The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. is a denomination of Christianity aligned with the

holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christianity, Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakers, Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with ...

. The body is headquartered in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. In 2010, there were 14,000 members in 154 churches. The denomination traces its history to its founder Charles Price Jones, a minister who had embraced

Holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

doctrine.

History

The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. shares a common early history with the

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Christian perfection#Holiness Pentecostalism, Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and a large Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi ...

. Charles Price Jones, a Missionary Baptist preacher in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and later

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, accepted the doctrines of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

around 1896. During this time C.P. Jones became associated with W. S. Pleasant, J. A. Jeter, Charles Harrison Mason, along with other Holiness leaders. In 1897, C.P. Jones conducted a Holiness convention from June 6–15 at the church he pastored, Mt. Helm Baptist Church, in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1898, the name Mt. Helm Baptist Church was changed to Church of Christ. This new group of Holiness leaders was expelled from the Jackson Baptist Association. From that expulsion, they adopted the name Christ Association of Mississippi of Baptized Believers in Christ in 1900, and the national Holiness movement accepted the name by C. H. Mason—''Church of God in Christ''—in 1906. In that same year, an annual convocation selected J. A. Jeter, C. H. Mason, and D. J. Young to investigate the Azusa Street Revival conducted by

William J. Seymour William Joseph Seymour (May 2, 1870 – September 28, 1922) was a Holiness Pentecostal preacher who initiated the Azusa Street Revival, an influential event in the rise of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, particularly Holiness Pentec ...

. C.H. Mason and D. J. Young accepted William Seymour's teaching concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit and returned with such doctrinal message with great enthusiasm. After an extended discussion on the issue of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, at the 1907 convention, the assembly withdrew the right hand of fellowship from C. H. Mason, D. J. Young and others who held to the doctrine of speaking in tongues. C. P. Jones retained the doctrine of the

, while C. H. Mason held to Holiness Pentecostalism. Congregations led by Charles W. Gray also retained the original teaching of the holiness movement and though identical in doctrine to those led by C.P. Jones, they left and formed the Original Church of God. The name ''Church of God in Christ'' was widely held by both groups until 1907, when Bishop C. H. Mason had the name COGIC, incorporated. Churches of the Holiness division began to use the name ''Church of Christ Holiness'', and in October 1920 was chartered in the state of Mississippi as the Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A..

Theology

The ''Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A.'' is trinitarian with a Holiness emphasis. Water

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

of believers by immersion and the

Lord's supper The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

as a memorial are held to be ordinances of the church. Foot washing is also practiced, but it is not regarded as an ordinance. The church does not reject speaking in tongues (glossolalia). The church emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is an indispensable gift to every believer, but places no emphasis on an ''initial evidence'' as speaking in tongues to be the results of such gift.

Leadership

The church is episcopal in structure with a Senior Bishop as the highest official and spiritual leader. The church in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

is divided into eight

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

s - Eastern, North Central, Northern, Pacific North West, South Central, South Eastern, South Western, and Western. In 2008 the ''Church of Christ (Holiness)'' had 15,000 members in 167 congregations in the United States, the Dominican Republic and Africa. Board of Bishops • Bishop Vernon Kennebrew – Senior Bishop and Presiding Bishop of the Southwestern Diocese. • Bishop Lindsay E. Jones – National President and Presiding Bishop of the North Central Diocese • Bishop Emery Lindsay – Presiding Bishop of the Western Diocese & Pacific Northwest Diocese • Bishop Dale Cudjoe - First Vice President and Presiding Bishop of the Northern Diocese • Bishop H.Vonzell Castilla- Second Vice President,(newly elected and consecrated) Bishop of the Southeastern Diocese (July 2016) • Bishop Maurice Nicholson – Presiding Bishop of the Eastern Diocese • Bishop Robert Winn – Retired and Chairman of the COCHUSA World Mission Board • Bishop Victor Smith - Retired • Bishop Carl Austin - Retired Its annual "National Convention" is held during the month of July. The church celebrated its 124th National Convention in July 2020, in Dallas, Texas.

References

*''Handbook of Denominations in the United States'', by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood

External links

Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A.
- official Web Site
Profile of Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. on the Association of Religion Data Archives website
{{Authority control Christian organizations established in 1920 Holiness denominations Historically African-American Christian denominations Methodist denominations established in the 20th century Methodist denominations in North America