Two by Twos

In 1896, William Irvine was sent from Scotland to southern Ireland as a missionary by John George Govan's Faith Mission, an interdenominational organization with roots in the Holiness movement.{{sfn|Warburton|1969|pp=82–83}} Because his mission was successful, he was promoted to superintendent of Faith Mission in southern Ireland.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=1–2}}

File:Dippersdippingt1907.gif

Within a few months of his arrival in Ireland, Irvine was already disillusioned with the Faith Mission.{{sfn|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|p=322}} There was friction over its Holiness teachings, and Irvine saw its organization as a violation of his concept of a faith-based ministry. Above all, Irvine was increasingly intolerant of the Faith Mission's cooperation with the other churches and clergy in the various communities of southern Ireland, regarding converts who joined churches as "lost among the clergy."{{sfn|Warburton|1969|p=84}}{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=2}} In 1897, he began preaching independently, proclaiming that true ministers must have no home and take no salary.{{sfn|Nichols|2006|p=88}} He became convinced that he had received this as a special revelation he referred to as his "Alpha message".See:

• {{harvnb|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|pp=322–323, 329}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=18}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2005|p=34}}. Opposed to all other established churches, he held that the manner in which the disciples had been sent out in chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew was a permanent commandment which must still be observed.See:
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=2–4}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2005|pp=33, 35}};
• {{harvnb|Wilson|1993}}. The passage reads in part:

{{Cquote|These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.}}

In October 1897, Irvine was invited by Nenagh businessman John "Jack" Carroll to preach in the Carrolls' hometown of Rathmolyon. There he held a series of mission meetings in which all established churches were rejected, and Irvine's new doctrine and method of ministry were set forth. It was in Rathmolyon that he recruited the first adherents to his new message.{{sfn|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|pp=323–325}} Aside from condemning all other churches, Irvine's doctrine included the rejection of church buildings, damnation of all followers of churches outside the new fellowship, rejection of paid ministry, rejection of collections{{efn-ua|Collection refers to the donation money collected from a church congregation during a service, normally by means of a collection plate or box.}} during services and collection boxes, and the requirement that those seeking to join the ministry "sell all".See:

• {{harvnb|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|pp=324–326}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=8–9, 12}};
• {{harvnb|Wilson|1993}}.

Irvine's preaching during this latest mission influenced others who began to leave their respective churches and join Irvine to form an initial core of followers.{{sfn|Wilson|1993}} Some of these early adherents would become important members of the new church, including John Long,{{efn-ua|John Long (1872–1962) traced his conversion experience to a mission held by Methodist evangelist Gabriel Clarke in 1890. He became a colporteur for the Methodists in Ireland, where he encountered William Irvine. He eventually joined Irvine's workers, until publicly expelled in 1907 for disagreeing with the group's exclusivist position {{harv|Robinson|2005|p=36}}. Long returned to his work as a colporteur {{harv|Lennie|2009|p=426}} and joined the Elim evangelists for a time. From there he went on to become a noted Pentecostal preacher in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England {{harv|Robinson|2005|p=36}}. The editor of Heresies Exposed included a correction by Long of the name of the church's original leader and the year of its founding in 1897 {{harv|Irvine|1929|p=73(fn)}}. He also left his memoirs (in journal form, though redacted many years later) {{harv|Long|1927}}.}} the Carroll family, John Kelly, Edward Cooney—an influential evangelist from the Church of Ireland{{sfn|Robinson|2005|pp=34–35}}—and George Walker (an employee of the Cooney family's fabric business{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|28 July 1910|p=8}}), all of whom eventually "sold all" and joined the new movement as itinerant preachers.1905 "List of Workers" in {{harvnb|Daniel|1993|pp=276–279}} Although other movements, such as the Plymouth Brethren and Elim have had strong Irish connections, the church founded by Irvine is the only religion known to have had its origin and early development in Ireland.{{sfn|Robinson|2005|p=34}}{{sfn|O'Brien|1997|p=xxiv}}

File:Impartialrep25aug1910.jpg from 1910{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|25 August 1910|p=8}} documenting the early phases of the church. See endnote for link to the full article.{{efn-ua|To view the complete 1910 article shown above, see here.}}]]

Unlike later secretiveness,{{sfn|Johnson|1999|p=378}}{{sfn|Hilliard|2005}} initially, the church was in the public eye, with questions about it being raised in the British Parliament beginning in 1900.See:

• {{harvnb|King's County Chronicle|12 April 1900}};
• {{harvnb|Sunday Independent|27 May 1906|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|House of Commons|1912|p=2063}}. Inspired by speakers such as Irvine and Cooney, membership growth was rapid. Rather than adding members to established denominations, as was the practice of the Faith Mission outreach, churches began noticing their congregations thinning after exposure to the Two by Two missions. Clerics soon began regarding the Two by Two preachers as "inimical to the membership of the church".{{sfn|Hill|2004|p=403}} After receiving reports from Ireland, the Faith Mission in 1900 formally disassociated itself from Irvine and any of its workers found to be participating in the new Two by Two movement.{{sfn|Govan|1901|p=175}}

The attention of Belfast newspapers was initially drawn to the Two by Twos church because of its open-air baptismal rites.{{sfn|Scollon|27 July 1930|p=4}} At that time, the baptisms took place in public settings such as streams, lakes, or the sea, even in cold weather. Regarded as a novelty, the outdoor "dippings" and accompanying sermons attracted large crowds.{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|10 June 1905|p=4}}{{sfn|Freeman's Journal|7 July 1923|p=8}} Further attention was given during the staging of large marches through boroughs and public preaching in town squares and on street corners.{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|30 December 1905|p=12}}{{sfn|Nenagh Guardian|6 June 1906|p=2}}

Workers, including Edward Cooney and George Walker, publicly preached that all members of other churches were damned.{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|5 August 1909|p=8}}{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|14 July 1910|p=5}} They singled out prominent individuals, and even entire communities, for condemnation.{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|22 January 1903|p=8}}{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|29 April 1905|p=7}} At times, missions were sited close to the meeting places of other denominations, which were denounced using "extreme language".{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|5 May 1906|p=1}}{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|28 October 1911|p=5}} Consequences of these inflammatory remarks ranged from heckling and street violence{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|28 July 1906|p=8}} to the break-up of families,See:

• {{harvnb|Sunday Independent|10 June 1906|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Anglo-Celt|16 November 1907|p=1}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|29 September 1916|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Southern Star|7 October 1916|p=7}}. all of which brought further attention to the church.{{sfn|Scollon|27 July 1930|p=4}} Newspapers in Ireland, Britain, and North America followed the disturbances that arose over the church's activities and message.Accounts of some of the many incidents include:
• {{harvnb|Alexandria Gazette|16 September 1908|p=2}};
• {{harvnb|Foote|26 May 1907|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|8 July 1905|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|7 May 1906|p=6}};
• {{harvnb|Impartial Reporter|2 June 1906|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|17 October 1908|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Lethbridge Daily Herald|29 August 1910|p=7}};
• {{harvnb|Nenagh Guardian|6 June 1906|p=2}};
• {{harvnb|Scollon|27 July 1930|p=4}}. Some hosted debates in their editorial columns.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=46}}{{sfn|Fermanagh Times|16 March–18 July 1907}} One member of Parliament offered to join the Two by Twos if they would cease criticizing other religious bodies.{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|26 November 1904|p=10}}

As the ranks of its ministry increased, the church's outreach expanded. Large gatherings were held in Dublin, Glasgow and Belfast during 1899. Annual conventions, modeled after the evangelical Keswick Conventions in England,{{sfn|Robinson|2005|p=35}} began to be held regularly in Ireland starting in 1903. Later that year, William Irvine, accompanied by Irvine Weir and George Walker, took his message to North America.{{efn-ua|The immigration record shows Irvine, Walker and Weir stating that they were joining a relative, "George McGregor" living at Coffey Street in Brooklyn New York {{harv|R.I.S.|2009a}}.}} Missions to continental Europe, Australia, and Asia followed.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=46}}

By 1904, the requirement to "sell all" was no longer mentioned in sermons.{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|13 October 1904|p=8}} A two-tiered system was instituted that made a distinction between homeless itinerant missionaries (called "workers") and those who were now allowed to retain homes and jobs (called "friends" or "saints").{{sfn|Wilson|1993}}{{sfn|Wallis|1981|p=123}} Weekly home meetings began to be held and presided over by "elders", who were typically the householder. During the next few years, this change became universal. The church continued to grow rapidly and held regular annual conventions lasting several weeks at a time. Irvine traveled widely during this period, attending conventions and preaching worldwide, and began sending workers from the British Isles to follow up and expand interest in various areas.See:

• {{harvnb|The Truth|18 May 1907|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|20 August 1907|p=7}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|13 August 1909|p=7}}.

