Resources about the Bruderhof

The Bruderhof is a church community of Christians who, inspired by the early church, share all money and possessions. The Bruderhof, which is comprised of families and singles, has been in existence since 1920, and today has community locations in the United States, England, Germany, Austria, South Korea, Australia, and Paraguay.

This page is a collection of media about the Bruderhof and its history, beliefs, and activities. The material is comprised of books, articles, and other media by historians, sociologists, and journalists as well as by members of the Bruderhof.

Featured resources…

  • Community of Brothers

    Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, describes her 1955 visit to the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, NY.

    Download PDF

    Day, Dorothy. “Community of Brothers.” The Catholic Worker 22:5 (December 1955): 1, 7. .

  • Holding Up a Mirror to the Christian World and Asking, “Why Not This?”

    Foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, to Another Life is Possible, a book published to coincide with the Bruderhof’s centenary.

    Read online

    Williams, Rowan. Foreword to Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together. Walden, NY: Plough, 2020.

  • A Way in the Wilderness

    Describes the early years of the relationship between Danthonia Bruderhof and their neighbors in New South Wales, Australia.

    Read online

    Voll, Norann. “A Way in the Wilderness: How Prayers for a Boy Brought Reconciliation to a Land.” “The Globe” 1 (2022). Special issue of Christianity Today.

  • Communal Village

    An informational short by British Pathé from 1959 about the Wheathill Bruderhof in Shropshire, England, showing community life, farming, and education.

    View on YouTube

    Cite this: “Communal Village.” Produced by Pathé News (UK). Cinematic newsreel. February 11, 1959.

  • The Dissolution of the Rhön Bruderhof in Germany

    An eyewitness account of the Gestapo raid that ended the Bruderhof’s existence in Germany in 1937.

    Download PDF

    Meier, Hans. “The Dissolution of the Rhön Bruderhof in Germany.” Mennonite Historical Bulletin 46:3 (1980): 1–6.

  • Life Among the Bruderhof

    An interview with Clare Stober, now Creative Director of Plough Publishing, telling how and why she joined the Bruderhof.

    Listen online

    Dault, David, host. “Life Among the Bruderhof: Clare Stober.” Things Not Seen: Conversations about Faith and Culture (podcast). September 20, 2020.

 Table of Contents

BELIEFS

What Bruderhof members believe

The three documents listed below provide an authoritative overview of the beliefs of Bruderhof members. They should be read together with the other material linked in this section.

  • Foundations of Our Faith & Calling

    A public account of the Bruderhof’s faith and practice, published by the Bruderhof in 2012.

    Read online

    The Bruderhof. Foundations of Our Faith & Calling. Rifton, New York: Plough, 2012.

  • Why We Live in Community

    A brief manifesto calling for life in community as a response to the words of Jesus. Written in 1926 for the first Bruderhof community.

    Get the book (Free download available)

    Arnold, Eberhard. Why We Live in Community. Walden, New York: Plough, 2016.

  • Confession of Faith

    Written in prison from 1540–1542, this is Anabaptist elder Peter Riedemann’s account of the biblical basis of the understanding of Christian faith of the Radical Reformers.

    Buy the book

    Riedemann, Peter. Peter Riedemann’s Hutterite Confession of Faith. Edited and translated by John Friesen. Walden, New York: Plough, 2019.

 More…

On the thought and writings of Eberhard Arnold

Eberhard Arnold was a German pastor and theologian who, together with his wife Emmy and her sister Else von Hollander, founded the Bruderhof in Germany in 1920. As a public speaker, publisher, and author, he addressed social and political problems in the light of the gospel.

The complete writings of Eberhard Arnold are available on EberhardArnold.com, and an extensive bibliography can be found here. His most important printed works including Innerland: A Guide into the Heart and Soul of the Gospel, The Early Christians, Why We Live In Community, Salt and Light, and God’s Revolution, are published by Plough.

BELIEFS

  • Beyond Pacifism

    Seven theses on Christian nonviolence, selected from Eberhard Arnold’s talks and writings.

    Read online

    Arnold, Eberhard. “Beyond Pacifism: Seven Theses on Christian Nonviolence.” Plough Quarterly 27 (March 2021). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/beyond-pacifism-seven-theses-on-christian-nonviolence.

  • Eberhard Arnold and Karl Barth

    A short overview of the interaction and dialogue between Eberhard Arnold and Karl Barth.

    Read online

    Baum, Markus and Nauerth, Thomas. “Eberhard Arnold and Karl Barth.” www.eberhardarnold.com.

  • The Gathered Life

    Excerpts from Eberhard Arnold’s talks and writings on living in community.

    Download PDF

    Reprinted with permission from Sojourners, (800) 714-7474, www.sojo.net

    From the same issue: “In Pursuit of Jesus” – Bruderhof members share their memories of Eberhard Arnold.

    Arnold, Eberhard. “The Gathered Life.” Sojourners (May 1984).

  • Eberhard Arnold – A Biography and Introduction

    Written to introduce a 2012 edition of Arnold’s God’s Revolution, this is an excellent overview of his life and thought.

    Download PDF

    Yoder, John Howard. “Eberhard Arnold – an introduction” in God’s Revolution, Plough (2012).

  • Twentieth Century Apocalyptic

    John Farina, editor of the acclaimed Sources of American Spirituality series, reviews Inner Land in light of its composition during the 1930s in Germany. Eberhard Arnold considered this book to be his most important work.

    Download PDF

    Farina, John. “Twentieth Century Apocalyptic.” Review of Inner Land, by Eberhard Arnold. The Plough 14 (1986): 18–21.

  • Church as Brotherhood

    Kirche als Bruderschaft examines the Anabaptist ecclesiology of Eberhard Arnold.

    In German (No online preview)

    Stieglitz, Thomas von. "Kirche als Bruderschaft: Das hutterische Kirchenbild bei Eberhard Arnold aus heutiger katholischer Sicht." PhD diss., Paderborn, 1991.

  • About Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhofs

    Prominent German pacifist theologian Helmut Gollwitzer’s account of the witness of Eberhard Arnold and the founding and early growth of the Bruderhof. (In German)

    Download PDF

    Gollwitzer, Helmut. “Einiges zu Eberhard Arnold und den Bruderhöfen.” Neue Wege: Beiträge zu Religion und Sozialismus 82:7–8 (1988): 232–37.

