Two by Twos

International Christian movement

The Truth, Two by Twos

Prominent early Two by Twos preachers.

Left to right: William Gill, William Irvine, George Walker.

Classification|

* New Religious Movement
* Nontrinitarian

Polity| Episcopal
Region| Worldwide
Founder| William Irvine[1]
Origin| October 1897 (127 years ago) (1897-10)[2]
Ireland
Separations|

* The Message
* Cooneyites

Members|

* 300–370+ thousand (1990–1998)
* 1–4 million (1964–1984)[A]

Tax status| unknown
Other name(s)|

* The Truth
* The Way
* Workers and Friends
* Christian Conventions
* Cooneyites
* Assemblies of Christians
* The Meetings
* The Friends
* The Brethren
* 2x2
* and additional

Official website| none

"Two by Twos" (also known as 2x2, The Truth and The Way) is an exonym used to describe an unnamed, non-denominational Christian primativist sect formed in Ireland, 1897, by William Irvine[3] and John Long[4] in a lay-led Renewal movement among rural communities in Ireland and Scotland.[5][6][7][8][page needed] The church identifies as Christian, follows the teachings of Jesus, and bases doctrine on the New Testament.[5][page needed][9] The church community is present internationally, with a roughly estimated membership of 1-4 million.[10] The church is distinguished by its itinerant Ministers living in voluntary apostolic poverty, homelessness, and celibacy; its collectivist charitable community; lay participation; and its practice of meeting in members' homes.[6][5][page needed][8] The church is composed of a decentralized international network of house churches.[6][5][page needed] Members are known as "friends", meeting hosts as "elders", and the ministry as "workers" or “servants”.[5][9][page needed] The church makes no publications, no creeds, and no doctrinal statements beyond the truth of the New Testament.[5][page needed] The church practices Believer’s Baptism by immersion and weekly Communion.[5][page needed]

## Practices

[edit]

Ministers are itinerant and work in pairs, hence the exonym "Two by Twos".[6] Members hold regular twice-weekly worship gatherings in local homes on Sunday and midweek.[6] The church also holds annual regional conventions for members and public Gospel meetings. Believer’s baptism by immersion is practiced.[11] Emblems of bread and "the fruit of the vine" (ie wine or grape juice) are shared and personally taken at the fellowship gathering.[6][12]

## Oral tradition

[edit]

Members have a tradition of direct person-to-person oral witness when communicating on spiritual life.[9] The church does not have official headquarters or publications. It does not publish any doctrinal statements, or communicate beliefs through mass communication media (e.g. books or radio) beyond person-to-person direct communication.[9] According to Piepkorn (1972), members are reluctant to discuss their fellowship except with bonafide seekers, and other inquiries regarding beliefs are referred to the Bible.[9] Its hymnbook and various other materials for internal use are produced by outside publishers and printing firms.[13] Printed invitations for its open gospel services are the only public written materials.

## Discrete congregation

[edit]

The community is private and largely unknown by the outside world. Limited information is contributed to by a number of factors:

1. The United Kingdom criminalized religious belief that did not confirm state church creeds and authority, which was punishable by death in England, Scotland, and Ireland until tolerance Acts in the 19th century. Civic liberties for Christians not members of the state-endorsed churches were restricted until subsequent acts later in the mid 19th century. Property and educational rights were restricted by law until the late 19th century.[14]
2. The church does not publish doctrinal statements, only affirming the truth of the New Testament.[6][15]
3. Members share beliefs through oral tradition.[6][16][17]
4. Members do not share spiritual beliefs indirectly through mass communication media, or books other than the Bible.[9]
5. The community is widely distributed, and each home church is relatively small.[6]
6. It does not have a centralized polity headquarters or physical buildings.[18]
7. The church exists internationally, in regionally variable cultural contexts.[19]
8. There are no representative spokespersons.
9. The doctrine of separation minimizes engagement with external activity and commentary.[6][20][21]
10. High tension is retained between the church’s primativism and institutional churches.[6][22][23]
11. Doctrinal and traditional differences between the church’s first century primativism and post-3rd century creedal churches have historically led to heretication on both sides.[6][24][25]
12. Media framing, sensationalization of privacy, perjorative labelling, and stigmatization may deter public engagement.[26]
13. Publicity is shunned due to fear "worldly attention" would bring vanity and other characteristics, impeding their pursuit of humility.[6]

## Evidence basis

[edit]

Due to the oral tradition, direct sources are not available from the church as a whole, or members of the church.[9] Due to the decentralized, distributed nature, there is no single representative, or where from to share representative statements. There is one website hosted by workers, specifically by workers in Australia and New Zealand, with all content focused on information and support in relation to child safety in the community.[27] Scholarly work on the church is scarce, including a brief study in a theological journal,[9] and a sociology masters thesis by a former member studying former members reasons for leaving and other compilations of exit letters.[6] Current members do not participate in interviews or publications.[9] Other commentaries available online and in literature are provided by ex-members who left the church, critics, news articles, and other external commentators.[28] A website hosted by an ex-member also publishes certain letters that have been privately sent between members, and a journal from a worker in Ireland at the end of the 19th century.[11] Descriptions of the church here are derived from these commentaries and letters.

## Social, Moral, and Cultural Issues

[edit]

### Non-Conformity and Anti-Materialism

[edit]

Social commentary in the late 19th and early 20th centuries centred on ministers’ anti-institutionalism, non-conformity to state churches, criticism of paid clergy, and lay ministry recruitment.[9][7][19]

### Women as Go-Preachers

[edit]

Women have participated in joining the ministry since its inception, which was criticized by public in the early 20th century. [29]

### Privacy, Christian Separation, and Radical Humility

[edit]

Adherents shun publicity to avoid attention bringing effects of vanity and ego,[6] disturbing their peace,[19] or differences becoming divisions.[19] They make no publications, and have upheld this since their inception.[9] In the late 20th and early 21st century, publication of several articles and books, increased news coverage, and the appearance of the Internet have re-introduced the private community to the public with increased external commentary and sociocultural critiques.

### Reasons for disaffiliation

[edit]

Jones (2013), a former member, conducted an unpublished Sociology Masters Thesis survey among former members on disaffiliate websites on reasons for leaving.[6] The top three reasons were not believing doctrine, church origins, and feeling like they were living a lie due to their lifestyle outside of the church.[6] Disaffiliate typologies were (a) the dense social network of workers, family members, or friends was perceived as no longer socially plausible, including tension as a non-believer among believers, and the desire to appear and behave more “worldly”, (b) negative social tagging of the church, or (c) a crisis of faith.[6] Former member McConnell-Conti said to Radio New Zealand she considered the church “highly controlling” because she believed she would not have salvation if she left the church for “the world.”[30]

### Child Safety

[edit]

In the 21st century, news organizations have focused on abuse cases, reporting accountability, hesitancy to make publications, and challenges in access to services due to the community not being a formal institution.[31][32] In 2024, the United States FBI posted an investigation after allegations of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), seeking survivors or individuals with knowledge of abuse and/or criminal behavior.[33]

Prevalence

Internationally, among the estimated 1-4 million members,[10] there have been ~2000 allegations since the 1980’s against 910 individuals[34] (as of 6/10/2024), resulting in 52 individuals convicted of abuse who were associated with the church.[35] The prevalence of CSA offenders is therefore estimated at 0.02-0.091% alleged perpetrators and 0.0013%-0.0052% convicted perpetrators among total membership. Approximately ~2000 members (0.05-0.67% of membership given variable population estimates of 300,000 to 4 million[10]) have reported CSA going back up to 40 years.[36] In the general public of North America, 95% of CSA cases are never reported to authorities based on studies in North America.[37] Factoring in this general assumption[speculation?] that 95% of cases went unreported and population estimates of 300,000-4 million, this would estimate 1-13% of membership being affected by CSA. 16% of all girls and 8% of all boys in the general public of the general population of North America experience CSA.[37] The population estimates for the church varies by orders of magnitude, creating significant variability in denominators and statistics.[10] VanDenBerg, a former member, wrote on a website for former members, comparing to prevalence rates of sexual offenders among men in the general population of 3% to 16%.[38]

Risk Factors

VanDenBerg commented potential risk factors included visitors staying in families’ homes, celibacy requirements, forgiveness culture, and lack of education.[38]

Demographics

According to statistics maintained by an independent accountability and reporting not-for-profit, 40% of allegations from CSA survivors in the community name ministers as the offender, 10% of allegations name elders, 50% of allegations name members, and less than 2% of allegations name female perpetrators.[36]

Prevention and Supports

MinistrySafe training courses,[39] mandated reporter training,[12] code of conducts,[40] counseling networks,[41]external accountability initiatives,[42][43][44] survivor funding systems,[45] and support groups and support networks[46] have been developed to prevent abuse and protect child safety, ensure criminals are prosecuted accountably, and support survivors of abuse in the community.

Independently professionally designed code of conducts are available that include education for overseers on immediate and appropriate action (i.e. temporary suspension or permanent dismissal from ministry) when there are allegations or charges of CSA against a worker, having open conversations about CSA, and conducting background checks on members who volunteer for the work.[40] They also provide education for workers on CSA topics to discuss with families, reporting resources, and support resources for survivors.[40] They recommend point people in each region for CSA information.[40] Education is also included for all members.[40]

#### Abuse cases

[edit]

#### Australia

[edit]

In April 2019, the Australian current affairs television show 60 Minutes interviewed child sex abuse victims of Australian workers and members. Noel Harvey, Ernie Barry, Chris Chandler, Cecil James Blyth and Greg Aylett were named as having been convicted of sex crimes. 60 Minutes said that victims who complained faced shunning while even convicted perpetrators were protected.[47][48] Former abuse victims and victim advocate Jillian Hishon have criticized the group's response for lacking impartiality and accountability.[49][50] Survivor advocate Laura McConnell-Conti has criticised the Australian Two by Twos for not participating in the National Redress Scheme (NRS), which is a voluntary government-facilitated process for institutions, requiring formally joining the NRS as a formal organization.[31] The NRS emerged as a result of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and provides survivors with compensation if it occurred in an official institution.[31]

In 2023, the Two by Twos' Australasian overseers issued two letters to members acknowledging incidents of abuse overseas, condemning child abuse and encouraging victims to report abuse to the police.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[51]

#### New Zealand

[edit]

In New Zealand, among 60 ministers and 2,500 members, there has been one repeat offender in the ministry (1.67%), convicted by admission and removed from the ministry, and 14 members (0.56%) told not to attend meetings on the basis of prior conviction or investigation.[32][52] In September 2024, Radio New Zealand (Rnz) reported that New Zealand Police were assisting the FBI investigation by investigating a former New Zealand minister for historical abuse.[32] William Stephen Easton was convicted by admission to 55 child sex abuse charges over three decades against young boys.[52] RNZ quotes Hishon, a former member of the church who runs a hotline for Australasian victims, and says “To date, they are all historical child sexual abuse, so they've happened years ago. So these people who have abused, some are still in the church, so some of the abusers are still in the church, they're still attending meetings, some of them, some have been removed, others have already passed away.”[32] RNZ quotes Religious expert, professor emeritus of history at Massey University, Peter Lineham, notes “this is a very vulnerable group of people.”.[32]

Radio New Zealand quoted a New Zealand Overseer Dean saying “ We acknowledge that these matters were not always appropriately addressed in the past, and we are truly sorry for any immeasurable long-term damage to victims. We have learnt from these experiences, and are constantly reviewing our current practices to keep children safe in our fellowship.”[32] Dean describes their response, saying anyone with accused of CSA is asked not to attend meetings; “we take every report seriously. Even when it is only considered as inappropriate behaviour”; Workers have a written Code of Conduct which they signed and were expected to adhere to in all situations, including when they were in members' homes; all workers had to undertake formal and refresher training to keep children safe and perpetrators were banned from meetings arranged by the ministry; “the fellowship fully cooperates with police investigations and reporting of child abuse was encouraged”; “We have done risk management plans and put procedures in place to mitigate the risk of further abuse happening”; and that Workers have a written Code of Conduct which they signed and were expected to adhere to in all situations, including when they were in members' homes.[32] The church has about 2,500 members and 60 ministers in New Zealand.[53] 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.[54]

#### United States

[edit]

The US community is estimated at 10,000 to 500,000 people.[10] 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.[55] In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) opened an investigation in 2024.[56][57] 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.[B]

In Nebraska and Kansas, a news agency asked the overseer about adopting an official policy; he reported all the workers in his area attended a university training on child safety; members with allegations are not allowed at conventions; he had written clear letters to members about child abuse and safety, and that abuse “would not be tolerated”; and “it was dealt with wrong in the past, but we are doing everything we can to do what’s right…We all have a fear of creating more policies to deal with these things; I believe we all know these actions are so wrong already. There are plenty of Bible verses written that can say it far better… There’s the Bible and there’s the natural law and they take care of everything. Why do we have to make more laws? The Bible’s very clear on it all and also the law of the land and we will abide by it.”[50]

#### Canada

[edit]

Former minister Robert Corfield was convicted by admission for CSA of a child in Saskatchewan, Canada, in the 1980s.[58][59]

### Sex

[edit]

BBC (2025) said four unmarried women told them they were pressured into giving up their children for adoption (1950-1990).[57]

### Fictional Depictions

[edit]

A few authors of popular literature have noted the church, even using it as background for various works.[60]

## Name

[edit]

### Overview

[edit]

Members refer to their belief system as "The Truth", the practice as "The Way", their gatherings as "meetings", and members as "the workers and friends". Members identify as non-denominational Christians.[61]

Long (1902) writes workers “were not desiring to make a new sect, but to obey God”.[62] McClung (1926) rejected exonyms, stating “We believe that to take any name but that of "Christian" would be dishonouring Him who shed His precious blood to redeem us, therefore this is the only name we can acknowledge.”[63] According to Piepkorn (1972), members see no need for an identifying name other than Christian.[9]

Those outside the church refer to it as "Two by Twos", "The Black Stockings", "No-name Church", "Cooneyites", "Workers and Friends", "Truth 2x2s", or "Christians Anonymous", and journalists sometimes call it "2x2" for short.

Various names have also been used when obtaining legal conscientious objection status during war. The church's various registered names include "Christian Conventions" in the United States, "Assemblies of Christians" and "The Alberta Society of Christian Assemblies" in Canada (dissolved only after it was exposed), "The Testimony of Jesus" in the United Kingdom, "Kristna i Sverige" in Sweden, and "United Christian Conventions" in Australia. These registered names are used only for specific purposes (for instance, to register conscientious objection during war) and are not routinely used by members.

