• In Ireland, just before the turn of the century, a man named William Irvine, a "Pilgrim" preacher for the Faith Mission, decided after reading Matthew 10, that all preachers should go forth as homeless, unpaid ministers. A few other of his contemporaries agreed with him. Irvine then challenged them to join him in going forth without salary and without a home. (Years later he referred to this as an "experiment"!) Early on, Irvine also enlisted Edward Cooney, a lay preacher, who had been preaching among various denominations.

• The Faith Mission disassociated itself with Irvine in 1900 but his experiment continued. Irvine's group insisted that they take no name. Seventy attended the first convention, which lasted three weeks, at Rathmolyn, Ireland. Irvine was a dynamic speaker and easily captivated his audiences. At first he preached that all should give up their possessions and go forth as "workers"; men and women alike. Many took the challenge taking vows of poverty, celibacy, submission and self denial. They were taught that only by hearing the "gospel" through Irvine, or through one of his workers who had heard and seen the gospel being lived through Irvine or through one of his workers, could one be granted salvation.

• As more and more became workers, selling all and giving Irvine the proceeds, the organization grew quickly. Workers were sent to other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. By 1908 Irvine changed the rule that all followers must become homeless ministers. Home meetings of the "friends" were instituted about this time.

• Next Irvine appointed his trusted associates such as James Jardine, George Walker, and William Carroll as "overseers" of vast regions. So began the set-up of what the people who are in this nameless group today refer to as "The Truth."

• As time went on various disagreements surfaced among the top leaders and in particular with Irvine. In 1914 Irvine was excommunicated by his own fellow workers! By 1928 Edward Cooney was also put out.

• Next the cover-up began. The remaining workers agreed to never again admit Irvine was their founder. Today there are many different explanations for how "The Truth" began. Some say that it was founded by Jesus Christ and has existed "from the beginning." Then the story line was that it lay dormant for a time until it was "restored" or "sprouted anew" through a revelation of God to some man or men. Another new explanation is that the history "doesn't matter!" Some say that William Irvine learned of "it" from another "just before his time." Also it has been said that "God's Way" began in eternity; that it began when two and two became four! And, on a few occasions, the sect's true origins have actually been mentioned publicly.

July 21, 1999

To:

Mr. Keith H. Percival, General Director

Faith Mission

Edinburgh, Scotland

Dear Sir,

I am an Ex 2x2 and the administrator of a web site about the group I left. I understand that you have a letter that you routinely send out to folks who inquire about this sect which was started by William Irvine.

I am writing to ask you if you would send me this standard letter and, further, if you would allow me to place it on the "Workers, Friends and the Church Without A Name (VOT-Veterans of Truth)" web site.

My ministry, through the VOT web site, is to reach all those trapped in this so-called "Truth" so that they will have the facts about the doctrinal errors and history cover-up. As you likely know the "Friends" in this group have been shielded from knowing these important facts. I believe it is their right to know.

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely in Christ,

Sandi Gunther

Administrator VOT web site

July 22, 1999

Dear Ms Gunther

Below is given the text of my letter which I have no objection to you using. 

Every blessing in your work.

Sincerely in Christ

Keith H Percival
General Director

The Faith Mission and William Irvine

The Faith Mission is an 'interdenominational' mission working with the major protestant denominations who accept the simple truth of the Gospel- ie that salvation is by faith in Christ alone.

William Irvine was converted as a young man and joined The Faith Mission in 1895. He worked in the South of Ireland and had very successful missions within the different denominations. He became very critical of these churches and started to work independently. He eventually broke away from The Faith Mission and became very legalistic with the emphasis of salvation being on 'what you do' rather than by faith alone. (Obviously we believe that such faith must be expressed in one's lifestyle).

Our magazines of that period record William Irvine's time with us. I also have the diary of someone who worked with him in those days. Much of the Coneyite way of working was identical to that of The Faith Mission and was certainly not a new revelation from the Lord. At least two of our families working with the Mission now, still have relatives in the 'Coneyites'.

Keith H Percival

General Director

"The great convention of the Tramp Preachers is still in progress at Crocnacrieve, and as anticipated has surpassed in extent all previous gatherings. There were some thousands of persons in attendance. The speakers at the meeting were the two leaders of the movement, Mr. William Irvine and Mr. Edward Cooney. Both speakers denounced the various churches and the clergy in no unmeasured terms. As usual, the call for volunteers for work in distant lands met with a response, a large number offering their services for America, South Africa, and Australia."

"The Tramps say they have no collections. In strict parlance this may be correct, but it is not the whole truth. They may not "collect," but they receive donations. So that while Messrs. Irvine and Co. do not collect, they receive, and the receipts are sufficient to send the preachers to America, Scotland, anywhere else, and to take Mr. Irvine to South Africa and other places abroad. The regular clergy could not afford those trips. The tramps can afford it, but they go another way about it. THEY OBTAIN THE MONEY."