  • Radical Reformation, Community, and Post-Christendom

    Study of the influence of the Bruderhof and Anabaptism on post-Christendom thinking.

    Download PDF

    Randall, Ian. “Radical Reformation, Community, and Post-Christendom.” Post-Christendom Studies 7 (2022–2023): 33–60.

  • The Communion of Saints and an Anabaptist Community: A Study of the Bruderhof

    Describes some characteristics of the Bruderhof that make it distinctive amongst Anabaptist churches, including a sense of connection with the past. Focuses on talks by Eberhard Arnold.

    Read online

    Randall, Ian M. “The Communion of Saints and an Anabaptist Community: A Study of the Bruderhof.” Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology 20:1 (2022): 59–72.

 More…

Additional Anabaptist resources

The Bruderhof is a church in the tradition of the Anabaptists of the Radical Reformation. These resources include the writings of sixteenth century Anabaptists as well as scholarship and other writings about the Bruderhof’s expression of Anabaptism in the twenty-first century.

BELIEFS

  • The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren

    Written in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, The Chronicle tells the story of this Anabaptist group from 1532 to 1665.

    Read online

    The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren. Volume 1. Edited and translated by the Hutterian Brethren [Bruderhof Communities]. Rifton, NY: Plough, 1987.

  • Classics of the Radical Reformation

    A series that includes the key writings of the radical reformers of the sixteenth century including Peter Riedemann’s Confession of Faith, writings of Pilgram Marpeck, Michael Sattler, Balthasar Hubmaier, and others.

    Get the books

    See individual volumes for publication data.

  • Apologia of 1577

    In his Great Article Book, early Hutterite bishop Peter Walpot (1521-1528) explains Anabaptist tenets of faith; two translated articles have been published.

    True Surrender and Christian Community of Goods – the full sharing of all money and possessions

    The Christian and the Sword – nonviolence and the church’s relation to government

    Walpot, Peter. True Surrender and Christian Community of Goods. Translated by Kathleen Hasenberg. Bromdon, England: Plough, 1957.

  • Brothers Unite

    Eberhard Arnold’s letters and diaries from his journey to the Hutterites of North America in 1930 and 1931.

    Read online

    Arnold, Eberhard. Brothers Unite: An Account of the Unity of Eberhard Arnold and the Rhön Bruderhof with the Hutterian Church. Rifton, NY: Plough, 1988.

  • The Bruderhof and the Hutterites in Historical Context

    A doctoral thesis on the relationship between the Bruderhof and the Hutterites up to 1995.

    Download PDF

    Barnett, Michael Cole. “The Bruderhof (Society of Brothers) and the Hutterites in Historical Context.” Ph.D. thesis, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, TX, 1995.

  • The Sermon on the Mount and the Radical Reformation

    Remarks on community in the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount and the Radical Reformation in connection with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

    Watch on YouTube and read a transcript

    Zimmerman, Chris. "The Bruderhof: Community in the Spirit of the Sermon on the Mount and of the Radical Reformation." Speech at Stadthaus Wittenberg, November 3, 2017.

  • The Church We Need Now

    Considers the Anabaptist witness in light of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

    Read online

    Mommsen, Peter. “The Church We Need Now: Why the Anabaptist Vision Matters.” Plough Quarterly 14 (Autumn 2017). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/anabaptists/the-church-we-need-now.

  • The Bruderhof and the State

    Written to mark the Bruderhof’s centenary, a lawyer who is a member reflects on how a Christian community interacts with government according to Anabaptist principles.

    Read online

    Huleatt, John. “The Bruderhof and the State.” Plough Quarterly 24 (March 2020). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/the-bruderhof-and-the-state.

  • By Water: The Felix Manz Story

    The son of a priest and a prostitute, Felix Manz was the first Anabaptist martyr. His story is told here in the style of a graphic novel.

    Get the book

    Landsel, Jason. By Water: The Felix Manz Story. Walden, NY: Plough, 2023.

 More…

Ecumenical dialogue with the Catholic Church

During the Reformation, Anabaptist churches were persecuted by the Catholic Church, with thousands of Anabaptist martyrs dying for their faith. In a series of dialogues and ecumenical ventures since the 1990s, a relationship of fraternal love has been formed between the Bruderhof and members of the Catholic church.

BELIEFS

  • Disciples Together

    Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, and Bruderhof elder Johann Christoph Arnold, met in Rome in 1995 to discuss the history of Catholic-Anabaptist relations and a vision for the future.

    Download PDF

    Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal, and Johann Christoph Arnold. “Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and the Bruderhof: A Conversation.” Partial transcript of conversation on June 24, 1995, in Rome.

  • Educating for the Kingdom: An Address to High School Students and Staff

    Remarks of Gerhard Cardinal Müller to the Bruderhof’s Mount Academy.

    Read online

    Read also Plough Quarterly’s interview with Cardinal Müller “Being Obedient to Christ” and see a short video of his visit to Woodcrest Bruderhof.

    Müller, Gerhard Cardinal. “Educating for the Kingdom: An Address to High School Students and Staff.” Plough Quarterly (September 22, 2017). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/education/educating-for-the-kingdom.

  • Catholic-Bruderhof Talks Begin Officially

    A report on Catholic-Bruderhof talks, with an emphasis on the two groups’ shared values.

    Download PDF

    “Catholic-Bruderhof Talks Begin Officially.” Pittsburgh Catholic, October 17, 1997, p. 3.

  • A Call to Purity

    A joint statement of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the Bruderhof Communities regarding a shared understanding of marriage.

    Read online

    Dolan, Timothy Cardinal and Johann Christoph Arnold. "A Call to Purity: A Joint Statement of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the Bruderhof Communities September 22, 2014." Plough Quarterly (September 2014). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/marriage/a-call-to-purity.

  • Austria: Commemoration of the Anabaptist Persecution

    Vatican announcement of reconciliation conference of Bruderhof and Archdiocese of Vienna on November 21, 2021 explaining the history of Catholic persecution of Anabaptists and establishment of new Bruderhof communities in Austria.

    Read online (German)

    “Österreich: Historisches Gedenken an Täuferverfolgung.” Vatican News, November 19, 2021. https://www.vaticannews.va/de/kirche/news/2021-11/taeufer-wien-stephansdom-reform-kirche-schoenborn-verfolgung.html.

  • Ecumenical Gathering Remembering the Coptic Martyrs

    Remarks by Cardinal Schönborn commemorating the Coptic martyrs in Libya and welcoming the Bruderhof community into Austria.