Application for incorporation in the Province of Alberta under the name "Alberta Society of Christian Assemblies"

### Endonym

[edit]

The church identifies as nondenominational and forgoes a name.[64]

### Exonyms

[edit]

Those outside the church often use descriptive terms such as "Two by Twos" (from their method of sending out ministers in pairs),[65][66] "No-name Church", "Cooneyites", "Workers and Friends", "disciples of Jesus", "Friends", "Go-preachers", and "Tramp Preachers", among other titles.[67] The new movement was initially called "Tramp Preachers" or "Tramp Pilgrims" by observers.[68][69] In the early 20th century in Ireland, they called themselves by the name "Go-Preachers".[70][69] By 1904, the terms "Cooneyism" and "Cooneyite" were used by commentators in areas in which Edward Cooney established churches and where he was a vocal promoter, although this exonym was rejected.[71] The term "Two by Twos" was in use in Canada by the early 1920s[72] and in the United States by the 1930s.[73][69] In Germany, bynames for the church have included "Die Namenlosen" (the Nameless), "Wahre Christen" (True Christians), "Jünger Jesu" (Disciples of Jesus), and "Freunde" (Friends).[69][74] In France, they have been known as "Les Anonymes" (the Anonymous, or No-names).[75]

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.[76] Instead, they refer to the church as "The Truth", "The Way", "The Jesus Way", or "The Lowly Way".[77] Few members are aware that the church has taken official names[78] used for church business,[79] including seeking military exemptions.[80] Registered names vary from nation to nation. In the United States, the name used is "Christian Conventions",[78][81] but in Canada, "Assemblies of Christians" is used.[82] In Britain, it is "the Testimony of Jesus",[83][84] and in Sweden the registered name is "Kristna I Sverige".[85] "United Christian Conventions" has been used in Australia and other nations[86] (Australian members previously adopted the name "Testimony of Jesus" during World War I, and registered as "Christian Assemblies" during World War II).[87] The church was also incorporated in Victoria, Australia, as a charity from 1929 until 2019 and held property in trust.[88] 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.[89]

## History

[edit]

### Overview

[edit]

Home churches and prayer meetings of various types have played a longstanding role in cultivating and sustaining personal Christian practices for common people throughout history, both amidst persecution and revival, including the revivals and awakenings in Ireland and Scotland during the 17th and 18th centuries.[90] In Ireland, 1893, John Long started a small gospel prayer meeting in his parents home.[91]

In Scotland, 1886, Scottish Evangelist John Govan, inspired by the Holiness movement, founded the interdenominational Faith Mission.[9] Pilgrims went two-by-two to minister in rural areas, “trusting in God for all of their needs.”[9] One of these ministers was William Irvine.[9]

In March, 1897, John Long and William Irvine met. In August 1897, Long organized for Irvine and Long to hold a mission in a Methodist church in Nenagh, Ireland. Long referred to this mission as “The Renewal” and “The Inception of the Go Preacher Movement.” Irvine left the Faith Mission due to his belief in an unpaid, faith-based ministry, and not in clergy. Irvine independently held a second mission at Ragmolyon, Co. Meag, Ireland, in September, 1897. Many people who attended these revival missions gave up all to go preach, and subsequent missions spread. [91] In June, 1898, Irvine and Long held a mission at a YMCA organized by a member of The Brethren.[7]

In July, 1898, Irvine, Long, and two others had a Bible study on Mathew 10, concluding Jesus’ instructions to sell all, give to the poor, and join the itinerant ministry outlined in Matthew 10 were still valid instructions today.[5][page needed] On January 1, 1899, John Long first set out on “faith lines”: leaving home on faith alone, having no salary, taking no public collections, making no appeal for donations, and travelling and ministering where he felt spiritually led.[92] He was joined by William Irvine, Alex Given, Tom Turner, George Walker, and Edward Cooney, who sold all they had, gave to the poor, and went out to preach.[93] Many lay people joined, sold all they had, left their homes, and dedicated their lives to itinerent ministry, becoming what would later be referred to as workers.[91] Church growth was rapid, spreading outside Ireland.[5][page needed]

Originally, the movement was an unsectarian, nondenominational, non-exclusive revival movement focused on biblical primitivism, a spirit-led call to the work, and an itinerant lay ministry.[19]

Three workers were excommunicated from the community.[19] Irvine excommunicated Long (who was the first to preach on faith lines, organized the Nenagh revival mission, and urged Irvine to coordinate the 1903 workers meeting to unify the workers while maintaining an unsectarian attitude) for believing there were born-again clergy members.[19] Workers excommunicated Irvine (who led the Nenagh and Ragmolyon missions, and brought together the 1903 workers meeting) in 1914 over doctrinal differences, eschatological beliefs, and prophesying a new order.[19] Workers excommunicated Cooney (who was the first to baptize and organize house churches for converts) over polity differences and his anti-hierarchical stance in 1928.[19]

Although other movements, such as the Plymouth Brethren and Elim have had strong Irish connections, this is the only church known to have had its origin and early development in Ireland.[94][95]

### Legal Context

[edit]

State-enforced persecution of Christian nonconformists was introduced to the British Isles by the Roman Empire, where nontrinitarian Christianity was made a criminal offense by the Edict of Thessalonica (381) as imperial legislation enforced Orthodox Trinitarianism codified in AD 325, 381, and 431, at the Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus.[96][97] Christian nonconformism to the state church was also criminalized by the United Kingdom, with non-Trinitarian beliefs punishable by death until 1697,[98] and non-trinitarians burned at the stake[99] or executed.[100]

In Ireland, non-Trinitarian belief remained a criminal offense prosecuted under common law blasphemy provisions and punishable by fines, imprisonment, and civil disabilities until the Dissenters (Ireland) Act 1817 (57 Geo. 3. c. 70), which followed the Unitarian Relief Act 1813 in England and Wales in decriminalizing non-Trinitarian worship.[101]

Christians not conforming to the state church were barred from owning property until the Nonconformists’ Chapels Act 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. 45).

Civil rights for Christians who were not a member of the state churches, including the right to hold political office, remained restricted by law until 1871.[102]

Educational rights for non-Trinitarians and Christians who were not members of the state Churches were restricted until 1889.[103]

### Restorationism

[edit]

Chandler (1983) reports church members hold to a long-standing view that the church has no earthly founder,[104] and that they represent the true Christian Church originating with Christ during the 1st century AD.[105] Cooney (1909) said, “We did not start this Jesus way… It was started and planned by God before we were ever thought of… It is not Cooney’s or another body’s way, it is God’s plan and way.”[106] Preecs (1983) quoted a worker describing the beginning of the Go Preacher movement during the closing years of the 19th century.[107] Jaenen (2003) and Robinson (2005) report members describing a notable resurgence or restoration in the 19th century.[108][109] Donald Fisher (1983), a brother worker, writes “a favourite subject of Wm. Jamieson (when the Workers would be gathered in a home) was to tell us that as far back as we could trace this fellowship was unto Wm. Irvine. He spoke openly and freely of all which he knew of Wm. Irvine, etc. What he told us was unto enough people that it would be common knowledge state wide”.[110]Fisher (1983) writes he believes “ ‘faith’ has been keep alive since Jesus day until now.”[110] According to Preecs (1983), brother worker Walter Pollock stated that the fellowship does not make unsubstantiated claims about its origins: "We know that it began with a group of men in the British Isles around the turn of the century. That's as far as we've been able to trace it."[111] Sullivan (2012) wrote “Let me say assuredly that this fellowship we love so dearly was not started by any man. It is not the work of man. God planned this before He laid the foundation of the world, and in His faithfulness He has kept it the same throughout the ages”, describing the oral history of biblical restorationism among a small group of men studying the Bible in Ireland at the end of the 19th century and drawing biblical parallels with “No change from that which was from the beginning.  Simply a renewal.”[112]

### 19th Century

[edit]

#### House Churches

[edit]

John Long’s journal describes a search for peace attending Methodist and Episcopal churches, and a subsequent calling to return his faith practice to his parents home, where he "started a gospel prayer meeting in the old home" in 1893.[91] His religious influences were his mother, who came from a religious family (denomination not reported) and focused on quiet moral living, his father, who converted to Methodism, his grandmother, who he read the Bible with, Church of Ireland day school, and Methodist cottage meetings.[19]

#### Beginning Mission Work

[edit]

Long (1893) writes his “desires to go fully on the Lord's work increased. I knew that God was calling me into active service…. The good example of a young man named William Kenny from Ballingarry, Kings County, who after his conversion gave up his farm and went as a Colporteur in the Methodist society, set me thinking about doing the same thing. It seemed to be the only branch of Mission work open to me at that time.” In 1895, he left home and began travelling, reading the Bible and talking with people, preaching, and distributing bibles to rural and remote areas as a Methodist Colporteur.[7] He described barriers of priests telling people not to read the Bible and burning the New Testaments.[7]

#### Faith Mission

[edit]

In Scotland, 1886, Scottish Evangelist John Govan, inspired by the Holiness movement, founded the interdenominational Faith Mission. Pilgrims went two-by-two to minister in rural areas, “trusting in God for all of their needs.” One of these ministers was William Irvine. 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.[113] Because his mission was successful, he was promoted to superintendent of Faith Mission in southern Ireland.[114]

A drawing from 1907 depicting a baptismal rite. Its caption reads "How 'Dippers' are Initiated".[115]

Within a few months of his arrival in Ireland, Irvine was disillusioned with the Faith Mission.[116] There was friction over its Holiness teachings. Irvine saw Faith Mission leadership as hypocritical because, while the leader encouraged ministers to go out and preach on faith alone, the leader himself was wealthy and did not do so.[117] Irvine disagreed with 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".[118][119]

### The Renewal & The Go-Preacher Movement

[edit]

In March, 1897, John Long and William Irvine met.[7]

#### Nenagh Mission

[edit]

In August 1897, Long organized for Irvine and Long to hold a mission in a Methodist church in Nenagh, Ireland.[7] Long referred to this mission as “The Renewal” and “The Inception of the Go Preacher Movement.”[7] The Nenagh Revival was held by John Long and Wm. Irvine, while John Long was a Methodist Colporteur and Irvine was a Faith Mission pilgrim.[7] Sister Oakley and thirty plus persons came under the umbrella of the Faith Mission; most of them afterwards gave up all that they had to dedicate their lives to itinerant ministry, including Jack Carroll and his sister May.[7]

#### Ragmolyon Mission

[edit]

Irvine left the Faith Mission due to his belief in an unpaid, faith-based ministry, and not in clergy. Irvine began to preach independently from the Faith Mission.

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. Irvine rejected church buildings, rejected paying ministry, rejected collections[C] during services and collection boxes, and preached those seeking to join the ministry leave their homes, sell all, and give to the poor.[22]

In Rathmolyon, attendees began to leave their respective churches and join Irvine.[120] Some of these early adherents, including John Long,[D] the Carroll family, Edward Cooney—an influential evangelist from the Church of Ireland[121]—and George Walker (an employee of the Cooney family's fabric business[122]), eventually sold all and joined the new movement as itinerant preachers.[123]

Many people who attended these revival missions gave up all to go preach, and subsequent missions spread.

Converts were left to attend the church of their own choice.[7]  Separation from other Christians was not a part of their teaching.[7]  They did not set up meetings in the homes, did not re-baptize, or keep themselves separate.[7]

#### Bible Study on Mathew 10

[edit]

In July, 1898, Irvine, Long, and two others had a Bible study on Mathew 10, concluding Jesus’ instructions to sell all, give to the poor, and join the itinerant ministry outlined in Matthew 10 were still valid instructions today.[page needed][124] Long wrote:  “While in Kilkee we had a Bible reading on Matthew 10. It was that Bible reading set me first thinking about going on Faith Lines.”[7]

The passage reads in part:

> 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.

#### Faith Lines

[edit]

Irvine wanted Long to join the Faith Mission, but Long decided this wasn’t God’s will for him.[7] On January 1, 1899, John Long first set out on “faith lines”: leaving home on faith alone, having no salary, taking no public collections, making no appeal for donations, and travelling and ministering where he felt spiritually led.[7]

As described by Long,  “Faith Lines is a preacher going forth without any fixed or stated salary, neither any public collections at meetings, but just trusting in God to put it into the hearts of God's people to give to the support of them who ministered in Spiritual things. If more came in than necessary learning to abound, if less learning to suffer lack.”[7]

He was joined by William Irvine, Alex Given, Tom Turner, George Walker, and Edward Cooney, who sold all they had, gave to the poor, and went out to preach. Many lay people joined, sold all they had, left their homes, and dedicated their lives to itinerent ministry, becoming what would later be referred to as workers.

According to Long, “young converts began to hold missions…Some joined the Faith Mission, others joined Todd’s Mission in the Southeast of Ireland, and others went out not connected with any mission…”  Converts had “the option of their own will as to where they worship and get the most spiritual food.”[7]

### 20th Century

[edit]

In 1900, after receiving reports from Ireland of the Go Preacher movement, the Faith Mission released a letter clarifying its distinction from the movement, clarifying any ministers that previously worked with the Faith Mission who were now ministering as independent itinerant ministers were not affiliated with the Faith Mission.[125]

#### Early growth

[edit]

Membership growth was rapid.[citation needed]

#### Balancing an Unsectarian Approach, the Doctrine of Separation, and Cohesion

[edit]

Cooney convened a meeting in 1901 due to confusion with a few workers who did not consider conversion experiences in other churches valid; most workers did not agree with this.[7] Irvine was not present. Long writes “The cause of the confusion and disorder arose from about twelve workers, mostly women, who were out preaching and used in getting other persons saved; yet got an experience in which they denied their first conversion…They were inclined to 'unChristianize' others who had not a similar experience; and put down the revival that gave them birth…They were very sanctimonious…They refused to take any correction.”[7]

In 1902, Cooney baptized converts and organized house churches among them.[7]

Irvine asked Long if he should “labour for God independently in a new district; as he shrank back from forming a new mission or sect; and the work and workers at that time were very scattered and disorganized.”[7] John Long urged him to get things organized; to call a convention; and “get the workers united together; and form the young converts into assemblies where they could get spiritual food, but to be open and unsectarian in attitude towards all other sects, missions and persons.”[7]

Irvine organized a Convention for Workers in Rathmolyon, Ireland on Willie Gill’s farm in July, 1903. Long describes “The workers began to baptize, and separate their converts; to form them into assemblies to meet together on the first day of the week for fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. Also, they appointed bishops, or elders over them.  William Irvine emphasized separation but not exclusiveness. It was from that conference a few workers including William Irvine, went to America for a gospel tour.”

