1. To foster communication among persons tracing the same Brethren ancestral lines.
2. To encourage research in Brethren genealogy.
3. To encourage the preservation of materials relating to the history and genealogy of Brethren families.

Membership is open to anyone who believes in these purposes.

Quarterly Journal
Annual Membership Directory with index of members' surnames of interest
Free queries in Brethren Roots
Opportunity to correspond and exchange information with other members

    The Annual Meeting is held during the Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren, usually during the first week of July. The location rotates among the eastern, central, and western parts of the United States.

    Area meetings: Sometimes held, in Dayton, Ohio, and North Manchester, Indiana, usually in September, planned by local members.

    The officers are a president, vice president, Journal editor, and membership secretary. Every even year the members attending the annual meeting elect a vice president for a two-year term, after which that person serves as president for two years. The membership secretary and Journal editor are appointed by the other officers for an indefinite term to give continuity to the organization. Officers serve on a voluntary basis.

    The management of the affairs of the Fellowship is entrusted to these four officers, except that the members must vote upon any change in the amount of dues or any major change in policy.

    1. The Fellowship cooperates with the Historical Committee and the Brethren Historical Library & Archives (BHLA) in building up the genealogical collection of the Library. Members are encouraged to donate family genealogies or other genealogical resources, published or unpublished, to the Fellowship. These are reviewed in Brethren Roots and then are added to the holdings of BHLA, where they are available to researchers.

    2. Each year at the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference an exhibit booth is maintained throughout the Conference on behalf of the Fellowship. The officers invite the help of members in staffing the booth. Persons wishing to volunteer or having materials they would like to have displayed should contact the president. Members are invited to stop at the booth, get acquainted, and see what is on display. The dates for the Conference are announced each year in Brethren Roots.

    3. Members are encouraged to contribute records of Brethren cemeteries, both in their home areas and in areas where they research. Many of these are already listed and have been placed in local libraries or historical societies. The Fellowship needs help in locating and obtaining copies of these records. Other Brethren cemeteries have never been listed. Fellowship members can perform a real service to other researchers by recording the information from the stones before they disappear.

    Membership dues are $12.00 per year which includes an electronic (pdf) subscription to the quarterly journal or $24.00 for the mailed paper version. All memberships are on a calendar year basis, but one may join at any time. New members receive all the publications for the year in which they join. To join, send a check for $12.00 or $24.00, with a membership application (html) or a membership application (pdf) form if you have one, to Jimmy Garst, 6637 Brookfield Rd, Roanoke, VA  24019-3149. Be sure to indicate the surnames on which you are working. If you have any questions not answered by this paper, please write to any of the officers.