Christian Brethren in Kalgoorlie

The Christian Brethren in Western Australia ran Kurrawang Mission (1952-1984) and its Pukulari cottage in Burt Street, Kalgoorlie (Boulder). In 1984 the Christian Brethren had withdrawn from management of Kurrawang Mission. In 2013 the Christian Brethren became part of the Christian Community Churches of Australia.

The Christian Brethren, also known as the Plymouth Brethren, are an Evangelical Protestant church with no ordained ministers and a strong lay involvement in their activities. They originated in England and Ireland in the 1820s, and by the 1850s had spread to Australia. Sections within the Christian Brethren movement include the Exclusive Brethren, the Open Brethren, the Gospel Assemblies, the Gospel Brotherhood, and Christian Community Churches. They do not have a central administrative body or hierarchical leadership, and their assemblies run independently of each other. The Open Brethren are evangelists and carry-out community work, including overseas missions, whereas the Exclusive Brethren avoid contact with outsiders to the religion.

The Christian Brethren in Kalgoorlie who established Kurrawang first came together in April 1947 as a small group of Christians who were associated with a movement known as the Gospel Assemblies. By 1948, they had two Sunday Schools in Kalgoorlie and open air meetings were held in the town. In February 1948, Mr and Mrs Will Sharpe had arrived in Kalgoorlie from New South Wales, and they broadcast gospel messages through amplifiers attached to their caravan. In 1952, Mr Sharpe was appointed as superintendent of the Kurrawang Mission and the Department of Native Affairs reported that the Gospel Assemblies were undergoing some changes. In the 1955 report by the Commissioner of Native Welfare, the group was known as the Gospel Brotherhood. It later became known as the Christian Brethren.

Although the Christian Brethren had withdrawn from management of Kurrawang by 1984, a connection between the Kurrawang Aboriginal Christian Community that was established there remained.

The Christian Brethren in 2013 had become part of the Christian Community Churches of Australia.