taylor, Hales), restrictions escalated to include prohibition of eating or socialising with outsiders, including family members who left.
Core beliefs
- The Lord's Table is limited strictly to those within the separated gathered circle
- Separation from worldly associations, media, and outside social contact
- Darbyite dispensationalism and pre-tribulation rapture as foundational eschatology
- Headship: men lead all worship; women remain silent and head-covered
- The gathered assembly around Christ is the only true expression of the Church
Worship style
Silent waiting with led spontaneous prayer, spontaneous hymn selection, and the Breaking of Bread as the central act. No paid ministry. Extremely simple and controlled services. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) under the Taylor-Hales line has attracted scrutiny for shunning practices that separate family members.
Key scriptures
- 2 Timothy 2:19
- 1 Corinthians 5:11
- 2 Corinthians 6:17
- Revelation 2:14–15
Relationship to other denominations
Separated from the Open Brethren in 1848 over fellowship principles. The PBCC has faced legal and human-rights scrutiny in multiple countries for shunning and separation practices. Distinct from the Open (or Christian) Brethren.