#### Newspaper Commentaries

[edit]

Extract of an article from The Impartial Reporter and Farmers' Journal from 1910[117] documenting the early phases of the church. See endnote for link to the full article.[E]

Beginning in 1900, the British Parliament raised questions about the church.[126]

#### Cold-Water Baptism by Immersion

[edit]

The attention of Belfast newspapers was initially drawn to the Two by Twos church because of its open-air baptismal rites.[127] The baptisms took place in public settings such as streams, lakes, or the sea, even in cold weather. The outdoor "dippings" and accompanying sermons attracted large crowds.[128][129]

#### Street Preaching

[edit]

Newspapers reported on large marches through boroughs and public preaching in town squares and on street corners.[130][131]

#### Conflicts & Criticism of Clergy

[edit]

The Faith Mission outreach added members to established denominations.[citation needed] Churches began noticing their congregations thinning after exposure to the Two by Two missions.[citation needed] Clerics said the Two by Two preachers were "inimical to the membership of the church".[132]

In 1909-1910, a newspaper said that Go Preachers Edward Cooney and George Walker publicly preached that all creeds and churches were damned.[133][134] The same newspaper said they singled out prominent individuals, and even entire communities, for condemnation.[135][136] At times, missions were sited close to denominational church buildings, which, according to another newspaper, were denounced using "extreme language".[137][138] Critics responded to these sermons with heckling, street violence,[139] and the break-up of families,[140] all of which brought further attention to the church.[127] Newspapers in Ireland, Britain, and North America followed the disturbances that arose over the church's activities and message.[141] Some hosted debates in their editorial columns.[142][143] One member of Parliament offered to join the Two by Twos if they would cease criticizing other religious bodies.[144]

#### Conventions

[edit]

As the size of the ministry increased, the church's outreach expanded.[citation needed] Large gatherings were held in Dublin, Glasgow and Belfast during 1899.[citation needed] Annual conventions, modeled after the evangelical Keswick Conventions in England,[108] began to be held regularly in Ireland starting in 1903.[citation needed]

#### Intercontinental Spread

[edit]

In 1903, William Irvine, Irvine Weir, and George Walker, went on a mission to North America.[F] Missions to continental Europe, Australia, and Asia followed.[145]

#### Convening House Churches

[edit]

In 1904, the Impartial Reporter said ministers were not preaching a requirement to "sell all" in sermons.[146] At this time there were homeless itinerant missionaries (called "workers") and those who retained homes and jobs (called "friends" or "saints").[120][147] Weekly home meetings began to be held and presided over by "elders", who were typically the householder.[citation needed] During the next few years, this change became universal.[citation needed]

#### Crocknacrieve Convention

[edit]

In September 1904, a convention was hosted on John West's Farm.[7] According to Long, “There were no appeals for money; and no public collections; the strength and fruits of the teaching produced the necessary money which was given freely to defray the expenses which amounted to nearly fifteen hundred pounds; including the passages of those who went foreign; gave much preeminence to reading the Bible; and circulating them; and every worker was prone to spend much time in private prayer.  Flirting or courting was not allowed; and the flesh or selfish life strongly condemned.  Marriage was not forbidden; yet the unmarried life was commended as the freest for workers. The necessity of keeping prophets chambers and entertaining strangers was strongly set forth.  At the close of the conference, every worker threw his or her money into one common purse; then it was equally divided on departing to the varied districts and fields of labour.  At that convention Irvine warned the workers of speaking against men of God, such as J. G. Govan.  Edward Cooney who was in great form tested the meetings every night; when the unsaved came in; and a gospel effort was made to win them.  Those efforts were very fruitful for upwards of one hundred-some decided for Christ; and about the same number were baptized by immersion in a river near by.”

The church continued to grow rapidly and held regular annual conventions lasting several weeks at a time.[citation needed] Irvine traveled widely during this period,[timeframe?] attending conventions and preaching worldwide, and began sending workers from the British Isles to follow up and expand interest in various areas.[148]

#### Sectarianism

[edit]

In 1905, Joseph Kerr, one of the workers, attended a conference in the Bridge of Allan in Scotland.[7] According to Long, “he was so disgusted with the way the Clergy preached; that he come to the conclusion that there are no clergymen saved.  Without any charitable consideration of the conscience or opinion of others, he preached it at that convention.  Irvine defended him, but Edward Cooney opposed him and tried to prove that John Wesley was a born again man.”[7] According to Long, prior to this, all workers believed “regeneration is a thing of the heart and cannot be always measured by external appearance, dress, salary or education.  The Salvation of the Soul is by grace through faith to every one that repents and believes in Christ Jesus; and the experience, testimony and fruits of any clergymen bear witness to the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ.”[7] Long attributes the introduction of a new belief that all other clergy are false to Kerr.[7]

In July, 1906, at Crocknacrieve convention, Long writes “Edward Cooney emphasized re-baptism into their fellowship; which was the beginning of refusing fellowship with Christians of all other denominations; and raising a sectarian barrier which made their fellowship exclusive and sectarian.”[7]

#### Libel case

[edit]

Beginning in 1906, 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 Two ministry, began publishing articles saying girls were being recruited by the church for “immoral purposes.”[149] 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.[29]

#### Overseers

[edit]

A hierarchy was instituted by Irvine, and his most trusted associates in various regions were designated as "overseers" or "head workers".[citation needed] Each worker was assigned a particular geographical sphere and then coordinated the efforts of the ministry within his area.[150] Among the overseers were William and Jack Carroll, George Walker, and Willie Gill. Irvine continued to oversee worker conduct and finances, and his activities within their fields became regarded as interference.[151] Except for such annual conventions as he was able to attend across the globe, communications and instructions from Irvine passed through the overseers.[152]

#### Schisms

[edit]

#### Excommunication of Irvine

[edit]

Irvine's themes changed over time with eschatological themes beginning to appear in sermons.[153][G] 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.[citation needed] His message turned towards indicating a new era, which held no place for the ministry and hierarchy[154] that had rapidly grown up around the "Alpha Gospel".[155][154]

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.[156]

Workers said Irvine "had lost the Lord's anointing". He was shunned and his name was no longer mentioned.[154] 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.[152] 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.[157] Mention of Irvine's name was forbidden,[by whom?] and a new explanation of the group's history was introduced [by whom?]from which Irvine's role was erased.[158][H]

#### Cooney

[edit]

Edward Cooney did not place his evangelistic efforts under the control of the overseers.[citation needed] Cooney himself adhered to the earlier style of itinerant ministry, moving about wherever he felt he was needed.[159] He rejected the appointment of head workers to geographic regions and criticized their lifestyles.[160] 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.[120][160] His message urging a return to the original principles of Matthew 10 gained a following, including among some Australian overseers.[161]

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. Johnson (1995) says that after an attempted and failed faith healing, overseers excommunicated Cooney.[162] People who agreed with Cooney joined him, including some of the early workers, and they continued to practice what they perceived to be the original tenets.[163] 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.[164]

### Consolidation

[edit]

These schisms were not widely publicized, and few were aware that they had occurred.[citation needed] Among those disfellowhipped 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),[165] and Tom Elliot (who had conducted baptisms of the first workers and was nicknamed "Tom the Baptist").[166]

### Political Neutrality

[edit]

People left local Protestant churches in Ireland to join the two-by-two movement. At this time,[timeframe?] there were increasing demands[by whom?] for Irish independence, largely driven by the Catholic majority community.[citation needed] The Two by Twos did not form a political front with Protestant churches against the Catholic Church.[167][168] Although the church was noted[by whom?] for anti-Catholic views, it played a very minor role during the struggle for Irish independence.[citation needed] One family that may have been associated with the church, the Pearson family, owned land where a mass path to the Catholic Church crossed their land; they were executed and their house burned by the IRA in the killings at Coolacrease.[169][170]

### Progressive Privacy

[edit]

In the mid-1920s, a magazine article entitled "The Cooneyites or Go-Preachers"[171] disturbed the leadership, who made efforts to have it withdrawn,[172] particularly when material from the article was added to the widely distributed reference Heresies Exposed.[173]

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.[citation needed] The church began to state that it had a 1st-century origin.[157][174] It [according to whom?]said that it had no organization or name and disclaimed any unique doctrines.[citation needed] The church shunned publicity, making the church very difficult for outsiders to follow.[175][176]

### Clarifying Fields

[edit]

Last page of senior overseer George Walker's statement to the U.S. Selective Service in 1942 under the name "Christian Conventions"[I]

The North American church saw a disagreement between overseers George Walker in the east and Jack Carroll.[citation needed] 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 supervised by another overseer had to first share their revelation with,[177] and obtain permission from, the local overseer. [178] 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 disagreement.[179]

In 1930, at a conference of workers, a decision was made to resolve past disagreements and reconcile the disagreement between Jack Carroll and George Walker. This was held in/at W. Hanney in England. A Statement was signed by 16 workers that read: “It was unanimously agreed by all present that the past should be buried and that in the future all would use their influence to discourage anything that would disturb the peace in God’s family, adhering to the teaching and example of Jesus.”[19]

### Conscientious Objection

[edit]

During the First World War, the church obtained exemption from military service in Britain under the name "The Testimony of Jesus".[citation needed] However, there were problems with recognition of this name outside the British Isles, and exemption was refused in many other areas.[180] 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.[181][182] Members and ministers also had difficulty establishing their conscientious objector status in the United States during the First World War.[176] With the start of the Second World War, formal names were adopted and used in registering the church with various national governments.[J][183] 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.[184][165]

### Internal Politics

[edit]

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. [citation needed] This resulted in disagreement over (a) the church's history, (b) the development of legal names, and (c) polity (i.e. overseers).[citation needed] Many excommunications took place in the subsequent effort to enforce harmony.[185][186]

The earliest workers and overseers were succeeded by a new generation of overseers. In Europe, William Irvine died in 1947,[187] Edward Cooney died in 1960,[188] and John Long (expelled in 1907) died in 1962.[citation needed] British overseer Willie Gill died in 1951.[citation needed] In the South Pacific, New Zealand overseer Wilson McClung died in 1944, and Australian overseer John Hardie died in 1961.[citation needed] In North America, both Jack Carroll,[189] the Western overseer, and Irvine Weir died in 1957 while Eastern overseer George Walker died in 1981.[190]

### Privacy

[edit]

Its policy of not revealing its name,“It’s policy of not revealing its name”. It does not have an endoym.[dubious – discuss] finances,[191] doctrine, or history,[K] and avoidance of publicity[L][192] largely kept the church from public notice.[193]

### Into the 21st century

[edit]

Two by Two convention hall in Saginaw, Oregon, in 2018

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.[194][195] In 1982, the publication of The Secret Sect was followed by press reports and public statements by former members.[196][197] Other books and news coverage dealing with the church appeared in the following decades and increased awareness of the church and its practices.[citation needed]

Regional differences and the appearance of dissent have occurred.[specify] Kropp-Ehrig, a former member, said some standards have been loosened in some areas.[198][199] Availability of information on the Internet and elsewhere has increased.[200]

21st century legal cases are outlined in full in the Social, Moral, & Cultural section.

## Beliefs

[edit]

### Non-creedal

[edit]

#### No officially affirmed doctrine

[edit]

According to workers, all church teachings are based solely on the Bible.[M][N] Fortt (2010) quotes a worker saying there is no other set doctrine.[201] All teachings are expressed orally, and the church does not publish doctrine or statements of faith.[202][203] External reporting on church beliefs is therefore limited, and may not be representative.

### Quotes

[edit]

Letters and quotes from individuals have not been affirmed by the church as representative. A former member has posted online several letters and notes[204][205][206][207][208][209][24] and a former member published a compilation of select quotes,[201]with no context or full sermons available.

According to Long (1906), “Generally speaking, the doctrine of the Go Preachers was orthodox purged from ritualism, and worldly pleasures”.[7]

#### God

[edit]

According to Butler (1967), “God was and is the Creator.”[201]According to Bailor (1989), “there is one God.”[201] According to Allen (1989), “God is our Father.”[201]

#### Christ

[edit]

Historical letters describe early preaching centring on "Christ in you", introducing Jesus as "a common man" and therefore both levelling social distinctions and relatable to the common people.[24] Fortt (2010) quotes Allen (1989) saying “God is our Father, and Jesus is our elder brother.” Notes on workers sermons read "Jesus was a child, saint, and servent… Jesus was a saint before he was a servant…the pattern for the saints;"[204] "Jesus is the bread of life;"[205] "Christ is in the heart";[204] and "God's greatest message to the world is Christ; Christ the Lamb - our Redeemer ... Christ the Child - our example ... Christ the Lord - our King ... Christ the Master - our Teacher ... Christ the Word - our Authority .. Christ the Light - our Guide ... Christ the Resurrection - our Hope."[206] In notes from one speaker, Jesus is described as having both natures as "Son of God and the Son of man", with his "human nature" "becoming obedient", and "the divine nature was master over the human nature". "Give all hope of the power of the divine nature to give victory over the human nature and be obedient to God in our sphere of obedient service to God as Jesus was obedient in his sphere of service to God." Fortt (2010) quotes Allen (1989) saying “Jesus said ‘That they may be one as we are one.’ This was a number of people with one heart, mind and spirit to do one thing. There is one mind and heart of Father and Son and Spirit. It is important to have unity of heart and mind and spirit to do the will of God as Jesus to do the Father's will.“[201]

#### Salvation

[edit]

“Salvation… is God's deliverance in our lives. It is God giving us victory in our own hearts over ourselves.”[201] “By abiding in Him, we can receive divine life.”[201] “Where there is love, there will be sacrifice; if we really love the Lord, there will be sacrifice.”[201] "It is by ‘dying’ to the human ["the pride or selfishness of my own heart"] that we live unto the divine".[207] "You must give yourself to the Lord if you want Him to give Himself to you."[207] "To obtain true peace: Obey the Spirit of Christ in you. God can make us partakers of His Divine Life."[208] Another worker is quoted as stating "Apart from Christ being revealed in the heart, no man can be saved. Their salvation does not consist of walking in the way, of having fellowship with us, but of having Christ governing and ruling their lives from day to day." [209] “The Salvation of the Soul is by grace through faith to every one that repents and believes in Christ Jesus”.[7]

#### Humility, imperfection, and fallibility

[edit]

Quotes documented in early convention notes include themes of humility, submission, personal revelation, and personal relationship with God:

"There are no perfect preachers in the world and never have been except Jesus, and He was the most found fault with of any man."[210]

"God's way is right, perfect even though all who walk in it are imperfect. If we all turn aside, God's way is still the same and is right and perfect."[210]

"I don't know how long I may continue in the path, but if I ever turn aside, it is not because the way is wrong, but because the pride or selfishness of my own heart would not allow me to continue in it any longer."[210]

### External commentary

[edit]

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.[211]

#### Theology proper: Monotheism

[edit]

According to former member Kropp-Ehrig, the church believes "There is only one God. God is God, the Father, the Creator." [61] This source contains no references. The Holy Spirit may be held as an influence from God or God the Spirit.[201]

#### Christology

[edit]

Kropp-Ehrig (2022) writes that some people in the fellowship understand the relationship between Christ and God through a range of low to high christologies.[5] According to Bors (1979), how this unity is conveyed depends on who they are talking to.[201] Members believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and hold a Unitarian view of Jesus.[212] Jesus is God's son, a fully human figure who came to earth to establish a way of ministry and salvation,[213] but not God himself.[214][215] Great stress is laid upon the life of Jesus as an example.[216][217] The church has rejected the doctrine of the Trinity[218] since its inception.[219][O] According to Piepkorn (1972), “the fellowships views on the Trinity are those commonly held by conservative Christian groups. So are their positions on the deity and humanity of Christ and on the atonement through His death on the cross, published statements of the movements critics notwithstanding.” [9]

#### Hamartiology

[edit]

