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Congregational Methodist Church

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Congregational Methodist Church
ClassificationMethodism
OrientationWesleyan-Holiness movement
TheologyWesleyan-Arminian
PolityCongregational
RegionWorldwide
HeadquartersFlorence, Mississippi
Origin1852
Georgia
Separated fromMethodist Episcopal Church, South
SeparationsFirst Congregational Methodist Church (1852)
First Congregational Methodist Church of the USA (1941)
Reformed New Congregational Methodist Church (1916)
Southern Congregational Methodist Church (1982)
Congregations209 (2024)[1]
Members14,738 (1995)
Official websiteOfficial website

The Congregational Methodist Church (CMC) is a Methodist denomination of Christianity based in North America. It is aligned with the Holiness movement and adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology. As of 1995, the denomination reported 14,738 members in 187 churches.[2]

Background

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The Congregational Methodist Church was founded in Georgia in 1852 when several churches split from the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, out of a desire to blend Methodist doctrine with congregational polity.

The Congregational Methodist Church is Wesleyan-Arminian in doctrine, congregational in its system of worship, republican or representative in its system of government, connexional 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.

As of late 2024 its congregations are located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Mexican states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas. It also has missionaries in the United States, Mexico, Belize, and Haiti.

In 1944, the Congregational Methodist Church, then headquartered in Dallas, Texas, established The Dallas Bible School, an institution of higher education. The school was moved to Tehuacana, Texas, for several years, and was renamed Westminster College and Bible Institute. The school was permanently relocated to Florence, Mississippi in 1972, and was renamed Wesley College, a name that more reflected its Wesleyan-Arminian tradition. Wesley College was closed in July 2010.[3]

The church's denominational headquarters are located in Florence, Mississippi,[4] serving churches and programs of the denomination.

In 2023, a few congregations of the United Methodist Church left that denomination to join the Congregational Methodist Church due to a polarization that occurred between traditionalist Methodist clerics and those with progressive tendencies.[5][6][7] In 2024 they were followed by numerous others.

References

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  1. ^ https://www.cm-church.org/church-finder/
  2. ^ Mead, Frank, et al., Handbook of Denominations, 12th Edition, Abingdon Press, 2005.
  3. ^ Wright, Megan (July 14, 2010). "Debt-ridden Wesley College closing". Mississippi Business Journal. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  4. ^ Congregational Methodist Church, WELCOME TO THE CONGREGATIONAL METHODIST CHURCH!, accessed 20 January 2023
  5. ^ Johnston, Jeff (24 May 2023). "Thousands of Congregations Leave United Methodist Church Over Biblical Concerns". Daily Citizen. Retrieved 3 May 2024. Others are joining more conservative Methodist groups, such as the Congregational Methodist Church, the Free Methodist Church, or the Global Methodist Church, an international denomination that launched just over a year ago.
  6. ^ Frazier, Terri Cowart (26 June 2023). "DISAFFILIATION: Porters Chapel United Methodist Church joins Eagle Lake and Redwood". The Vicksburg Post. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  7. ^ Matthews, Cabe (2 August 2022). "The Center Cannot Hold". Firebrand Magazine. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
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