Evangelical~1609
Baptist
📍 Amsterdam, Netherlands (English Separatists); spread to England and America
Scripture alone, believer's baptism by immersion, congregational governance.
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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.
Evangelical1863
Seventh-day Adventist
📍 Battle Creek, Michigan, USA
Saturday Sabbath, healthy living, and the imminent return of Christ.
Learn moreEvangelical~1906 (formal separation)
Churches of Christ (a cappella)
📍 Southern USA (Tennessee, Texas)
Scripture only: no instruments in worship, no creed, believer's baptism for salvation.
Learn moreEvangelical~1927 (identified as distinct body)
Christian Churches (Independent)
📍 USA (Midwest)
Instrumental Stone-Campbell conservatives: direct New Testament Christianity.
Learn moreEvangelical~1860s
Stundists
📍 Ukraine (Odessa region), Russian Empire
Ukrainian Protestant movement born from German pietist Bible hours.
Learn moreEvangelical~1970s–present
Non-denominational Evangelical
📍 USA (primarily); now global
Bible-believing, Jesus-centred Christianity without traditional denominational labels.
Learn moreEvangelical1831
Plymouth Brethren
📍 Plymouth, England; Dublin, Ireland
No clergy, no creed: just the Lord's Table and Scripture exposition.
Learn moreEvangelical1908
Church of the Nazarene (Holiness)
📍 Pilot Point, Texas, USA
Entire sanctification: Wesley's second blessing in the American heartland.
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Salvation Army
📍 East London, England
An army for God: evangelism, soup kitchens, and no sacraments.
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Primitive Baptist
📍 Southern USA
Old-school Calvinist Baptists: no Sunday schools, no paid ministers, no instruments.
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Free Methodist Church
📍 Pekin, New York, USA
Free pews, free slaves, free grace - the abolitionist breakaway from Methodism.
Learn moreEvangelical1968 (merger); roots in 1843
Wesleyan Church
📍 Indiana, USA
Holiness, social action, and entire sanctification in the Wesleyan tradition.
Learn moreEvangelical1881
Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)
📍 Anderson, Indiana, USA
No membership roll, no creed - just the restored New Testament Church.
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Christian Missionary Alliance (C&MA)
📍 New York City, USA
A.B. Simpson's Fourfold Gospel: Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, Coming King.
Learn moreEvangelical~1770s
Brethren in Christ
📍 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA
Where Anabaptist, Pietist, and Holiness streams converge.
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The Plymouth Brethren movement began in Dublin (~1827) and Plymouth (~1831), with figures including John Nelson Darby, George Müller, and Anthony Norris Groves rejecting denominational Christianity. They gathered simply to 'break bread' around the Lord's Table with no paid clergy. Darby's dispensationalist theology and pre-tribulation rapture doctrine have had enormous influence on global evangelical eschatology.
Core beliefs
- No ordained clergy; every believer is a priest
- Dispensationalism and pre-tribulation rapture (Darbyism)
- Weekly Breaking of Bread (communion) as the central gathering
- Strict separation from 'worldly' or apostate Christianity (Exclusive Brethren)
- Scripture as sole authority
Worship style
Simple Breaking of Bread meetings: open worship led by the Spirit, any man may pray, sing, or exhort. Expository Bible teaching. Some gatherings (Exclusive Brethren) use no instruments.
Key scriptures
- 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
- 1 Peter 2:9
- Revelation 3:20
- Hebrews 10:24–25
Relationship to other denominations
Open Brethren and Exclusive Brethren are the two main streams. Darby's dispensationalism shaped Scofield's Reference Bible and influenced many Baptist and evangelical churches worldwide.