Beginning in 1906, unwelcome attention came in the form of leaflets and billboard notices. W. D. Wilson, an English farmer whose unmarried children had left home and joined the Two by Twos, began publishing articles stating girls were being recruited by the church for immoral purposes.{{sfn|Anglo-Celt|5 October 1907|p=1}} In response, Edward Cooney brought a widely publicized suit for libel that was resolved by a settlement between the parties by the end of 1913.{{sfn|Freeman's Journal|2 December 1913|p=10}}

A hierarchy was instituted by Irvine, and his most trusted associates in various regions were designated as "overseers" or "head workers". Each worker was assigned a particular geographical sphere and then coordinated the efforts of the ministry within his area.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=48}} Among the overseers were William and Jack Carroll, George Walker, and Willie Gill. Irvine continued to have the ultimate say over worker conduct and finances, and his activities within their fields became regarded as "interference."{{sfn|Daniel|1993|pp=173–175}} Except for such annual conventions as he was able to attend across the globe, communications and instructions from Irvine passed through the overseers.{{sfn|Wallis|1981|p=130}}

William Irvine's progressive revelation continued to evolve over this time, and eschatological themes began to appear in sermons.{{sfn|New York Times|6 August 1909|p=4}}{{efn-ua|"As early as 1912, Irvine was exercising his charismatic imagination in ways that must have been unsettling to those in the movement with an interest in routinization. In that year he told conventions that it might be possible to travel to the stars and act as saviours to them as Jesus acted for us. He spoke of Christ's imminent return and referred to his movement as the 144,000 mentioned in the Book of Revelation." —Benton Johnson {{harv|Johnson|1995|p=50}}.}} By 1914, he had begun to preach that the Age of Grace, during which his "Alpha Gospel" had been proclaimed, was coming to a close. As his message turned towards indicating a new era, which held no place for the ministry and hierarchy{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=50}} that had rapidly grown up around the "Alpha Gospel," resentment arose on the part of overseers who saw him as a threat to their positions.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=62}}{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=50}}

Australian overseer John Hardie was the first to break with Irvine and excluded him from speaking at the South Australia convention in late 1913. As 1914 progressed, he was excluded from speaking in a growing number of regions, as more overseers broke away from him.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=63}} Rumors circulated about Irvine's comfortable lifestyle and supposed weakness for women, though nothing concrete was ever exposed.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=49}} It was put about that Irvine "had lost the Lord's anointing" in an effort to explain his ouster. He was shunned and his name was no longer mentioned, making him a nonperson in the church he founded.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=50}} There were many excommunications of Irvine loyalists in various fields during the following years, and by 1919, the split was final, with Irvine moving to Jerusalem and transmitting his "Omega Message" to his core followers from there. Lacking any organizational means of making his case before the membership, Irvine's ouster occurred quietly.{{sfn|Wallis|1981|p=130}} Most members continued following the overseers, and few outside the leadership knew the details behind Irvine's disappearance from the scene, as no public mention of the split seems to have been made.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=64}} Mention of Irvine's name was forbidden, and a new explanation of the group's history was introduced from which Irvine's role was erased.{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=201–207}}{{efn-ua|"The workers declared that Irvine 'had lost the Lord's anointing' and banned him from all assemblies. But they also had to devise a new source of authority for the movement's very special brand of Christianity. They did this by an ingenious falsification of their own history, in which Irvine's role was obliterated. And armed with this new history and the unity to enforce a ban on Irvine, the workers declared that the founder's name was not to be mentioned within the movement. He was excised from the shared memory of the organization he had founded." —Johnson in Klass and Weisgrau {{harv|Johnson|1999|p=378}}.}}

Although the threat posed by Irvine to the church's organization had been dealt with, the prominent worker Edward Cooney refused to place his evangelistic efforts under the control of the overseers. Cooney himself adhered to the earlier, unfettered style of itinerant ministry, moving about wherever he felt he was needed.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|pp=51, 55}} He rejected the appointment of head workers to geographic regions and criticized their lifestyles.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=51}} He also preached against the "Living Witness" doctrine (i.e., that salvation entails hearing the gospel preached directly by a worker and seeing the gospel made alive in the sacrificial lives of the ministry), the bank accounts controlled by the overseers, use of halls for meetings, conventions, the hierarchy that had developed, and the ministry and the registrations under official names.{{sfn|Wilson|1993}}{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=51}} For a time, his message urging a return to the original principles of Matthew 10 gained a following, even among some Australian overseers.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|pp=51, 52}}

A second division occurred in 1928 when Edward Cooney was expelled for criticizing the hierarchy and other elements that had arisen within the church, which he saw as serious deviations from the church's original message. The overseers seized upon a failed attempt at performing a faith healing as a pretext to excommunicate him.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=52}} Cooney's loyal supporters joined him, including some of the early workers, and they stayed faithful to what they perceived to be the original tenets.{{sfn|Roberts|1990|pp=145–154}} The term "Cooneyite" today chiefly refers to the group which separated (or were excommunicated) along with Cooney and who continue as an independent group. Prior to the schism, onlookers had labeled the entire movement as "Cooneyites" due to Edward Cooney's prominence in the early growth of the church. There are areas where this older usage continues.{{sfn|Melton|2009|pp=554–555}}

These schisms were not widely publicized, and few were aware that they had occurred. Most supporters of Irvine, and later Cooney, were either coaxed into abandoning those loyalties or put out of the fellowship. Among these were the early workers May Carroll, Irvine Weir (one of the first workers in North America, who was excommunicated for continued contact with Cooney and for his objection to registration of the church under names),{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=85–86}} and Tom Elliot (who had conducted baptisms of the first workers and was nicknamed "Tom the Baptist").{{sfn|Roberts|1990|p=153}}

The emergence of the Two by Twos caused severe splits within local Protestant churches in Ireland at a time of increasing demands for Irish independence, largely driven by the Catholic majority community. Because of animosity, the Two by Twos did not form a united front with other Protestant communities.{{sfn|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|p=333}}{{sfn|Megahey|2000|p=155}} Although the church was noted for extreme anti-Catholic views, it played a very minor role during the struggle for Irish independence. One exception was the involvement of the Pearson family in the still-controversial killings at Coolacrease.{{sfn|McConway|7 November 2007|p=15}}{{sfn|McConway|14 November 2007|p=16}}

In the mid-1920s, a magazine article entitled "The Cooneyites or Go-Preachers"{{sfn|Rule|January 1924|pp=18–20}} disturbed the leadership, who made efforts to have it withdrawn,{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=82}} particularly when material from the article was added to the widely distributed reference Heresies Exposed.{{sfn|Irvine|1929|pp=73–78}} During this period, the church modified its evangelical outreach. The public preaching of its early days was replaced with low-key "gospel meetings", which were attended only by members and invitees. The church began to state that it had a 1st-century origin.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=64}}{{sfn|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|pp=329–330}} It asserted that it had no organization or name and disclaimed any unique doctrines. The church shunned publicity, making the church very difficult for outsiders to follow.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|pp=37–38, 42}}{{sfn|Indianapolis News|26 September 1921|p=11}}

File:Geowalker1942letter3.jpg

The North American church saw a struggle for influence between overseers George Walker in the east and Jack Carroll. In 1928, an agreement was forged between the senior overseers that limited workers operating outside of their appointed geographical spheres, known as "fields": workers traveling into an area controlled by another overseer had to first submit their revelation to,{{sfn|Roberts|1990|p=143}} and obtain permission from, the local overseer. {{sfn|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|p=330}} The exact boundaries between fields was worked out over time, and there were areas where workers under the control of more than one overseer operated, causing conflict.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=85}}

During the First World War, the church obtained exemption from military service in Britain under the name "The Testimony of Jesus." However, there were problems with recognition of this name outside the British Isles, and exemption was refused in many other areas.See:

• {{harvnb|St. Clair|St. Clair|2004|p=223}};
• {{harvnb|Lineham|2017|pp=169–176}};
• {{harvnb|Wilson|1994|p=49}}. In New Zealand during World War I, members of the church could not prove their conscientious objector status, and formed the largest segment of those imprisoned for refusal to serve.{{sfn|Lineham|2017|pp=162, 169, 175}}{{sfn|Wilson|1994|p=56(fn)}} Members and ministers also had difficulty establishing their conscientious objector status in the United States during the First World War.{{sfn|Indianapolis News|26 September 1921|p=11}} With the start of the Second World War, formal names were adopted and used in registering the church with various national governments.{{efn-ua|This is the subject of letters from Rittenhouse and Sweetland, given in full in Reinventing the Truth {{harv|Daniel|1993|pp=281, 283–284}}.}}See:
• {{harvnb|Wilson|1994|p=68}};
• {{harvnb|Wilson|1993}}. These names continued to be used for official business, and stationery bearing those names was printed for the use of overseers. Most members were not aware of these names. Some who dissented after learning of the practice were expelled by the workers.{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=358, 362, 396, 415, 488–490, 539}}{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=85–86}}

After the death of Australian overseer William Carroll in 1953, an attempt was made to reintegrate the repudiated adherents of William Irvine and Edward Cooney. Rather than producing further unity, the attempt produced conflicts over the church's history which was exposed, the existence of legal names, disagreements over the hierarchy which had developed, and other controversies. Many excommunications took place in the subsequent effort to enforce harmony.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=88–92}}{{sfn|Roberts|1990|pp=225–226}}

The earliest workers and overseers were succeeded by a new generation of leaders. In Europe, William Irvine died in 1947,{{sfn|Palestine Post|10 March 1947|p=2}} Edward Cooney died in 1960,{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|23 June 1960}} and John Long (expelled in 1907) died in 1962. British overseer Willie Gill died in 1951. In the South Pacific, New Zealand overseer Wilson McClung died in 1944, and Australian overseer John Hardie died in 1961. In North America, both Jack Carroll,{{sfn|Fiset|29 March 1957|p=15}} the Western overseer, and Irvine Weir died in 1957 while Eastern overseer George Walker died in 1981.{{sfn|Evening Bulletin|8 November 1981}}

Its policy of not revealing its name, finances,{{sfn|Wilson|Barker|2005|p=299}} doctrine, or history,{{efn-ua|"In very short order they also destroyed Irvine's earlier stature as a charismatic innovator by explaining that the sect he had founded was actually a collective rediscovery of the earliest form of Christianity, which had existed as small persecuted bands since the first century." —Benton Johnson {{harv|Johnson|1995|p=50}}.}} and avoidance of publicity{{efn-ua|"The Cooneyites, also called the Two-by-Two's, have developed the shunning of publicity into a fine art." —Melton {{harv|Melton|2009|p=554}}.}}{{sfn|Mann|1955|p=15}} largely kept the church from public notice.{{sfn|Gill|30 June 1984|p=37}} The group has been labeled a "high-control group" by some.{{sfn|RNZ|2024c}} A few authors of popular literature have noted the church, even using it as background for various works.Uses as background for literary works include,

• {{harvnb|Bates|2004|}};
• {{harvnb|Joyce|2001|p=138}};
• {{harvnb|Lewis|1971|pp=119–124}};
• {{harvnb|Montgomery|1935|pp=135–208}}.

