The Congregational Methodist Church is a Christian denomination in the Southern United States. It is within the Holiness movement and has its theological roots in the teachings of John Wesley. Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the New Testament. ... A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a large, long-established subgroup within a religion that has existed for many years. ... The Holiness movement is composed of people who believe and propagate the belief that the carnal nature of man can be cleansed through faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit if one has had his sins forgiven through faith in Jesus. ... John Wesley (June 17, 1703–March 2, 1791) was an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement. ...

The CMC was founded in 1852 in an attempt to blend Methodist doctrine with congregational polity. From the website:

We are Methodist in the tradition of John Wesley, Wesleyan-Arminian in doctrine, congregational in our system of worship, republican or representative in our system of government, connectional in nature, missionary in outlook, evangelistic in endeavor, and cooperative in spirit. (Each local church calls its pastor, owns its property, and sets its budget.) // For the Armenian nationality, see Armenia or the Armenian language. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ...

Denominational History

The Congregational Methodist Church was organized in 1852 in order to meet the need for a Methodist Church with a system of government more in harmony with the practices of early Christianity and with the principles upon which this nation was founded. At that time the lay members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (the mother church of the founders) had no voice in the government of their church. Many of them had answered God's call to the ministry and were winning souls, but they could not serve as pastors until they met the stringent educational qualifications for ordination. Only the ordained elders could baptize converts or receive them into the church, and there were so few elders that the people in small towns and country churches had to have preaching on a week-day by some traveling preacher. The people wanted services on the weekend when more people were able to attend. They also wanted to be able to own their church buildings and call the minister of their choice to serve as their pastor.

After efforts to obtain these goals within their own denomination failed, a group of laymen and lay ministers living in the north-central area of Georgia were led of God to sever their relationship with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and to organize a new church where people who believed in the old-time Methodist doctrines preached by John Wesley and his followers could have services on the Lord's Day, own their own church property, set more reasonable requirements for ministers, elect a pastor of their choice, and keep him as long as they desired.

John Wesley is recognized as the Father of Methodism. He did not come up with a new set of doctrines, but discovered the truths of holiness that were not being preached. He turned his back on a career at Oxford and went out to preach to the common people.

The name Methodist was given to Charles, John's brother, John, and others at Oxford because they were so methodical in what they did.

When he separated from the Church of England, he felt that there was nothing in particular wrong with its doctrines; so, when he drew up a set of twenty-five articles of religion for the new Methodist Church in America, he used the old articles of the Church of England.

The organizational meeting was conducted on May 8, 1852, in the home of Mickleberry Merritt in Monroe County, Georgia. This home, located just off Interstate 75, south of Rock Springs Church is still standing and is open to visitors.

Although only twelve men (nine laymen and three lay preachers) enrolled as mem- bers of the new church that was formed on May 8, 1852, by the time a second meeting was held later that month, quite a number of both ministers and laymen came and united with the new organization. At this meeting a committee was appointed to prepare a Book of Discipline. Early in August, 1852, the first Book of Discipline of the Congregation Methodist Church was published. In spite of the haste with which this Discipline was drawn up, its Preface and its leading features are still a part of the Book of Discipline used by our church today; and many of its peculiar features have been adopted by other Methodist groups.

The local newspapers refused to publish anything concerning the new denomination. Nevertheless, within a short time the Congregational Methodist Church had spread over several counties in middle Georgia and had found a foothold in Alabama and Mississippi.

Between May 8, 1852 and August 1, 1852 seven churches were organized, and on August 12, 1852 these churches held the first district conference ever held by any Methodist body- -one in which the majority were laymen and all delegates had been elected by their fellow church members. At this conference plans were begun for the establishment of a church press. Three of the seven churches that composed this first church conference (Providence, Pleasant Grove, and Rock Springs) are still active Congregational Methodist churches; the others later joined other denominations or disbanded. December 11, 1852, the second district conference was held. A layman, William L. Fambro, who had been chairman of the organizational meeting of the church at Mickleberry Merritt's home, was elected chairman of this conference. The parliament- ary ability which had caused his fellow citizens to elect him first as a member of the Georgia legislature and later as Judge of the Inferior Court enabled him to be such an efficient presiding officer of church conferences. He was not only elected to preside over the district conferences thereafter, but was the presiding officer of the first state conference (held at New Hope Church in Pike County, March 7, 1856) and later of the General Conference of the Congregational Methodist Church.

The secretary of this second district conference and of many later conferences was Rev. Hiram Phinazee. It was he who had drawn up the resolutions adopted by the organizational meeting of the denomination and had served as secretary of that meeting. He had also written the preface to the Book of Discipline and his unusual wisdom and firmness for the principles of justice continued to guide the Congregational Methodist Church until his death.

