Distinctive practices include believer's baptism by forward trine immersion; a threefold love feast consisting of feet washing, a fellowship meal, and communion; anointing for healing; and the holy kiss.

Five men and three women gathered at the Eder (pronounced ey-duhr), a small river that flows through Schwarzenau, to perform baptism as an outward symbol of their new faith.

After searching for a church that taught New Testament discipleship and finding none in their area, they committed to follow the commands and example of Jesus in their daily lives regardless of the cost.

They rejected established state churches, including infant baptism, existing Eucharistic practices, and the use of physical coercion against other humans.

The founding Brethren were initially influenced by Radical Pietist understandings of an invisible, nondenominational church of awakened Christians who would fellowship together in purity and love, awaiting Christ's return; yet they embraced an Anabaptist understanding of the church as a disciplined faith community that enforced Christian standards of discipleship upon those who chose to join their fellowship.

At the same time, Henry Holsinger, a leader of the progressives in the church, published writings that some Brethren considered slanderous and schismatic.

His questionable claim that "no force in religion" had been a Brethren teaching since their founding reinforced his calls to relax church discipline.

Differences have also remained, with Brethren individuals, churches, and districts disagreeing about issues including Biblical authority, ordination of women, homosexuality, climate change, and ecumenism.

Proposed changes have include giving the denomination a gender-neutral name, allowing LGBT Brethren to be ordained as ministers and get married, and increasing the political and social mission of the church.

Subsequent, steadily growing gatherings of Brethren from across the United States met in Winchester and Woodstock, Virginia and widely affirmed these developments.

The Church of the Brethren Leadership Team responded to these developments with a statement expressing concerns with the CBC's direction and said division was "not a path forward.

In 2024, the worldwide Church of the Brethren organized along national lines to form the Global Church of the Brethren Communion with founding members Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, India, Nigeria, Rwanda, Spain, Uganda, the United States, and Venezuela.

It has also spread into other countries including the Dominican Republic (where it is called "Iglesia de los Hermanos"), Haiti (as "Eglise des Frères Haitiens"), Brazil, and Spain.

In keeping with egalitarianism and respect for the individual, evangelism in the Church of the Brethren is practiced by personal demonstration of faith via good works in the world community, and by nonconfrontational witnessing.

This is because two of the Brethren's fundamental beliefs are nonviolent resolution of conflict and nonresistance to evil, which they combine with antiwar and peace efforts around the world.

The church's commitment to love the enemy and use nonviolence is summarized in its phrase, "all war is sin" (Annual Conference, 1935), and the fact that many Brethren have refused to engage in military service.

While the government provided tools and materials and their work was managed by agencies such as the Soil Conservation or Forest Service, "the historic peace churches funded all the expenses for the men, including food, administrative costs, and a tiny monthly stipend of $2.50" (equivalent to $52 in 2023).

Today, most congregations have paid pastors, but their function is still somewhat limited, with the laity still taking a very active role in ministerial work.

Men wore black coats with no collar, and hooks instead of buttons (often referred to as Brethren garb or dressing "in the order").

[33] In 2018, the Atlantic Northeast District rejected a proposal to terminate the credentials of clergy who perform a same-sex marriage because the vote did not receive the necessary two-thirds majority.

[34] The Northern Ohio District did approve a policy to terminate the clergy credentials of those pastors who perform same-sex marriage.

Finally, they share the bread and cup communion (using unfermented red grape juice), symbolizing participation in Christ's suffering and death.

Even though the Love Feast has changed over the years—becoming shorter, more interactive and less somber, and providing alternatives such as hand-washing—it retains the same three components that it has included from the founding of the Brethren.

The concept of a professional pastor (first explicitly permitted in 1911) slowly became the predominant model, although some congregations still have "free" (nonsalaried) ministers and plural ministry.

Issues that cannot be resolved on a local level, or which have implications for the church as a whole are framed as "queries", which are submitted by a congregation to the district (since 1866), and then, if necessary, are passed on to Annual Conference.

Standing Committee, a body composed of representatives from each district, processes the business that comes to Annual Conference and makes recommendations.

Often a committee is formed to study the matter, and an answer is reported and adopted by a vote of the delegates at a subsequent Annual Conference, although sometimes a query is returned.

The Brethren have numerous boards and committees (sometimes called "teams") that can be either temporary or permanent and either highly focused on one issue (e.g. evangelism) or general in scope.

[44] The general secretary, typically hired for renewable five-year terms, oversees the work of the Church of the Brethren, Inc., and is the chief ecumenical officer of the denomination.

Other Annual Conference agencies include Bethany Theological Seminary, Brethren Benefit Trust, and On Earth Peace.