Doctrines of predestination and original sin are not endorsed. [P][220] All people are viewed as imperfect.[210]

#### Soteriology

[edit]

According to Long (1906), “it was said that they did not believe in the Atonement, but that was not true, as was manifest in their belief and obedience in the Lord’s supper.”[7]According to Piepkorn (1972), “[spiritual] rebirth is seen [by the fellowship] as the indispensable criteria of salvation,” the result of faith in the Word of God.[9] In 1910, a newspaper reporter wrote they held that salvation is given to those with spiritual life.[221] According to Johnson (1995), the community believes salvation requires self-sacrifice (i.e. self-denial; submission to God) in following the example and commandments of Jesus.[Q][222] Suffering is revered.[by whom?][222] Fortt (2010) quotes Blonke saying self-denial is our part in salvation; Anderson saying where there is love, there is sacrifice, and that sacrifice is an expression of love; Boyce describing a spirit of sacrifice; and Birille saying joy follows sacrifice.[201] Salvation is achieved through willingness, faith, following Christ, and love expressed as the personal sacrifice of self-denial, i.e. spiritual mortification.[201][223]

## Practices

[edit]

### Primitivism

[edit]

As described by Irvine (1913), adherents "seek to follow the pattern given by Jesus and the apostles and keep close to the practices of the early Church, as there are so many different interpretations."[23] This reflects a primativist/restorationist tradition, differentiated by reformationists as they did not see their movement as novel, but consistent with the early Christian church in the Acts of the Apostles.[224]

### Sacraments / Ordinances

[edit]

#### Baptism

[edit]

Believer’s Baptism by immersion is practiced. [225] Baptism has been described in letters by workers as symbolic of burial (ie dying to the "old self"), new life, and a sacred vow.[11] Baptism is considered [by whom?] a necessary step for salvation.[citation needed] The church shares baptism approaches and doctrine with Believer’s Church traditions.[225] According to an unnamed letter attributed to a worker, a minister "in fellowship with Jesus" “ who had been willing to follow Jesus in his Way” can baptize. Re-baptism may be practiced if the initial baptism is believed invalid.[7][225] Baptisms are conducted in cold outdoor water.[128][129] Baptisms are often scheduled for one morning during a Convention in a nearby pond, lake, river, creek or ocean.[19] Families and onlookers gather, pray, and sing hymns during the ceremony, as led by a worker.[226][227] Baptism is conducted “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”[9]

#### Communion

[edit]

Communion is shared weekly, with bread and wine (or grape juice) personally taken by members in Sunday morning meetings.[228] According to Holt (1992), "Each individual decides if he/she is worthy [to partake] or not."[229] According to Holt (1992), “If a person is willing for the separation necessary, but has not yet had the opportunity for baptism, they are free to take of the emblems,” however it is important to “understand the seriousness of partaking.”[229]

### Bibliology & Scripture

[edit]

The community affirms the Bible as its only scripture, and the study of the Bible receives prominent focus.[9] In English language services, the King James Version is commonly, though not exclusively, the translation used.[9]

### Ecclesiology

[edit]

#### Christian simplicity

[edit]

A catchphrase frequently used to describe the church is: "The church in the home, and the ministry without a home."[120][230] Church members and workers describe that the church does not own any buildings.[5][page needed] Some church members who own rural or semi-rural properties dedicate them to worship, housing workers, and church gatherings during conventions and special meetings.[5][page needed] The concept of church buildings is seen as inconsistent with biblical Christianity and was strongly denounced by early workers.[231] Its ministers do not own homes or earn salaries. The church has upheld these practices since its inception.[232][233] Buildings specially constructed or repurposed for the use of the church do exist, including convention buildings, meeting halls,[234] tents, caravans, and portable halls.[235] Rural properties are primarily held and maintained on behalf of the church by certain members.[236][237] However, in recent years, a Northern Irish investment vehicle has been used to purchase English convention property.[238] A dedicated church building was constructed in Canada early on, but eventually was rejected by Irvine.[239]

#### One True Church

[edit]

Commentaries say the church believes it is the one true church. [240][241]

### Participation

[edit]

#### Participatory practices

[edit]

Members attend meetings, pray, and testify at them.[6][242] According to Piepkorn (1972), “Men and women alike may address the assembly on Bible passages of their own choice, and their understanding and interpretation of the passage is received respectfully.[9]”

### Anthropology & Culture

[edit]

Collectivism

Piepkorn (1972) observes “there is a strong in-group feeling in the fellowship. Mutual aid, even to the point of sharing possessions in times of need, plays an important part.” [9]

Non-conformity to the world

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 nonconformity to the world: avoiding activities deemed to be worldly or frivolous[202][243] (such as smoking, drinking alcohol, watching television, and viewing motion pictures).[244]

Separation from the world

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.[245]

Cultural variability

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.[246] Some external standards in dress and conduct have been loosened in recent years in response to criticisms.[199]Assumes causality[speculation?] While rules are not strictly 'enforced' and vary between families, the church values dedication to the doctrine.[according to whom?][weasel words]

### Terminology

[edit]

The following are terms used by the church in English-speaking countries with the definitions giving the sense commonly intended and understood by members.[R]

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.
Meeting
A gathering of members held in members' homes or rented buildings.
Field
A geographical region to which workers have been assigned (similar to parishes)
Mission
A series of larger meetings known as gospel meetings, the function of which is proselytizing.
Friend, saint
Adherent or member of the laity. Collectively "the friends" or "the saints".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The world, worldly person
A broad term used to describe all people not involved in the church, including those in other religions

## Meetings

[edit]

### Participation

[edit]

#### Participatory practices

[edit]

Members attend meetings, pray, and testify at them.[6][242] According to Piepkorn (1972), “Men and women alike may address the assembly on Bible passages of their own choice, and their understanding and interpretation of the passage is received respectfully.[9]”

Non-charismatic

Although the church has roots in the Holiness movement and has inherited some of its features, charismatic elements are suppressed.[108] Piepkorn (1973) writes “while the services appear bland…the congregations assemble with eager and quiet expectancy a full quarter of an hour before the scheduled time that the meeting is to begin.”[9]

### Gatherings

[edit]

The church holds several types of gatherings throughout the year in various locations.[S] Meetings include participatory prayer and testimony home meetings (Sunday worship and mid-week Bible study),[6] public gospel meetings,[6] conventions (including tent meetings),[6][9] elder and workers meetings,[19] and baptisms (outside).[9] Family meetings,[9] personal house visitations,[6] and fellowship potlucks also occur.[7] Funerals and weddings, are by family invitation, and may also include prayers and/or sermons.[247] According to notes attributed to an elder, "the purpose of our meeting is to worship. One meaning of worship is "our whole being going out to God". The chorus of hymn number 243 describe: "worship". "Gladly yielding all, moved by love divine." We come to meeting to give ourselves again because of the love and gratitude in our hearts."[248]

Gospel meeting
A Gospel meeting is open to both members and those who are not a member of the church.[249] 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.[T] 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.
Sunday morning meeting
Participation in this closed[250] 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,[251] partaking of communion emblems[226][252] (a piece of leavened bread and a cup of wine or grape juice),[253] prayer and sharing of testimonies by members in good standing.[254]
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.
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.

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.
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.[237]
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.

## Ministry

[edit]

### Apostolic appointment by Spirit

[edit]

John Long, who helped form the movement in the late 19th century, wrote in his journal a Bible study on ordainment/ appointment, writing “Conversion and the Holy Spirit are the essential qualifications for the ministry of the word…” and “every believer is ordained” (1893).[91] He discusses spirit-led appointment over ecclesiastical credentialism or formal church employment, in the context of the requirement at the time among Protestants and Roman Catholics that appointing required formal seminary education.[91]

### Apostolic faith and form

[edit]

The ministry adheres to the validity of apostleship being personal faith and submission to God, as evidenced by willingness for and adherence to living out apostolic life (ie apostolic poverty and itinerant preaching) and doctrine in alignment with testimonies received through the witnesses of the gospel shared since the first century.[8] This is not an unbroken line of direct person-to-person, immediately consecutive, successively appointed bishops, hired, titled, and appointed within the same church institution, extending from the apostles to present day (ie intra-denominational or intra-institutional apostolic succession).[255] Piepkorn (1972) writes workers believe they have apostolic succession and authority, and states “since the servants literally "live the life" that Christ commanded, going out two by two with nothing in their hands or pockets, their unqualified commitment tends to provide moral support for their authority.”[9] Kropp-Ehrig (2022) describes this is a spiritual, not literal, succession following the examples of Jesus and the Apostles in the Bible, and notes restorations to living the examples of Jesus and the apostles have existed in different communities over time. [19] Historian and church member, Dr. Cornelius J. Jaenen (2003) also clarifies a distinction between apostolic succession and a succession of witnesses of apostolic doctrine and fellowship, writing there is generally no sufficient evidence for any direct apostolic succession in any continuous community, yet “there has been a chain of witnesses of the apostolic doctrine and fellowship over the centuries” (P. 538).[256] Jaenen writes “it mattered little to [the fellowship] whether they were part of a chain of faith, a survival of truth, a succession of believers, or a restored church. They held to the apostolic doctrine and fellowship, they possessed an apostolic ministry and church on the New Testament model, and they were led by the Holy Spirit. Whether the Spirit of God had restored the true faith after a lapse in its manifestation, or whether the Spirit had rekindled some smouldering embers of a small obscure remnant, mattered little. What was important was that those who would be led by the Spirit would be the children of God. God did not reveal all the secrets of his work with humanity. Those were views held in past centuries and we should not be astonished to find they are held by some in our day.” (p. 540).[257]

### Voluntary poverty

[edit]

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). Following these Biblical examples, its ministers have no permanent dwelling places, minister in pairs, sell all and go out with only minimal worldly possessions, take no collections, request no donations, and rely only upon hospitality and generosity.[258][259] Ministers receive their support unsolicited, mostly directly from lay members, and have no fixed address except for mail collection.[120]

### Lay ministers

[edit]

The option of entering the ministry is open to every baptized member. Workers do not engage in any formal religious training.[260]

### Roles

[edit]

Workers function as itinerant ministers, evangelists, spiritual teachers, and pastors.[9] Workers provide personal counsel, attend local house churches while visiting an area, hold public gospel meetings, and conduct baptisms.[7][9] They also travel more broadly to prepare and preach at conventions in multiple regions.[6]  Workers organize and assign members to the home meetings, appoint elders, and decide controversies among members. Female workers operate in the same manner as male workers. Female workers do not hold the position of overseer and do not lead meetings when a male worker is present.[261] 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.[262] According to notes from a workers meeting, "there are three words that govern the life of a worker: Love of God, Dying Life, and Slave."[263]

### Semi-Coenobitic

[edit]

Workers live, travel, and preach in same-sex pairs, as co-workers and spiritual companions.[9] They regularly both participate in prayer meetings and fellowship with other workers and the community, and withdrawal for solitary contemplative practice.[6][8] It has been many decades[timeframe?] since married people were accepted into the ministry.[261]

### Written, Spoken, and Lived Word

[edit]

According to a newspaper opinion piece reporting on the ministry in 1910, ministers believe salvation is offered to those who have spiritual life. It describes a belief that spiritual life spreads spiritual life, and that the gospel (the word of the New Testament) must be both preached (orally personally shared) and lived (i.e. the example and teachings of Jesus and the instructions to the apostles, e.g. the workers’ apostolic poverty).[117][69] During the early years,[timeframe?] this was referred to as the "Living Witness Doctrine", though that term is no longer used. Sharing and spreading the gospel, as preached and lived by a witness, occurs in person, rather than by broadcasts, recordings, books or tracts, or other indirect communication.[211][264]

Some sources have referenced the 19th century workers teaching the Living Witness doctrine, believing that life comes from life, and that reading the Bible is held as insufficient for salvation unless its words are made alive through living witness, that clergy were not living witnesses, and that the workers were the only ministry of living witnesses, since they lived out apostolic poverty and an itinerant ministry.[U][265][according to whom?] The worker that this was first attributed to clarified in letter that he did not teach an exclusive formulation of the "Living Witness Doctrine", but rather the value for preaching as a way to communicate the word of God.[266] He clarified (a) this was not intended to be exclusive (ie that the preacher had to be of a particular denomination), (b) direct personal revelation was also valid, as exemplified by Paul, and (c) that there was no place in the universe where the voice of God cannot be heard.[266] Notes from a workers meeting were leaked in 2024, documenting workers affirming the rejection of the exclusivist formulation of the living witness doctrine (ie that salvation only comes through workers) and highlighting the importance of personal faith over lineage. The extemporaneous preaching of the ministry is considered to be guided by God[267][64] and should be shared personally.[268][269] Great weight is given to the thoughts of workers, especially more senior workers.[270]

## Coordination

[edit]

### Communication

[edit]

While distributed, the community network is cohesive. According to Piepkorn (1972), “communication within the fellowship is very good and makes extensive use of personal contacts and mail.”[9]

### Polity

[edit]

Overseer positions have oversight of a specific geographic region; these positions consist of senior male workers. Senior overseers oversee head workers within their region. Head workers have oversight of a single state, province or similar area, depending on the country; these positions also consist of male workers.[271] These head workers handle the two-by-two pairing and field assignments of workers for that area. Overseers pair new workers with senior companions until they are deemed ready to move beyond a junior position.[272] The workers are assigned new companions annually.[64]

Each pair of workers has several local meetings in their field. The senior worker of the two has authority[specify] over his junior.[citation needed] According to Caroll, “Old workers are responsible for helping young workers… It is not that you should rule over one another. We are not joined together by law but by love, and we need to be subject one to another.”[201]

Elders host local meetings and report[specify] to the workers.[citation needed]

Correspondence such as reporting, finances, and instructions are often communicated from local workers to regionally overseeing head workers, and from overseeing head workers to geographically overseeing workers.[273] The administration of the church and its annual process of assigning of workers to fields are rarely discussed among the membership.[197]

### Organization

[edit]

Members state that the church is not a formal organization.[274] There is no system of government in which members participate.[275] According to Johnston (1995), members “seem unaware that a system of government even exists.”[V] According to Elorreaga (2022), there is a clear chain of oversight system; members understand the oversight system and are familiar with local workers and overseers but may not know who the overseeing workers are in other regions of the world. [276]Although in the early years of the church a headquarters was maintained in Belfast,[108] no headquarters currently exist and the church remains largely unincorporated. Both expenditures and funds are not reported to the membership and no accounting is made public.[193] Funds are handled through stewardships, trusts, and cash transactions. Financial arrangements do not have fraudulent characteristics.[276] The church does not run any external outreach programs.[citation needed]

No materials are published by the church for outside circulation other than invitations to open Gospel meetings.[277] Printed materials are published for circulation among the members and include sermon notes, convention notes, Bible study lists, convention lists, and worker lists.[268] 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.[278]

### Hymnals

[edit]

The church's first hymnal, The Go-Preacher's Hymn Book, was compiled by 1909[279] and contained 125 hymns. The English-language hymn book currently used is Hymns Old and New[251] and was first published in 1913[280] 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.[281] 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.[251] 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.