The other ten men who had the courage to break from tradition and organize a church which they believed would conform to Biblical principles were likewise prominent men, noted for their intelligence and piety.

God's blessings were upon the new denomination. Between the time of the third district conference at Rock Springs Church in Monroe County, beginning May 13, 1853, and the fourth district conference at Jackson, Georgia, beginning September 9, 1853, the ten churches represented had gained a total of 161 new members.

In 1855, there was a Convention to revise the hastily written Book of Discipline. Inasmuch as the main reason for the organization of the Congregational Methodist Church was the desire of the people to govern themselves religiously in the same way that they did as a nation, there have been may other changes of the Book of Discipline down across the years, but the beliefs of the denomination have never been changed. These beliefs are listed under "Articles of Religion" in "The Constitution and Government of the Congregational Methodist Church.

When Rev. S. C. McDaniel wrote The Origin and Early History of the Congregational Methodist Church in 1879, the people had suffered the death, destruction of property and financial loss which the Civil war brought to the people of the South. Nevertheless, the infant church had not only survived, but Rev. McDaniel noted that during all of these trying days it had been prospering in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, and had state conferences in six states at that time, with organizations in several states "with many thousands of members."

About 1884, the Congregational Church, which had congregations mostly in the northern states, invited the Congregational Methodist Church to merge with their de- nomination. This proposal received serious consideration, and many local churches united with that group when the General Conference did not vote to merge.

In those days most of the Congregational Methodist Churches were small, country churches. The denominational paper, which was printed monthly on a fairly regular basis, kept the churches together. However, the lack of Sunday School literature teaching Congregational Methodist doctrines, a college for the training of ministers and missionaries, and a headquarters with organized departments responsible for executing the decisions made by the people in their General Conference every four years resulted in slow growth for the denomination for many years.

From 1905 until 1915, a Bible College was operated in Atlanta, Georgia under the direction of Rev. Rolfe Hunt. By the time it was discovered that the business manager had been swindling both the school and the publishing house, the school and the press were too far in debt to continue to operate.

It was 1940 before support could again be gained for the operation of a Bible College; but for lack of students the proposed school in Anniston, Alabama, never opened. When the 1941 General Conference convened, there was a split in the church concerning the meaning of sanctification, and the group who did not believe in entire sanctification as a second work of grace subsequent to regeneration left the denomination. The group that left retained title to the Alabama church property.

In 1937, Rev. Marvin Sheffield was elected editor of the Messenger and had made it a weekly paper and had begun publishing Congregational Methodist Sunday School literature by the time of the 1941 General Conference. At that time he was elected General Conference president, and the denomination rallied to his progressive leadership. In 1943, the Board of Publication and Education secured property in Dallas, Texas which served as the Church Headquarters until all departments of the denomination moved to Florence, Mississippi, in the fall of 1972. In this period, the Congregational Methodist Bible School operated in Dallas, Texas, from 1944 until 1953 under the direction of Rev. Walter E. Bruce, furnishing the churches with better qualified pastors and training young people to serve as missionaries.

In 1947 Miss Lucy Lee Havens became the first Congregational Methodist missionary to be sent out by the Congregational Methodist Church. As early as 1917 local missionary societies in Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana had contributed to the support of Miss Mattie Long's work in India and had completely supported Miss Florence Williams' work there. In 1937, a General Women's Missionary Union was organized with Mrs. W.J. Alexander as president. It was the organized work of many local missionary societies that aroused sufficient interest in the support of missions for the work of the General Mission Board, which was organized in 1945, to succeed. By 1954, nine Congregational Methodist missionaries were fulfilling the Great Commission through the support of their denomination. ('~ Centennial History of Foreign Missions" by Ms. Emma Bond, gives the names and fields of labor of all Congregational Methodist missionaries prior to 1977.)

The camp meetings which have been established in all the states where there are Congregational Methodist Churches were a great help in deepening the spiritual life of individual Congregational Methodists and in helping young people to answer God's call to the ministry and the mission field.

From September 1953 until May, 1972, the denominational church college, Westminster College (also known for a period of time as WCBI, Westminster College and Bible Institute), was operated as a four year college in Tehuacana, Texas. In the fall of 1972, the college was moved to Florence Mississippi to occupy new, more adequate facilities. In 1976, the name was changed to Wesley College with accreditation as a four-year Bible College.

Denominational Organization

The Headquarters Building of the Congregational Methodist is located across the highway from Wesley College. The Messenger Press and Directors of the Departments of Home Missions, Foreign Missions, and Christian Education, all occupied this building in its early days. The Department of Christian Education which is now Division of Church Ministries (a merger of Publication and Christian Education) is responsible for the work that used to be done by the Sunday School Board and the General Youth Conference, as well as preparing, publishing, and shipping the Messenger. This division promotes, researches, recommends various literature for Christian education, in addition to writing and publishing the Adult Sunday School Book. This Division also promotes VBS and makes available the materials in addition to purchasing, shipping, and billing churches for Sunday School and other teaching materials. Rev. Ed Fenton was the first director of this Division of Christian Education and Douglas Feazell was the first director of Church Ministries. Delores Feazell is the present director.

