An independent evangelist, Edward Cooney, came into contact with Irvine soon afterward, though he did not join the new church immediately.

He then donated £1,300 to Irvine's ministry, in fulfillment of the group's requirement to "sell all and give to the poor," and became an itinerant "tramp preacher."

[4][5] In the early years of the 20th century, Cooney's sermons were debated in the public and press, with frequent citations of aggressively provocative remarks: distinguished for its bitter hostility to all existing Churches, and to a regular paid ministry of any kind, reminding one not a little of the Plymouth Brethren on these and other points.

He also increasingly criticized the hierarchical structure that had formed within the Two by Twos, its finances, its denial of its origins, and its having registered under a name ("The Testimony of Jesus") during WWI.

[11] Among those who were driven out along with Cooney were prominent Two by Two pioneers such as Tom Elliot and John and Sarah West who provided continuity for the new group.

Despite this, Cooney was steadfast in rejecting any semblance of the hierarchy and other characteristics he had refused to accept in the main Two by Two church.

[14] Fred Wood assumed a quasi-leadership role following Cooney's death, traveling among Cooneyite gatherings around the world as a uniting figure and evangelist.

After Wood's death in 1986, leadership, evangelistic outreach and ministry work were seen as the responsibility of lay members rather than hierarchical positions.

[17] Notable areas include: The driving force behind Edward Cooney's later preaching was a return to the original church's earlier, unstructured methods and teachings.

[20] Although members deny any name, the term "Cooneyites" is used to describe them by outsiders in recognition of Edward Cooney's role in the group's development.

They do not accept a separate class or hierarchy of ministers, workers or overseers, believing all members to be equal.