    Read online (German)

    “Ökumenischer Empfang im Gedenken an koptische Märtyrer.” Vatican News, October 22, 2020. https://www.vaticannews.va/de/kirche/news/2020-01/oesterreich-oekumene-empfang-schoenborn-geburtstag-maertyrer.html.

  • Die Bruderliebe soll bleiben

    Historian Thomas Nauerth describes the joint prayer service with the Archdiocese of Vienna and the Bruderhof.

    Download PDF (German)

    Nauerth, Thomas. “Die Bruderliebe soll bleiben.” Die Brücke (January 2022): 34–35.

  • Let Brotherly Love Remain

    Remarks made by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Bruderhof senior pastor Heinrich Arnold, historian Eduard Geissler, and Bruderhof member Cari Boller at a gathering in Vienna in November 2021 to commemorate the martyrs of the Radical Reformation.

    Read online

    Schönborn, Christoph Cardinal, Heinrich Arnold, Eduard Geissler, and Cari Boller. “Let Brotherly Love Remain.” Plough Quarterly 31 (March 2022). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/let-brotherly-love-remain.

  • Disciples Together: Archbishop Dolan visits the Bruderhof, stresses shared Christianity

    Notes on the relationship between the Archdiocese of New York and the Bruderhof, following a visit of Cardinal Dolan in August 2010. Read online

    See also the videos from August 2012, July 2015, and October 2020.

    And read Catholic New York’s report of 1997 visit of John Cardinal O’Connell to Woodcrest.

    McDonnell, Claudia. “Disciples Together: Archbishop Dolan Visits the Bruderhof, Stresses Shared Christianity.” Plough (website). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/disciples-together. Originally published in Catholic New York, August 27, 2010.

Theological reflections

Resources giving further detail on the beliefs and practices of the Bruderhof.

BELIEFS

  • Christians and War, Community of Goods

    Book reviews on topics such as Christians participating in war, and the Christian community of goods.

    Download PDF

    Kathleen Hasenberg and Llewelyn Harris. "Christians and War, Community of Goods" Christian Living, December 1957.

  • Ontological Obedience

    Examines Bonhoeffer’s hermeneutics of nonviolence in light of the Bruderhof community.

    Download PDF

    Bezner, Steven. “Ontological Obedience: Examining Bonhoeffer’s Hermeneutics of Nonviolence in Light of the Bruderhof Community.” Paper presented to the "Bonhoeffer: Theology and Social Analysis" Group, AAR, Atlanta, GA, November 22–25, 2003.

  • Discipleship as a Missionary Strategy

    This essay examines the Bruderhof approach to mission and the education of children and youth in the community.

    Download PDF

    Yoder, John Howard. "Discipleship as a Missionary Strategy." In Radical Christian Discipleship. Edited by John C. Nugent et al. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2012.

  • Church Community is a Gift of the Holy Spirit

    Ian Randall of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide explores the Bruderhof's understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in church community.

    Read online

    Randall, Ian M. “Church Community is a Gift of the Holy Spirit”: The Spirituality of the Bruderhof Community. Oxford, UK: Regent’s Park College, 2014.

  • Why Community is Dangerous

    Interview with theologian Stanley Hauerwas on the necessities and dangers of life in Christian community, with reference to the Bruderhof.

    Read online

    Hauerwas, Stanley. “Why Community is Dangerous.” Plough Quarterly 9 (May 2016). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/why-community-is-dangerous.

  • Changing the Church in a Changing World

    A Bruderhof member looks at alternatives to the cult of individualism.

    Read online

    Hibbs, Bernard. “Changing the Church in a Changing World.” Bruderhof (blog), January 22, 2018. https://www.bruderhof.com/changing-the-church-in-a-changing-world.

  • A Life that Answers War: The Story of Conscientious Objection and the Bruderhof

    Scott Button discusses the Bruderhof’s understanding of pacifism, a key tenet of Anabaptism, through the story of his grandfather.

    Read online

    Button, Scott. “A Life that Answers War: The Story of Conscientious Objection and the Bruderhof.” Plough Quarterly 27 (March 2021). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/a-life-that-answers-war.

HISTORY

Academic and journalistic books

  • Against the Wind

    A biography of Eberhard Arnold which doubles as a history of the first years of the Bruderhof. Originally published in German as Stein Des Anstoßes: Eberhard Arnold, 1883–1935 by Brendow Verlag, 1996.

    Get the book (Free download available)

    Baum, Markus. Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof. Rifton, New York: Plough, 1998.

  • Witness, Love, and Resistance: The Rhön Bruderhof 1933 – 1937

    Zeugnis, Liebe und Widerstand: Der Rhönbruderhof 1933 – 1937 is German scholar Thomas Nauerth’s authoritative work on the Bruderhof’s experience in Nazi Germany. Forthcoming soon in English.

    Buy the book (in German)

    Nauerth, Thomas. Zeugnis, Liebe und Widerstand: Der Rhönbruderhof 1933–1937. Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh, 2018.

  • An Embassy Besieged: The Story of a Christian Community in Nazi Germany

    A chronological account of the Bruderhof’s confrontation with the Third Reich from 1933 to 1937, by the Bruderhof senior archivist.

    Download PDF

    Barth, Emmy. An Embassy Besieged: The Story of a Christian Community in Nazi Germany. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2010.

  • The Ways and Power of Love

    A chapter about the Bruderhof from the classic book by Pitirim A. Sorokin, then head of the Harvard Research Center in Creative Altruism.

    Download PDF

    Sorokin, Pitirim A. The Ways and Power of Love: Types and Techniques of Moral Transformation. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1954.

  • A Christian Peace Experiment: The Bruderhof in England, 1933 - 1972

    British historian Ian Randall puts the Cotswold Bruderhof in the context of the British peace movement in the years prior to World War II.

    Buy the book

    Randall, Ian M. A Christian Peace Experiment: The Bruderhof Community in England, 1933–1942. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2018.

  • The Stranger in Our Midst: An Account of the Development of the Cotswold Bruderhof near Cirencester

    Historian Peter Grace tells the story of how a community of Germans found a home in rural England in the years before World War II.

    Download PDF

    Grace, Peter. “The Stranger in Our Midst: An Account of the Development of the Cotswold Bruderhof near Cirencester.” Unpublished manuscript, 2007.