File:Two by Two Convention Hall.jpg, in 2018]]

Divisions, both doctrinal and organizational, within the group have formed throughout its history and continue as ongoing challenges.{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=260–261, 483–494}}

Until the mid 1980s, notes regarding the Two by Twos had appeared infrequently in religious journals and sociological works, with some writers assuming that the church had greatly declined, with nothing published regarding it.{{sfn|Jackson|Loetscher|1977|p=298}}{{sfn|Borhek|Curtis|1979|p=69}} In 1982, the publication of The Secret Sect was followed by press reports and public statements by former members.{{sfn|Daniel|1993|p=176}}{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=43}} Other books and news coverage dealing with the church appeared in the following decades and increased awareness of the church and its practices. With the exposure of regional differences and the appearance of dissent, a loosening of a few strict standards demanded of members has been observed in some areas.{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=325, 338}}{{sfn|Cimino|July–August 1999|p=3}} A marked decline in membership has occurred over recent decades, coinciding with availability of information on the Internet and elsewhere.{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=306, 327, 496–497}}

In April 2019, the Australian current affairs television show 60 Minutes interviewed child sex abuse victims of Australian ministers.{{sfn|60 Minutes|2019}}{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=416–417}} On 20 March 2023, a letter was released from overseer Doyle S. Smith, (the "Dean Letter") informing members of the discovery of predatory and sexually abusive behavior by recently deceased worker and overseer Dean Bruer.{{sfn|Wings for Truth|2024a}} Since the release of the Dean Letter, other allegations of sexual abuse and child sexual abused have been reported within the church from all over the world, and former minister Robert Corfield admitted that he had sexually abused a boy in Saskatchewan, Canada, over several years in the 1980s.{{sfn|BBC|2024a}}{{sfn|CBC|2024a}} Numbers of perpetrators have been estimated to number in the hundreds, with several thousand victims identified.{{sfn|York News-Times|7 September 2024}} In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened an investigation in 2024.{{sfn|BBC|2024b}}{{sfn|BBC|2025a}}

In 2023, the Two by Twos' Australasian overseers had issued two letters to members acknowledging incidents of abuse overseas, condemning child abuse and encouraging victims to report abuse to the police. The overseers also announced they would establish an anonymous advisory group to develop child-safe policies and manage the group's response to historical child sexual abuse. In other areas, calls for adoption of an official policy have been rejected or ignored.{{sfn|York News-Times|7 September 2024}} In May 2024, the group's Australasian leaders launched a website with information about their response to historical child sexual abuse and a written apology to victims. Former abuse victims and victim advocate Jillian Hishon have criticized the group's response for lacking impartiality and accountability.{{sfn|RNZ|2024b}}{{sfn|York News-Times|7 September 2024}}

In June 2024, the American Broadcasting Company television news program Nightline aired a segment on child sexual abuse cases across the United States. An expanded report aired concurrently on season 2 of the Hulu docuseries Impact X Nightline.{{sfn|ABC Nightline|2024}}

In September 2024, Radio New Zealand reported that New Zealand Police were assisting the FBI investigation by investigating at least one former New Zealand minister for historical abuse. A former minister William Stephen Easton admitted 55 child sex abuse charges over three decades against young boys. The church has about 2,500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand.{{sfn|RNZ|2025a}} Peter Lineham of Massey University has been researching the group since the 1970s and said that it had been active in New Zealand for 120 years.{{sfn|RNZ|2024a}}

An American former elder of the church, Raymond Zwiefelhofer, was sentenced to 120 years in prison in November, 2024, for 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.{{efn-ua|An ABC News report stated: "'In total, there were 87 files that were determined to be child sexual abuse material or sometimes known as child pornography,' Catherine Fu, a Maricopa Deputy County Attorney, told ABC News. 'The 10 charged files were a combination of photos and videos, and they were all depicting children under the age of 15 engaged in either exploitive exhibition or sexual conduct.' Zwiefelhofer, 61, maintains his innocence."{{harv|ABC|2024b}}.}} A report published by the BBC in early 2025 covered allegations of women who were pressured into giving up their children for adoption.{{sfn|BBC|2025a}}

Apart from their hymnals, officially published documentation or church statements are scarce, making it difficult to speak in depth about its beliefs. Some former members and critics of the church have made statements about its beliefs, although these points have rarely been publicly responded to by any authorities within the church.{{sfn|Melton|2009|p=554}}

All the church's teachings are expressed orally, and the church does not publish doctrine or statements of faith.{{sfn|Sanders|1969|p=166}}{{sfn|Irvine|1929|p=76}} Workers hold that all church teachings are based solely on the Bible.{{efn-ua|"Two by twos use the Bible as their sole source of authority and have developed no statement of belief apart from Scriptures. They practice the Lord's Supper (communion) weekly and practice believer's baptism, rebaptizing new members. Their lifestyle includes modesty of appearance, avoidance of worldly activities such as watching television, and usually pacificism." —George D. Chryssides {{harv|Chryssides|2001b|p=330}}.}}{{efn-ua|"Members shun publicity, refuse to acquire church property, and issue no ministerial credentials or doctrinal literature, believing that the Bible (King James Version) is the only textbook and that, to be effective, the communication of spiritual life must take place orally, person to person. The only printed documents are hymnals." —J. Gordon Melton {{harv|Melton|2009|p=554}}.}} A catchphrase frequently used to describe the church is: "The church in the home, and the ministry without a home."{{sfn|Wilson|1993}}Overseer John ("Jack") Carroll quoted in {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=99}}. Church members and "workers" will publicly declare that the church does not own any buildings. This is not strictly true: in fact, church members own rural or semi-rural properties dedicated to worship, housing workers, and church gatherings, including conventions and "special meetings". The concept of church buildings is still seen as inconsistent with "biblical Christianity" and was strongly denounced by early workers.See:

• {{harvnb|Impartial Reporter|23 July 1908|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Irvine|1929|pp=75–76}};
• {{harvnb|Nenagh Guardian|15 April 1911|p=5}}. Its ministers do not own homes or earn salaries. The church has upheld these practices since its inception.{{sfn|Newtownards Chronicle|28 May 1904|p=3}}{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|20 August 1908|p=8}} Notwithstanding this tradition, buildings specially constructed or repurposed for the use of the church do exist, including convention buildings, meeting halls,See:
• {{harvnb|Anglo-Celt|13 January 1917|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|2 December 1968|p=1}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|p=561}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=35(fn)}}. tents, caravans, and portable halls.{{sfn|Irish Independent|14 November 1907|p=7}} Rural properties are primarily held and maintained on behalf of the church by certain members.{{sfn|Martineau|14 July 2000|p=A1}}{{sfn|Peterborough Examiner|9 June 1931|p=9}} However, in recent years, a Northern Irish investment vehicle has been used to purchase English convention property.{{sfn|Grey|2012}} A dedicated church building was constructed in Canada early on, but eventually was rejected by Irvine.{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|p=148}}

The King James Bible is the only scripture used in English-language services. The Bible itself is held as insufficient for salvation unless its words are "made alive" through the preaching of church ministers.{{efn-ua|"They [the ministers] are considered 'the word made flesh' in our day." —Christian Research Institute {{harv|C.R.I.|13 April 2009}}.}}See:

• {{harvnb|Courier Mail|29 August 1936|p=22}};
• {{harvnb|Hill|2004|p=402}};
• {{harvnb|Hosfeld|17 August 1983|pp=1–2}};
• {{harvnb|Irvine|1929|p=76}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=160–161}};
• {{harvnb|Krueger|1932|p=110}};
• {{harvnb|Martineau|20 July 2000|p=B1}};
• {{harvnb|Nervig|1941|p=133}};
• {{harvnb|Wilkens|2007|p=132}};
• {{harvnb|Woster|1988|pp=11, 15, 17}}. The extemporaneous preaching of the ministry is considered to be guided by God{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=16, 105}}{{sfn|Kalas|30 January 2010}} and must be heard directly.{{sfn|Nichols|2006|p=88}}{{sfn|Woster|1988|pp=12, 15}} Great weight is given to the thoughts of workers, especially more senior workers.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|pp=31, 114–115, 192}} Salvation is achieved through willingness to uphold the church's standards, by faithfully following in "the way", and by personal worthiness.See:
• {{harvnb|Martineau|20 July 2000|p=B1}};
• {{harvnb|Nichols|2006|p=88}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=100}}. Doctrines such as predestination, original sin, justification by faith alone, and redemption as the sole basis of salvation are rejected.{{efn-ua|Hymns which contained hints of salvation by grace, trinitarianism or redemption based upon the blood of Christ were purged or changed in a 1987 revision {{harv|Grey|2012|p=55}}}}See:
• {{harvnb|Impartial Reporter|3 July 1913|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=101–102}};
• {{harvnb|Paul|1977|p=19}};
• {{harvnb|Wilson|1993}}. The church is exclusivistSee:
• {{harvnb|C.R.I.|13 April 2009}};
• {{harvnb|Gründler|1961|p=411}};
• {{harvnb|Hilliard|2005}};
• {{harvnb|McIntosh|1965|pp=60–61}}. — all other churches, religions, and ministries are held to be false, and salvation is only obtainable through the Two by Two ministry and meetings.See:
• {{harvnb|Beckford|2003|p=15}};
• {{harvnb|Clark|1965|p=184}};
• {{harvnb|Gründler|1961|p=411}};
• {{harvnb|Johnson|1995|p=44}};
• {{harvnb|Jones|2013|p=9}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=149–152, 567}};
• {{harvnb|Paul|1977|pp=6–7}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2005|pp=34, 210}};
• {{harvnb|Wallis|1981|p=124}};
• {{harvnb|Woster|1988|pp=13, 22}}.

