Exclusive Plymouth Brethren

The sect leads a life of separation from the non-community world “worldlies” the separation includes not breaking bread (eating) with those outside of their community, no TV, restricted books & internet access, not attending University in person, not working for non-brethren companies or in the public sector. This has led to brethren members running their own companies, some of these businesses have become highly successful. There are brethren companies that employ non-community workers, though separation is evident in the workplace. They do not allow Union membership.
 
In terms of membership of the community, we estimate that 99%+ are born into the brethren. They attend non-community schools until 6-7 years old, and then move to the brethren operated schools (OneSchool Global). On leaving school they will then work for a brethren owned business. Brethren are not allowed to date or marry outside of the community, without leaving the community. They are unable to visit pubs or restaurants. Holidays and marriage must have approval by elders or in certain cases the by the Man of God, Bruce Hales. They must live in detached properties and can only purchase properties with the approval of the local elders.
 
They live in communities that range from 50 to 500 members. The communities will be formed by a small number of extended families. In the UK they have circa ninety communities from Aberdeen to St Austell.
 
In this report we will highlight concerns surrounding the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. These concerns include abuse, bullying, coercion, lobbying, separation of families.

Meeting Rooms

Each community has Meeting rooms, the larger communities will have more than one meeting room, on average there is a meeting room for every 35 to 40 members.
 
Each community will operate these under a Gospel Trust, which is usually a registered charity. The raising of funds is through donations from the community members and the brethren member owned businesses, there are also central brethren charities which support funding of these meetings rooms and the building of new meeting rooms.
 
The brethren must attend meetings several times a day, including 3 times on a Sunday for the
Lord’s meeting. Many communities have meeting rooms that can hold 500-1000 people, which is usually at odds with the size of the community.

Charities

The Plymouth Brethren have central charities. Along with the Gospel & Educational trusts, the 18,000 brethren in the UK have around 200 registered UK charities. The total assets of these charities total between £300 and £400 million.
The charities support various parts of the brethren ‘ecosystem’, they include:
 
The Grace Trust: Main brethren charity, distributes funds, with OSG, RRT, CHART, NAF the major beneficiaries.

Rapid Relief Team (RRT): PR front of the brethren, supplying free catering to emergency services & events.

Central Hardship & Relief Trust (CHART): Distributes funds to brethren members in need of support.

Central G H Trust: Main meeting room charity, distributes funds to Gospel Trusts for new meeting rooms.

Bible & Gospel Trust: The printing and control of meeting room material, and

National Assistance Fund (NAF): Funded by the Grace Trust & UBT, the NAF appears to be taking over some of the funding responsibilities previously undertaken by the Grace Trust.

Business

Due to the separation of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, members are not allowed to work for non-brethren owned companies or any public organization, including the emergency services or government. The brethren members have over time built many businesses covering different sectors. We have found circa 1,500 companies registered to the 18,000 members of the PBCC in the UK.
 
These companies have assets of over £2 billion. Turning over an estimated £4 billion per annum. Research shows that approximately 100 of these companies benefitted from local and national government Covid contracts, with the majority having no previous track record in the PPE or Testing sectors.
 
This was split between PPE and Lateral Flow Tests/Rapid Antigen Tests, with an awarded value in the region of £2.6 billion. We can also show that circa 85% of the £2.6 billion was linked to members of Hales family in Sydney. Globally the contracts awarded total over £3.1 billion with large contracts in the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.

Schools

OneSchool Global will usually operate a campus that covers 2 or 3 communities with free transport provided to the schools. The schools charge circa £3,750 per annum per pupil, there is support available for poorer brethren families.
 
There will be an educational trust for each school, and this will again usually be a registered charity, this trust will own the school buildings and operate a trading company as a fundraiser. This will usually encompass a local convenience store/mini supermarket under the Campus & Co brand. Members are strongly encouraged to use these stores for their grocery requirements. All the stores are operated by unpaid volunteers, usually the female brethren members. The UK turnover is for Campus & Co is over £30 million a year.
 
OneSchool Global, is managed and controlled from a central office and will provide the curriculum and the staffing. 

Controversy

The exclusive Plymouth Brethren are controversial in their practice of separation. The allegations of ex-brethren members are substantial, and their voice is rarely heard.
 