## See Also

[edit]

Cooneyites

Two by Twos in Australia and New Zealand

## Endnotes

[edit]

1. ^ The church does not publish any membership statistics; outside researchers give a wide range of estimates. In part, this depends on who is included as a member (children of members, unbaptized participants, lapsed members, etc) and whether the metric estimates are based upon known numbers of annual conventions, numbers of ministers, etc. One researcher has said that people on the fringes of church membership can be up to twenty times the number of regular members.(Hosfeld & 17 August 1983, pp. 1–2) During the 1980s, The Sydney Morning Herald gave an estimate of between 1 and 4 million members worldwide,(Gill & 30 June 1984, p. 37) while a 2001 estimate put Australian membership at 70,000.(Giles & 25 July 2001, p. 014) A sociology masters thesis from 1964 estimated U.S. membership at 300,000 to 500,000 and world membership as between 1 and 2 million.(Crow 1964, pp. 2, 16) Benton Johnson updated the metrics to arrive at a figure of 48,000 to 190,000 for the United States alone.(Johnson 1995, pp. 43–44) George Chryssides states that membership numbers are uncertain, giving an estimate for the United States during 1998 as ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 and a worldwide membership probably three times that figure.(Chryssides 2001b, pp. 330–331) The World Christian Encyclopedia shows the group in the United States growing from 100,000 in 1970 to 270,000 in 1990, while during the same period, Australian membership declined from 150,000 to 100,000.(Barrett, Kurian & Johnson 2001, pp. 85, 785) A 2022 source cited a worldwide decline of 38% in the number of ministers and up to a 40% decline in members since 1980.(Kropp-Ehrig 2022, p. 497) Figures from other sources fall within this same wide range.
2. ^ 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."(ABC 2024b).
3. ^ Collection refers to the donation money collected from a church congregation during a service, normally by means of a collection plate or box.
4. ^ 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 (Robinson 2005, p. 36). Long returned to his work as a colporteur (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 (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 (Irvine 2003, p. 73(fn)). He also left his memoirs (in journal form, though redacted many years later) (Long 1927).
5. ^ To view the complete 1910 article shown above, see here.
6. ^ 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 (R.I.S. 2009a).
7. ^ "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 (Johnson 1995, p. 50).
8. ^ "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 (Johnson 1999, p. 378).
9. ^ For full text of the letter, see The Secret Sect (Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 117–119).
10. ^ This is the subject of letters from Rittenhouse and Sweetland, given in full in Reinventing the Truth (Daniel 1993, pp. 281, 283–284).
11. ^ "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 (Johnson 1995, p. 50).
12. ^ "The Cooneyites, also called the Two-by-Two's, have developed the shunning of publicity into a fine art." —Melton (Melton 2009, p. 554).
13. ^ "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 (Chryssides 2001b, p. 330).
14. ^ "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 (Melton 2009, p. 554).
15. ^ "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 (Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 102–193).
16. ^ 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 (Grey 2012, p. 55)
17. ^ "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 (Johnson 1995, p. 44).
18. ^ These terminology definitions follow Fortt 1994, pp. 15–202.
19. ^ This list of meeting types follows the list given in Daniel 1993, pp. 13–15.
20. ^ "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 (Wilson 1993).
21. ^ "They [the ministers] are considered 'the word made flesh' in our day." —Christian Research Institute (C.R.I. & 13 April 2009).
22. ^ "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 (Johnson 1995, p. 43).

