By Sharon Brugger Norton
Attending the Global Church of the Brethren Communion gathering on Spain’s northern coast in April was one of the greatest joys thus far in my role as executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren.
After many meetings on Zoom with the delegates and alternates, it was a joyous occasion to see all of our plans coming together—and for some of us, to meet in person for the first time.
The last in-person meeting of the communion was in 2022 in the Dominican Republic. It was there that the bylaws and internal regulations were adopted and the Global Church of the Brethren Communion came into being officially. Marcos Inhauser of Brazil had a vision for this group 20 years ago and began working with the Global Mission office for it to become a reality.
One disappointing part of this gathering was the number of representatives who did not get visas to enter Spain. We pivoted and provided a Zoom connection for those who could join online. It was gratifying to hear stories via Zoom from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Dominican Republic, and for them to lead devotions and topical discussions online for us. French and Swahili translators joined online to help us connect in this way.
Every morning, we started with a traditional Spanish breakfast in the hotel and then were transported to the local Church of the Brethren congregation in the city of Gijón where pastor Santos Terrero started his ministry 20 years ago. He was elected president of the Global Church of the Brethren Communion in 2025 and continues in that role.
This local church provided not only transportation but truly radical hospitality in every sense—they cooked for us, prayed for us, made us feel welcome, and invited us into their worship. One afternoon we were able to witness how they receive donations for their food bank ministry, and many of our global representatives carried boxes of food into the storage room. Thank you to Iglesia Una Luz En Las Naciones!
Before getting started with the business agenda each day, we had a time of devotions and prayer led by various countries. Then we shared “state of the church in action” reports from one or more of the member countries. We had topical sessions around the theme from Acts 4: “The authority of the church in the face of opposition.”
This seemed very appropriate for many of our churches who face outright persecution, as in northeastern Nigeria and in India, and violence and displacement, as in the DRC and Haiti. In Rwanda, the government has strict regulations on registering churches and so the Church of the Brethren is not able to register officially in that country at this time. The representatives from Brazil noted the influence of fundamentalist Christians on the government there and are concerned about that. The churches in Venezuela are facing a lot of uncertainty due to the political and economic situation, but they carry on their ministries with perseverance and faith and were delighted to hold their first district conferences in 2025. They also found a way to start online pastoral and leadership training so that their leaders would be grounded in Church of the Brethren identity and practice.
The early topical sessions were dedicated to grounding the assembly in shared history and theological heritage. Secretary Alexandre Gonçalves traced the development of the communion by naming the “five pillars” of its global vision:
- Affirming autonomy
- Embracing indigenous churches
- Mutual sharing of resources
- Practicing servant leadership
- Sharing core Brethren values while respecting cultural differences
One highlight of the meeting was voting unanimously to accept the Church of the Brethren in Burundi into our global fellowship. The thriving denomination of 52 congregations actively lives out their faith through ministries of education and socioeconomic empowerment.
Roger Moreno Padilla of Venezuela shared that he has been relating to a group of 25 unaffiliated house churches in Cuba who are interested in joining the Global Church of the Brethren Communion. He has visited there several times to teach about Brethren identity and provide some material relief. After visiting the Dominican Republic together in February, along with Jenn Hosler, he and I confirmed that Iglesia de Los Hermanos Comunidad de Fe of the Dominican Republic also is asking to join the communion. In both locations, there are some needs regarding relationships with other Brethren groups as well as logistical considerations. The communion would like to take an active part in helping to work at peaceful ways of relating to one another.
In some of the informal debriefing, representatives talked about how wonderful it was to see one another in person and to hear not only about their church stories and struggles but also experience the personal sharing and support that happened in our four days together. We all agreed that we must strengthen the youth in our denominations so that they will be committed and ready to serve the church in the future. One collaborative idea that came out of this gathering was to hold a youth peace conference in Colombia later this year, particularly for those from Latin America.
After years of the Global Mission office from the United States taking a fairly directive role in establishing the communion and organizing the in-person gatherings, several people noted the change this time as each country took initiative and responsibility for various parts of the gathering. I pray that this spirit of collaboration and mutuality will continue to grow in the years ahead. Marcos Inhauser of Brazil shared that he left the meeting feeling profoundly edified, hopeful, and grateful.
Thank you to all who have carried this vision, who have donated to make this vision a reality, and who prayed for our travel and conversations!
— Sharon Brugger Norton is executive director of Global Mission for the Church of the Brethren in the United States.
#MissionAndMinistryBoard #StrategicPlan #RacialJustice #LoveOurNeighbors #Discipleship #NewTestamentGiving
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Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- Global Church of the Brethren Communion meets in Spain
- Grant of $500,000 to the Church of the Brethren will support Brethren Disaster Ministries
- Discovering joys, challenges, and God at work with the churches in the Dominican Republic
- Conference business includes resolutions on weapons transfer, care for immigrants and refugees, polity adjustments for licensed and commissioned ministers
- Essential services of ordinances now available online as For All Who Minister prepares for reprinting