"And while the Tramps denounce John and Charles Wesley as having gone to hell, they sing the very "Devilry," written by Charles Wesley in some of his immortal hymns. On Sunday last a new hymn book entitled HYMNS--OLD AND NEW, made its appearance. This book, compiled by Edward Cooney and William Carrol, consists entirely of hymns taken from such collections as "Songs of Victory," Redemption Songs," and "Songs and Solos." The Go Preacher's Hymn book is no longer used."

"These men were overcome by their authority, position and place, but their one constant worry was their past. The fear that someone would ask their foundation, their beginning, their Spiritual Father, their genealogy, and oh, what a past.

He [Irvine] made them what they were, and except for him they may be what and where they were when he discovered them. How would they explain to the young converts?

And so started a great sifting. Those that knew too much were gradually done away with, frozen out, persecuted until they went out.

People were forbidden to visit friends, and some had been ex-communicated on that miserable ground. Letters were being intercepted and destroyed, and the persons to whom they were addressed, never saw them. Pressure had been brought to bear on struggling souls to compel them to deny the truth that was in them, even bodily violence had been done, that through pressure or pain they may be brought under their will."

In the year 1929, the Central Bible Truth organization published a pamphlet headed THE COONEYITES OR GO PREACHERS AND THEIR DOCTRINE. This really exposed this movement, and was circulated in every country where the belief had been active. An endeavour was made by both John Hardie, in Australia, and Jack Carrol, in the U.S.A., to have it put out of circulation. Hardie in the company of another since ex-communicated preacher, approached the Sydney publishers at 302 Pitt Street, in an effort to have it stopped, but without success.

......... Because of this difficulty and another involving a division between both George Walker and Jack Carrol, the two overseers in the U.S.A. as to who would be "Next Greatest Amongst Them," it was decided that a world conference would be held at W. Haneys (England) on July 19, 20, 21, 1930. Amongst those that attended this meeting were J. Hardie, J. Jardine, W. Gill, Wm. Jamison, George Walker, John T. Carrol and several others. The most revealing resolution that was adopted at this meeting was: --

"It was unanimously agreed by all present that THE PAST SHOULD BE BURIED."

Other matters dealt with, were: --

"Travelling expenses that had to come from the 'Saints,' how these huge expenses and disagreements had been hidden from the 'Saints'."

An extract from the report states: --

(During the days we, the undersigned, were together, full opportunity was given to all to express their minds and to offer any suggestions that would be helpful.)

After the recent death of William Carrol, it was decided that a meeting would be held where the many differences amongst the preachers could be ironed out. In all, eleven attened the meeting which lasted 4 days.

This covered mainly the perplexities with troublesome borders and the questions of "saints" being put out of the fellowship.

It was decided: "We are agreed that anything which would cause contention should be avoided."

The Impartial Reporter and Farmers' Journal newspaper articles from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland (1903-1917) can be ordered from Research & Information Services (RIS) P.O. Box 2141 Sisters, OR 97759 Email: PRCW48A@prodigy.com

November 1998:

FINALLY, the Impartial Reporter articles are on the internet! Let the word go out!! Now, anyone can read/print these old newspaper articles without having to order them! They are dated from 1900 to 1960, and document the 2x2 sect's history like nothing else--they are PROOF that the group was started at the turn of the 20th century by William Irvine. Due to some incredible, volunteer typists, all the Impartial Reporter Newspaper articles about the early days and history of the 2x2s can now be viewed on the website for Telling The Truth. Many of these articles have never been available to the public before. They can be seen at TTT's web site:

April 2000:

Now you can read about THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF WILLIAM IRVINE

I was over thirty before I heard the truth regarding the actual history of the fellowship. I had always firmly believed that we were a continuation of the first century church, established by Jesus and somehow preserved throughout the ages as had been reinforced often by the worker’s preaching. I relied on this "fact" often when I was telling "outsiders" about "The Way". In my mind, it was probably the single most important fact of all - that Jesus established His Church while on earth, complete with instructions of how the church was to gather and how the ministers were to preach. That I was a part of that continuing church was amazing! I never challenged this concept anymore than I challenged the fact that the world is round vs. square. The workers either actually preached or subtly alluded to their belief of the church’s origin and I simply accepted them at their word. One wasn’t to question the authority of the workers! When I discovered that the church is only approximately 100 years old and has an earthly founder by the name of William Irvine I was at first shocked. But that soon led to anger and a feeling of betrayal. After careful scrutiny I could not find anywhere in the gospels where Jesus actually said, "this is the way in which you are to worship" or "this is the way I want ministers to go forth and preach from now until eternity." His sending forth the 12 in Matt.10 was for a SPECIFIC reason, to SPECIFIC people for a SPECIFIC period of time. I found more instances of the apostles going forth singly, or in three-somes and four-somes than two-by-two. One also can read 1 Cor. 9:5 and ascertain that many apostles were married and likely had families and homes of their own. I find it interesting to read about the beginnings of the "fellowship" and see how it has been patterned after a church in Scotland, the Faith Mission, which is still in existence today."

"We were having doubts for several years about all that goes on in the "Truth" and reading about the background and beginning of it made me furious after being lied to about the history all those years that we professed."

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