Salvation is deemed to require self-sacrifice in following the example and commandments of Jesus{{efn-ua|"Moreover, no-names do not believe that Jesus's death on the cross will wash away the sins of all who accept him as their savior; salvation only comes through a life of sacrificial obedience to the instructions and examples of Jesus. All recent authorities agree that the road to salvation for these sectarians is a hard one. Carol Woster, who spent two years in the group, recalls that one long-time member she knew 'seemed to see life as a grieving journey, where after the [Sunday] meeting, the next day she would 'take up the struggle' to go on...' There is, she found, little 'Christian joy or confident hope' among the no-names." —Benton Johnson {{harv|Johnson|1995|p=44}}.}} and suffering is revered.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|pp=44, 46}} Members are encouraged to attend meetings, publicly pray, and testify at them.Worker Leo Stancliff quoted in {{harvnb|Daniel|1993|pp=128–129}}. Although the church has roots in the Holiness movement and has inherited some of its features, charismatic elements are suppressed.{{sfn|Robinson|2005|p=35}} Other standards include modest dress, not wearing jewelry, long hair for women and short hair for men, not getting piercings, not dying hair, not getting a tattoo, and avoiding activities deemed to be worldly or frivolous{{sfn|Sanders|1969|p=166}}{{sfn|Chryssides|2001a|pp=330–331}} (such as smoking, drinking alcohol, watching television, and viewing motion pictures).See:

• {{harvnb|Gill|30 June 1984|p=37}};
• {{harvnb|Johnson|1995|p=40}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|p=345}};
• {{harvnb|Lewis|1998|p=494}};
• {{harvnb|Martineau|20 July 2000|p=B1}};
• {{harvnb|Preecs|5 June 1983|p=B6}}. Standards and practices vary geographically: for example, in some areas, wine is used in Sunday meetings; in other areas, grape juice is used; in some areas, people who have divorced and remarried are not allowed to participate in meetings, particularly women, while in others they may.See:
• {{harvnb|Johnson|1995|p=40}};
• {{harvnb|Preecs|5 June 1983|p=B6}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2009}}. The use of television, social media sites, and other mass media is discouraged in some areas, based on the stance of the local workers and overseers.See:
• {{harvnb|Girton|Mastin|Mastin|Fermin|2018}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=265–269}};
• {{harvnb|Preecs|5 June 1983|p=B6}};
• {{harvnb|Chryssides|2001b|p=331}};
• {{harvnb|Zimmerman|10 February 2008}}. Some external standards in dress and conduct have been loosened in recent years in response to criticisms.{{sfn|Cimino|July–August 1999|p=3}} While rules are not strictly 'enforced' and vary between families, the church ultimately values complete and total dedication to the doctrine. It encourages members to denounce other aspects of their lives. The church has actively condemned pre-marital relations and LGBTQ identities.

The church has rejected the doctrine of the Trinity{{sfn|Kropp|2008}} since its inception.See:

• {{harvnb|McClure|July 1907|pp=102–103}};
• {{harvnb|Walker|2007|pp=117–118}};
• {{harvnb|Woodard|15 September 1997|p=28}}.{{efn-ua|"It appears that the sect's theological position on the divinity of Christ, the atonement, and man's justification before God, has never changed, yet at mission meetings and in private discussion with people whom they successfully proselytized, preachers gave the misleading impression that their church was evangelical, and that in no way did it deviate from basic Christian beliefs." —Doug Parker and Helen Parker {{harv|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=102–193}}.}} Though members believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they hold a Unitarian view of Jesus.See:
• {{harvnb|Melton|2009|p=554}};
• Melton quoted in {{harvnb|Alberta Report|15 September 1997|p=34}};
• {{harvnb|Nichols|2006|p=88}}. The Holy Spirit is held as an attitude or force from God. Jesus is God's son, a fully human figure who came to earth to establish a way of ministry and salvation,{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=101–103}} but not God himself.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|pp=241–243}}Worker Eldon Kendrew quoted in {{harvnb|Climenhaga|30 July 1994|p=E7}}. Great stress is laid upon the "example life" of Jesus as a pattern for the ministry.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=102}}{{sfn|C.R.I.|13 April 2009}}

Baptism by one of the church's ministers is considered a necessary step for salvation and full participation, including re-baptism of persons baptized by other churches.See:

• {{harvnb|Chryssides|2001b|p=331}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=337–338}};
• {{harvnb|Melton|2009|p=554}};
• {{harvnb|Nichols|2006|p=88}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2009}}. Candidates approved by the local workers are baptized by immersion. Baptisms are often scheduled for one morning during a Convention and are typically performed in small ponds on the property. Families and onlookers gather, pray, and sing hymns during the ceremony, as led by a worker.{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=494}}{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=14}}

File:Alberta1995incorpapp02.jpg

The church represents itself as nondenominational and without a name.{{sfn|Kalas|30 January 2010}} Those outside the church often use descriptive terms such as "Two by Twos" (from their method of sending out ministers in pairs),{{sfn|Enroth|1992|p=133}}{{sfn|Walker|2007|p=118}} "No-name Church", "Cooneyites", "Workers and Friends", "disciples of Jesus", "Friends", "Go-preachers", and "Tramp Preachers," among other titles.See:

• {{harvnb|Chryssides|2001b|p=330}};
• {{harvnb|Hill|2004|p=402}};
• {{harvnb|Holland|2014|p=103}};
• {{harvnb|Lewis|1998|p=494}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2009}};
• {{harvnb|Stutzman|14 July 1991|p=2}}. The new movement was initially called "Tramp Preachers" or "Tramp Pilgrims" by observers.{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|15 January 1903|p=8}}{{sfn|Gründler|1961|p=411}} During the early years, they called themselves by the name "Go-Preachers".{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|19 July 1917|p=6}}{{sfn|Gründler|1961|p=411}} By 1904, the terms "Cooneyism" and "Cooneyite" had been coined in those areas in which Edward Cooney established churches and where he was a vocal promoter.See:
• {{harvnb|Impartial Reporter|2 June 1904|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Anglo-Celt|8 October 1904|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Daily Mail|29 March 1905|p=3}}. The term "Two by Twos" was in use in Canada by the early 1920s{{sfn|Hasell|1925|p=244}} and in the United States by the 1930s.{{sfn|Concordia Theological Monthly|1938|p=863}}{{sfn|Gründler|1961|p=411}} In Germany, bynames for the church have included "Die Namenlosen" (the Nameless), "Wahre Christen" (True Christians), "Jünger Jesu" (Disciples of Jesus), and "Freunde" (Friends).{{sfn|Gründler|1961|p=411}}{{sfn|Müller|1990}} In France, they have been known as "Les Anonymes" (the Anonymous, or No-names).{{sfn|Mayer|2000|p=141}}

Though overseers and head workers use registered names when necessary to conduct official business, most members do not associate a formal name with the church.{{sfn|Nervig|1941|p=132}} Instead, they refer to the church as "The Truth," "The Way," "The Jesus Way," or "The Lowly Way."See: "The Meetings" or "The Fellowship".

• {{harvnb|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|p=327}};
• {{harvnb|Hill|2004|p=402}};
• {{harvnb|BBC|2024a}}
• {{harvnb|Kalas|30 January 2010}}. Few members are aware that the church has taken official names{{sfn|Wilkens|2007|p=132}} used for church business,{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=86}} including seeking military exemptions.See:
• {{harvnb|Advertiser|10 February 1943|p=6}};
• {{harvnb|Barrier Miner|24 November 1916|p=4}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=117–119}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=358}}. Registered names vary from nation to nation. In the United States, the name used is "Christian Conventions",{{sfn|Wilkens|2007|p=132}}{{sfn|Walker|2007|p=117}} but in Canada, "Assemblies of Christians" is used.{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=107}} In Britain, it is "the Testimony of Jesus",{{sfn|Robinson|2009}}{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|p=73}} and in Sweden the registered name is "Kristna I Sverige".{{sfn|AnotherStep}} "United Christian Conventions" has been used in Australia and other nations{{sfn|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=107, 124}} (Australian members previously adopted the name "Testimony of Jesus" during World War I, and registered as "Christian Assemblies" during World War II).See:
• {{harvnb|Advertiser|10 February 1943|p=6}};
• {{harvnb|Argus|9 November 1916|p=4}};
• {{harvnb|Barrier Miner|24 November 1916|p=4}};
• {{harvnb|Camperdown Chronicle|30 April 1940|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|p=415}}. The church was also incorporated in Victoria, Australia, as a charity from 1929 until 2019 and held property in trust.{{sfn|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|p=415–416}} In 1995, controversy arose in Alberta, Canada, when part of the church incorporated as the "Alberta Society of Christian Assemblies". That entity was dissolved in 1996 after its existence became generally known.{{sfn|R.I.S.|2009b}}

Many church members hold to a long-standing view that the church has no earthly founder,{{sfn|Chandler|13 September 1983|p=A2}} and that only they represent the "true Christian Church" originating directly with Christ during the 1st century AD.See:

• {{harvnb|Anderson|20 August 1983|p=4a}};
• {{harvnb|Gill|30 June 1984|p=37}};
• {{harvnb|Hilliard|2005}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|pp=105–107}}. Some members have more recently made statements which diverge from that view and hint either at a beginning during the closing years of the 19th century or at a notable resurgence or restoration around that time.{{sfn|Robinson|2005|p=35}}{{sfn|Jaenen|2003|pp=517–535}}

The following are terms used by the church with the definitions giving the sense commonly intended and understood by members.{{efn-ua|These terminology definitions follow {{harvnb|Fortt|1994|pp=15–202}}.}}

; {{nobold|Church}}

: Generally refers to a small local group that meets in a home; can refer to a larger group of believers. This term is never used to refer to a building except for church buildings of other denominations. Used colloquially when talking to strangers to refer to Sunday/Wednesday activity, e.g., "I'll be at church until midday". Some regions choose not to use this word at all, emphasizing the church's separation from other mainstream beliefs.

; {{nobold|Meeting}}

: A gathering of members held in members' homes or rented buildings.

; {{nobold|Field}}

: A geographical region to which workers have been assigned (similar to parishes)

; {{nobold|Mission}}

: A series of larger meetings known as gospel meetings, the function of which is proselytizing.

; {{nobold|Friend, saint}}

: Adherent or member of the laity. Collectively "the friends" or "the saints".

; {{nobold|Profess}}

: To make a public declaration of one's willingness to become a member is generally a sign that a person may participate in the prayer and testimony sections of Wednesday night and Sunday morning meetings or at designated testimony times in larger gatherings. Professing constitutes an intermediate stage. Following baptism, the partaking of bread and grape juice (or wine) is also permitted, which occurs between the elder's testimony and the final hymn in some fields.

; {{nobold|Bishop, elder, deacon}}

: A chairman of a local meeting. Usually, the male head of the house in which meetings are held. The bishop/elder is typically the person in charge of calling the start of the meeting. The deacon is considered an alternative to the elder in some areas.

