voice" (or vote) of every member, whereas no discussion was permitted upon presentation of the 2009 Report, and only a vote of affirmation was permitted. The New Conference Original Polity Statement, declares that "the church must never be elevated to a place of equality with Jesus Christ," reflecting the New Conference's somewhat more individualistic approach to faith, following personal Biblical convictions (in opposition to the parent body's stronger emphasis on unity through mutual accountability and top-down legislating practical applications of theology). The 2018 Conference approved an updated Polity Statement. The majority of the remainder of the departing members have joined similar existing groups such as the Old Brethren or Dunkard Brethren. References Charles D. Thompson Jr.: The Old German Baptist Brethren: Faith, Farming, and Change in the Virginia Blue Ridge, (2006) University of Illinois Press. Carl F. Bowman: Brethren Society: The Cultural Transformation of a Peculiar People, (1995) Johns Hopkins University Press. Donald B. Kraybill and Carl D. Bowman: On the Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren, (2001) Johns Hopkins University Press. Marcus Miller: Roots by the River, (1973) Independently Published. Donald F. Durnbaugh, (editor): Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. I-III, (1983) The Brethren Encyclopedia Inc. Donald F. Durnbaugh and Dale V. Ulrich (editors), Carl Bowman, contributing editor: Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, (2006) The Brethren Encyclopedia Inc. Donald F. Durnbaugh: Fruit of the Vine, A History of the Brethren 1708-1995, (1997) Brethren Press. Michael Hari: Brethren Thinking, (2011) Der Bruederbote Press. Donald B. Kraybill and C. Nelson Hostetter: Anabaptist World USA, (2001) Herald Press. Gerald J. Mast: The Old German Baptist Brethren Church Division of 2009: The Debate over the Internet and the Authority of the Annual Meeting in The Mennonite Quarterly Review 2014, pages 45-64. Notes External links Official website of the Old German Baptist Brethren Church, New Conference Pietism - an overview of Pietism, of which the Brethren Movement is a part. About German Baptists Anabaptist organizations Brethren denominations in North America