Office of the General Secretary

David Steele
General Secretary David Steele
For more information, please contact:

David A. Steele
General Secretary
800-323-8039, ext. 301
generalsecretary@brethren.org

David A. Steele

Mission & Ministry Board information

Strategic Plan – Plan Estratégico – Plan Estratejik

By the July 2021 Board meeting, the Mission and Ministry Board and Staff will be ready to execute on the Strategic Plan’s Strategies in partnership with the wider Church.

Para su reunion de junta en julio del 2021, la Junta de Misión y Ministerio y su personal estarán preparados para ejecutar las estrategias del Plan Estratégico con la coparticipación de toda la iglesia.

Nan reyinyon Komite Jiyè 2021 an, Komite Misyon ak Ministè enpi anplwaye yo ap pare pou egzekite sou estrateji Plan Estratejik la an patenarya ak gran LEgliz.
Strategic Plan information

Seeking peace

A statement on the events of January 6, 2021. Read the full statement.

Call for peace in Nagorno-Karabakh

The Church of the Brethren is concerned with the escalation of warfare in Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As a peace church, we lament the violence of war and work to end conflict globally.
Read the full statement.

What does the Lord require?

Read general secretary David Steele’s statement following the loss of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others.

Related news

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    Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele has shared the following pastoral statement for Haiti during a state of emergency and widespread violence in the Caribbean island nation. The full text of the pastoral statement follows in three languages: English, Haitian Kreyol, and French:

  • Church of the Brethren general secretary one of more than 20 Christian leaders urging ceasefire in Israel and Palestine

    Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele was one of more than 20 Christian leaders signing a letter to President Biden saying, in part: “The time for a comprehensive ceasefire is now. Every day of continued violence not only increases the death toll in Gaza and the cost to civilians but also fosters further hatred toward Israel and the United States and irreparably damages the moral standing of the United States in the broader Middle East. There is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

  • Church of the Brethren grieves withdrawal of Puerto Rican congregations

    With deep sadness, the Church of the Brethren Leadership Team acknowledges news received of the withdrawal of all six congregations in the Puerto Rico District from the Church of the Brethren, as of Oct. 26, 2023.

  • Council of District Executives holds annual winter meeting

    The Council of District Executives (CODE) held its annual winter meetings Jan. 20-24 near Melbourne, Fla., with some members also attending the Church of the Brethren Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) meeting that followed. Twenty-two of the denomination's 24 districts were represented, along with Office of Ministry director Nancy Sollenberger Heishman.

  • Church of the Brethren general secretary signs letter from Christian leaders to President Biden

    In a Nov. 9 letter to President Biden, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and 30 American Christian leaders including Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele called on President Biden and his administration to support an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, de-escalation, and restraint by all involved.

  • Decision to close Material Resources, call for peace in Israel and Palestine, and a 2024 budget top board agenda

    A decision to close Material Resources--a Church of the Brethren program that collects, processes, warehouses, and ships material relief aid--and a statement on “Seeking Peace in Israel and Palestine,” as well as a budget for 2024 topped the agenda of the Mission and Ministry Board’s Fall 2023 meetings on Oct. 20-22 at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

  • Seeking peace in Israel and Palestine: A Mission and Ministry Board statement

    The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board on Oct. 21 adopted a statement on “Seeking Peace in Israel and Palestine.” The action was taken during the board’s fall 2023 meetings at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill.

  • Church of the Brethren general secretary sends pastoral letter to the Armenian community

    Church of the Brethren general secretary David Steele has sent a pastoral letter to the Armenian community following the Azerbaijan attack against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) which forced the Armenian population to flee the area. The letter was sent to Archbishop Vicken Aykazian on behalf of the Armenian Church of America, the global Armenian Orthodox fellowship, and the Armenian community worldwide, with particular attention to the Armenian members and attenders within the Church of the Brethren.

  • Church of the Brethren and the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy join ecumenical and interfaith calls for ceasefire in Israel and Palestine

    The Church of the Brethren has joined more than 20 Christian churches and organizations in the United States in sending a letter to the United States Congress mourning the loss of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. The denomination’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy signed an interfaith letter to the Biden administration and Congress, dated Oct. 16, also calling for a ceasefire.

  • Mission and Ministry Board adopts 2024 budget parameter, continues strategic plan work

    The Mission and Ministry Board approved a budget parameter for Core Ministries for 2024, continued work on the strategic plan, welcomed international guests, recognized board members completing their terms of service, and more.