The Armenian Brotherhood Church (also known by names such as the Armenian Evangelical Brotherhood Church and the Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church) started within the Armenian Evangelical Church in the 19th century.
The Armenian Orthodox Apostolic Church gave rise to the Armenian Evangelical Church; similarly the Armenian Brotherhood Church was born out of the Armenian Evangelical Church.
History
In the early twentieth century, a significant number of Armenians from the Cilicia region, as well as Kharput, Marash, Hasan Bay, Antep and Adana aligned themselves with the Brotherhood fellowship. This group, which emerged from the Evangelical Church, initially held unofficial meetings prior to the Armenian genocide which disrupted the group's growth in Cilicia.
In the nations they settled in some members began meetings, first at homes and later in rented halls, and finally, when the number of the constituency increased and funds allowed, they began to move into church buildings.[1]
Among those who migrated to Aleppo, Syria, were brothers Abraham Seferian, Minas Bozoklian, and Mihran Kasardjian. They gathered people of the three denominations, Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical, and began to have unofficial home Bible studies. In time this group grew and took more official status, and finally, it was named the Spiritual Brotherhood Church. This later spread into other countries, with names such as Armenian Evangelical Brotherhood Church and the Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church.
The brothers who migrated to North America established churches in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Fresno, Los Angeles, and Pasadena.
Organization
The central committee of the Armenian Brotherhood Church is the Union of Armenian Brotherhood Bible Churches, headquartered in Pasadena, California in the United States.
The Armenian Brotherhood Church of Yerevan (Armenian: Երեւանի Հայ Եղբայրության Եկեղեցի) was founded in 1999 by Pastor Hovhannes Halladjian.[2]
Starting only with a couple of faithful members, the community grew into a center of Christian fellowship in the heart of the capital of Armenia.
Pastor Hovhaness, originally from Beirut, spent seven years in Athens serving at the local Armenian Brotherhood Church. He was a skilled organizer, educated in theology, and helped to establish the first Brotherhood church in a post-Soviet breakaway country.