Editing Church of the Brethren (section)

=== Division in the 1880s ===
After the Beissel split, the Brethren split several times because of doctrinal differences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cob-net.org/19th.htm |title=19th Century Acculturation of the Brethren |publisher= Cob-net |access-date= November 15, 2015}}</ref> The most traditionalist members emphasized consistency, obedience, and the order of the Brethren. They opposed the use of musical instruments, [[Sunday schools]], revival meetings, and worldly amusements. They promoted plain dress, plain living, and church discipline. The progressives in the church focused on grace and acceptance. They promoted higher education, salaried ministers, Sunday schools, and [[Christian revival|revivalism]]. The majority of Brethren held a position between the two extremes.

In 1869 and 1880, a group of Brethren in the Miami Valley of Ohio submitted a petition to Annual Conference to stop liberalization and return to traditional Brethren practices, which they identified with the "primitive" apostolic faith. On both occasions, a more moderate petition was submitted to the delegates. Both times, the [[Miami Valley]] group found the rewording unacceptable.

In 1881, they resubmitted their petition to Annual Conference, and it was rejected for violating technical procedure. In November 1881, traditionalist Brethren led by the Miami Valley group met and formally split from the Church of the Brethren to form the [[Old German Baptist Brethren]]. They held their first annual meeting in 1882.

At the same time, [[Henry Holsinger]], a leader of the progressives in the church, published writings that some Brethren considered slanderous and [[Schism (religion)|schismatic]]. As a result, he was disfellowshipped from the 1882 annual meeting of the Brethren. He met with other progressives on June 6 and 7, 1883, and together they formed the [[Brethren Church]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Brethren_Church|title=Brethren Church| work =Ohio History Connection}}</ref>

The remaining middle group—called "conservatives"—retained the name German Baptist Brethren. At the Annual Conference of 1908 at [[Des Moines, Iowa]], the name was officially changed to the Church of the Brethren. The Annual Conference justified the name change by citing the predominant use of English in the church, the fact that the name "German Baptist" frustrated mission work, and that it would disassociate the denomination from the [[Old German Baptist Brethren]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Carl F Bowman|title=Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|year=1995|pages=225–232}}</ref>