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ See:
* Beit-Halahmi 1993, p. 298;
* Chryssides 2001a, p. 330;
* Clark 1965, p. 184;
* Dair Rioga Local History Group 2005, pp. 322–323;
* Gründler 1961, p. 411
* Holland 2014, p. 103
* Ideas & 13 July 1917, p. 2;
* Impartial Reporter & 25 August 1910, p. 8;
* Impartial Reporter & 3 July 1913, p. 8;
* Impartial Reporter & 18 December 1913, p. 3;
* Irish Independent & 5 July 1910, p. 5;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 124–126, 255;
* Lineham 2017, p. 171;
* Melton 2005, p. 58;
* Nenagh Guardian & 9 July 1910, p. 6;
* Sanders 1969, p. 166;
* Scrutator & March 1905, p. 38;
* Sunday Independent & 10 June 1906, p. 5;
* Washington Post & 17 September 1908, p. 2.
2. ^ See:
* Hill 2004, p. 402;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2019;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 41–49;
* Nichols 2006, p. 88;
* Robinson 2005, p. 34;
* Sanders 1969, p. 166.
3. ^ Irvine was initially an interdenominational Faith Mission pilgrim who led gospel missions in 1897, and organized the workers in 1903. He was recognized as the leader of the Go Preachers movement. He was excluded from the community in 1913 after deviation from community’s orthodox doctrine. The community acknowledges his work as the formation of the Go Preacher movement but he is not regarded by the community as the origin of faith or the Apostolic tradition. Kropp-Ehrig 2022.
4. ^ John Long started a gospel prayer meeting in his home in 1983; began as a Methodist Colportour; organized the first gospel mission of the Go Preacher movement in 1897; was the first of the Go Preacher movement to preach itinerantly independently from any organization, on faith alone, with no collections or salary, in 1899; and advised Irvine to coordinate the workers in 1903. Irvine excluded him from the community in 1907 for believing that there could be born-again clergy, even if they did not adhere to apostolic poverty. Long writes that people looked to Irvine as the leader of the movement, and describes he and Irvine “being the two instruments used of God at the origin of that movement” Long, J. (1923). The Journal of John Long. Oldstone, Mucklamore. https://www.tellingthetruth.info/publications_johnlong/1longjohn.php#prefacel
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Kropp-Ehrig 2022.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Jones, J. (2013). Motivations for disaffiliation from the two-by-two sect. UKnowledge. University of Kentucky, Kentucky.https://scholars.uky.edu/ws/files/60663833/Jones_thesis.pdf
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Long, J. (1923). The Journal of John Long. Oldstone, Mucklamore. https://www.tellingthetruth.info/publications_johnlong/1longjohn.php#prefacel
8. ^ a b c d Jaenen, Cornelius. (2003). The Apostles' Doctrine and Fellowship: a documentary history of the early church and revisionist movements. Legus Publishing, Ottawa, Ontario. ISBN 1-894508-48-3
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Piepkorn, Arthur Carl (1972) "Brief Studies," Concordia Theological Monthly: Vol. 43, Article 4. Available at: https://scholar.csl.edu/ctm/vol43/iss1/4
10. ^ a b c d e [A] The church does not publish any membership statistics; outside researchers give a wide range of estimates. In part, this depends on who is included as a member (children of members, unbaptized participants, lapsed members, etc) and whether the metric estimates are based upon known numbers of annual conventions, numbers of ministers, etc. One researcher has said that people on the fringes of church membership can be up to twenty times the number of regular members.(Hosfeld & 17 August 1983, pp. 1–2) During the 1980s, The Sydney Morning Herald gave an estimate of between 1 and 4 million members worldwide,(Gill & 30 June 1984, p. 37) while a 2001 estimate put Australian membership at 70,000.(Giles & 25 July 2001, p. 014) A sociology masters thesis from 1964 estimated U.S. membership at 300,000 to 500,000 and world membership as between 1 and 2 million.(Crow 1964, pp. 2, 16) Benton Johnson updated the metrics to arrive at a figure of 48,000 to 190,000 for the United States alone.(Johnson 1995, pp. 43–44) George Chryssides states that membership numbers are uncertain, giving an estimate for the United States during 1998 as ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 and a worldwide membership probably three times that figure.(Chryssides 2001b, pp. 330–331) The World Christian Encyclopediashows the group in the United States growing from 100,000 in 1970 to 270,000 in 1990, while during the same period, Australian membership declined from 150,000 to 100,000.(Barrett, Kurian & Johnson 2001[broken anchor], pp. 85, 785) A 2022 source cited a worldwide decline of 38% in the number of ministers and up to a 40% decline in members since 1980.(Kropp-Ehrig 2022, p. 497) Figures from other sources fall within this same wide range.
11. ^ a b c "2x2 Baptism Beliefs". www.tellingthetruth.info. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
12. ^ a b "Notes of Elders Meetings". www.tellingthetruth.info. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
13. ^ "Hymns Old & New". www.tellingthetruth.info. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
14. ^ Montgomery, RM. (1935). A Note on Acts of Parliament dealing with the Denial of the Trinity. Transactions of the Unitarian Historical Society 6 (3): 209.
15. ^ Daniel 1993, pp. 9–11.
16. ^ Melton 2009, p. 554.
17. ^ Anderson & 20 August 1983, p. 4a.
18. ^ See: Impartial Reporter & 23 July 1908, p. 8; Irvine 1929, pp. 75–76; Nenagh Guardian & 15 April 1911, p. 5.
19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Kropp-Ehrig 2022
20. ^ Chryssides 2001a, pp. 330–331.
21. ^ Sanders 1969, p. 166.
22. ^ a b See:
* Dair Rioga Local History Group 2005, pp. 324–326;
* Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 8–9, 12;
* Wilson 1993.
23. ^ a b Irvine, William. (1913). Statement of Mr. William Irvine for the Trial of Burfit V Hayward. July 1913. Retrieved from https://www.tellingthetruth.info/founder_index/wmiconvsermons.php
24. ^ a b c Pattison, Goodhand (1898). The Early Days. Cloughjordan, Ireland: 1898. pp. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/publications_index/pattisong.php#JohnLong.
25. ^ Laursen, JC, & Nederman, JC. (2016). Heresy in transition: Transforming ideas of heresy in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Ashgate Publishing, Routlege. ISBN 978-0-7546-5428-5 (hbk)
26. ^ Willmore, Hannah Lynn, "Perpetuating the stereotype: dramatization and the portrayal of cults in fictional media" (2021). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 575. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/575
27. ^ "Information and support in relation to child safety". InfoAusNz.
28. ^ Onken, B, & Schlesinger, D. (2023). Two By Twos. Christian Research Institute. https://www.equip.org/articles/two-by-twos/
29. ^ a b Freeman's Journal & 2 December 1913, p. 10.
30. ^ RNZ 2024c.
31. ^ a b c Loftus, T. (21 May 2024). "Survivors of secretive Two by Two sect waiting to access National Redress Scheme". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 24 June 2025.
32. ^ a b c d e f g Williams, Any. (2024). FBI investigates reports of historical child sexual abuse within sect also operating in New Zealand. Radio New Zealand. 19 April 2024. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/514661/fbi-investigates-reports-of-historical-child-sexual-abuse-within-sect-also-operating-in-new-zealand
33. ^ "Seeking Victim Information in 2x2 Investigation". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
34. ^ "Advocates for The Truth". Advocates for The Truth. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
35. ^ "Convicted CSA and CA Offenders". WINGS for Truth. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
36. ^ a b "Facts & Statistics". Advocates for The Truth. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
37. ^ a b Martin, E., & Silverstone, P. (2013). How Much Child Sexual Abuse is “Below the Surface,” and Can We Help Adults Identify it Early?. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15(4): 58. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00058
38. ^ a b VanDenBerg, J. (2024). Analysis of the Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) by Workers. Expressions by Ex-2x2s. https://ex2x2.info/2024/10/14/analysis-of-the-prevalence-of-child-sexual-abuse-csa-by-workers/
39. ^ "WINGS for Truth". WINGS for Truth. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
40. ^ a b c d e wingsfortruth2 (1 April 2023). "CSA Code of Conduct – First Issued by WINGS March 2013". WINGS for Truth. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
41. ^ "Support for 2x2 Church Abuse Survivors | Healing From Religious Trauma". Pathways to Healing Network. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
42. ^ "Bridging the Gap on CSA - Bringing Awareness to Child Sexual Abuse within the 2x2 Church". Bridging the Gap on CSA. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
43. ^ "Advocates for The Truth". Advocates for The Truth. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
44. ^ "WINGS for Truth". WINGS for Truth. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
45. ^ "Home | Bridges Balm". Bridges Balm. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
46. ^ "Connected and Concerned Friends". Connected and Concerned Friends. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
47. ^ 60 Minutes 2019.
48. ^ Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 416–417.
49. ^ RNZ 2024b.
50. ^ a b York News-Times & 7 September 2024.
51. ^ Infoausnz 2024.
52. ^ a b Reid, Mark. (2024). Police acknowledge sentencing of William Easton. Police. 6 December 2024. https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/police-acknowledge-sentencing-william-easton?nondesktop
53. ^ RNZ 2025a.
54. ^ RNZ 2024a.
55. ^ ABC Nightline 2024.
56. ^ BBC 2024b.
57. ^ a b BBC 2025a.
58. ^ BBC 2024a.
59. ^ CBC 2024a.
60. ^ Uses as background for literary works include,
* Bates 2004;
* Joyce 2001, p. 138;
* Lewis 1971, pp. 119–124;
* Montgomery 1935, pp. 135–208.
61. ^ a b "Fact Sheet for 2x2s". www.tellingthetruth.info. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
62. ^ Long, J. (1902). October 1902. In: The Journal of John Long. Oldstone, Mucklamore. https://www.tellingthetruth.info/publications_johnlong/1longjohn.php#1872 October 1902: “On the next Lord’s day we both agreed to have the Lord’s Supper, not desiring to make a new sect, but to obey God.” “An assembly is not sectarian when open to give and take fellowship with all the Lord’s people, Num. 9:14.” April 1903: “At that time, Thomas Craig joined us, and we had a visit from William Irvine; he wanted to ask my advice about the work for he was in a strait between two as to whether he should go from the work as leader; and labour for God independently in a new district; as he shrank back from forming a new mission or sect; and the work and workers at that time were very scattered and disorganized. He was very downcast, and disheartened and humbled before God: he said to me whatever they would do, he would serve the Lord.” “I encouraged him not to forsake the work which resulted very largely as the outcome of his own testimony: but to call a Conference; and get the workers united together; and form the young converts into assemblies where they could get spiritual food, but to be open and unsectarian in attitude towards all other sects, missions and persons; at the same setting before them an example of Godly living, and obedience and conformity to the Word of God.”
63. ^ McClung, W. (1926). January 21, 1926, p. 11. Auckland Star. Wilson McClung re Cooney Camp.
64. ^ a b c Kalas & 30 January 2010.
65. ^ Enroth 1992, p. 133.
66. ^ Walker 2007, p. 118.
67. ^ See:
* Chryssides 2001b, p. 330;
* Hill 2004, p. 402;
* Holland 2014, p. 103;
* Lewis 1998, p. 494;
* Robinson 2009;
* Stutzman & 14 July 1991, p. 2.
68. ^ Impartial Reporter & 15 January 1903, p. 8.
69. ^ a b c d e Gründler 1961, p. 411.
70. ^ Impartial Reporter & 19 July 1917, p. 6.
71. ^ See:
* Impartial Reporter & 2 June 1904, p. 8;
* Anglo-Celt & 8 October 1904, p. 5;
* Daily Mail & 29 March 1905, p. 3.
72. ^ Hasell 1925, p. 244.
73. ^ Concordia Theological Monthly 1938, p. 863.
74. ^ Müller 1990.
75. ^ Mayer 2000, p. 141.
76. ^ Nervig 2004, p. 132.
77. ^ See: "The Meetings" or "The Fellowship".
* Dair Rioga Local History Group 2005, p. 327;
* Hill 2004, p. 402;
* BBC 2024a
* Kalas & 30 January 2010.
78. ^ a b Wilkens 2007, p. 132.
79. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 86.
80. ^ See:
* Advertiser & 10 February 1943, p. 6;
* Barrier Miner & 24 November 1916, p. 4;
* Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 117–119;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 358.
81. ^ Walker 2007, p. 117.
82. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 107.
83. ^ Robinson 2009.
84. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 73.
85. ^ AnotherStep.
86. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 107, 124.
87. ^ See:
* Advertiser & 10 February 1943, p. 6;
* Argus & 9 November 1916, p. 4;
* Barrier Miner & 24 November 1916, p. 4;
* Camperdown Chronicle & 30 April 1940, p. 5;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, p. 415.
88. ^ Kropp-Ehrig 2022, p. 415–416.
89. ^ R.I.S. 2009b.
90. ^ Beeke, J. (2004). The History of Prayer Meetings. In: The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, 2004. Christian Library. https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/history-prayer-meetings
91. ^ a b c d e f Long, John. (1890). Chapter 2, 1890. Oldstone, Muckamore. Retrieved from https://www.tellingthetruth.info/publications_johnlong/1longjohn.php#1872
92. ^ “Faith Lines is a preacher going forth without any fixed or stated salary, neither any public collections at meetings, but just trusting in God to put it into the hearts of God’s people to give to the support of them who ministered in Spiritual things. If more came in than necessary, learning to abound; if less, learning to suffer lack…” John Long (John Long’s Journal, Jan., 1899).
93. ^ See: Wilson McClung's sworn testimony in Lloyd's Weekly News & 23 December 1906, p. 9; Edward Cooney's sworn testimony in Impartial Reporter & 18 December 1913, p. 3; Statement by John Long in Irvine 1929, p. 73 fn.
94. ^ Robinson 2005, p. 34.
95. ^ O'Brien 1997, p. xxiv.
96. ^ Lim, W.S.H. (2021). Antitrinitarianism. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_990-1
97. ^ von Harnack, Adolf (1894-03-01). "History of Dogma". "[In the 2nd century,] Jesus was either regarded as the man whom God hath chosen, in whom the Deity or the Spirit of God dwelt, and who, after being tested, was adopted by God and invested with dominion, (Adoptionist Christology); or Jesus was regarded as a heavenly spiritual being (the highest after God) who took flesh, and again returned to heaven after the completion of his work on earth (pneumatic Christology)"
98. ^ The Blasphemy Act 1697 reduced penalties to civil disabilities.
99. ^ In England, Edward Wightman was burned at the stake in 1613 for believing in non-Trinitarianisn, believers baptism, and a low Christology (i.e. that Jesus Christ was created as perfect by God but was not God), and that the state Church of England only partially practiced true Christianity. He was the last person executed for heresy in the country. See: Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole, "A True Relation of the Commissions", p 5.
100. ^ In Scotland, Thomas Aikenhead was executed in 1697 on a charge of blasphemy under the Blasphemy Act 1661 and Blasphemy Act 1695. He was prosecuted for denying the trinity, believing God and creation were “but one thing.” See: A Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes and Misdemeanors from the Earliest Period to the Year 1783, with Notes and Other Illustrations. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown. 1816.
101. ^ Amherst D. Tyssen. The Law of Charitable Bequests. 1888. p 104.
102. ^ Corporation Act 1661, the Test Act 1673, and the Test Act 1678 required civil and military officers in England and Ireland to swear allegiance to the Church of England and receive Anglican communion. Ireland’s Penal Laws similarly enforced the Church of Ireland, while in Scotland, religious tests began with the Church Jurisdiction Act of 1567, followed by the Scottish Test Act 1681, and later university subscription requirements to the Westminster Confession of Faith. The communion requirement for office was first repealed in Ireland in 1780 (19 & 20 Geo. III c. 6 (Ireland)) and later in England and Wales by the Sacramental Test Act 1828. The original English Test Acts were formally repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1863, the Parliamentary Oaths Act 1866, and the Promissory Oaths Act 1871.
103. ^ Religious tests and state church requirements for university positions were abolished by the Universities Tests Act 1871 (England), the Irish University Bill 1873 (Ireland), and the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889.
104. ^ Chandler & 13 September 1983, p. A2.
105. ^ See:
* Anderson & 20 August 1983, p. 4a;
* Gill & 30 June 1984, p. 37;
* Hilliard 2005;
* Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 105–107.
106. ^ Impartial Reporter, Aug 5, 1909, TTT. Quoted in Kropp-Ehrig, 2022.
107. ^ Worker Walter Pollock quoted in Preecs & 5 June 1983, p. B6.
108. ^ a b c d Robinson 2005, p. 35.
109. ^ Jaenen 2003, pp. 517–535.
110. ^ a b Fisher, D. (No date - ccirca 1983). Letter to Fred Miller from DONALD FISHER (brother worker). Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_later/fisherdon-history.php
111. ^ Preecs, B. (1983). 'Two by Twos:'  Victims of Anonymous Cult? The Spokesman Review. Spokane, Washington. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/newspapers/1982-83.php#LOSANGELES
112. ^ Sullivan, L. (2012). Lecil Sullivan's Letter to Family: Explanation of Beginning of Workers in Ireland. Later Workers: Letter by Lecil Sullivan. Retrieved from https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_later/sullivanlecil.php
113. ^ Warburton 1969, pp. 82–83.
114. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 1–2.
115. ^ Irish Independent & 20 August 1907, p. 7.
116. ^ Dair Rioga Local History Group 2005, p. 322.
117. ^ a b c Impartial Reporter & 25 August 1910, p. 8.
118. ^ Warburton 1969, p. 84.
119. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 2.
120. ^ a b c d e Wilson 1993.
121. ^ Robinson 2005, pp. 34–35.
122. ^ Impartial Reporter & 28 July 1910, p. 8.
123. ^ 1905 "List of Workers" in Daniel 1993, pp. 276–279
124. ^ See:
* Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 2–4;
* Robinson 2005, pp. 33, 35;
* Wilson 1993.
125. ^ Govan 1901, p. 175.
126. ^ See:
* King's County Chronicle & 12 April 1900;
* Sunday Independent & 27 May 1906, p. 8;
* House of Commons 1912, p. 2063.
127. ^ a b Scollon & 27 July 1930, p. 4.
128. ^ a b Anglo-Celt & 10 June 1905, p. 4.
129. ^ a b Freeman's Journal & 7 July 1923, p. 8.
130. ^ Anglo-Celt & 30 December 1905, p. 12.
131. ^ Nenagh Guardian & 6 June 1906, p. 2.
132. ^ Hill 2004, p. 403.
133. ^ Impartial Reporter & 5 August 1909, p. 8.
134. ^ Impartial Reporter & 14 July 1910, p. 5.
135. ^ Impartial Reporter & 22 January 1903, p. 8.
136. ^ Anglo-Celt & 29 April 1905, p. 7.
137. ^ Anglo-Celt & 5 May 1906, p. 1.
138. ^ Anglo-Celt & 28 October 1911, p. 5.
139. ^ Anglo-Celt & 28 July 1906, p. 8.
140. ^ See:
* Sunday Independent & 10 June 1906, p. 5;
* Anglo-Celt & 16 November 1907, p. 1;
* Irish Independent & 29 September 1916, p. 5;
* Southern Star & 7 October 1916, p. 7.
141. ^ Accounts of some of the many incidents include:
* Alexandria Gazette & 16 September 1908, p. 2;
* Foote & 26 May 1907, p. 8;
* Irish Independent & 8 July 1905, p. 5;
* Irish Independent & 7 May 1906, p. 6;
* Impartial Reporter & 2 June 1906, p. 8;
* Irish Independent & 17 October 1908, p. 5;
* Lethbridge Daily Herald & 29 August 1910, p. 7;
* Nenagh Guardian & 6 June 1906, p. 2;
* Scollon & 27 July 1930, p. 4.
142. ^ Johnson 1995, p. 46.
143. ^ Fermanagh Times & 16 March–18 July 1907.
144. ^ Anglo-Celt & 26 November 1904, p. 10.
145. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 46.
146. ^ Impartial Reporter & 13 October 1904, p. 8.
147. ^ Wallis 1981, p. 123.
148. ^ See:
* The Truth & 18 May 1907, p. 8;
* Irish Independent & 20 August 1907, p. 7;
* Irish Independent & 13 August 1909, p. 7.
149. ^ Anglo-Celt & 5 October 1907, p. 1.
150. ^ Johnson 1995, p. 48.
151. ^ Daniel 1993, pp. 173–175.
152. ^ a b Wallis 1981, p. 130.
153. ^ New York Times & 6 August 1909, p. 4.
154. ^ a b c Johnson 1995, p. 50.
155. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 62.
156. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 63.
157. ^ a b Parker & Parker 1982, p. 64.
158. ^ Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 201–207.
159. ^ Johnson 1995, pp. 51, 55.
160. ^ a b Johnson 1995, p. 51.
161. ^ Johnson 1995, pp. 51, 52.
162. ^ Johnson 1995, p. 52.
163. ^ Roberts 1990, pp. 145–154.
164. ^ Melton 2009, pp. 554–555.
165. ^ a b Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 85–86.
166. ^ Roberts 1990, p. 153.
167. ^ Dair Rioga Local History Group 2005, p. 333.
168. ^ Megahey 2000, p. 155.
169. ^ McConway & 7 November 2007, p. 15.
170. ^ McConway & 14 November 2007, p. 16.
171. ^ Rule & January 1924, pp. 18–20.
172. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 82.
173. ^ Irvine 2003, pp. 73–78.
174. ^ Dair Rioga Local History Group 2005, pp. 329–330.
175. ^ Johnson 1995, pp. 37–38, 42.
176. ^ a b Indianapolis News & 26 September 1921, p. 11.
177. ^ Roberts 1990, p. 143.
178. ^ Dair Rioga Local History Group 2005, p. 330.
179. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 85.
180. ^ See:
* St. Clair & St. Clair 2004, p. 223;
* Lineham 2017, pp. 169–176;
* Wilson 1994, p. 49.
181. ^ Lineham 2017, pp. 162, 169, 175.
182. ^ Wilson 1994, p. 56(fn).
183. ^ See:
* Wilson 1994, p. 68;
* Wilson 1993.
184. ^ Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 358, 362, 396, 415, 488–490, 539.
185. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 88–92.
186. ^ Roberts 1990, pp. 225–226.
187. ^ Palestine Post & 10 March 1947, p. 2.
188. ^ Impartial Reporter & 23 June 1960.
189. ^ Fiset & 29 March 1957, p. 15.
190. ^ Evening Bulletin & 8 November 1981.
191. ^ Wilson & Barker 2005, p. 299.
192. ^ Mann 1955, p. 15.
193. ^ a b Gill & 30 June 1984, p. 37.
194. ^ Jackson & Loetscher 1977, p. 298.
195. ^ Borhek & Curtis 1979, p. 69.
196. ^ Daniel 1993, p. 176.
197. ^ a b Johnson 1995, p. 43.
198. ^ Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 325, 338.
199. ^ a b Cimino & July–August 1999, p. 3.
200. ^ Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 306, 327, 496–497.
201. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Fortt, Lloyd (2010). Thus saith: quotes by two-by-two workers (PDF). Research and Information Services.
202. ^ a b Sanders 1969, p. 166.
203. ^ Irvine 2003, p. 76.
204. ^ a b c Jack Carroll. (nd). Notes for Workers. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_articles/workers_mtgs.php
205. ^ a b Workers Meeting (Speaker not Known). (nd). Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_articles/workers_mtgs.php
206. ^ a b Abernathy, Andrew. Workers' Meeting, 1963, Gilroy, California. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_articles/workers_mtgs.php
207. ^ a b c Irvine, William. (1910). Irish Convention July 1910. Retrieved from https://www.tellingthetruth.info/founder_index/wmiconvsermons.php#phil1907
208. ^ a b Author Unknown. (1911). July 1911- Wm. Irvine. Retrieved 2025 from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/founder_index/wmiconvsermons.php#phil1907
209. ^ a b "Notes of Worker's Meetings". www.tellingthetruth.info. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
210. ^ a b c d Author Unknown. (1910). “Irish Convention July 1910” in Irish Convention Notes circa 1910: Sermons of William Irvine. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/founder_index/wmiconvsermons.php#phil1907
211. ^ a b Melton 2009, p. 554.
212. ^ See:
* Melton 2009, p. 554;
* Melton quoted in Alberta Report & 15 September 1997, p. 34;
* Nichols 2006, p. 88.
213. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 101–103.
214. ^ Fortt 1994, pp. 241–243.
215. ^ Worker Eldon Kendrew quoted in Climenhaga & 30 July 1994, p. E7.
216. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 102.
217. ^ C.R.I. & 13 April 2009.
218. ^ Kropp 2008.
219. ^ See:
* McClure & July 1907, pp. 102–103;
* Walker 2007, pp. 117–118;
* Woodard & 15 September 1997, p. 28.
220. ^ See:
* Impartial Reporter & 3 July 1913, p. 8;
* Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 101–102;
* Paul 1977, p. 19;
* Wilson 1993.
221. ^ Impartial Reporter & 25 August 1910, p. 8.
222. ^ a b Johnson 1995, pp. 44, 46.
223. ^ See:
* Martineau & 20 July 2000, p. B1;
* Nichols 2006, p. 88;
* Parker & Parker 1982, p. 100.
224. ^ Hughes, Richard (1995). The primitive church in the modern world. Illinois, US: University of Illinois Press. p. 10\. ISBN 0-252-02194-0.
225. ^ a b c See:
* Chryssides 2001b, p. 331;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 337–338;
* Melton 2009, p. 554;
* Nichols 2006, p. 88;
* Robinson 2009.
226. ^ a b Lewis 1998, p. 494.
227. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, p. 14.
228. ^ Crow 1964, p. 10.
229. ^ a b Holt, Sydney. (1992). Elders Meeting October 6, 1992: By Sydney Holt, Overseer of Washington State USA. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_articles/elders_mtgs.php#unknown
230. ^ Overseer John ("Jack") Carroll quoted in Parker & Parker 1982, p. 99.
231. ^ See:
* Impartial Reporter & 23 July 1908, p. 8;
* Irvine 2003, pp. 75–76;
* Nenagh Guardian & 15 April 1911, p. 5.
232. ^ Newtownards Chronicle & 28 May 1904, p. 3.
233. ^ Impartial Reporter & 20 August 1908, p. 8.
234. ^ See:
* Anglo-Celt & 13 January 1917, p. 5;
* Irish Independent & 2 December 1968, p. 1;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, p. 561;
* Parker & Parker 1982, p. 35(fn).
235. ^ Irish Independent & 14 November 1907, p. 7.
236. ^ Martineau & 14 July 2000, p. A1.
237. ^ a b Peterborough Examiner & 9 June 1931, p. 9.
238. ^ Grey 2012.
239. ^ Kropp-Ehrig 2022, p. 148.
240. ^ See:
* Beckford 2003, p. 15;
* Clark 1965, p. 184;
* Gründler 1961, p. 411;
* Johnson 1995, p. 44;
* Jones 2013, p. 9;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 149–152, 567;
* Paul 1977, pp. 6–7;
* Robinson 2005, pp. 34, 210;
* Wallis 1981, p. 124;
* Woster 1988, pp. 13, 22.
241. ^ See:
* C.R.I. & 13 April 2009;
* Gründler 1961, p. 411;
* Hilliard 2005;
* McIntosh 1965, pp. 60–61.
242. ^ a b Worker Leo Stancliff quoted in Daniel 1993, pp. 128–129.
243. ^ Chryssides 2001a, pp. 330–331.
244. ^ See:
* Gill & 30 June 1984, p. 37;
* Johnson 1995, p. 40;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, p. 345;
* Lewis 1998, p. 494;
* Martineau & 20 July 2000, p. B1;
* Preecs & 5 June 1983, p. B6.
245. ^ See:
* Girton et al. 2018;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 265–269;
* Preecs & 5 June 1983, p. B6;
* Chryssides 2001b, p. 331;
* Zimmerman & 10 February 2008.
246. ^ See:
* Johnson 1995, p. 40;
* Preecs & 5 June 1983, p. B6;
* Robinson 2009.
247. ^ See: Crow 1964, p. 38; Nichols 2006, p. 89; Robinson 2009.
248. ^ Author unknown. Date unknown. Fellowship meeting guidelines. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_articles/elders_mtgs.php#unknown
249. ^ Paul 1977, p. 8.
250. ^ See:
* Chandler & 13 September 1983, p. A2;
* Martineau & 18 July 2000;
* Parker & Parker 1982, p. 93.
251. ^ a b c Hymns Old and New 1987.
252. ^ Chryssides 2001b, p. 330.
253. ^ Crow 1964, p. 10.
254. ^ Jones 2013, p. 8.
255. ^ Jaenen, Cornelius. (2003). The Apostles' Doctrine and Fellowship: a documentary history of the early church and revisionist movements. Legus Publishing, Ottawa, Ontario. ISBN 1-894508-48-3
256. ^ Jaenen, Cornelius. (2003). The Apostles' Doctrine and Fellowship: a documentary history of the early church and revisionist movements. Legus Publishing, Ottawa, Ontario. ISBN 1-894508-48-3
257. ^ Jaenen, Cornelius. (2003). The Apostles' Doctrine and Fellowship: a documentary history of the early church and revisionist movements. Legus Publishing, Ottawa, Ontario. ISBN 1-894508-48-3
258. ^ Mann 1955, p. 110.
259. ^ Courier Mail & 29 August 1936, p. 22.
260. ^ See:
* Bruce 1996, p. 70;
* Chandler & 13 September 1983, p. A2;
* Climenhaga & 30 July 1994, p. E7;
* Mann 1955, p. 29;
* Müller 1990;
* Parker & Parker 1982, p. 104.
261. ^ a b Fortt 1994, pp. 96, 117–118, 193.
262. ^ See:
* Crow 1964, p. 38;
* Nichols 2006, p. 89;
* Robinson 2009.
263. ^ Abernathy, Andrew. Workers Meeting, 1963, Gilroy, California. Retrieved from: https://www.tellingthetruth.info/workers_articles/workers_mtgs.php
264. ^ Anderson & 20 August 1983, p. 4a.
265. ^ See:
* Courier Mail & 29 August 1936, p. 22;
* Hill 2004, p. 402;
* Hosfeld & 17 August 1983, pp. 1–2;
* Irvine 2003, p. 76;
* Kropp-Ehrig 2022, pp. 160–161;
* Krueger 1932, p. 110;
* Martineau & 20 July 2000, p. B1;
* Nervig 2004, p. 133;
* Wilkens 2007, p. 132;
* Woster 1988, pp. 11, 15, 17.
266. ^ a b Kerr, Joe (28 January 1956). "The Living Witness Doctrine: Letter by Joe Kerr". www.tellingthetruth.info. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
267. ^ Parker & Parker 1982, pp. 16, 105.
268. ^ a b Nichols 2006, p. 88.
269. ^ Woster 1988, pp. 12, 15.
270. ^ Fortt 1994, pp. 31, 114–115, 192.
271. ^ See:
* Chryssides 2001b, pp. 330–331;
* Johnson 1995, pp. 44–52;
* Lewis 1998, p. 494;
* Robinson 2009.
272. ^ Fortt 1994, pp. 59, 236–237.
273. ^ Daniel 1993, pp. 11–16.
274. ^ See:
* Bruce 1996, p. 70;
* Overseer Charles Steffen quoted in Martineau & 14 July 2000, p. A1;
* Maynard & 11 June 1982, p. 11.
275. ^ Johnson 1995, p. 43
276. ^ a b Elorreaga, J. Hawthorne (2022). The Two-by-Two’s: A brief history and evaluation. United States of America: House of Hawthorne Press.
277. ^ Daniel 1993, pp. 9–11.
278. ^ Crow 1964, p. 27.
279. ^ Impartial Reporter & 7 October 1909, p. 8.
280. ^ Impartial Reporter & 3 July 1913, p. 8.
281. ^ Fortt 1994, p. 197.

