The Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ is a small Sabbatarian Pentecostal body of Christians in the United States and Canada. Etymology: Latin sabbatarius, from sabbatum sabbath Function: noun 1 : one who observes the Sabbath on Saturday in conformity with the letter of the fourth commandment 2 : an adherent of Sabbatarianism Function: adjective 1 : of or relating to the Sabbath 2 : of or relating to the Sabbatarians or Sabbatarianism External links... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Background

The Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ began in 1921¹, through the work of John Quincy Adams² (1891-1951). Adams was born in Abbott, Texas. After graduating from Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he became the pastor of a Southern Baptist Convention church in Dallas, Texas. Adams also served for the convention as the Regional Education Director over Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. He taught Greek, Latin and English. When Adams accepted Pentecostal/holiness type doctrines, and "a fuller understanding of the Scriptures", he was disfellowshipped by the Baptists. 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Abbott is a city located in Texas. ... Baylor University is a private, Baptist-affiliated university located in Waco, Texas. ... Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, located in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher learning associated with the Southern Baptist Convention whose stated mission is to provide theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. ... The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a United States cooperative ministry agency serving missionary Baptist churches around the world. ... Aerial view of Dallas Nickname: Big D Motto: {{{motto}}} Official website: www. ... A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church. ...

Faith and Practice

Doctrines of this church include the unity of one God (Unitarianism); the inspired infallible original texts of God's Word as the final authority of faith and practice; receiving the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues; the premillennial return of Christ; observance of the weekly seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath, new moon sabbaths, and feast days (Pentecost, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles). The church rejects the idea of a Trinity, and the observing of days such as Christmas, Easter and Valentines Day. Salvation is available through Jesus to those who are obedient to His commandments. Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Within Christianity, the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is a single Being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a communion of three persons (personae, prosoponoi): the Father (the Source, the Eternal Majesty), the Son (the eternal Logos or Word, incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth), and the Holy Spirit. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene, is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from Greek Ιησούς Χριστός) with Christ being a title meaning Anointed One. He is also considered a very important prophet in Islam and a manifestation of...

Church Name

John Quincy Adams had a number of followers, but did not formally organize a new denomination. After his death, the group remembered a dream of one of its members, and based on that dream, took a name to further identify themselves: "Many times they were asked, 'To what church do you belong?' They always replied, 'We don't belong to any church--We just follow Jesus'. One night one of them dreamed that when asked this question, she replied, 'I belong to the church of the Little Children of JESUS CHRIST!'" Church members usually write the church name as "Church of the little children of JESUS CHRIST" or "church of the little children of Jesus Christ".

John Quincy Adams followed a Oneness or concurrent modalistic monarchian form of Unitarianism, not to be confused with dynamic monarchianism another Unitarian teaching.

Status

The Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ maintains a minimum of organization and does not keep membership rolls. Therefore statistics are not available. The last count from the Encyclopedia of American Religions reported "in the early 1970s...eight congregations and fewer than 100 members..." in Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming, and Saskatchewan. The church also engages in fellowshipping with other Sabbatarian congregations existing outside of organized religious groups, so the network of this church is much broader than its own congregations. Activities of the church include personal community evangelism by members; a monthly newsletter (known as The Gathering Call); a tape ministry; an internet ministry; and publication of the writings by John Quincy Adams. The Prophetic Word and Great Memorial Days are two of Adams' books that formulate much of the doctrine of the church. Services among the churches of the Little Children of Jesus Christ generally consist of praise and worship through singing, an extended time of prayer, interactive Bible study, sermons, and testimonies.

External links

• Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ - official Web Site
• Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ - on Adherents.com
• Green Pastures Gazette - an online Church of God paper with some affiliation to the Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ

Reference

• Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor

Footnotes

• 1. Melton gives 1916: the "Church of the Little Children...was formed in 1916 by John Quincy Adams (1890-1951) in Abbott, Texas, following his withdrawal from the Baptist ministry..." – EAR
• 2. This John Q. Adams should not to be confused with John Quincy Adams (1825-1881), another Baptist minister and author of Baptists the Only Thorough Religious Reformers in 1876.