; {{nobold|Worker, servant, apostle}}

: Terms used to denote the church's semi-itinerant, homeless ministers. These are unmarried (several exceptions were made during the first half of the 20th century to allow married couples to enter the ministry) and do not have any formal training. Workers go out in same-sex pairs (hence the term "Two by Two"), consisting of a more experienced worker with a junior companion.

; {{nobold|Head worker, overseer}}

: The senior worker in charge of a geographic area roughly corresponds to the position of a bishop in Catholicism. No hierarchical position is higher than overseer—such as a pope—which might guarantee doctrinal and practical unanimity.

; {{nobold|Outsider, unprofessing person}}

: Any person who has not 'professed' per the church's processes and is therefore deemed to be 'outside' of God's fold

; {{nobold|The world, worldly person}}

: A broad term used to describe all people not involved in the church, including those in other religions

The church holds that faith and salvation may only be obtained by hearing the preaching of its ministers (typically called workers), and by observing their sacrificial lives.{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|25 August 1910|p=8}}{{sfn|Gründler|1961|p=411}} During the early years, this requirement was referred to as the "Living Witness Doctrine", though that term is no longer used. The minister must be heard and observed in person, rather than by broadcasts, recordings, books or tracts, or other indirect communication.{{sfn|Melton|2009|p=554}}{{sfn|Anderson|20 August 1983|p=4a}} The church's ministerial structure is based on Jesus' instructions to his apostles found in Matthew chapter 10, verses 8–16 (with similar passages in Mark and in Luke). The church's view is that, following these Biblical examples, its ministers have no permanent dwelling places, minister in pairs, sell all and go out with only minimal worldly possessions, and rely only upon hospitality and generosity.{{sfn|Mann|1955|p=110}}{{sfn|Courier Mail|29 August 1936|p=22}} Most ministers receive their support and income directly from lay members, and have no fixed address except for mail collection.{{sfn|Wilson|1993}}

The option of entering the ministry is theoretically open to every baptized member, although it has been many decades since married people were accepted into the ministry. Female workers operate in the same manner as male workers. However, they cannot rise to the position of overseer, do not lead meetings when a male worker is present, and occupy a lower rank than male workers.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|pp=96, 117–118, 193}}

Workers do not engage in any formal religious training.See:

• {{harvnb|Bruce|1996|p=70}};
• {{harvnb|Chandler|13 September 1983|p=A2}};
• {{harvnb|Climenhaga|30 July 1994|p=E7}};
• {{harvnb|Mann|1955|p=29}};
• {{harvnb|Müller|1990}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=104}}. Overseers pair new workers with senior companions until they are deemed ready to move beyond a junior position.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|pp=59, 236–237}} The workers are assigned new companions annually.{{sfn|Kalas|30 January 2010}} Workers organize and assign members to the home meetings, appoint elders, and decide controversies among members. Workers are not registered marriage celebrants, so members are married by secular functionaries (such as a justice of the peace). However, workers will give sermons and prayers at members' weddings if requested, and they officiate at the funerals of members.See:
• {{harvnb|Crow|1964|p=38}};
• {{harvnb|Nichols|2006|p=89}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2009}}.

The church holds several types of gatherings throughout the year in various locations.{{efn-ua|This list of meeting types follows the list given in {{harvnb|Daniel|1993|pp=13–15}}.}}

; {{nobold|Gospel meeting}}

: A Gospel meeting is the gathering that is most likely to be open to those considered to be "outsiders".{{sfn|Paul|1977|p=8}} At one time, Gospel meetings were typically held in tents, set up by workers as they traveled; they are now most commonly held in a rented space.{{efn-ua|"Ordinary meetings among lay believers are held in houses, but periodically the itinerants visit each district, and there they borrow a hall (often the Church hall of an unsuspecting minister) for a preaching meeting for the public at large." —Bryan R. Wilson {{harv|Wilson|1993}}.}} Gospel meetings are held to attract new members, though professing members typically make up the majority of attendees. The Gospel meeting consists of a period of quiet, followed by congregational singing (often accompanied by piano) of selected hymns, and then sermons delivered by the church's workers. Gospel meetings are regularly scheduled for portions of the year in areas where the group is well-established. They may also be held when a worker believes there may be people in the region who would be receptive to the church's message.

; {{nobold|Sunday morning meeting}}

: Participation in this closedSee:

• {{harvnb|Chandler|13 September 1983|p=A2}};
• {{harvnb|Martineau|18 July 2000}};
• {{harvnb|Parker|Parker|1982|p=93}}.

meeting is generally restricted to members. It is usually held in the home of an elder, and consists of a cappella singing from the regular hymnal,{{sfn|Hymns Old and New|1987}} partaking of communion emblems{{sfn|Lewis|1998|p=494}}{{sfn|Chryssides|2001b|p=330}} (a piece of leavened bread and a cup of wine or grape juice),{{sfn|Crow|1964|p=10}} prayer and sharing of testimonies by members in good standing.{{sfn|Jones|2013|p=8}} Members are expected to be silent and arrive fifteen minutes early.

; {{nobold|Bible study}}

: Participation in this closed meeting is generally restricted to members, and is usually held in the home of an elder each Wednesday evening. Members are assigned a list of Bible verses or a topic of study for consideration during the week, for discussion at the next meeting. As the meeting progresses, each member shares thoughts regarding the scripture or topic. Thoughts are shared by individual members in turn, and members do not engage in discussions during the meeting. The Bible study meeting includes hymns and prayers.

; {{nobold|Union meeting}}

: This is a monthly gathering of several congregations, and follows the format of the Sunday morning meetings. Union meetings are not open to the public.

;{{nobold|Special meeting(s)}}

: Special meetings are annual gatherings of members from a large area. Each is held as a private gathering, often in a rented hall. Special meetings last a single day, and include sermons by local and visiting workers. The sermons are interspersed with prayers, hymns, and testimonies.

; {{nobold|Convention}}

: These annual events are attended by members from within a larger geographical area than for the special meetings. These services generally follow the format used for special meetings. Conventions are held over several days, usually in rural areas on properties with facilities to handle housing, feeding, and other necessities for those who attend. There are typically crude male and female dormitories, a dormitory for the Workers, and male and female communal bathrooms with simple showers. Conventions are not open to the public, although outsiders often attend by invitation. Although not now usual, members were at one time segregated by sex during services.{{sfn|Peterborough Examiner|9 June 1931|p=9}}

; {{nobold|Workers' meeting}}

: These gatherings are not open to either the public or general membership. Attendance and participation are restricted to workers and certain invited members. The meeting may be a regular Bible study, or it may be used to disseminate any instructions from senior workers or to issue decisions about controversial matters. They are held during conventions, or as necessary. These meetings include prayer, a period for testimonies from any workers wishing to share, and may include statements by senior workers in attendance.

Members state that the church does not have a formal organization.See:

• {{harvnb|Bruce|1996|p=70}};
• Overseer Charles Steffen quoted in {{harvnb|Martineau|14 July 2000|p=A1}};
• {{harvnb|Maynard|11 June 1982|p=11}}. Members do not participate in, and many are unaware of, the church's governance.{{efn-ua|"A concern for public exposure may be the principal reason why the no-name sect has no newsletters or other publications even for its own members. The lack of such internal documents makes it difficult for members to know what is going on within the group, but, as Simmel observes, the less the members know, the less they will be able to tell outsiders if they decide to talk openly about it. The need for internal secrecy also may explain why the nameless sect has no system of government in which ordinary members participate. I[n] fact, most members seem unaware that a system of government even exists.." —Benton Johnson {{harv|Johnson|1995|p=43}}.}} Although in the early years of the church a headquarters was maintained in Belfast,{{sfn|Robinson|2005|p=35}} no official headquarters currently exist and the church remains largely unincorporated. Both expenditures and funds collected remain secret from the membership and no accounting is made public.{{sfn|Gill|30 June 1984|p=37}} Funds are handled through stewardships, trusts, and cash transactions.{{efn-ua|"All property at the group's disposal is in the hands of individuals who are expected to make use of it for the good of the movement. Sites where conventions take place are owned by members and the monetary donations workers receive are theirs to spend as they see fit. Funds and other assets held in trusts are also secret with no public accounting given." —Benton Johnson {{harv|Johnson|1995|p=42}}.}}

No materials are published by the church for outside circulation other than invitations to open Gospel meetings.{{sfn|Daniel|1993|pp=9–11}} Printed materials are published for circulation among the members and include sermon notes, convention notes, Bible study lists, convention lists, and worker lists.{{sfn|Nichols|2006|p=88}} In recent years, contact details of members, including phone numbers and home addresses, have been compiled into booklets. These booklets are treated as highly confidential and available for workers' use only. Some members of the group refuse to provide their details for these booklets, in the name of privacy. Some members of the group see the internal dissemination of worker letters as continuing the practice of the early Church and the epistolary work of the original apostles.{{sfn|Crow|1964|p=27}}

The church is controlled by a small group of senior male overseers with each having oversight of a specific geographic region. Under each senior overseer are male head workers who have oversight of a single state, province or similar area, depending on the country.See:

• {{harvnb|Chryssides|2001b|pp=330–331}};
• {{harvnb|Johnson|1995|pp=44–52}};
• {{harvnb|Lewis|1998|p=494}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2009}}. These head workers handle the two-by-two pairing and field assignments of workers for that area. Each pair of workers has charge over several local meetings with the senior worker of the two having authority over his junior. Local meetings are hosted in the homes of elders who report to the workers. Correspondence such as reporting, finances, and instructions are often communicated according to the set hierarchy.{{sfn|Daniel|1993|pp=11–16}} The administration of the church and its annual process of assigning of workers to fields are rarely discussed among the membership.{{sfn|Johnson|1995|p=43}} Workers are believed to be holy conduits of God and are regarded highly by the congregation.