## References

[edit]

### Books

[edit]

* Barrett, David; Kurian, George; Johnson, Todd, eds. (2001). "Ethnosphere". World Christian Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 (Second ed.). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-510318-1.
* Bates, Shelley (2004). Grounds to Believe. Toronto, Ontario: Harlequin/Steeple Hill. ISBN 978-0-373-78512-4.
* Beckford, James (2003). Challenging Religion: Cults and Controversies. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-30948-6.
* Beit-Halahmi, Benjamin (1993). "T". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects, and Cults. New York: Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8239-2586-5.
* Borhek, James T.; Curtis, Richard Farnsworth, eds. (1979). A Sociology of Belief. New York, New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-471-08895-0.
* Bruce, Steve (1996). Religion in the Modern World: from cathedrals to cults. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-878151-6.
* Chryssides, George D. (2001a). "Two by Twos". The A to Z of New Religious Movements. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5588-5.
* Chryssides, George D. (2001b). "Two by Twos". Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Lanham, Maryland and London: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4095-9.
* Clark, Elmer T. (1965). The Small Sects in America (Revised ed.). New York, New York: Abingdon Press. ISBN 0-687-38703-5.
* Dair Rioga Local History Group (2005). Mallon; Greaney (eds.). All in Good Faith: A History of Christianity in Enfield, Rathmolyon, Rathcore and Associated Areas. Ireland: Dair Rioga Local History Group and the Meath Leader under the NRDP Programme of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs / National Development Plan.
* Daniel, Kevin N. (1993). Reinventing the Truth: Historical Claims of One of the World's Largest Nameless Sects. Sisters, Oregon: Research and Information Services. ISBN 978-0-9639419-0-9.
* Enroth, Ronald M. (1992). Churches That Abuse. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House. ISBN 978-0-310-53299-6.
* Fortt, Lloyd (1994). A Search for the Truth: The Workers' Words Exposed. Sisters, Oregon: Research and Information Services. ISBN 978-0-9639419-2-3.
* Grey, G. Irvine (2012). Two by Two: the Shape of a Shapeless Movement (Thesis). Belfast, N. Ireland: Queen's University and Grey. ISBN 978-0-95753-900-6. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
* Gründler, Johannes (1961). Lexikon der christlichen Kirchen und Sekten : unter Berücksichtigung der Missionsgesellschaften und zwischenkirchlichen Organisationen. Vol. 1\. Wien: Herder.
* Hasell, P. H. Eva (1925). Through Western Canada in a Caravan. Westminster, England: The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.
* Hill, Myrtle (2004). "Protestantism in County Fermanagh, c. 1750–1912". In Murphy, Eileen M.; Roulston, William J. (eds.). Fermanagh History and Society: Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish County. Dublin, Ireland: Geography Publications. ISBN 978-0-906602-52-2.
* Holland, Clifton L., ed. (2014). "Independent Fundamentalist Family". PROLADES Encyclopedia of Religion in Latin America & the Caribbean. Vol. 1\. San Pedro, Costa Rica: PROLADES.
* House of Commons (1912). The Parliamentary Debates (Official Report). Fifth Series—Volume XLIII. Second Session of the Thirtieth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland. Third Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George V. House of Commons. Tenth Volume of Session 1912, Comprising period from Monday, 28th October 1912, to Thursday, 14th November, 1912. Vol. XLIII. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office.
* Hymns Old and New. Basingstoke, Hants (United Kingdom): R.L. Allan and Son. 1987. Archived from the original on 26 October 2001. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
* Irvine, William C., ed. (2003) [1929]. Heresies Exposed (Tenth ed.). Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers (reprint by Kessinger Publishing). ISBN 978-0-7661-4269-5.
* Jackson, Samuel Macauley; Loetscher, Lefferts Augustine, eds. (1977). "The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: Embracing Biblical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology and Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Biography from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, Based on the 3d ed. Of the Realencyklopädie Founded by J. J. Herzog, and Edited by Albert Hauck, Prepared by More Than Six Hundred Scholars and Specialists Under the Supervision of Samuel Macauley Jackson (Editor-in-chief) with the Assistance of Charles Colebrook Sherman and George William Gilmore (Associate Editors) ... [et. Al.].". The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Vol. 14\. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House. ISBN 978-0-8010-7947-4.
* Jaenen, Cornelius J. (2003). The Apostles' Doctrine and Fellowship: A documentary history of the early church and restorationist movements. Ottawa, Ontario: Legas Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894508-48-3.
* Johnson, Benton (1995). "Christians in Hiding: The 'No Name' Sect". In Bromley, David G.; Neitz, Mary Jo; Goldman, Marion S. (eds.). Sex, Lies and Sanctity: Religion and Deviance in Contemporary North America. Vol. 5\. Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI Press. ISBN 978-1-55938-904-4.
* Johnson, Benton (1999). "On Founders and Followers: Some Factors in the Development of New Religious Movements". In Klass, Morton; Weisgrau, Maxine K. (eds.). Across the Boundaries of Belief: Contemporary Issues in the Anthropology of Religion. Boulder, Colorado and Oxford, United Kingdom: Westview Press. ISBN 978-0-8133-2695-5.
* Joyce, James (2001). Deane, Vincent; Ferrer, Daniel; Lernout, Geert (eds.). The Finnegans Wake Notebooks at Buffalo. VI.B.10. Belgium: Brepols Publishers. ISBN 978-2-503-50959-4.
* Kropp-Ehrig, Cherie (2022). Preserving the Truth: The Church without a Name and Its Founder, William Irvine. Dallas, Texas: Clarion Call Publishing. ISBN 979-8-985-62501-1.
* Lennie, Tom (2009). Glory in the Glen: A History of Evangelical Revivals in Scotland 1880–1940. Fearn, Ross–shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications. ISBN 978-1-84550-377-2.
* Lewis, Faye Cashatt (1971). "The Preacher Ladies". Nothing to Make a Shadow. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-0775-1.
* Lewis, James R. (1998). "Two by Twos". The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-57392-222-7.
* Lineham, Peter (2017). "Sects and War in New Zealand". In Troughton, Geoffrey (ed.). Saints and Stirrers: Christianity, Conflict and Peacemaking in New Zealand, 1814–1945. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. ISBN 978-1-7765-6164-3.
* Mann, William E. (1955). Sect, Cult and Church in Alberta. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press.
* McIntosh, Amy (1965). Journey into Malaya (Condensed ed.). Westchester, Illinois: Good News Publishers; China Inland Mission.
* Megahey, Alan (2000). The Irish Protestant Churches in the Twentieth Century. New York, New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-23601-4.
* Melton, J. Gordon (2009). "The Two-By-Two's". Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions (8 ed.). Detroit, Michigan: Gale, Cengage. ISBN 978-0-7876-9696-2.
* Melton, J. Gordon (2005). "Australia". Encyclopedia of Protestantism. New York, New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-8160-5456-5.
* Montgomery, L. M. (1935). Mistress Pat: A Novel of Silver Bush. New York, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers.
* Nervig, Casper B. (2004) [1941]. Christian Truth and Religious Delusions. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House (reprint by Kessinger Publishing). ISBN 978-1-4191-7328-8.
* Nichols, Larry A.; Mather, George A.; Schmidt, Alvin J., eds. (2006). "Church Without a Name, The; Go Preachers; No Name Church, Two By Twos, The Nameless House Sect, Cooneyites". Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions (Revised and updated ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-23954-3.
* O'Brien, George; Dunne, Seán, eds. (1997). The Ireland Anthology. New York, New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-30027-2.
* Parker, Doug; Parker, Helen (1982). The Secret Sect. Sydney, Australia: Macarthur Press. ISBN 978-0-9593398-0-2.
* Paul, William E. (1977). They Go About Two by Two: The History and Doctrine of a Little Known Cult. Robbinsdale, Minnesota: Religion Analysis Service.
* Roberts, Patricia (1990). The Life and Ministry of Edward Cooney 1867–1960. Enniskillen, Northern Ireland: Wm. Trimble. ISBN 978-0-9510109-4-5.
* Robinson, James (2005). Pentecostal Origins: Early Pentecostalism in Ireland in the Context of the British Isles. Studies in Evangelical History and Thought. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: Paternoster. ISBN 978-1-84227-329-6.
* Sanders, John Oswald (1969). Cults and Isms. London, United Kingdom: Lakeland. ISBN 978-0-551-00458-0.
* St. Clair, William; St. Clair, John (2004). The Road to St. Julien: Letters of a Stretcher-bearer from the Great War. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom: Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-1-84415-017-5.
* Walker, James K. (2007). The Concise Guide to Today's Religions and Spirituality. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7369-2011-7.
* Wallis, Roy (1981). "Yesterday's Children". In Wilson, Bryan (ed.). The Social Impact of New Religious Movements. New York, New York: Rose of Sharon Press. ISBN 978-0-932894-09-0.
* Wilkens, Steve (2007). "A Church with No Name". The Original Dr. Steve's Almanac of Christian Trivia: A Miscellany of Oddities, Instructional Anecdotes, Little-Known Facts and Occasional Frivolity. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0-8308-3438-9.
* Wilson, Bryan R.; Barker, Eileen (2005). "What are the New Religious Movements Doing in a Secular Society?". In Heath, Anthony Francis; Ermisch, John; Gallie, Duncan (eds.). Understanding Social Change. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-726314-3.
* Woster, Carol (1988). The No-Name Fellowship. Belfast, Northern Ireland: Great Joy Publications.

