Question:
Who are the Plymouth Brethren?
Answer:
The Plymouth brethren were aptly named after the town of Plymouth. Christians had gathered there in the 1800s.
John Nelson Darby from Ireland was an early noted leader serving the American brethren for over 50 years. He translated the entire Bible into English French and German, and the New Testament into Italian. He is the author of the Darby Bible.
The brethren that the holy Bible is inspired by God and is the sole authority for their faith and doctrines. The brethren believe in a pre-tribulation rapture and millennial kingdom.
Based on Matthew 18:20 they believe it is essential to gather in Gods name and not in the name of a leader or denomination. At times this was held to at such an extreme that it caused division and error.
There are two main divisions of the Plymouth brethren, the “exclusive” and the “open”, the difference of which involves how they govern either locally or as a group of assemblies.
A search on the Internet will yield you plenty of background and information about the Plymouth brethren.