  • The Utopians: Six Attempts to Build the Perfect Society

    Scholar and historian Anna Neima includes a chapter on the Bruderhof, contextualizing its history among other communitarian experiments of the early twentieth century.

    Buy the book

    Neima, Anna. The Utopians: Six Attempts to Build the Perfect Society. New York: Picador, 2021.

  • No Heavenly Delusion? A Comparative Study of Three Communal Movements

    Analyzes three movements of communal living, the Kibbutz, the Bruderhof, and the Integrierte Gemeinde, all of which trace their origins to the German Youth Movement of the first part of the twentieth century.

    Buy the book

    Tyldesley, Michael. No Heavenly Delusion? A Comparative Study of Three Communal Movements. Liverpool University Press, 2003.

  • Utopian England: Community Experiments

    British social scientist Dennis Hardy places the Bruderhof in the context of religious and utopian communitarians in England.

    Download PDF

    Hardy, Dennis. Utopian England: Community Experiments, 1900–1945. New York: Routledge, 2000.

  • Community for Life

    An often humorous account of an extended visit to an American Bruderhof in the 1980s by a German theologian and publisher.

    View online

    Eggers, Ulrich. Community for Life. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988.

  • Community in Paraguay

    Bob and Shirley Wagoner traveled from the US to Paraguay in 1953 to visit the Bruderhof communities there. This book consists of their letters and reports home to their friends in the Church of the Brethren.

    Download PDF

    Wagoner, Bob and Shirley. Community in Paraguay: A Visit to the Bruderhof. Rifton, NY: Plough, 1991.

  • The Witness of the Brothers

    An overview of Bruderhof history by Israeli historian and sociologist Yaacov Oved.

    View online

    Also by Yaacov Oved: Distant Brothers: The Story of the Relations between the Bruderhof and the Kibbutz

    Oved, Yaacov. The Witness of the Brothers: A History of the Bruderhof. London: Routledge, 1996.

HISTORY

Books by Bruderhof members

  • Homage to a Broken Man

    A biography of a Bruderhof author and pastor that explores difficult themes related to discipleship and a calling to church community.

    Buy the book

    Mommsen, Peter. Homage to a Broken Man: The Life of J. Heinrich Arnold. Walden, NY: Plough, 2015.

  • A Joyful Pilgrimage

    A memoir by Emmy Arnold, co-founder of the Bruderhof and wife of Eberhard Arnold, describing the Bruderhof’s founding and early years in Germany in the 1920s.

    Get the book (Free download available)

    Arnold, Emmy. A Joyful Pilgrimage: My Life in Community. Walden, NY: Plough, 2015.

  • Water at the Roots: Poems and Insights of a Visionary Farmer

    A collection of poems and writings by Philip Britts, a Bruderhof pastor, poet, and farmer who travelled with the Bruderhof from his native England to Paraguay, where he died at the age of 31.

    Get the book

    Britts, Philip. Water at the Roots: Poems and Insights of a Visionary Farmer. Edited by Jennifer Harries. Walden, NY: Plough, 2018.

  • Anni: Letters and Writings of Annemarie Wächter

    Correspondence and diaries of a young woman who left the life she knew to become a member of the Bruderhof.

    Get the book (Free download available)

    Wright, Marianne and Albertz, Erna, eds. Anni: Letters and Writings of Annemarie Wächter. Walden, NY: Plough, 2011.

  • No Lasting Home

    An account of the Bruderhof’s forced migration from Britain to Paraguay in 1940–41 as World War II began, and the triumphs and hardships of the first years of community life there.

    Buy the book (Free download available)

    Barth, Emmy. No Lasting Home: A Year in the Paraguayan Wilderness. Walden, New York: Plough, 2009.

  • Outcast but Not Forsaken

    The story of Maria Weiss, a Bruderhof member who spent decades in a South American leper colony from the 1940s to 1960s.

    Buy the book

    Burn, Maureen. Outcast but Not Forsaken: True Stories from a Paraguayan Leper Colony. Farmington, PA: Plough, 1986.

  • My Search

    In this memoir, Josef Ben-Eliezer, who was born into a Jewish family in Poland, describes how he survived the Holocaust, fought in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and then joined the Bruderhof, where he long served as a pastor.

    Buy the book

    Ben-Eliezer, Josef. My Search. Rifton, New York: Plough, 2004.

  • I Put My Sword Away: An Iraqi Soldier's Journey from Battlefield to Brotherhood

    Memoirs of an Iraqi soldier who fled his native country as a pacifist and joined the Bruderhof.

    Buy the book

    Yousif, Yacoub. I Put My Sword Away: An Iraqi Soldier's Journey from Battlefield to Brotherhood. Walden, NY: Bruderhof Books, 2016.

  • Another Life Is Possible

    Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together was published in 2020 to coincide with the centenary of the Bruderhof. Edited by Clare Stober, this book uses the stories of one hundred Bruderhof members to show how a shared life provides answers to isolation, materialism, and inequality. Images from British photojournalist Danny Burrows bring the stories to life.

    See the foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury

    The contents of the book are available online

    Interviews with book editor Clare Stober and reviews of Another Life Is Possible are collected here. These interviews are excellent introductions to Bruderhof life.

    Buy the book

    Stober, Clare. Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together. Walden, NY: Plough, 2020.

 More…

HISTORY

Historical and sociological articles

  • Correspondence with Bonhoeffer

    Record relating to the Bruderhof’s relationship with Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the 1930s, including correspondence.

    Download PDF

    Further material in London, 1933-1935 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 13). Fortress Press, ed. Isabel Best.

    Unpublished English translation of: “Bruderhof-Korrespondenz 1934.” In Victoria Barnett et al, ed. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Jahrbuch 2:2005/2006. 75–87. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlaghaus, 2005.

  • Martin Buber and the Bruderhof Communities

    On the relationship between the Bruderhof communities and Jewish philosopher Martin Buber in the 1920s .

    Download PDF

    Tyldesley, Mike. “Martin Buber and the Bruderhof Communities.” Journal of Jewish Studies 45:2 (1994): 258–272.

  • Gustav Landauer and the Bruderhof Communities

    The influence of the Jewish pacifist and anarchist Gustav Landauer on the Bruderhof movement.

    Buy a copy (Free download available)

    Tyldesley, Mike. “Gustav Landauer and the Bruderhof Communities.” Communal Societies 16 (1996): 23-41.

