Governance & Organization

The decision to open the house and where to do it is influenced by many factors. There are many more communities than S/W houses, so there would be many places we would like to be. But since our [...]

There are women living single for the Lord in the Sword of the Spirit, and some of them are part of the Bethany Association.

Just like in marriage, having a lifelong commitment means leaving is not what we plan for. In fact the commitment makes leaving impossible and thus forces you to work through your difficulties. [...]

The brotherhood started in the fall of 1971. For more information, visit History.

We are a missionary brotherhood and as such make ourselves available to go wherever we are most needed. As a consequence each one of us can potentially end up anywhere in the world. Depending on [...]

We have brothers (see Meet the Brothers) from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, Fiji, France, Guatemala, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, Nicaragua, [...]

We currently have 134 brothers involved, with 53 having made a lifelong commitment.

The life of the brotherhood is governed by a rule, called the Covenant of the Servants of the Word. It lays down our call and mission, our way of life, the principles of our government and [...]

When a man first becomes an affiliate, he enters no financial obligations but retains full responsibility for his finances. Even when he first moves into a house of the brotherhood, he is only [...]

Like most families, the Servants of the Word hold their finances in common. So whether a brother works in a secular occupation, serves in full-time Christian ministry and draws a [...]

The final commitment to join the Servants of the Word is called lifelong, because it is intended as a permanent commitment just like marriage. While not technically vows, our commitments are [...]

The process of joining the Servants of the Word has various stages, and lasts approximately 7 years. First one becomes an affiliate, often without living in a Servants of the Word house. During [...]