The business agenda for the 2026 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has been announced. Along with numerous reports and the ballot, the delegate body will receive an interim report from the Review and Evaluation Committee and will consider four items of new business: resolutions on weapons transfer and care for immigrants and refugees, polity adjustments for licensed and commissioned ministers, and the yet-to-be-announced recommended COLA for the pastoral scale.
How does it change our perspective when we “fix our eyes on Jesus” as our 2026 Atlantic Northeast District Conference theme suggests?
Standing Committee has approved two documents related to Eder Financial’s transition of services to Everence Association Inc. The decision endorses Everence as the Church of the Brethren’s preferred provider for a number of services that are being transferred by Eder to Everence. These services include employee retirement, organizational investing, and possibly other financial or insurance services.
A special meeting of the Standing Committee of district representatives to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference will take place on Monday evening, April 13, at 8 p.m. (Eastern time). The meeting will center around Eder Financial’s agency status with Annual Conference and a proposed interim memo of understanding (MOU) between Standing Committee and Everence.
For Women’s History Month 2026, Newsline is offering a feature for each issue in March to celebrate women who have been leaders in Church of the Brethren history. In this issue, we celebrate the first woman to serve as moderator of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.
“Redeeming AI: Biblical Guidelines” is this year’s theme for the pre-Annual Conference Church of the Brethren Ministers’ Association continuing education event. Russell Haitch, Bethany Theological Seminary professor of theology and human science, will be the keynote speaker. The event will take place Saturday evening, June 27, and all day Sunday, June 28, in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The Nominating Committee of the Standing Committee of district delegates to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference is presenting the following ballot for the 2026 Conference taking place in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Sunday, June 28, to Thursday, July 2.
The Annual Conference organizers have announced the preachers for the five daily worship services to be held during the Conference. Each worship service will focus on a theme and symbol from the Church of the Brethren’s biblical heritage. Speakers will be asked to reexamine and reappropriate historic Brethren themes for our time.
For Black History Month 2026, Newsline is offering a feature for each week in February to celebrate our Black forebears in the Church of the Brethren. In this issue, we celebrate the first Black man and the first Black woman to serve as moderator of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference.
The Church of the Brethren’s Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) met in Florida on Jan. 27 and has issued the following statement. The IAF includes officers of the denomination’s Annual Conference; the general secretary of the Church of the Brethren and the chair of the Mission and Ministry Board; representatives of the Council of District Executives; and executives and chairs of the boards of the three Annual Conference agencies: Bethany Theological Seminary, Eder Financial, and On Earth Peace.