  • The New Bruderhof in Germany

    A Mennonite scholar describes the first Bruderhof in Germany ten years after its founding.

    Download PDF

    Bender, Harold S. “The New Hutterite Bruderhof in Germany.” Christian Monitor (Mennonite Publishing House, PA) 1 (1931): 18.

  • Michael Horsch and the Rhön Bruderhof: From Friend to Hostile Witness to Historical Eyewitness

    Examines the role of a leading Mennonite elder in the Bruderhof’s dissolution by the Nazi regime in 1937.

    Download PDF

    Nauerth, Thomas. “Michael Horsch and the Rhön Bruderhof, 1936–1937: From Friend to Hostile Witness to Historical Eyewitness.” Mennonite Quarterly Review 91:2 (2017): 213–246.

  • The Wheathill Bruderhof, 1942-58

    Reporting on the Wheathill Bruderhof in Shropshire, England in the 1940s by an American sociologist.

    Read online (Subscription required)

    Armytage, W. H. G. “The Wheathill Bruderhof, 1942-58.” American Journal of Economics and Sociology 18:3 (1959): 285–94.

  • Why the Bruderhof is not a Cult

    Comments from Bryan R. Wilson, Reader Emeritus in Sociology at the University of Oxford and Fellow of All Souls College.

    Read online (Subscription required)

    Wilson, Bryan R. “Why the Bruderhof is not a Cult.” Unpublished manuscript, April 2001.

  • A Communal Publishing House

    Antje Vollmer, who was the vice president of Germany’ parliament from 1994 to 2005, reflects on the history of Plough Publishing House, which she researched for her doctoral thesis.

    Read online

    “A Communal Publishing House.” Plough Quarterly (Autumn 2020).

  • Hans Meier's story

    Hans Meier, a Swiss pacifist and religious socialist, joined the Bruderhof in 1932 and was one of three members imprisoned (and later released) by the Nazis. Hans helped lead the community until his death in 1992.

    The Practical, Visible Witness of Discipleship is a biographical essay on Hans Meier by Dejan Adams.

    Watch an interview with Hans Meier about his journey to the Bruderhof and escape from the Nazis. Recorded for the US Holocaust Museum oral history collection, November 1990.

    The Dissolution of the Rhön Bruderhof is Hans Meier’s eyewitness account of the Gestapo raid that ended the Bruderhof’s existence in Germany in 1937. Published 1980 in the Mennonite Historical Bulletin.

    Hans Meier Tells His Story To A Friend. In this letter, written in 1978, Hans Meier recounts his story and his life's experiences, and the history of the Bruderhof during the years about which he writes.

    Adam, Dejan. “‘The Practical, Visible Witness of Discipleship’: The Life and Convictions of Hans Meier (1902–1992).” In Counter-Cultural Communities: Baptistic Life in Twentieth-Century Europe. Edited by Keith G. Jones and Ian M. Randall. 285–342. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2008.

 More…

Journalistic coverage from the Bruderhof’s history

HISTORY

  • My Day

    Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, whose Hyde Park home is not far from the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, NY, describes a meeting with Bruderhof members in 1940, and her 1958 visit to Woodcrest, in her regular New York Post column.

    Read about meeting with Guy Johnson and Hans Meier

    Read about her visit to Woodcrest and next day’s follow-up column and two more mentions here and here.

    Roosevelt, Eleanor. “My Day.” The New York Post, September 24, 1940 and November 7 and 8, 1958.

  • Community of Brothers

    Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, describes her 1955 visit to the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, NY.

    Download PDF

    Day, Dorothy. “Community of Brothers.” The Catholic Worker 22:5 (December 1955): 1, 7. .

  • Home News – Communal Life on a Farm

    An account of the daily life, work, and school on the Cotswold Bruderhof in the late 1930s.

    Download PDF

    Whitwell, John. “Home News – Communal Life on a Farm.“ The Times, September 6, 1938.

  • They Seek for a City

    Describes the Bruderhof’s wartime journey to Paraguay from England and the foundation of the Primavera Bruderhof community.

    Download PDF

    Newbery, J. W. E. “They Seek for a City.“ The United Church Observer, November 15, 1941.

  • Brotherhood Makes Utopia in Paraguay

    An overview of the Bruderhof communities in Paraguay and their basis on the Sermon on the Mount and the Early Church.

    Download PDF

    “Brotherhood Makes Utopia in Paraguay.” Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, June 13, 1949.

  • Fundraising for Hospital in Paraguay

    Newspaper clippings from a 1952 fundraising trip from Paraguay to the US by Bruderhof member Hardy Arnold.

    Download PDF

    Dole, Kenneth. “Paraguay Hutterite Seeks Funds to Equip Hospital.” Washington Post, March 1, 1952.

  • Final Stages of His Excellency President Morinigo’s Journey

    A briefing of the Paraguayan President Morinigo’s visit to the Bruderhof on October 24, 1945. English translation notes.

    Download PDF

    “Final Stages of His Excellency President Morinigo’s Journey.” El Paraguayo, October 24, 1945.

  • Inside the Bruderhof

    A visitor to the Woodcrest community asks the question, “Outdated idea or the best hope for the church’s future?

    Download PDF

    Larson, Peter. “Inside the Bruderhof.” Prism: America’s Alternative Evangelical Voice 10:6 (November–December 2003): 22–25.

  • Life among the Bruderhof: The Way an Anabaptist Movement Embodies the Benedict Option

    Author Rod Dreher’s account of his 2017 visit to Fox Hill Bruderhof in Walden, NY.

    Read here

    This 2017 New Yorker profile of Rod Dreher concludes with a description of his visit to the Bruderhof in 2017. Read also “With the Bruderhof,” a review of Another Life is Possible and and responses from Dreher’s readers.

    Dreher, Rod. “Life among the Bruderhof.” The American Conservative, March 20, 2017. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/life-among-the-bruderhof/.

 More…

Memoirs and personal narratives by Bruderhof members

HISTORY

  • Community is Born

    Bruderhof co-founder Emmy Arnold tells the story of the Bruderhof’s founding.

    Read online

    Arnold, Emmy. “Community is Born.” Plough Quarterly (June 2020). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/community-is-born.

  • The Fate of a Christian Experiment

    A report of how Bruderhof refugees from Nazi Germany established community in Wiltshire, England in the 1930s.