The church's first hymnal, The Go-Preacher's Hymn Book, was compiled by 1909{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|7 October 1909|p=8}} and contained 125 hymns. The English-language hymn book currently used is Hymns Old and New{{sfn|Hymns Old and New|1987}} and was first published in 1913{{sfn|Impartial Reporter|3 July 1913|p=8}} with several subsequent editions and translations. It contains 412 hymns, many of which were written or adapted by workers and other members of the church, and is organized into "gospel" and "fellowship" hymns.{{sfn|Fortt|1994|p=197}} A smaller, second hymnal, also titled Hymns Old and New, consists of the first 170 songs found in the full hymnal. Another version of the hymnal contains words without musical notation and is used primarily by children and those who cannot read music.{{sfn|Hymns Old and New|1987}} Hymnals in other languages, such as "Himnos" in Spanish, contain many hymns translated from the English and sung to the same tunes, as well as original non-English compositions.

{{notelist-ua}}

{{reflist

| colwidth = 24em

| refs =

See:

• {{harvnb|Beit-Halahmi|1993|p=298}};
• {{harvnb|Chryssides|2001a|p=330}};
• {{harvnb|Clark|1965|p=184}};
• {{harvnb|Dair Rioga Local History Group|2005|pp=322–323}};
• {{harvnb|Gründler|1961|p=411}}
• {{harvnb|Holland|2014|p=103}}
• {{harvnb|Ideas|13 July 1917|p=2}};
• {{harvnb|Impartial Reporter|25 August 1910|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Impartial Reporter|3 July 1913|p=8}};
• {{harvnb|Impartial Reporter|18 December 1913|p=3}};
• {{harvnb|Irish Independent|5 July 1910|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=124–126, 255}};
• {{harvnb|Lineham|2017|p=171}};
• {{harvnb|Melton|2005|p=58}};
• {{harvnb|Nenagh Guardian|9 July 1910|p=6}};
• {{harvnb|Sanders|1969|p=166}};
• {{harvnb|Scrutator|March 1905|p=38}};
• {{harvnb|Sunday Independent|10 June 1906|p=5}};
• {{harvnb|Washington Post|17 September 1908|p=2}}.

See:

• {{harvnb|Hill|2004|p=402}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2019}};
• {{harvnb|Kropp-Ehrig|2022|pp=41–49}};
• {{harvnb|Nichols|2006|p=88}};
• {{harvnb|Robinson|2005|p=34}};
• {{harvnb|Sanders|1969|p=166}}.

Worker Walter Pollock quoted in {{harvnb|Preecs|5 June 1983|p=B6}}.

}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

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}}

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| year = 1969

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| url = https://archive.org/details/cultsisms00sandrich

}}

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}}

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| chapter = Yesterday's Children

}}

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| chapter = A Church with No Name

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}}

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| publisher = Oxford University Press

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}}

• {{cite book

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| location = Belfast, Northern Ireland

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

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}}

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| title = Co. Fermanagh News. Enniskillen. Enniskillen Jottings.

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| ref = CITEREFAnglo-Celt26_November_1904

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}}

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}}

• {{cite news

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}}

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}}

• {{cite news

| title = Clones Notes

| author = (A.C. staff)

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}}

• {{cite news

| title = Exemption Appeals. Cases Before Mr. Justice Hood.

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| date = 9 November 1916

| ref = CITEREFArgus9_November_1916

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Defense of Australia. Conscientious Objectors. Scripture Lessons in Court.

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| ref = CITEREFBarrier_Miner24_November_1916

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Church without a Name

| first = Kathie

| last = Anderson

| newspaper = The Bellingham Herald

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| date = 20 August 1983

| ref = CITEREFAnderson20_August_1983

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Funeral of Mr. Angus McKenzie

| author = (C.C. staff)

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| location = Camperdown, Victoria Australia

| date = 30 April 1940

| ref = CITEREFCamperdown_Chronicle30_April_1940

}}

• {{cite news

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| first = Russell

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| ref = CITEREFChandler13_September_1983

}}

• {{cite journal

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}}

• {{cite news

| title = Invisible Sect Has Thousands of Followers

| first = David

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| newspaper = Calgary Herald

| location = Calgary, Alberta

| date = 30 July 1994

| ref = CITEREFClimenhaga30_July_1994

}}

• {{cite news

| title = From Far and Near. Interesting News by Telegraph and Telephone. County Down. Incursion of 'Cooneyites'

| author = (D.M. staff)

| newspaper = Daily Mail

| location = London, England

| date = 29 March 1905

| ref = CITEREFDaily_Mail29_March_1905

}}

• {{cite news

| title = R.U.C. blamed for not enforcing law

| last = Devlin

| first = George

| newspaper = Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 2 December 1968

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent2_December_1968

}}

• {{cite news

| title = George Walker Dead at 104

| author = (E.B. staff)

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| location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

| date = 8 November 1981

| ref = CITEREFEvening_Bulletin8_November_1981

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Pilgrims at Ballycassidy. The Question of Infant Baptism

| author = (F.T. staff)

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| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 16 March – 18 July 1907

| ref = CITEREFFermanagh_Times16_March–18_July_1907

}}

• {{cite news

| title = 700 Attend Rites for John Carroll

| first = Bill

| last = Fiset

| newspaper = Oakland Tribune

| location = Oakland, California

| date = 29 March 1957

| ref = CITEREFFiset29_March_1957

}}

• {{cite news

| title = 'The Cooneyites.' Libel Action Settled.

| author = (F.J. staff)

| newspaper = Freeman's Journal

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 2 December 1913

| ref = CITEREFFreeman's_Journal2_December_1913

}}

• {{cite journal

| editor1-first = George William

| editor1-last = Foote

| editor1-link = George William Foote

| date = 26 May 1907

| title = Acid Drops

| journal = The Freethinker

| volume = XXVII

| issue = 21

| publisher = The Secular Society

| location = London, England

| ref = CITEREFFoote26_May_1907

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Sect Which Says: 'Sell All thou Hast and Give to the Poor', Rochedale the Centre of a Body which Teaches Renunciation and Seeks Converts in Tent or the Open

| first = R. K.

| last = Gerrand

| newspaper = The Courier-Mail

| location = Brisbane, Queensland Australia

| date = 29 August 1936

| ref = CITEREFCourier_Mail29_August_1936

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Secretive Sect Leader Dies

| first = Tanya

| last = Giles

| newspaper = Herald Sun

| location = Melbourne, Australia

| date = 25 July 2001

| ref = CITEREFGiles25_July_2001

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Most Secret Society in the World

| first = Alan

| last = Gill

| newspaper = The Sydney Morning Herald

| location = Sydney, Australia

| date = 30 June 1984

| ref = CITEREFGill30_June_1984

}}

• {{cite journal

| editor1-first = John George

| editor1-last = Govan

| editor1-link = John George Govan

| date = August 1901

| title = General Notes and News

| journal = Bright Words

| publisher = Faith Mission

| location = Rothesay, Scotland

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Hilliard

| first = David

|date=June 2005

| title = Unorthodox Christianity in South Australia: Was South Australia really a paradise of dissent?

| journal = History Australia

| volume = 2

| issue = 2

| publisher = Australian Historical Association

| location = Sydney, New South Wales

| issn = 1833-4881 |doi=10.2104/ha050038

| s2cid = 141750850

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Criticism clouds church's gathering

| first = Kathleen

| last = Hosfeld

| newspaper = Skagit Valley Herald

| location = Mount Vernon, Washington

| date = 17 August 1983

| ref = CITEREFHosfeld17_August_1983

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Romance of the Tramp Preachers

| author = (Ideas staff)

| newspaper = Ideas

| location = Manchester, England

| date = 13 July 1917

| ref = CITEREFIdeas13_July_1917

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Religious Group, Led by 'Tramp Preachers,' in State Convention.

| author = (I.N. staff)

| newspaper = Indianapolis News

| location = Indianapolis, Indiana

| date = 26 September 1921

| ref = CITEREFIndianapolis_News26_September_1921

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The 'Pilgrims' or 'Tramps.' Preaching the Terrors of Hell! Believe That God Is with Them. The Dress and Peculiarities.

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 15 January 1903

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter15_January_1903

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The 'Pilgrims' or 'Tramps.' A Hot Time for Enniskillen. The 'Damnation Army.' Their Ideas of Persecution.

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 22 January 1903

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter22_January_1903

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Tit-Bits of 'Cooneyism.' The Pride of Newtownards

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 2 June 1904

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter2_June_1904

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Tramps. Change in Their Views

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 13 October 1904

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter13_October_1904

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Scenes at Aughnacloy. Police Called On. Extravagant Language Used

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 2 June 1906

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter2_June_1906

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Convention of 'Tramps' Held at Crocknacrieve

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 23 July 1908

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter23_July_1908

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Recent Tramp Convention Held at Crocknacrieve. What the Tramps Believe. A Reply from Within

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 20 August 1908

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter20_August_1908

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Tramp Preachers. Mr. Edward Cooney's Invective. A Torrent of Denunciation. All Creeds Going to Hell (But Those Who Think With Him). Scene at Crocknacrieve. Mr. Edward Cooney Speaks. Denunciation of all the Churches. The Clergy, the Devil and Sabbath Schools

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 5 August 1909

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter5_August_1909

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Tramps. The 'Jesus Way.' Do They Follow It?

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 7 October 1909

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter7_October_1909

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Tramp Preachers' Convention Opens at Crocknacrieve. Address by Mr. Geo. Walker. Some Local Reminiscences

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 14 July 1910

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter14_July_1910

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Convention at Crocknacrieve. Outline of Proceedings

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 28 July 1910

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter28_July_1910

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Tramp Preachers. Doctrines They Preach

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 25 August 1910

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter25_August_1910

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Pilgrim Convention at Crocknacrieve

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 3 July 1913

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter3_July_1913

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Go-Preachers Awarded Damages. Mr. Eddy Cooney Wins

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 18 December 1913

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter18_December_1913

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Tramp Preachers or 'Go Preachers.' The Hostility They Aroused.

