History

The title church in Dublin is derived from the practice of the early churches at the time of the apostles. In reading the New Testament, one can see that the churches met in the Lord’s name and according to the name of the city in which the church was located. For example, Paul’s letter in 1st Corinthians is addressed to the “church of God which is in Corinth”. Also, he wrote to the “church of the Thesalonians,” to “the saints who are in Ephesus” and so forth.

Based on this principle, and in order to safeguard the oneness among all believers in Dublin, the church here simply meets as “the church”, located in Dublin, thus, the “church in Dublin”. This does not mean we are the only believers that are in the church. All believers in Christ comprise the church as described in the Bible. But we have chosen not to meet in another name, such as Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic, etc. Yet we love all of our fellow believers however they choose to meet.

Our hope is that by not “denominating” ourselves, this provides a way for believers here to simply meet in oneness. We aim to continue in the pattern of the Book of Acts; “And day by day continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46).

So in a real sense, the church in Dublin has its roots in the early church of the New Testament. We do understand from a review of church history that this early experience of a “house to house” church life was lost through the rise of a hierarchical system, based on clergy-laity. And so this system has persisted to the present. Meanwhile, a lesser known move of the Lord developed through the years, reaching a high point with the raising up of the brothers in Dublin (later known as “the Brethren”), in 1825. These brothers, many of whom were Trinity College graduates, realised denominations are not Scriptural because the Lord desires that his people would be one (John 17:21-23). They broke bread and met in the Lord’s name, dropping all other titles. As a result, the Lord poured out the blessing through the opening of His Word. It has been said that the revelation obtained by the brothers in these years exceeded that of the more famous Reformation period.

In many ways, the Brethren serve as a pattern, yet the Lord continues to speak through His Word and unroll the scroll (Rev. 5), and now in the 21st Century, we seek to make ourselves ready for the Lord’s return.

In more recent years, a group of students gathered in Dublin with the desire to seek the Lord and to do His will. After graduation, as they commenced professional careers, and in fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ, a number gathered to establish the church in Dublin in 2005. Since that time, the church has grown to about 50 adults, with another 20 or more children and students.

After the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, about 20 brothers and sisters migrated to Dublin as “refugees”. To us, they are our brothers and sisters. They have added a new dimension to our church family and the church is blessed with their presence.

If you desire to be in fellowship with born again believers, enjoying the unsearchable riches of Christ, and practising a “house to house” church life, we welcome you!