### Journals, newspapers, periodicals

[edit]

* (Advertiser. staff) (10 February 1943). "Conscientious Objector Courtmartialled". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia.
* (A.R. staff) (15 September 1997). "Doubts About A Mystery Church". Alberta Report. Edmonton, Alberta.
* (A.G. staff) (16 September 1908). "The Irvinites". Alexandria Gazette. Alexandria, Virginia. Retrieved 21 July 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
* (A.C. staff) (8 October 1904). "Co. Fermanagh News. Enniskillen. Enniskillen Jottings". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (26 November 1904). "Co. Fermanagh News. Enniskillen. Enniskillen Jottings". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (29 April 1905). "Co. Fermanagh News. Enniskillen. Enniskillen Jottings". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (10 June 1905). "Co. Fermanagh News. Enniskillen. Enniskillen Jottings". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (30 December 1905). "Co. Fermanagh News. Enniskillen. Enniskillen Jottings". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (5 May 1906). "Aggessive 'Dippers.' Cooneyites in Irvinestown". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (28 July 1906). "Co. Monaghan News. Monaghan. Monaghan Petty Sessions. Alleged Serious Assault". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (5 October 1907). "An Indignant Father And Fermanagh Dippers". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (16 November 1907). "Son Disinherited For Joining the 'Cooneyites.'". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (28 October 1911). "Shercock: Evangelisers". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (A.C. staff) (13 January 1917). "Clones Notes". The Anglo-Celt. Cavan, Ireland.
* (Argus staff) (9 November 1916). "Exemption Appeals. Cases Before Mr. Justice Hood". The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria Australia.
* (B.M. staff) (24 November 1916). "Defense of Australia. Conscientious Objectors. Scripture Lessons in Court". Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, New South Wales Australia.
* Anderson, Kathie (20 August 1983). "Church without a Name". The Bellingham Herald. Bellingham, Washington.
* (C.C. staff) (30 April 1940). "Funeral of Mr. Angus McKenzie". The Camperdown Chronicle. Camperdown, Victoria Australia.
* Chandler, Russell (13 September 1983). "Nameless Sect Travels 'Secret' Path". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California.
* Cimino, Richard P., ed. (July–August 1999). "Proselytizing Hindered by Internet". Religion Watch. North Bellmore, New York.
* Climenhaga, David (30 July 1994). "Invisible Sect Has Thousands of Followers". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta.
* (D.M. staff) (29 March 1905). "From Far and Near. Interesting News by Telegraph and Telephone. County Down. Incursion of 'Cooneyites'". Daily Mail. London, England.
* Devlin, George (2 December 1968). "R.U.C. blamed for not enforcing law". Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* (E.B. staff) (8 November 1981). "George Walker Dead at 104". The Evening Bulletin. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
* (F.T. staff) (16 March – 18 July 1907). "The Pilgrims at Ballycassidy. The Question of Infant Baptism". The Fermanagh Times. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* Fiset, Bill (29 March 1957). "700 Attend Rites for John Carroll". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California.
* (F.J. staff) (2 December 1913). "'The Cooneyites.' Libel Action Settled". Freeman's Journal. Dublin, Ireland.
* Foote, George William, ed. (26 May 1907). "Acid Drops". The Freethinker. XXVII (21). London, England: The Secular Society.
* Gerrand, R. K. (29 August 1936). "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". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Queensland Australia.
* Giles, Tanya (25 July 2001). "Secretive Sect Leader Dies". Herald Sun. Melbourne, Australia.
* Gill, Alan (30 June 1984). "The Most Secret Society in the World". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia.
* Govan, John George, ed. (August 1901). "General Notes and News". Bright Words. Rothesay, Scotland: Faith Mission.
* Hilliard, David (June 2005). "Unorthodox Christianity in South Australia: Was South Australia really a paradise of dissent?". History Australia. 2 (2). Sydney, New South Wales: Australian Historical Association. doi:10.2104/ha050038. ISSN 1833-4881. S2CID 141750850.
* Hosfeld, Kathleen (17 August 1983). "Criticism clouds church's gathering". Skagit Valley Herald. Mount Vernon, Washington.
* (Ideas staff) (13 July 1917). "Romance of the Tramp Preachers". Ideas. Manchester, England.
* (I.N. staff) (26 September 1921). "Religious Group, Led by 'Tramp Preachers,' in State Convention". Indianapolis News. Indianapolis, Indiana.
* (I.R. staff) (15 January 1903). "The 'Pilgrims' or 'Tramps.' Preaching the Terrors of Hell! Believe That God Is with Them. The Dress and Peculiarities". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (22 January 1903). "The 'Pilgrims' or 'Tramps.' A Hot Time for Enniskillen. The 'Damnation Army.' Their Ideas of Persecution". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (2 June 1904). "Tit-Bits of 'Cooneyism.' The Pride of Newtownards". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (13 October 1904). "The Tramps. Change in Their Views". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (2 June 1906). "Scenes at Aughnacloy. Police Called On. Extravagant Language Used". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (23 July 1908). "Convention of 'Tramps' Held at Crocknacrieve". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (20 August 1908). "The Recent Tramp Convention Held at Crocknacrieve. What the Tramps Believe. A Reply from Within". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (5 August 1909). "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". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (7 October 1909). "The Tramps. The 'Jesus Way.' Do They Follow It?". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (14 July 1910). "Tramp Preachers' Convention Opens at Crocknacrieve. Address by Mr. Geo. Walker. Some Local Reminiscences". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (28 July 1910). "The Convention at Crocknacrieve. Outline of Proceedings". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (25 August 1910). "The Tramp Preachers. Doctrines They Preach". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (3 July 1913). "Pilgrim Convention at Crocknacrieve". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (18 December 1913). "Go-Preachers Awarded Damages. Mr. Eddy Cooney Wins". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (19 July 1917). "The Tramp Preachers or 'Go Preachers.' The Hostility They Aroused". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Ireland.
* (I.R. staff) (23 June 1960). "Edward Cooney. A Great Figure Passes". The Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal. Enniskillin, Northern Ireland.
* (I.I. staff) (8 July 1905). "Dispersing 'Dippers.' Street Scenes in Arklow". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* (I.I. staff) (7 May 1906). "Pithy Provincial News: Ulster". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* C.H. (I.I. staff) (20 August 1907). "The 'Dippers' and Their Ways". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* (I.I. staff) (14 November 1907). "Derry Tramp Apostles". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* (I.I. staff) (17 October 1908). "Pilgrims' Presence Resented. Week of Turmoil in Swords. Origin of Outbreak. Window Smashing, Bands, Disorder and 'Religion". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* C.H. (I.I. staff) (13 August 1909). "Dippers' Convention in Fermanagh". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* (I.I. staff) (5 July 1910). "Items of Interest (By Wire and Despatch): Cooneyite Convention". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* (I.I. staff) (29 September 1916). "Dispersing 'Dippers.' Street Scenes in Arklow". The Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* Kalas, Stacey (30 January 2010). "Group Forgoes Name in Mission to Follow Jesus". La Crosse Tribune. La Crosse, Wisconsin.
* (K.C.C.. staff) (12 April 1900). "Religious Intolerance in North Tipperary". King's County Chronicle. Offaly, Ireland. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
* Krueger, Ottomar (1932). "Hands Across the Seas". The Lutheran Witness. 51. St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House.
* (L.D.H. staff) (29 August 1910). "'Go Preachers' Were Attacked: Their Religion Causes Free Fight in Prince Edward Island". Lethbridge Daily Herald. Lethbridge, Alberta.
* F.E.M (November 1938). "Two–by–Twos". Concordia Theological Monthly. IX (11). St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House.
* Martineau, Kim (14 July 2000). "Farm Plays Host to a Low Profile Sect". The Albany Times Union. Albany, New York.
* Martineau, Kim (18 July 2000). "Conservative religious group peacefully goes about its business". The Albany Times Union. Albany, New York.
* Martineau, Kim (20 July 2000). "Sect Told It Must Find New Lodgings". The Albany Times Union. Albany, New York.
* Mayer, Jean=François (2000). Calme-Griaule, Geneviève (ed.). "Les Nouveaux mouvements religieux à l'heure de l'Internet". Cahiers de Littérature Orale (in French). 47. Paris, France: Centre de Recherche sur l’Oralité. ISSN 0396-891X.
* Maynard, Steve (11 June 1982). "Gospel Tent Meeting Draws 800 Participants For Spiritual Fellowship". Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. Walla Walla, Washington.
* McClure, W.J. (July 1907). "Letter". The Treasury. New Zealand.
* McConway, Philip (7 November 2007). "The Pearsons of Coolacrease". Tullamore Tribune. County Offaly, Ireland.
* McConway, Philip (14 November 2007). "The Pearsons of Coolacrease". Tullamore Tribune. County Offaly, Ireland.
* (N.G. staff) (6 June 1906). "(untitled)". The Nenagh Guardian. Nenagh, Ireland.
* (N.G. staff) (9 July 1910). "General News". The Nenagh Guardian. Nenagh, Ireland.
* (N.G. staff) (15 April 1911). "Cloughjordan Fair 'Preaching' Incident". The Nenagh Guardian. Nenagh, Ireland.
* (N.Y.T. staff) (6 August 1909). "Cooneyites Await the Millennium". The New York Times. New York, New York.
* (N.C. staff) (28 May 1904). "Tramp Preachers in Newtownards". The Newtownards Chronicle. Newtownards, Ireland.
* (P.P. staff) (10 March 1947). "Social & Personal: Obituary: Mr. William Irvine". The Palestine Post. Jerusalem, British Mandate.
* (P.E. staff) (9 June 1931). "Disciples Hold Annual Outing at Ryler Farm". The Peterborough Examiner. Peterborough, Ontario.
* Preecs, Bart (5 June 1983). "Two by Twos; Nameless congregation holds strong grip on faithful". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington.
* Rule, W.M. (January 1924). "The Cooneyites or Go-Preachers – A Warning". Our Hope. New York, New York.
* Scollon, John J. (27 July 1930). "The 'Dippers': a Queer Ulster Sect. History of the Irish 'Hot Gospellers". Sunday Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* Scrutator (March 1905). "A New Sect". The Irish Presbyterian. Belfast, Ireland.
* (S. Star. staff) (7 October 1916). "A Cooneyite Convert". The Southern Star. Skibbereen, Ireland.
* Special correspondent (17 September 1908). "Irvinites Pull Up Stakes". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 7 August 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
* Stutzman, Brad (14 July 1991). "The Church with No Name Comes to Town". The Sunday Sun. Williamson County, Texas.
* (S.I. staff) (27 May 1906). "Police Inquiry. 'Dippers' and Discipline in Queen's County". Sunday Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* (S.I. staff) (10 June 1906). "The Tramps; Glorified into a New Sect. Weird Workers". Sunday Independent. Dublin, Ireland.
* Swett, William (7 September 2024). "Secretive church under investigation by FBI holds annual York convention". York News-Times. York, Nebraska. OCLC 31619133. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
* (Truth staff) (18 May 1907). "A New Religion Operating in Australia". The Truth. Auckland, New Zealand.
* Ulad (7 July 1923). "Notes from Ulster: Sea Baptism". The Freeman's Journal. Dublin, Ireland.
* Warburton, T. Rennie (1969). Martin, David (ed.). "The Faith Mission: a Study in Interdenominationalism". A Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain. 2. London, United Kingdom: SCM Press.
* Woodard, Joe (15 September 1997). "A church invisible". British Columbia Report. Vancouver, British Columbia.
* Zimmerman, Cathy (10 February 2008). "Worldwide fellowship needs no building, no budget, no bishops". The Daily News. Longview, Washington.

### Papers and theses

[edit]

* Crow, Keith W. (March 1964). The Invisible Church (Thesis). Eugene, Oregon: Department of Sociology, University of Oregon.
* Jones, Julene L. (2013). "Motivations for Disaffiliation from the Two-by-Two sect (Thesis)". University of Kentucky. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
* Wilson, Bryan R. (1993). "The Persistence of Sects". DISKUS. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
* Wilson, Elisabeth Kay (November 1994). Brethren Attitudes to Authority and Government: with Particular Reference to Pacifism (Thesis). Hobart, Tasmania: Department of History, University of Tasmania.

### Websites, radio, television and other media

[edit]

* "A Short History Timeline for 'the Truth'". Research and Information Services. Archived from the original on 5 May 1999. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
* "Alberta Incorporation Papers". Research and Information Services. Archived from the original on 19 February 1999. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
* Girton, Jim; Mastin, John; Mastin, Bill; Fermin, Renante (20 June 2018). "Later Workers: Overseer Correspondence & Bans". Telling The Truth. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
* Sparkes, Laura; Nine Network staff (21 April 2019). "All by myself, The truth hurts, Mrs cricket". 60 Minutes. Season 2019. Nine Network. Retrieved 20 April 2019. "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."
* "'Kristna I Sverige' (Christians in Sweden) was constituted. 1992-10-01 in Stockholm". AnotherStep.net. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
* Kropp, Cherie (20 April 2008). "Fact Sheet for the Church without a Name". Telling The Truth. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
* Kropp-Ehrig, Cherie (12 February 2019) [7 February 2010]. "Stories About The Beginning: How When Where did the 2x2 Church start?". Telling The Truth. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
* Lantry, Lauren (6 December 2024). "Member of secretive Christian sect sentenced to 120 years in prison". abcnews.go.com. ABC News (United States). Retrieved 1 February 2025.
* Larsen, Karin (8 March 2024). "Historical sexual abuse charges filed against B.C. minister belonging to church with no name". cbc.ca. CBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
* "Letter from Overseer Doyle Smith regarding Dean Bruer". wingsfortruth.info. Wings for Truth. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
* Long, John (1927). "The Journal of John Long". Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2010 – via Telling The Truth.
* Müller, Winfried (1990). "Die Namenlosen". Winfried Müller and Dialog-Zentrum, Berlin. Archived from the original on 23 April 1999. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
* Phillips, Kyra (13 June 2024). "Secretive Christian sect allegedly ignored sexual abuse for decades". Nightline. Season 45. Episode 119. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
* Robinson, B.A. (22 April 2009). "The Church with no name". Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Archived from the original on 12 May 1998. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
* "Two By Twos". Christian Research Institute. 13 April 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
* Williams, Amy (19 April 2024). "FBI investigates reports of historical child sexual abuse within sect also operating in New Zealand". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
* Williams, Amy (29 May 2024). "Religious sect investigated by FBI, NZ Police apologises to child sexual abuse victims". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
* Williams, Amy (30 September 2024). "Secret sect under investigation by FBI has markers of high-control group - experts". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
* Williams, Amy; de Graaf, Peter (24 September 2024). "William Stephen Easton admits 55 child sex abuse charges while member of Two by Twos". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
* Wright, George (28 January 2024). "Ex-minister of secretive sect admits to child sex abuse". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
* Wright, George (21 February 2024). "FBI launches probe into church investigated by BBC". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
* Wright, George (31 January 2025). "Secretive Christian sect coerced young mothers to give up babies". BBC News. Retrieved 1 February 2025.

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