March 27, 2019

The Changing Role of The Brethren "Love Feast"

by Jeremy McClung, Ph.D student from Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto.

The German Brethren represented a revival of the Radical Reformation in the early 1700’s, breaking with established churches and eventually establishing a network of mostly rural congregations in North America. Their twice-annual celebration of the “Love Feast” (including footwashing, a meal, and communion) was the climax of congregational life and an expression of the communitas they experienced as a community on the margins. However, changes in society and in the group itself have led to ambiguity regarding the role of this tradition today. Is the “Love Feast” just an interesting piece of heritage? Or does it serve a real purpose in the life of 21st century churches? As a church planter and ordained pastor in the Brethren Church, Jeremy has wrestled personally with these questions—and has found, through the lenses of ritual studies, that the "Love Feast” still has an important role to play.Jeremy McClung is the founding postor of Muskoka Community Church in Port Sydney, Ontario.