Who We Are
Plymouth Brethren Christian Church
The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is a global Christian fellowship with a community of more than 50,000 members worldwide. It traces its roots to Plymouth, England, where its first permanent meetings began in 1829. The PBCC preaches a gospel of grace, godliness, and giving. Congregants live, work, and pray as ‘Brethren’—a community of families held together by common Christian belief. Like all Christians, the PBCC community is united in its shared Christian belief founded on the Holy Bible.
The PBCC congregation (about 200 people) has been part of the Chicago area since the late 1800s and at our current location since 1979.
We are a community driven by care and compassion. We are self-reliant while still contributing to the neighborhood’s where we live and work, as well as to causes where there is need. Our members run family-owned businesses, pay taxes, employ local people, and contribute to the economic wellbeing of the area where we live, work, and pray. Church members volunteer their time and donate to many causes around the world.
We have created a way of life around our core tenets of care and compassion, one we wish to practice without outside discrimination or interference. In this, we are like all close-knit communities, both religious and secular. Anyone who seeks to portray the church and its practices as outside of the mainstream are plainly unfamiliar with our true practices and beliefs.
Although we are close knit, we integrate with the local communities in which we reside through our business interests and charitable work. Members of the church typically own or operate their own business. These businesses provide a robust source of employment to the wider community, as many as 80% of employees being non-church members. These businesses frequently contract with suppliers and vendors outside the community, stimulating local economies in the process.
PBCC members are passionate about learning and Plymouth Brethren students attend its innovative school network — OneSchool Global. We support the communities in which we live, work and serve through the Church’s charitable arm the Rapid Relief Team. Our children attend public schools until Grade 3. Once enrolled in OneSchool Global, they are taught a state-certified, non-religious curriculum by licensed teachers. None of the OneSchool teachers are members of the church.
Rapid Relief Team
The Rapid Relief Team (RRT) is the charitable arm of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, offering quality catering and tangible support to charities, government agencies, and emergency services, particularly during crises and disasters. It operates under the mission of supporting local communities in times of need, with a strong focus on delivering efficient, compassionate, and friendly assistance.
This commitment stems from the PBCC’s interpretation of Christianity, which emphasizes the importance of community service, active citizenship, and compassionate action. The RRT exclusively serves non-brethren communities in need, worldwide, across a diversity of means and needs, and has hard results and the gratitude of numerous community leaders to show for it.
Over the past decade, the RRT has pitched in with hundreds of volunteers and extensive financial support for families in times of tragedy and need across the greater Chicago region. From fires to shootings to simple holiday fundraisers, RRT has invested in the communities that its members live in, embodying what it means to be a member of the PBCC.
2024: Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse
When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a collision with a container ship, RRT volunteers from Baltimore and Maryland arrived within two hours of the incident to deliver over 1,400 meals and refreshments to emergency services personnel across 16 different agencies.
2022 Fire in Bartlett
2022 Highland Park Shooting
2021 Rockton Chemical Plant Fire
In June, 2021, a chemical plant caught fire in Rockton, IL, causing a chemical explosion and the evacuation of nearby homes. RRT responded by helping first responders and all those affected by the fires, earning recognition in local news.
OneSchool Global
OneSchool Global is a private, global network of schools with over 120 campuses in 20 countries. OneSchool Global was established by members of the PBCC for students and families of the Church community and is supported by volunteers from the congregation. However, it recruits and hires teachers, administrators, and support staff from all walks of life.
OneSchool Global aims to prepare students who are life-ready, focusing on developing learners who know how to learn effectively. It is characterized by its innovative approach to education, delivered through cutting-edge, technology-empowered physical and digital learning environments.
OneSchool Global employs non-brethren faculty to teach state-sanctioned, wholly non-religious curriculum through cutting-edge technological and teaching methods — regularly producing test scores well above state averages in the process.
It places a premium on training, and its in-house teacher academy provides teacher training programs that are second to none. Present and former students consistently report a supportive, uplifting work environment, with small class sizes and proven academic performance.
The development includes plans for a school store , to be available to students and their family members. It is unique in its operation as it relies on volunteers to run the store and is one of the methods of fundraising for the school.
Contrary to unfounded and baseless rumors spread by opponents of the PBCC, there will be absolutely no alcoholic products sold in the new school store.