    Read online

    Arnold, E. C. H. “The Fate of a Christian Experiment.” The Spectator (London), June 11, 1937.

  • The Children Who Escaped the Nazis

    A summary of the Kindertransport effort to rescue Jewish children from Nazis during World War II; includes an interview with Bruderhof member Lotte Keiderling by 8th grader Kyla Page, describing her experience as a child of the Kindertransport program.

    Download PDF

    Read “Return to Vienna: A Kindertransport Child Comes Home” for more on Lotte’s story.

    Page, Kyla. “The Children Who Escaped the Nazis.” Junior Scholastic, January 18, 2021, 25–29.

  • A Stone for Friedel

    The story of the Friedel Sondheimer, a disabled man from a Jewish family who joined the Rhön Bruderhof in 1930.

    Download PDF

    Zimmerman, Chris. "A Stone for Friedel." January 2014.

  • Kathleen Hasenberg's Letters to Her Mother

    Lively and detailed correspondence from a Bruderhof member living in Germany to her mother in England, 1934-1938.

    Download PDF

    Hasenberg, Kathleen. Letters from Kathleen Hamilton (Now Hasenberg) to Her Mother, 1934–1938. Farmington, PA: Plough, 1992.

  • Community in Britain

    This anthology of essays compiled by members of the Cotswold Bruderhof gives a detailed portrait of Britain’s diverse movements for peace and community in the 1930s.

    Download PDF

    Cotswold Bruderhof, eds. Community in Britain. England: Community Service Committee, 1938.

  • Kindle Our Hearts

    David Mow tells of his parents’ introduction and eventual move to the Bruderhof from the Church of the Brethren as well as subsequent moves of several other Brethren families who would eventually call the Bruderhof home for life.

    Download PDF

    Mow, David. “Kindle Our Hearts: Some Brethren Found New Light with a Mid-Century Migration to the Bruderhof.” Messenger Magazine, June 8, 2020, 6–11.

  • Making Music for Community: An American Composer’s Journey to the Bruderhof

    The story of Marlys Swinger, a composer and musician who made notable contributions to Bruderhof music and singing.

    Read online

    Swinger, Maureen. “Making Music for Community: An American Composer’s Journey to the Bruderhof.” Plough Quarterly 18 (November 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/music/making-music-for-community.

  • A Bruderhof Journey

    Tom and Sue Quinta tell about their journey to the Bruderhof and their lives as members.

    Listen online

    Black Roberts, Susannah and Peter Mommsen, hosts. “Christian Internationalism with John Milbank, and a Bruderhof Journey.” PloughCast 38 (podcast), October 4, 2022. https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/commitment/christian-internationalism-with-john-milbank-and-a-bruderhof-journey.

 More…

LIFE

Daily life in community

Accounts by journalists and visitors of visits to Bruderhof communities in different countries.

  • Sight-Seeing: My Week with the Bruderhof

    Describes a visit to the Danthonia community in New South Wales, Australia.

    Read online

    Von Kalm, Nils. “Sight-Seeing: My week with the Bruderhof.” Sight Magazine, February 3, 2022. https://www.sightmagazine.com.au/columns/sight-seeing/23569-sight-seeing-my-week-with-the-bruderhof.

  • Answers from the Bruderhof

    Reflections on a visit to Darvell community in East Sussex, England.

    Read online

    Davies, Edward. "Answers from the Bruderhof." Catholic Herald, January 26, 2021. https://catholicherald.co.uk/answers-from-the-bruderhof/

  • Finally! A Religious Story That Is Not about Escape

    Review of the BBC’s Inside the Bruderhof program.

    Read online

    Harrington, Mary. “Finally! A Religious Story That Is Not about Escape.” UnHerd, August 19, 2020. https://unherd.com/thepost/why-inside-the-bruderhof-breaks-the-liberal-mould/.

  • Twenty-Five People under One Roof: A Community Shares Everything, Even a Bank Account

    About the Gushof community in Austria, and their farm-to-table organic garden. In German.

    Read online

    Schnitzhofer, Verena and Monika Fees. “25 Menschen unter einem Dach: Biohof-Gemeinschaft teilt alles – selbst das Konto.” Focus.de, December 7, 2021. https://www.focus.de/perspektiven/nachhaltigkeit/ein-konto-fuer-alle-diese-biohof-bewohner-teilen-sich-fast-alles_id_40768707.html.

  • Spectrum: An Exclusive Look inside the Bruderhof Communes in Kent and East Sussex

    A photo essay published in connection with the BBC’s Inside the Bruderhof program.

    Read online (Subscription required)

    Burrows, Danny. “Spectrum: An Exclusive Look inside the Bruderhof Communes in Kent and East Sussex.” The Sunday Times, July 21, 2019. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/spectrum-an-exclusive-look-inside-the-bruderhof-communes-in-kent-and-east-sussex-3b0db5hts.

  • In Search of the Good Life

    Reflections on a visit to the Bruderhof.

    Read online (Subscription required)

    Lethbridge, Lucy. “In Search of the Good Life.” The Tablet, July 20, 2019. https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/16389/in-search-of-the-good-life-a-day-with-the-radical-bruderhof.

  • Between the Years, Religious Group Takes Time to Pray

    Ari Goldman of the Columbia Journalism School gives an account of New Year’s Eve on the Bruderhof.

    Read online (Subscription required)

    Goldman, Ari. "Between the Years, Religious Group Takes Time to Pray." New York Times, January 2, 1990.

  • I Just Spent 24 Hours in a Town That Pools All Their Possessions

    Description of a short visit to the Darvell Bruderhof.

    Read online

    Brock, Jared A. “I Just Spent 24 Hours in a Town That Pools All Their Possessions.” Surviving Tomorrow, March 2023.

  • Radical Discipleship Lived in Our Midst

    Cardinal Timothy Dolan on life on the Bruderhof, and a reflection on his friendship with late Bruderhof elder J. Christoph Arnold.

    Read online

    Dolan, Cardinal Timothy. “Radical Discipleship Lived in Our Midst.” Catholic New York, April 2017. https://www.cny.org/stories/radical-discipleship-lived-in-our-midst,15453.

 More…

Accounts by Bruderhof members

Insider accounts of daily life as a Bruderhof member.

LIFE

  • A Way in the Wilderness

    Describes the early years of the relationship between Danthonia Bruderhof and their neighbors in New South Wales, Australia.

