Two by Twos

The Truth, Two by Twos
Old photograph depicting three bearded men seated outdoors on a bench with the man in the center holding a small dog
Prominent early Two by Twos preachers.
Left to right: William Gill, William Irvine, George Walker.
Classification
PolityEpiscopal
RegionWorldwide
FounderWilliam Irvine[1]
OriginOctober 1897 (127 years ago) (1897-10)[2]
Ireland
Separations
Members
  • 300–370+ thousand (1990–1998)
  • 1–4 million (1964–1984)[A]
Tax statusunknown
Other name(s)
  • The Truth
  • The Way
  • Workers and Friends
  • Christian Conventions
  • Cooneyites
  • Assemblies of Christians
  • The Meetings
  • The Friends
  • The Brethren
  • and additional
Official websitenone

Two by Twos (also known as The Truth and The Way) is an international, home-based Christian new religious movement that has its origins in Ireland at the end of the 19th century. The church has no official name; among members, the church is more usually referred to as "The Truth", "Meetings", or "the workers and friends", but when pressed, members deny any official church name. Those outside the church refer to it as "Two by Twos", "The Black Stockings", "No-name Church", "Cooneyites", "Workers and Friends", or "Christians Anonymous". The church's 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 organization names are used only for registration purposes and are not used by members.

The church was founded in 1897 in Ireland by William Irvine, an evangelist with the interdenominational Faith Mission. Irvine soon began independently preaching that the itinerant ministry set forth in Matthew 10 remains the only valid method of evangelism. Church growth was rapid, spreading outside Ireland. Irvine eventually began preaching a new order in which the hierarchy that had developed within the church would have no placement. This teaching became controversial within the church and led to his expulsion by church overseers around 1914. One of the church's most prominent evangelists, Edward Cooney, was expelled a decade after Irvine. The church then became much less visible to outsiders for the next half-century. Publication of several articles and books, increased news coverage, and the appearance of the Internet have since opened the church to wider scrutiny.

Some in the church assert that it is a direct continuation of the 1st-century Christian church. Others in the church believe that a restoration occurred in the late 19th century. Church ministers are itinerant and work in pairs, hence the name "Two by Twos". Members hold regular twice-weekly worship gatherings in local homes on Sunday and midweek. The church also holds annual regional conventions, also for members, and public Gospel meetings. Baptism by immersion as performed by one of the church's workers is required for participation in the partaking of the emblems of bread and wine in the fellowship gathering. The orthodox Christian Trinitarian doctrine is rejected. Doctrine of the church teaches that salvation is reached by attending the group's home meetings, accepting the preaching of its itinerant, unsalaried ministry workers, and "professing". (See Terminology). The Two by Twos teach that salvation is not achieved through faith alone, but only through a combination of faith and "works". Works are considered acts of self-denial such as wearing modest skirts and long hair in a bun, or attending all meetings regardless of how far away they are. The church does not do any outreach programs or encourage its members to participate in charities.

The church does not acknowledge an official headquarters or official publications. The church does not explicitly publish any doctrinal statements, insisting that such tenets may only be directly imparted orally by its ministers, referred to as "workers". Its hymnbook and various other materials for internal use are produced by outside publishers and printing firms. Printed invitations and advertisements for its open gospel meetings are the only written materials that those outside the church are likely to encounter.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference founder was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference founded date was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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