About
Church isn’t something we attend. It’s who we are.
According to Jesus, people who follow him are the Church. As part of this larger body, Dillsburg Brethren in Christ is a community of local people following Jesus. Nestled in the center of town, we are deeply rooted in the Dillsburg area, while also being globally-minded, with strong ties to communities in Zambia, Burkina Faso, Canada, Guatemala, and many other places around the world.
Our congregation is part of the Brethren in Christ U.S., a denomination that got its start in the 1780s in Lancaster County, Pa., when revival swept through the Anabaptist communities there. We identify three primary theological streams that have contributed to our core beliefs: Anabaptism, Pietism, and Wesleyanism. As Brethren in Christ, we embrace a Christ-centered interpretation of God’s word, while depending on the Holy Spirit to continue to speak into our lives today.
History
The Dillsburg Brethren in Christ Church began in 1973 as a daughter church of Grantham BIC Church, five miles north. (At the time, the Grantham congregation met on the campus of Messiah College). The new fellowship moved into the former home of Calvary United Brethren Church at the corner of Harrisburg and Chestnut Streets in Dillsburg. This location — just a block from the town square — has continued to shape the mission, focus, and character of our congregation. We can’t help but be deeply involved in our community; it’s where we live.
In 2001, our church family launched a daughter church of its own. After sharing
our building for a number of years, New Creation Church grew into its own space a few blocks away.
Dillsburg BIC, New Creation, and Grantham BIC Churches are all part of the Brethren in Christ U.S., a denomination that got its start in the 1780s in Lancaster County, Pa., when Pietist revival swept through the Anabaptist communities there. Wesleyanism has influenced us deeply, as well, pushing us toward personal holiness. These three “streams” — Anabaptism, Pietism, and Wesleyanism — are identified as the major theological movements that have converged to form the Brethren in Christ. For many decades, we were a plain, largely rural people — much like the Amish or traditional Mennonite groups are today. But in the call to share the good news of Jesus with those around us and to be fully present in our communities, the Brethren in Christ found helpful and meaningful alliances with other evangelical churches, joining the National Association of Evangelicals in the 1960s. Within this broader evangelical family, the Brethren in Christ focus on the global church, simple living, personal holiness, and peace — some of the shared callings that characterize Dillsburg BIC as we continue to walk with Jesus.