It is difficult to understand for the wider public & government that over 99% of the brethren community are born into the brethren, they are educated in brethren schools, they do not attend college or university, they are protected from social media and the news, they can not attend restaurants or watch TV and they can’t associate with non-brethren members. Their families are in the brethren, they attend the brethren meeting rooms numerous times a week. When they leave the brethren schools, they work in brethren owned companies. They shop in brethren ran shops. They are groomed to stay in the brethren and are informed that the world outside the brethren, is the world of the devil. Their future wife or husband will need approval of church elders, they will need approval of where they can live and where they can travel. Access to computers & mobile phones will come with strict controls on what they can access.
 
Leaving the brethren is difficult, it involves a leap into an alien world, leaving your job, your home, and your family. Imagine having no support network, no friends, no family, giving up your job, walking away from your home and your family, to survive in a world that, all your life you have been told is hell!
 
Under the safety net of religion, very few politicians and journalists are brave enough to investigate alleged brethren issues. The leadership of the church are reputed to advocate the use of legal options to silence criticism.
 
Grooming someone from birth, making it extremely difficult to leave and having control over all aspects of their lives, is this just coercion and abuse?
 
The stories that the brave ex-brethren members share is heartbreaking and often involve abuse, bullying, alcoholism, coercion, misogyny, homophobia, mental health issues and separation from their families. They talk about how the leadership has now become all about financial success and they talk about how the bible is manipulated to fit the leader’s narrative. A leader who actively encourages political lobbying.

Political Involvement

Due to the doctrine around God choosing the direction of travel, the brethren members do not vote. It is therefore surprising to see how under the current leader Bruce Hales they have been involved in a number of lobbying and election influencing controversies. In Australia with their support for the Liberal Party. In Canada and the UK with their support for the Conservative parties. In New Zealand with their support for the National Party. In the USA supporting Republicans and probably the oddest in Sweden with their own funded political campaign. It is also widely reported that the Brethren have assisted many UK Conservative candidates with leaflet drops and they were also involved with the ill-fated Young Britons Foundation. 

Overview

​The brethren members companies fund UBT, the members buy their shopping from Campus & Co, which in turn fund OneSchool Global (the brethren schools). The members donate to fund the costs of the meeting rooms. It is a commercial structure with the aim of being a self funding ecosystem.

The cost to run the meeting rooms & schools is circa £75 million per year. The brethren use a charity called the Rapid Relief Team (RRT) to assist as evidence of public benefit, which in turn helps them keep their charitable status. The RRT is mainly funded by the brethren charity called the Grace Trust. In financials terms the amount given back to non brethren is circa £1.5 million a year, the charitable status to the brethren is worth approximately £20 million to £40 million a year.

It is a controversial sect, we would say it certainly meets the criteria of a 'cult'. Members are born into the brethren, and brought up in a brethren environment, which restricts access to the wider world. Ex-members tell stories of abuse, coercive control, dependency on anti depressants & alcohol and the constant breaking up of families. They report that there are controls on the internet, travel, where they work & live, UBT interference in their companies and that they are not allowed televisions or radios. The structure shows misogynistic tendencies with only the men as trustees of church, meeting rooms & brethren charities, women are often non paid labourers in shops & for the RRT.

The brethren are not permitted to work as nurses, doctors, police, firefighters. They can't work as civil servants or attend universities in person. In our opinion the brethren leadership control members, closing them off to the world and do not contribute to greater good of our society, yet use our system for their own financial benefit.

Why it Matters?

Coercion
Coercion from birth, through education, to employment, with restrictions on freedom and choice appears to not sit well in a modern democratic society.

Separation
The separation doctrine for those that have chosen to be free and to venture into an 'alien world' is having a devastating impact on their family relationships.

Charity
The excessive use of charitable status to support the delivery of coercion and separation, whilst financially benefitting the extreme wealth of current members appears unjust.

Litigation
The ability of a wealthy few, supported by the financial benefit of charitable status, to silence those that oppose the extreme doctrines and coercion of the brethren. Often using religious persecution as part of their justification.

Abuse (Cults in general)
The potential protection that is provided for abusers in a secretive 'cults' can lead to vulnerable coerced members being at the risk of physical and sexual abuse. Alongside the wider mental health issues and the impact where a sect may have both alcohol and depression issues.

Media Pack

Background information on the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church

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