Defunct groups Donald F. Durnbaugh (1927–2005) was a noted historian of the Church of the Brethren who published more than 200 books, articles, reviews, and essays on its history.
In the words of Dale Brown, with whom he taught at Bethany Theological Seminary, Durnbaugh was "the dean of Brethren historians."
Durnbaugh taught at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania from 1958 until he went to Bethany Theological Seminary in 1962 to teach church history.
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination of the Anabaptist and Pietist traditions that is committed to living out its faith peacefully, simply, and in community.
Among his numerous books and articles are: At the time of his death in 2005, he was in the process of editing Volume IV of the Brethren Encyclopedia, with co-editor Dale Ulrich and contributing editor Carl Bowman.