Many educational institutions were begun by the Brethren in the 1800s, but few of them survived into the 20th century. The very notion of having institutions for formal education caused contention from the start, even contributing to the split of Brethren groups in the 1880s. Both funds to run the schools and student to fill them were often hard to come by.

"From the very beginning, the Brethren overextended themselves in the development of educational institutions," according to an article by Robert Hanle in The Brethren Encyclopedia. "The promise of economic success and the satisfaction of Christian service which induced the founding of such schools burdened the Brethren with more colleges than the church could possibly have supported."

The number of schools had dwindled to nine by 1908, according to the article, and by 1940 only the present six plus Bethany Biblical Seminary (later Bethany Theological Seminary) continued to exist. One of the defunct schools—Blue Ridge College in New Windsor, Md.—was purchased by the Brethren Service Commission in 1944 and became what is now known as the Brethren Service Center.

Those that did remain, however, have become vital and energetic centers of learning and training. They are Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, Juniata College (Huntingdon, Pa.), Bridgewater (Va.) College, Manchester College (North Manchester, Ind.), McPherson (Kan.) College, and the University of La Verne (Calif.). Some of the church-related programs at those schools today include the following:

Church of the Brethren Collaboration on Admissions (CoBCOA): The effort began in 1995, using a database of Brethren youth from the previous year's National Youth Conference. It is designed to celebrate the common heritage of the six Church of the Brethren colleges and enable the colleges to work together to recruit Brethren students. A marked shift from earlier years when colleges could only recruit within specified regions, it helps to make prospective students aware of the unique strengths and characteristics of each school. CoBCOA is supported by a half-time Brethren Volunteer Service worker in the Church of the Brethren General Board's youth/young adult office who works at maintaining the database and developing promotional materials.

Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA): The program began in 1962 with a program in Marburg, Germany—one of the first exchange programs based on "full immersion" in the host school. It has grown to having programs at 11 universities in 10 countries. Sponsored by the six Brethren colleges, BCA has its headquarters in Elizabethtown, Pa. Nearly 400 US students go abroad through BCA annually, and approximately 50 foreign students come to United States campuses for study. BCA says about half its recent participants have come from "sponsoring and traditionally associated schools," with the rest coming from more than 150 other institutions. It emphasizes education for "competent and global citizenship" as well as values of peace and justice.

Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies: Dedicated to the scholarly study of Anabaptist and Pietist groups, the center opened on the Elizabethtown College campus in 1989. The Bucher Meetinghouse is a centerpiece of the facility, which presents both public lectures and lectures for students, seminars, exhibits, and other events. It also serves as a clearinghouse for information about the groups and seeks to communication that information and the heritage behind it to the general public. A bookshop in the center offers numerous titles on related subjects. David B. Eller, an ordained Church of the Brethren minister, serves as director of the Young Center and is a professor of history and religious studies at the school.

Peace studies programs: All of the schools have philosophy and religion departments, and all but but McPherson are members of the Peace Studies Association, headquartered at Earlham College in Indiana. Manchester's Peace Studies Institute and Program for Conflict Resolution was the first undergraduate peace studies program in the nation, and Juniata's Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies has also been recognized nationally. La Verne and Bridgewater offer a peace studies minor, Elizabethtown has a Peace and Conflict Studies Program that offers lectures and other events, and McPherson has offered occasional courses on conflict resolution issues.

Regional Youth Conferences (RYCs): Each of the six colleges hosts Church of the Brethren youth for regional conferences, though the details differ from one to the next. In the Northeast, the annual event for youth in the four Pennsylvania districts rotates between Elizabethtown and Juniata. At Bridgewater, Manchester, and McPherson it is an annual event at each campus for youth in that region. And at LaVerne, the conference for the far-flung youth of that region is held only once every four years. The planning also varies. At some colleges, RYC is planned by college staff, with students assisting. At others, a committee from the districts does most of the planning, and the college serves as host. And at Bridgewater, the conference is planned by a group of students called the Interdistrict Youth Cabinet. The events typically include greetings from college officials and campus tours.

Theological Exploration of Vocation program (TEVo): Manchester College, working on behalf of the six Brethren colleges as well as Brethren Colleges Abroad and Bethany Theological Seminary, was awarded a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment in the fall of 2000. Manchester was one of 20 colleges and universities nationwide to receive a grant as part of Lilly's Theological Vocational Exploration Programs initiative. It is designed to help students discern possible calls to ministry—or to look at aspects of calling and ministry in whatever vocation they choose—and to focus on leadership development. TEVo has already yielded a new "Exploring Your Call" program for senior high youth at Bethany, summer placements in Brethren Volunteer Service project locations for college students, special emphases on vocation and calling at national and regional youth conferences, and other initiatives on the various campuses.