This is an automatic translation pending correction
INDEPENDENT ASSEMBLIES
From the formation of the established churches in apostolic times, all undeniably proven as independent of each other through the entire text of the New Testament epistles and Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, there was polarization of churches around the most influential men oversight of individual churches are organized giving the general supervision of the bishops of their regional group, they in turn chose a leader, or archbishop, who became the supreme authority, functional and doctrinal.
These groups claimed to be the "church of Christ" on earth, and those who refused to submit to them were persecuted and eliminated, being labeled as "heretics." Joined also the political powers to pressure the people to submit to his government and the civil and religious. To facilitate the enforcement of their heresies hid the Bible from the public.
Thus the local churches have lost the biblical principle of having as its head the Lord Jesus, and give freedom to the Holy Spirit to make every local church to His temple, and give gifts to each of its members to serve it (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 27, 30), to guide members in their service (Luke 2:27, 4:1, Acts 16:6-7) and to be himself the power for this service (Acts 1: 8, 2:4, 1 Corinthians 2:4).
As a result of the "Reformation" and the consequent spread of Bible translation from the oldest documents in their original languages ??were emerging more and more church organizations that call themselves "churches," moving away from older and approaching more of biblical teachings. Unfortunately clericalism remained largely a political union, and many other vices that permeated the old.
Let's now skip the seventeen centuries during which the independent churches that remain, and others that emerged during that time, were trampled, destroyed or absorbed by these church organizations, and give a very brief account of how they came to gather some of the many Saints keen to return to the principles taught in the New Testament, again forming genuine independent churches in recent times.
In Scotland in the late 18th century, two brothers from a wealthy family and well-connected, Robert and James Alexander Haldane, the national church of Scotland (Presbyterian), turned and began to diligently study the Scriptures. James married and started having worship at home, where he taught the family. Realized this was pleasant and edifying for himself and that was how the Lord has prepared for public speaking.
Although no sort of minister, began preaching the Gospel with others in small congregations where the minister could not attend. They themselves wrote pamphlets for distribution. Eventually took borrowed church buildings to have their meetings.
In response, the Synod of the Church of Scotland forbade preaching by persons not licensed by it, and this was accompanied by other synods. James Haldane and his companions did not listen and called the duty of every Christian to prevent sinners to flee from the wrath to come and point to Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. They emphasized justification by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, without works.
Finally they separated the Church of Scotland, because they could not unite with people who expressed that they had never been converted, and started to meet only with those who had evidence to be children of God. Gathered a church in Edinburgh, which started with 300 members and has grown quickly. One of his first acts was to recognize James Haldane as his "shepherd." Robert Haldane arranged large meeting places (they called "tabernacles"), both in Edinburgh and in other places where churches met.
They began to follow the example and teaching of the Scriptures, celebrating the Lord's Supper every Sunday, ceased to pass "harvest" during the general meetings, but members contributed what they could. This was being introduced gradually, as they understood better the will of the Lord according to the Scriptures, as if without human intervention, the Holy Spirit will provide a variety of ministers and ministries, they had the great joy of check what happened.
Eventually James became convinced that infant baptism had no biblical basis, and others with him. Not everyone agreed, and so there was an amicable separation that some congregations retained infant baptism, others baptize by immersion those who were converted, while others practiced both, some members left, returning to the Church of Scotland and other denominations.
There were thus called Congregational churches, which emphasized the right and responsibility of each congregation organized properly to govern itself without having to submit to the judgment of an authority higher than human, thus eliminating bishops and presbyteries. In them there was a strong belief in the sovereignty of God and the priesthood of all believers. Each individual church was autonomous and independent.
In many parts of the world continued to exist and appear new congregations of believers seeking to just stick to the Scriptures. In the early 19th century Northern Irish one named Alexander Campbell, minister of the Presbyterian church, emigrated to Philadelphia in the United States. Upon arriving, he joined a Presbyterian church there, but was surprised to see that there were deep splits in the Presbyterian churches, and was even criticized for receiving the Lord's Supper Presbyterians who did not belong to the circle where it was.
By defending its position based on the Scriptures, was treated with hostility to the point of taking it to move away from that church. But he continued his ministry apart, and people from various denominations gathered to his congregation, unhappy with the hostility that existed between the various churches. He preached that marriage was only possible through a return to the teachings of the Bible, and made them realize that the struggles and dissensions within the church come as a result of theories and religious systems outside of the Scriptures, and to have fellowship was necessary "when talking Scriptures speak, keep silent when the Scriptures are silent. "
With the experience of communion and the hostility of the churches of origin, all decided to come together as one church strictly obeying what the New Testament teaching, and nothing more. The church was formed in 1811 without any denomination, with thirty members, of whom appointed a priest and some deacons.
They found that the early church had a plurality of elders, extinguished the distinction between "clergy" and "laity", started to have the Lord's Supper every Sunday and baptize only believers by immersion (Alexander Campbell himself, his wife, parents and sister were baptized in 1812), and the church was blessed, growing and evangelizing other and thus forming assemblies.
The same happened in Russia, as has occurred throughout the world, and were dubbed the "Nazarenes" being much persecuted by the Orthodox Church there reigning.
Arose spontaneously in 1827 in England something similar. One of the pioneers in Plymouth was a dentist named Anthony Groves, a dedicated evangelist, and he formed a large church in that locality. The members called themselves "brothers" among themselves, and spread the Gospel in other locations. Since no one wanted to adopt the name came to be known as "Plymouth Brethren", so they, like many other members of independent churches like that.
The Gospel in its simplicity has to be preached in halls (often called "Gospel Halls") and outdoors, forming churches based solely and entirely on biblical teaching, without clerical or rituals, but obeying the ordinances of baptism ( by immersion) and the Lord's Supper. The churches have multiplied, while maintaining their independence from each other, and sent missionaries throughout the world, including Brazil, to preach the Gospel of Christ, not to take for themselves any denomination.
In Brazil, the denominational churches often confuse members of those churches with an exclusive sect, which they call "darbista." It is true that the founder of this sect, an Anglican minister, of great erudition, named John Nelson Darby, participated in the formation of these churches. He made a translation of the Bible from the original texts still considered excellent, and developed a fruitful ministry of evangelization and education.
But Darby did not abandon infant baptism, the practice of the Anglican Church, and held that local churches should have a leader and to submit to a central authority. He had other theories about the early church that separated him from the common understanding of most New Testament churches. Eventually cut off communion with the churches that did not admit their ideas, and became the proprietor of the churches that followed, introducing them strict discipline and forbidding communion with any church, denominational or independent.
Their churches, so were the churches being known as "exclusive brethren" or "darbistas." Darby sadly departed in the opposite direction of Campbell: it brought together believers who understood what was right to meet in the name of Christ only, leaving the religious institutions of various denominations to return only to the teaching of the New Testament, while Darby created the their own institution, bringing together under the authority of the congregations that followed him.