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Ireland

| date = 19 July 1917

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter19_July_1917

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Edward Cooney. A Great Figure Passes

| author = (I.R. staff)

| newspaper = The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal

| location = Enniskillin, Northern Ireland

| date = 23 June 1960

| ref = CITEREFImpartial_Reporter23_June_1960

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Dispersing 'Dippers.' Street Scenes in Arklow

| author = (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 8 July 1905

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent8_July_1905

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Pithy Provincial News: Ulster

| author = (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 7 May 1906

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent7_May_1906

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The 'Dippers' and Their Ways

| author = C.H. (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 20 August 1907

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent20_August_1907

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Derry Tramp Apostles

| author = (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 14 November 1907

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent14_November_1907

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Pilgrims' Presence Resented. Week of Turmoil in Swords. Origin of Outbreak. Window Smashing, Bands, Disorder and 'Religion

| author = (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 17 October 1908

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent17_October_1908

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Dippers' Convention in Fermanagh

| author = C.H. (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 13 August 1909

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent13_August_1909

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Items of Interest (By Wire and Despatch): Cooneyite Convention

| author = (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 5 July 1910

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent5_July_1910

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Dispersing 'Dippers.' Street Scenes in Arklow

| author = (I.I. staff)

| newspaper = The Irish Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 29 September 1916

| ref = CITEREFIrish_Independent29_September_1916

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Group Forgoes Name in Mission to Follow Jesus

| first = Stacey

| last = Kalas

| url = http://lacrossetribune.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/article_8568a258-0ced-11df-a682-001cc4c002e0.html

| newspaper = La Crosse Tribune

| location = La Crosse, Wisconsin

| date = 30 January 2010

| ref = CITEREFKalas30_January_2010

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Religious Intolerance in North Tipperary

| author = (K.C.C.. staff)

| url = http://www.tellingthetruth.info/brg_newspapers/1900.php

| newspaper = King's County Chronicle

| location = Offaly, Ireland

| date = 12 April 1900

| ref = CITEREFKing's_County_Chronicle12_April_1900

| access-date = 22 December 2010

| archive-date = 20 August 2010

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100820111058/http://www.tellingthetruth.info/brg_newspapers/1900.php

| url-status = dead

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Krueger

| first = Ottomar

| journal = The Lutheran Witness

| title = Hands Across the Seas

| year = 1932

| volume = 51

| publisher = Concordia Publishing House

| location = St. Louis, Missouri

}}

• {{cite news

| title = 'Go Preachers' Were Attacked: Their Religion Causes Free Fight in Prince Edward Island

| author = (L.D.H. staff)

| newspaper = Lethbridge Daily Herald

| location = Lethbridge, Alberta

| date = 29 August 1910

| ref = CITEREFLethbridge_Daily_Herald29_August_1910

}}

• {{cite journal

| author = F.E.M

| journal = Concordia Theological Monthly

| title = Two–by–Twos

| volume = IX

| issue = 11

| publisher = Concordia Publishing House

| location = St. Louis, Missouri

| date = November 1938

| ref = CITEREFConcordia_Theological_Monthly1938

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Farm Plays Host to a Low Profile Sect

| first = Kim

| last = Martineau

| newspaper = The Albany Times Union

| location = Albany, New York

| date = 14 July 2000

| ref = CITEREFMartineau14_July_2000

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Conservative religious group peacefully goes about its business

| first = Kim

| last = Martineau

| newspaper = The Albany Times Union

| location = Albany, New York

| date = 18 July 2000

| ref = CITEREFMartineau18_July_2000

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Sect Told It Must Find New Lodgings

| first = Kim

| last = Martineau

| newspaper = The Albany Times Union

| location = Albany, New York

| date = 20 July 2000

| ref = CITEREFMartineau20_July_2000

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Mayer

| first = Jean=François

| editor1-first = Geneviève

| editor1-last = Calme-Griaule

| year = 2000

| title = Les Nouveaux mouvements religieux à l'heure de l'Internet

| journal = Cahiers de Littérature Orale

| volume = 47

| publisher = Centre de Recherche sur l’Oralité

| location = Paris, France

| issn = 0396-891X

| language = fr

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Gospel Tent Meeting Draws 800 Participants For Spiritual Fellowship

| first = Steve

| last = Maynard

| newspaper = Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

| location = Walla Walla, Washington

| date = 11 June 1982

| ref = CITEREFMaynard11_June_1982

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Letter

| first = W.J.

| last = McClure

| newspaper = The Treasury

| location = New Zealand

| date = July 1907

| ref = CITEREFMcClureJuly_1907

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Pearsons of Coolacrease

| first = Philip

| last = McConway

| newspaper = Tullamore Tribune

| location = County Offaly, Ireland

| date = 7 November 2007

| ref = CITEREFMcConway7_November_2007

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Pearsons of Coolacrease

| first = Philip

| last = McConway

| newspaper = Tullamore Tribune

| location = County Offaly, Ireland

| date = 14 November 2007

| ref = CITEREFMcConway14_November_2007

}}

• {{cite news

| title = (untitled)

| author = (N.G. staff)

| newspaper = The Nenagh Guardian

| location = Nenagh, Ireland

| date = 6 June 1906

| ref = CITEREFNenagh_Guardian6_June_1906

}}

• {{cite news

| title = General News

| author = (N.G. staff)

| newspaper = The Nenagh Guardian

| location = Nenagh, Ireland

| date = 9 July 1910

| ref = CITEREFNenagh_Guardian9_July_1910

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Cloughjordan Fair 'Preaching' Incident

| author = (N.G. staff)

| newspaper = The Nenagh Guardian

| location = Nenagh, Ireland

| date = 15 April 1911

| ref = CITEREFNenagh_Guardian15_April_1911

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Cooneyites Await the Millennium

| author = (N.Y.T. staff)

| newspaper = The New York Times

| location = New York, New York

| date = 6 August 1909

| ref = CITEREFNew_York_Times6_August_1909

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Tramp Preachers in Newtownards

| author = (N.C. staff)

| newspaper = The Newtownards Chronicle

| location = Newtownards, Ireland

| date = 28 May 1904

| ref = CITEREFNewtownards_Chronicle28_May_1904

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Social & Personal: Obituary: Mr. William Irvine

| author = (P.P. staff)

| newspaper = The Palestine Post

| location = Jerusalem, British Mandate

| date = 10 March 1947

| ref = CITEREFPalestine_Post10_March_1947

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Disciples Hold Annual Outing at Ryler Farm

| author = (P.E. staff)

| newspaper = The Peterborough Examiner

| location = Peterborough, Ontario

| date = 9 June 1931

| ref = CITEREFPeterborough_Examiner9_June_1931

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Two by Twos; Nameless congregation holds strong grip on faithful

| first = Bart

| last = Preecs

| newspaper = The Spokesman-Review

| location = Spokane, Washington

| date = 5 June 1983

| ref = CITEREFPreecs5_June_1983

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Cooneyites or Go-Preachers – A Warning

| first = W.M.

| last = Rule

| newspaper = Our Hope

| location = New York, New York

| date = January 1924

| ref = CITEREFRuleJanuary_1924

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The 'Dippers': a Queer Ulster Sect. History of the Irish 'Hot Gospellers

| first = John J.

| last = Scollon

| newspaper = Sunday Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 27 July 1930

| ref = CITEREFScollon27_July_1930

}}

• {{cite news

| title = A New Sect

| author = Scrutator

| newspaper = The Irish Presbyterian

| location = Belfast, Ireland

| date = March 1905

| ref = CITEREFScrutatorMarch_1905

}}

• {{cite news

| title = A Cooneyite Convert.

| author = (S. Star. staff)

| newspaper = The Southern Star

| location = Skibbereen, Ireland

| date = 7 October 1916

| ref = CITEREFSouthern_Star7_October_1916

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Irvinites Pull Up Stakes

| author = Special correspondent

| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/830144/irvinites_washington_post_p_2/

| newspaper = The Washington Post

| location = Washington, D.C.

| date = 17 September 1908

| ref = CITEREFWashington_Post17_September_1908

| via = Newspapers.com

| access-date = 7 August 2014

}} {{Open access}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Church with No Name Comes to Town

| first = Brad

| last = Stutzman

| newspaper = The Sunday Sun

| location = Williamson County, Texas

| date = 14 July 1991

| ref = CITEREFStutzman14_July_1991

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Police Inquiry. 'Dippers' and Discipline in Queen's County

| author = (S.I. staff)

| newspaper = Sunday Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 27 May 1906

| ref = CITEREFSunday_Independent27_May_1906

}}

• {{cite news

| title = The Tramps; Glorified into a New Sect. Weird Workers

| author = (S.I. staff)

| newspaper = Sunday Independent

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 10 June 1906

| ref = CITEREFSunday_Independent10_June_1906

}}

• {{cite news

| last = Swett

| first = William

| date = 7 September 2024

| title = Secretive church under investigation by FBI holds annual York convention

| url = https://yorknewstimes.com/life-entertainment/local/faith-values/secretive-church-under-investigation-by-fbi-holds-annual-york-convention/article_1d54caa8-6ca9-11ef-9196-17f36954a478.html

| url-status = live

| work = York News-Times

| location = York, Nebraska

| oclc = 31619133

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20240907133044/https://yorknewstimes.com/life-entertainment/local/faith-values/secretive-church-under-investigation-by-fbi-holds-annual-york-convention/article_1d54caa8-6ca9-11ef-9196-17f36954a478.html

| archive-date = 7 September 2024

| access-date = 7 September 2024

| ref = CITEREFYork_News-Times7_September_2024

}}

• {{cite news

| title = A New Religion Operating in Australia

| author = (Truth staff)

| newspaper = The Truth

| location = Auckland, New Zealand

| date = 18 May 1907

| ref = CITEREFThe_Truth18_May_1907

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Notes from Ulster: Sea Baptism.

| author = Ulad

| newspaper = The Freeman's Journal

| location = Dublin, Ireland

| date = 7 July 1923

| ref = CITEREFFreeman's_Journal7_July_1923

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Warburton

| first = T. Rennie

| editor-last = Martin

| editor-first = David

| year = 1969

| title = The Faith Mission: a Study in Interdenominationalism

| journal = A Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain

| volume = 2

| publisher = SCM Press

| location = London, United Kingdom

}}

• {{cite news

| title = A church invisible

| first = Joe

| last = Woodard

| newspaper = British Columbia Report

| location = Vancouver, British Columbia

| date = 15 September 1997

| ref = CITEREFWoodard15_September_1997

}}

• {{cite news

| title = Worldwide fellowship needs no building, no budget, no bishops

| url = http://tdn.com/lifestyles/worldwide-fellowship-needs-no-building-no-budget-no-bishops/article_9146e7e4-c8f6-551e-9c9d-d1dc8fbe437c.html

| first = Cathy

| last = Zimmerman

| newspaper = The Daily News

| location = Longview, Washington

| date = 10 February 2008

| ref = CITEREFZimmerman10_February_2008

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Crow

| first1 = Keith W.