    Read online

    Voll, Norann. “A Way in the Wilderness: How Prayers for a Boy Brought Reconciliation to a Land.” “The Globe” 1 (2022). Special issue of Christianity Today.

  • The Supreme Adventure of Communal Living

    An insider account of the reality of communal living.

    Read online

    Also by Dori: “Shelve the Gossip

    Moody, Dori. “The Supreme Adventure of Communal Living.” Bruderhof (blog), February 20, 2020. https://www.bruderhof.com/the-supreme-adventure-of-communal-living.

  • Elder Care on the Bruderhof

    Dances with the Daffodils: Intergenerational Care on the Bruderhof Carmen Hinkey reflects on caring for her bed-ridden mother-in-law.

    Homecare in the Golden Years Coretta Thomson’s tribute to her grandmother.

    Building for the Lord a granddaughter’s tribute to Paul Mason.

    Hinkey, Carmen. “Dances with Daffodils: Intergenerational Care on the Bruderhof.” Plough Quarterly (January 2021). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/aging/dances-with-the-daffodils.

  • Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience

    Vivian Warren reflects on what it’s like to live out the vows that Bruderhof members take.

    What Does a Vow of Poverty Mean?

    Chastity: Finding Blessings in Singleness

    Holy Obedience

    Warren, Vivian. “What Does a Vow of Poverty Mean?” Bruderhof (blog), January 5, 2022. https://www.bruderhof.com/what-does-a-vow-of-poverty-mean.

  • Pursuing Happiness: Down Syndrome, Richard Dawkins, and Human Joy

    Bruderhof member Erna Albertz introduces Iris, her sister with Down Syndrome, and tells about the special place in community life for someone like her.

    Read online

    Albertz, Erna. “Pursuing Happiness: Down Syndrome, Richard Dawkins, and Human Joy.” Plough Quarterly 10 (March 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/culture-of-life/pursuing-happiness.

  • The Bruderhof in Austria: An Anabaptist Homecoming

    An account of the establishment of a Bruderhof community in Austria, with reflections on the Anabaptist history and legacy.

    Read online

    See also this short video “Why the Bruderhof started new communities in Austria

    Zimmerman, Andrew. “The Bruderhof in Austria: An Anabaptist Homecoming.” The European Conservative, August 2022. https://europeanconservative.com/articles/essay/the-bruderhof-in-austriaan-anabaptist-homecoming/.

  • A Candid Look at Bruderhof Life

    Notes on life in community, plus a frequently asked question, by Bruderhof member Esther Keiderling.

    Hosting a Hootenanny

    Breakfast Days

    The Beauty of a Lantern Walk

    Can I bring my pet to the Bruderhof?

    Keiderling, Esther. “Hosting a Hootenanny.” Plough Quarterly 31 (August 2022). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/music/hosting-a-hootenanny.

  • Stable Condition

    An unlikely house at the Fox Hill Bruderhof extends a welcome to singles and families.

    Read online

    Swinger, Maureen. “Stable Condition.” Plough Quarterly 32 (July 2022). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/stable-condition.

  • Lessons from the Pandemic Lockdown

    Lessons for community life from the pandemic lockdown as experienced in Australia.

    Read online

    Wiser, Bill. “Lessons from the Pandemic Lockdown at the Danthonia Bruderhof, New South Wales.” GEN-US (blog), October 5, 2020. https://www.gen-us.net/lessons-from-the-pandemic-lockdown-at-the-danthonia-bruderhof-new-south-wales/.

 More…

Healthcare on the Bruderhof

LIFE

  • Money-Free Medicine

    An interview with two doctors, Monika Mommsen and Milton Zimmerman, about their experience practicing on the Bruderhof.

    Read online

    Mommsen, Monika and Milton Zimmerman. “Money-Free Medicine.” Plough Quarterly 17 (August 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/service/money-free-medicine.

  • Patient Perspective

    Dorly Albertz offers an insight into being a patient on the Bruderhof.

    Read online

    Albertz, Dorly. “Patient Perspective.” Plough Quarterly 17 (August 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/patient-perspective-dorly-albertz.

  • Medical Care in Community

    Family doctor Monika Mommsen explains medical care on the Bruderhof.

    Read online

    Mommsen, Monika. “Medical Care in Community.” Bruderhof (blog), August 30, 2021. https://www.bruderhof.com/medical-care-in-community.

 More…

  • Read profiles of two Bruderhof doctors, Sharon Wipf and Art Wiser, included in Another Life is Possible, the book published for the Bruderhof’s centenary. For a patient perspective, read the story of Carole Neal.

LIFE

Livelihood

  • Is Christian Business an Oxymoron?

    Interview with Bruderhof business director John Rhodes on the Bruderhof’s businesses.

    Read online

    Rhodes, John. “Is Christian Business an Oxymoron?” Plough Quarterly 21 (Summer 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/is-christian-business-an-oxymoron.

  • Anabaptist Technology: Lessons from a Communitarian Business

    Bruderhof business director John Rhodes reflects on the uses and pitfalls of new technologies in a Christian communal life.

    Read online

    Rhodes, John. “Anabaptist Technology: Lessons from a Communitarian Business.” Plough Quarterly 15 (Winter 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/anabaptists/anabaptist-technology.

  • Playthings Are Their Business

    Tells how the Community Playthings business operates at the Darvell community.

    Download PDF

    Spencer, Diane. “Playthings Are Their Business.“ The Times Educational Supplement, November 24, 1972.

Education

Theory and practice of Bruderhof education

LIFE

  • Alternatives ... Bruderhof Education: Outdoor School

    Dr. Francis Wardle of the Children’s World Learning Centers writes on the importance of outdoor education in the context of Bruderhof schools.

    Download PDF

    See also “In Praise of Developmentally Appropriate Practice” by Dr. Francis Wardle published November 1999.

    Wardle, Francis. “Alternatives… Bruderhof Education: Outdoor School.” Young Children 50:3 (March 1995): 68–73.

  • Theory and Practice of Bruderhof Education

    “Theorie und Praxis der Bruderhof-pädogogik” – the educational philosophy and practice of the Bruderhof.

    Download PDF (German)

    Schmidt, Almut. "Theorie und Praxis der Bruderhofpädogogik: Die Pädagogik einer Lebensgemeinschaft." Master’s thesis, Heidelberg, Pädogogischen Hochschule, 1993.

