The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, sometimes known as Raven-Taylor-Hales Brethren, is a branch of the Exclusive Brethren, which is itself a branch of the Plymouth Brethren movement.

The PBCC is the strictest of the Exclusive Brethren, holding an uncompromising position on the doctrine of separation.

As part of the Plymouth Brethren movement, the PBCC originally had no ministers or priests, holding that all members were saints. It wasn't until James Taylor, Sr. became the leader of what was then the Raven faction in 1910 that a hierarchy emerged, with Taylor becoming the center of power within the group. Taylor established a policy that those in leadership positions should be in their own business, and not employees. He also elevated certain members of the group as Levites, able to interpret Scriptural truths.

When James Taylor, Sr. died in 1953, there was a struggle within the leadership between James Taylor, Jr. and Gerald R. Cowell for supremacy. Cowell was excommunicated less than a year after Taylor was chosen.

The younger Taylor delivered a series of edicts, demanding even more radical separation from the world, mandating strict obedience in matters of dress and appearance, and forbidding university education. Members were not permitted to eat with others, not in the movement, including family members. Several individuals and assemblies left the PBCC, some to join other groups of Brethren, others to join other Protestant churches.

In 1970, James Taylor, Jr. was accused of acting inappropriately at a series of meetings in Aberdeen, Scotland, and to have been verbally abusive to other members. He denied these charges, and the body was split between those who believed the charges and those who believed his denials.

Those who separated from Taylor discarded the directives that Taylor had introduced, but were eventually absorbed into other Brethren bodies.

After Taylor's death later that same year, there were four contenders for leadership of the group, including James Taylor III, James Symington, George Maynard, and a team of brothers from Australia, John S., and W. Bruce Hales. Symington won, and promptly excommunicated most of his rivals, introducing even more extreme regulations.

Symington died in 1987, after which the leadership passed on to John S. Hales, who had been excommunicated three times by then. After the death of Hales in 2002, his son, Bruce David Hales rose to the leadership position. Hales put an end to the observance of the Brethren tradition of non-involvement in politics, encouraging the support of conservative political causes. He also relaxed some of the dress codes. As of this writing, he is still in the leadership of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

The Christian fellowship holds that the Bible is the Word of God and that members are called to live a good life in accordance with the instructions found in Scripture.

Members of the PBCC hold to a strict separation from the world, which is considered evil. Radio, television, and the Internet are banned. Members socialize only with those who are eligible to partake of the Lord's Supper. Eating in restaurants is discouraged.

Sunday services begin at 6:00 am and continue throughout the day. There are other meetings every night of the week.

Members are expected to marry within the fellowship, usually around the age of twenty, and children remain with their parents until they marry. Physical contact between unmarried men and women is prohibited, and courting is chaperoned.

Women are subservient to men. They sit behind men at meetings and are only allowed to select hymns. They are not allowed pray out loud, to teach, or to hold any position where they direct men.

The PBCC receives very few converts, as very few people who were not raised in the Brethren become members. However, few of those who were raised in the faith elect to leave.

Members who do leave or are excommunicated from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church are viewed as having chosen the devil against God. Parents, siblings, children, and even the former member's spouse are expected to disassociate themselves from the former member. When one parent leaves the assembly, this is considered to be a legal separation, and they are never permitted to communicate with any children who remain. The PBCC provides legal support to help members fight joint custody arrangements.

Most Brethren own their own businesses or are employed by another Brethren member. Despite a personal ban on computers, most Brethren businesses have computers and email, leased from a Brethren company. Brethren schools also have computers and access to the Internet.

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