| title = The Invisible Church

| type = Thesis

|date=March 1964

| publisher = Department of Sociology, University of Oregon

| location = Eugene, Oregon

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://works.bepress.com/julene/6/

| title = Motivations for Disaffiliation from the Two-by-Two sect (Thesis).

| last = Jones

| first = Julene L.

| year = 2013

| publisher = University of Kentucky

| access-date = 1 May 2013

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://web.uni-marburg.de/religionswissenschaft/journal/diskus/wilson.html

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060618211139/http://web.uni-marburg.de/religionswissenschaft/journal/diskus/wilson.html

| title = The Persistence of Sects

| last = Wilson

| first = Bryan R.

| year = 1993

| publisher = DISKUS

| archive-date = 18 June 2006

| url-status = dead

| access-date = 14 December 2009

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Wilson

| first1 = Elisabeth Kay

| title = Brethren Attitudes to Authority and Government: with Particular Reference to Pacifism

| type = Thesis

| date = November 1994

| publisher = Department of History, University of Tasmania

| location = Hobart, Tasmania

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.workersect.org/2x205a.html

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19990505172919/http://www.workersect.org/2x205a.html

| title = A Short History Timeline for 'the Truth'

| publisher = Research and Information Services

| archive-date = 5 May 1999

| url-status = live

| access-date = 14 June 2009

| ref = {{sfnRef|R.I.S.|2009a}}

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.workersect.org/2x205rb.html

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19990219160656/http://www.workersect.org/2x205rb.html

| title = Alberta Incorporation Papers

| publisher = Research and Information Services

| archive-date = 19 February 1999

| url-status = live

| access-date = 14 June 2009

| ref = {{sfnRef|R.I.S.|2009b}}

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_later/overseer-letters.php#phil

| last1 = Girton

| first1 = Jim

| last2 = Mastin

| first2 = John

| last3 = Mastin

| first3 = Bill

| last4 = Fermin

| first4 = Renante

| title = Later Workers: Overseer Correspondence & Bans

| date = 20 June 2018

| publisher = Telling The Truth

| access-date = 24 June 2018

}}

• {{Cite episode

| first=Alyssa

| last=Healy

| author2=Nine Network staff

| title=All by myself, The truth hurts, Mrs cricket

| url=https://www.9now.com.au/60-minutes/2019/episode-12

| access-date=20 April 2019

| series=60 Minutes

| series-link=60 Minutes (Australian TV program)

| network=Nine Network

| date=21 April 2019

| season=2019

| quote=Ross Bowden was also born into the religion, which has been operating for more than 100 years and has 10,000 members in Australia. The preachers, or workers, as they're called, travel in pairs. Giving up all their possessions, they take a vow of celibacy and, bizarrely, live and preach inside worshippers homes.

| ref={{harvid|60 Minutes|2019}}

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.anotherstep.net/Constitution.htm

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070912014335/http://www.anotherstep.net/Constitution.htm

| title = 'Kristna I Sverige' (Christians in Sweden) was constituted. 1992-10-01 in Stockholm

| publisher = AnotherStep.net

| archive-date = 12 September 2007

| url-status = live

| access-date = 14 June 2009

| ref = CITEREFAnotherStep

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.tellingthetruth.info/home/factsheet.php

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130218061518/http://www.tellingthetruth.info/home/factsheet.php

| title = Fact Sheet for the Church without a Name

| last = Kropp

| first = Cherie

| date = 20 April 2008

| publisher = Telling The Truth

| archive-date = 18 February 2013

| url-status = live

| access-date = 21 July 2009

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.tellingthetruth.info/history_articles/howstart.php

| title = Stories About The Beginning: How When Where did the 2x2 Church start?

| last = Kropp-Ehrig

| first = Cherie

| date = 12 February 2019 |orig-year=7 February 2010

| publisher = Telling The Truth

| access-date = 6 September 2022

}}

• {{cite web

| url = https://abcnews.go.com/US/member-secretive-christian-sect-sentenced-120-years-prison/story?id=116460154

| title = Member of secretive Christian sect sentenced to 120 years in prison

| last = Lantry

| first = Lauren

| date = 6 December 2024

| website = abcnews.go.com

| publisher = ABC News (United States)

| access-date = 1 February 2025

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}}

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| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sex-abuse-charges-church-with-no-name-1.7121218

| title = Historical sexual abuse charges filed against B.C. minister belonging to church with no name

| last = Larsen

| first = Karin

| date = 8 March 2024

| website = cbc.ca

| publisher = CBC News

| access-date = 8 March 2024

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}}

• {{cite web

| url = https://wingsfortruth.info/2023/03/24/letter-from-overseer-regarding-dean-bruer/

| title = Letter from Overseer Doyle Smith regarding Dean Bruer

| date = 24 March 2023

| website = wingsfortruth.info

| publisher = Wings for Truth

| access-date = 2023-09-15

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}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.tellingthetruth.info/publications_johnlong/

| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130218083751/http://www.tellingthetruth.info/publications_johnlong/

| title = The Journal of John Long

| last = Long

| first = John

| year = 1927

| via = Telling The Truth

| archive-date = 18 February 2013

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| access-date = 3 August 2010

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• {{cite web

| url = http://www.religio.de/sekten/workr.html

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19990423144019/http://www.religio.de/sekten/workr.html

| title = Die Namenlosen

| last = Müller

| first = Winfried

| year = 1990

| publisher = Winfried Müller and Dialog-Zentrum, Berlin

| archive-date = 23 April 1999

| url-status = live

| access-date = 1 December 2009

}}

• {{Cite episode

| title=Secretive Christian sect allegedly ignored sexual abuse for decades

| url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/secretive-christian-sect-allegedly-sexual-abuse-decades-111116875

| access-date=14 June 2024

| series=Nightline

| series-link=Nightline

| first=Kyra

| last=Phillips

| network=American Broadcasting Company

| date=13 June 2024

| season=45

| number=119

| ref={{harvid|ABC Nightline|2024}}

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_2x2.htm

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19980512045654/http://religioustolerance.org/chr_2x2.htm

| title = The Church with no name

| last = Robinson

| first = B.A.

| date = 22 April 2009

| publisher = Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance

| archive-date = 12 May 1998

| url-status = live

| access-date = 1 December 2009

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.equip.org/articles/two-by-twos

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100127163223/http://www.equip.org/articles/two-by-twos

| title = Two By Twos

| date = 13 April 2009

| publisher = Christian Research Institute

| archive-date = 27 January 2010

| url-status = live

| access-date = 15 December 2009

| ref = CITEREFC.R.I.13_April_2009

}}

• {{cite news

| last = Williams

| first = Amy

| title = FBI investigates reports of historical child sexual abuse within sect also operating in New Zealand

| url = https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/514661/fbi-investigates-reports-of-historical-child-sexual-abuse-within-sect-also-operating-in-new-zealand

| access-date = 1 February 2025

| publisher = Radio New Zealand

| date = 19 April 2024

| url-status=live

| ref={{harvid|RNZ|2024a}}

}}

• {{cite news

| last1 = Williams

| first1 = Amy

| title = Religious sect investigated by FBI, NZ Police apologises to child sexual abuse victims

| url = https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/518102/religious-sect-investigated-by-fbi-nz-police-apologises-to-child-sexual-abuse-victims

| access-date = 6 June 2024

| publisher = Radio New Zealand

| date = 29 May 2024

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240603222505/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/518102/religious-sect-investigated-by-fbi-nz-police-apologises-to-child-sexual-abuse-victims

| archive-date = 3 June 2024

| url-status = live

| ref = {{harvid|RNZ|2024b}}

}}

• {{cite news

| last1 = Williams

| first1 = Amy

| title = Secret sect under investigation by FBI has markers of high-control group - experts

| url = https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/529402/secret-sect-under-investigation-by-fbi-has-markers-of-high-control-group-experts

| access-date = 13 May 2025

| publisher = Radio New Zealand

| date = 30 September 2024

| url-status = live

| ref = {{harvid|RNZ|2024c}}

}}

• {{cite news

| last1 = Williams

| first1 = Amy

| last2 = de Graaf

| first2 = Peter

| title = William Stephen Easton admits 55 child sex abuse charges while member of Two by Twos

| url = https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/528876/william-stephen-easton-admits-55-child-sex-abuse-charges-while-member-of-two-by-twos

| access-date = 1 February 2025

| publisher = Radio New Zealand

| date = 24 September 2024

| url-status = live

| ref={{harvid|RNZ|2025a}}

}}

• {{cite web

| last = Wright

| first = George

| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66449988

| title = Ex-minister of secretive sect admits to child sex abuse

| date = 28 January 2024

| publisher = BBC News

| access-date = 23 February 2024

| ref = {{sfnRef|BBC|2024a}}

}}

• {{cite web

| last = Wright

| first = George

| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68361054

| title = FBI launches probe into church investigated by BBC

| date = 21 February 2024

| publisher = BBC News

| access-date = 23 February 2024

| ref = {{sfnRef|BBC|2024b}}

}}

• {{cite web

| last = Wright

| first = George

| url = https://bbc.com/news/articles/c9d5x83gg45o

| title = Secretive Christian sect coerced young mothers to give up babies

| date = 31 January 2025

| publisher = BBC News

| access-date = 1 February 2025

| ref = {{sfnRef|BBC|2025a}}

}}

{{refend}}

{{portal|Christianity}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Two By Twos}}

Category:Christian new religious movements

Category:Nontrinitarian denominations

Category:Protestant denominations established in the 19th century

Category:Christian organizations established in 1897

Category:Restorationism (Christianity)

Category:Sexual abuse

Category:Child sexual abuse scandals in Christianity

Category:Institutional abuse