The faith of the Church of the Brethren rests on the life and teachings of Jesus. The founders of the Church of the Brethren took note of Jesus’s humble life and his teachings on the dangers of wealth. Jesus told his followers, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). He notably warned his disciples that it would be more difficult for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom of heaven than it would be to fit a camel through the eye of a needle after instructing a wealthy man to sell everything he owned and give the money to the poor (Matthew 19).

The Brethren believe that a focus on wealth impedes our ability to live as God calls us to live. We hope to instead place our focus on serving God and serving others. God charges us with caring for those in need, and it is our belief that we can only do so by taking on lives of simplicity.