Two by Two

Two by Two's (sometimes called the Two X Two's or 2x2's) is a name given by some outside observers to a certain Christian group. They are sometimes confused with the Cooneyites (after Edward Cooney), however, while Edward Cooney was in fact once a minister in this faith, he later left the group and gathered his own group of followers. The group deliberately assumes no name other than that of Christ, and is thus sometimes referred to as The Church With No Name (or similar). Its members refer to their belief most commonly as the truth and occasionally as the way or the fellowship or the faith. The followers call themselves friends or saints, while the missionaries are termed workers or servants and go about in pairs (hence the term two by two).

Doctrines different from many mainstream protestants

They believe that salaried ministry is not compatible with the example of Jesus, and reject the commercialization of organized religion.

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They believe that church owned buildings, except convention ground facilities, are an unnecessary addition to Biblical Christianity, and conduct their fellowship meetings in the homes of believers.

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They believe that (some of) Jesus' instructions to his apostles in Matthew 10 - go from village to village, preaching in pairs, not taking any worldly possessions, but relying on the hospitality and generosity of the villagers - are still the best pattern for Christian ministry today.

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The group was fairly progressive regarding the role of women in the church, with women workers first commissioned to preach in 1901.

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A controversial teaching, presumably originating with the founder Wm Irvine, was that of the Living Witness Doctrine (first recorded mention being in a convention sermon by Joseph Kerr in 1903). This was derived from a statement by a contemporary of Charles Darwin that "only something that is living can reproduce life". It was concluded that only through the preaching of a 2x2 preacher (a "living witness") could one be saved. As a consequence of this doctrine, there was a significant exodus from the church at this time.

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