  • The Bruderhof Schools: Educating the Whole Child in Community

    An overview of the history of Bruderhof education and educational practices.

    Download PDF

    By the same authors: Roots and Effects of Social Capital Formation: Analyzing Bruderhof Schools published February 2003 in Boston University Journal of Education.

    Spielhagen, Frances R., and Bruce S. Cooper. “The Bruderhof Schools: Educating the Whole Child in Community.” Private School Monitor 24:1 (Fall 2002): 1–11.

  • Children's Education in Community: The Basis of Bruderhof Education

    A collection of the talks and writings by Eberhard Arnold on children’s education in Christian community.

    Get the book

    Arnold, Eberhard. Children's Education in Community: The Basis of Bruderhof Education. Edited and translated by Winifred Hildel and Miriam Mathis. Walden, NY: Plough, 2017.

  • Christian Community in Action: Bruderhof Schools

    A thoughtful assessment of Bruderhof elementary education and pedagogical tradition based on extensive site-work.

    Download PDF

    Spielhagen, Frances R. and Bruce S. Cooper. “Christian Community in Action: Bruderhof Schools.” Journal of Research on Christian Education 16:1 (2007): 65–81.

  • Bruderhof's School Programme Links Students with Leading Figures in Business and Charity

    Describes how the Beech Grove Academy in Kent, UK, gives students opportunities to meet leaders in business and private sectors.

    Read online

    “Bruderhof's School Programme Links Students with Leading Figures in Business and Charity.” Christian Today, February 25, 2020. https://www.christiantoday.com/article/bruderhofs-school-programme-links-students-with-leading-figures-in-business-and-charity/134279.htm.

  • Bruderhof School – A Former Student's Perspective

    Buccaneer School On the exciting initiation of first graders into a Bruderhof school.

    My Forest Education Second grade in a Bruderhof school. Published in Plough Quarterly, Summer 2021.

    The Teacher Who Never Spoke The story of a man who taught in unexpected ways, told by his sister. Published in Plough Quarterly, Spring 2017.

    Swinger, Maureen. “Buccaneer School.” Plough Quarterly 22 (September 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/education/buccaneer-school.

  • Communal Education

    A report on Woodcrest Bruderhof school for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

    Download PDF

    Silverman, Ruth. “Communal Education: The Society of Brothers.” Young Children 35:5 (July 1980): 15–19.

  • Reports on Bruderhof Schools by Ofsted

    Official reports on the Bruderhof schools in England by Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, Ofsted.

    Darvell School in Robertsbridge, East Sussex

    Beech Grove School in Nonington, Kent

    Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted). Report on Darvell School, Robertsbridge. May 15, 2018. https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/114646.

Women in community

LIFE

  • A Flexible Faith

    An interview with Bruderhof member Clare Stober about her experiences living in community.

    Download PDF

    Kristian, Bonnie. “Q&A: Common Purse Community.” In A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What it Means to Follow Jesus Today. 22–25. Nashville, TN: FaithWords, 2018.

  • Connecting through Generations at the Bruderhof

    The stories of five Bruderhof women who are remembered in the names one couple chose for their daughters.

    Read online

    Wright, Marianne. “Connecting through Generations at the Bruderhof.” GEN-US (blog), February 6, 2020. https://www.gen-us.net/connecting-through-generations-at-the-bruderhof/.

  • Bruderhof Women: A Testimony to Love

    Describes the women of the Bruderhof and includes several interviews.

    Download PDF

    Nash, Connie. “Bruderhof Women: A Testimony to Love.” The Other Side, July 1986.

  • Bruderhof: The Cult of Community

    About the Danthonia community in New South Wales, Australia, through the eyes of two young mothers.

    Read online (Subscription required)

    Brown, Jenny. “Bruderhof: The Cult of Community.” Australian Women’s Weekly, October 2019.

  • Women in Community

    Bruderhof member Leslie Moore writes a letter to a friend answering questions about her life in community as a woman.

    Read online

    Moore, Leslie. “Women in Community.” Bruderhof (blog), July 26, 2021. https://www.bruderhof.com/women-in-community.

  • The Challenge of True Brotherhood: These Anabaptist Christians are Less Concerned with Changing Society than Seeking the Lowest Place

    Interviews with some Bruderhof women about their experiences in community.

    Download PDF

    Thompson, Barbara R. “The Challenge of True Brotherhood: These Anabaptist Christians are Less Concerned with Changing Society than Seeking the Lowest Place.” Christianity Today, March 15, 1985, 22–28.

  • Have These Villagers Found Heaven on Earth?

    Interviews with four Bruderhof families on how they experience life in community.

    Download PDF

    Sands, Sarah. “Have These Villagers Found Heaven on Earth?” Woman’s Weekly, January 1991, 6–7.

  • A Life of Dedication

    Interview with Maria Cavanna, a teenager in Darvell, giving her perspective of community life as teen child of Bruderhof members.

    Download PDF

    Pepper, Mark. “A Life of Dedication.” Radio Times, February 26, 1993.

 More…

The Heart’s Necessities, No One Can Stem the Tide and The Secret Flower are the collected poems and short stories of Bruderhof member, teacher, and mother Jane Tyson Clement.

Regenerative agriculture

LIFE

  • Beating the Big Dry

    The story of the Danthonia Bruderhof’s restoration project by farm manager Johannes Meier.

    Read online

    Meier, Johannes. “Beating the Big Dry: How an Australian Cattle Farm is Fighting Drought by Reviving Ancient Landscapes.” Plough Quarterly 20 (Spring 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/environment/beating-the-big-dry.

  • Grazing to Create Abundance

    A profile of Danthonia farming methods in The Land.

    Read online (Subscription required)

    Brown, Jamie. “Grazing to Create Abundance” The Land .(April 2022). https://www.theland.com.au/story/7672584/grazing-to-create-abundance/?cs=4933.

  • Introduction to Organic No-Till Farming

    Video interview with Bruderhof farmer Jeff King.

    Watch on YouTube

    Bruderhof (channel). “Introduction to Organic No-Till Farming.” YouTube, June 14, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5WY3ke69VQ&ab_channel=Bruderhof.

Danthonia Bruderhof in New South Wales, Australia, has done a multi-year project restoring and drought-proofing its land

The Gutshof Bruderhof in Austria runs an organic market garden

Bellvale Bruderhof in Orange County, NY, also grows vegetables using regenerative methods

And don’t miss this from Kent, England