Home Missions and Foreign Missions have been combined and is called Division of Mission Ministries. This division includes cross-cultural missions outreach which is steadily increasing with missionaries serving Latin America, the American Indians, Mexican-Americans, and in inner cities of the United States; and includes the directing of the planting of new churches and assisting existing churches in programs of evangelism and church growth. Jerry Jones is the present director of this division.

The Division of Educational Ministries, as Department of Education is now called is Wesley College. Wesley offers baccalaureate degrees in Biblical literature, Christian Education, Christian Ministries, Pastoral Studies, and Religious Education. A two-year general education program is available for students who do not plan to enter church vocations. Wesley is accredited by the American Association of Bible Colleges and the State of Mississippi. Dr. Sam Bruce is the president of Wesley College at this time.

The Clerical Office receives, receipts, and disburses General Conference funds. It handles the financial resources and insures that all personnel and facilities are adequately bonded and insured. The office keeps financial records in accord with current law and regulations and procures the services of an auditor annually. Mrs. Gloria Stubbs, Comptroller, and Mrs. Janet Woods work for Clerical Ministries.

The President of the General Conference oversees all the programs of the divisions of the church and the work of all support groups in the denomination. He promotes the spiritual and fiscal leadership of General Conference and develops goals with the Executive Committee, the Division Directors and the Annual Conferences for small, medium and large church care and growth, for evangelism and church planting at home and abroad and discipleship of all members. Mr. Frank Gilmore is the General Conference president at this time.

The governmental structure of the church consists of the local church conference, the annual conference, and general conference. Delegates are elected from the local church conference to the annual conference, and from the local church conference to the general conference.

Denominational Beliefs

Congregational Methodists are in the tradition of John Wesley, Wesleyan-Arminian in doctrine, congregational in system of worship, republican or representative in system of government, connectional in nature, missionary in outlook, evangelistic in endeavor, and cooperative in spirit. (Each local church calls its pastor, owns its property, and sets its budget.)

Congregational Methodists believe and preach the basic, fundamental doctrines of the historic Christian Faith within the framework of traditional Methodism. Divine inspiration of the Scriptures The new birth The deity of Christ The virgin birth of Christ The redemptive death of Christ and His resurrection The pre-millennial second coming of Christ Entire sanctification as the second definite work of grace subsequent to regeneration.*

The Congregational Methodist Church is located primarily in the South, and is expanding to new areas where there are people who are looking for a church where the Bible is preached and taught and the schedule of activities is designed to minister to them on the level of their need.

Denominational activities are directed from the Congregational Methodist Church Headquarters at Florence, Mississippi, which include the following: The General Conference President's Office The Offices of Clerical Ministries The Division of Church Ministries The Division of Educational Ministries (Wesley College) The Division of Mission Ministries

The President of the General Conference oversees all the programs of the divisions of the church and the work of all support groups in the denomination. He promotes the spiritual and fiscal leadership of the General Conference and develops goals with the Executive Committee, the Division Directors, and the Annual Conferences for small, medium size, and large church care and growth, for evangelism and church planting at home and abroad and discipleship of all members.

The Clerical Office receives, receipts, and disburses General Conference Funds. It handles the financial resources and insures that all personnel and facilities are adequately bonded and insured. The office keeps financial records in accord with current laws and regulations, and procures the services of an auditor annually.

The Division of Church Ministries produces, procures, and promotes quality educational materials for S.S., C.M.T.H., W.M.S., V.B.S.; provides training for teachers and leaders; and publishes the official organ of the denomination, the MESSENGER.

The Division of Educational Ministries is Wesley College, and offers baccalaureate degrees in Biblical literature, Christian Education, Christian Ministries, Pastoral Studies, and Religious Education. A two-year general education program is available for students who do not plan to enter church vocations. A three-year ministerial certificate program designed to prepare the adult learner for his ministry is also available. Wesley is accredited by the American Association of Bible Colleges and the State of Mississippi.

The Division of Mission Ministries includes a cross-cultural missions outreach which is steadily increasing with missionaries serving Latin America, Europe, and among American Indians, Mexican-Americans, and in inner cities of the United States; and includes the directing of the planting of new churches and assisting existing churches in programs of evangelism and church growth.

The governmental structure of the church consists of the local church conference, the annual conference, and general conference. Delegates are elected from the local church conference to the annual conference, and from the local church conference to the general conference.

External link

• Official Congregational Methodist Website