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Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ

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The Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World-Wide was an African-American Oneness Pentecostal denomination started in 1957 in Washington, DC and later reorganized into two organizations in 1997 with headquarters in Brooklyn, New York and Danville, Virginia.

Beliefs of the Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ include the inspiration of the Bible as the word of God; salvation made possible only through Jesus Christ; the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues; water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; the premillennial second coming of Jesus Christ; the final judgment of the dead; and the establishment of new heavens and a new earth.

In 1995 the church had about 300,000 members in 350 congregations world wide. The chief officer in the church is the Presiding Bishop, which office was held in 2006 by Chief Apostle Huie L. Rogers for the church headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and Chief Apostle Cornelius Showell for the church headquartered in Baltimore, MD. Both bodies conduct a general conference annually in July and operate a publishing house in Washington, DC.

History

The Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ was organized in September 1957 by Smallwood Edmond Williams, who at the time was the General Secretary of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith (COOLJC). Under Williams' leadership, about 70 churches withdrew from that organization to form the Bible Way Church, citing the autocratic leadership of COOLJC leader, Bishop Robert C. Lawson. The conflict between the Williams revolutionaries and the Lawson faithfuls was bitter, and in the end nearly half of the 177 churches in the organization left and followed Williams. He and four other leading COOLJC ministers were soon formally ordained as bishops in a ceremony performed by a Bishop John Holly of the PAW. Williams became the first presiding bishop of the church.

Schism

The apparent cause for the split was a disagreement about church governance. After the death of Bishop Smallwood Williams in 1991, the church considered Rogers and Campbell each as a potential leader and visionary for the church. The constitution, ratified after the death of Apostle Williams, stated that both Campbell and Rogers would each serve a three year trial term. Then the church body would vote to see who would be the official successor to Williams. It is generally agreed that, during the trial period, Campbell was selected to serve the first term and Rogers the second.

On July 4, 1997, during the 40th Convocation, the general assembly overwhelmingly voted to retain Apostle Rogers and his administration for a "Sabbath" year, effectively delaying the elections for one year--a measure and act that was not the official policy of the organization. This caused a rift in the Executive and General Boards and led to the expulsion of Apostle Campbell and a majority of the bishops on the grounds that they filed false documents at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) in Washington, DC. It has also true that Campbell's group has sought legal means to obtain rights to the organization such as several filings with federal agencies. In any event, the false filings were revoked by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs of the District of Columbia.

There are now at least two organizations Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide and the International Bible Way Church of Jesus Christ Inc Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide. One is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, led by Apostle Huie Rogers;International Bible Way Church of Jesus Christ Inc led by Apostle Cornelius Showell, is now governed from Baltimore, Md

Church headquartered in Baltimore

Throughout the ordeal, many saw Campbell as the heir apparent and favorite son of Bible Way, since he had been under the direct influence of Williams since the founding of the church. Most of the bishops, pastors, and churches stayed with Campbell and it remains the largest entity of the two. Thus, for many, Apostle Lawrence Campbell was considered and Apostle Showell is now considered the presiding bishop and chief apostle of the church Williams started. However, Campbell has begun the practice of ordaining women to the office of elder. This practice, which was shunned by Williams, Campbell has embraced, making the difference between the two sides more marked.

In 2006, Apostle Cornelius Showell, pastor of the 4000-member First Apostolic Faith Church in Baltimore was named Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle of the Bibleway World Wide branch spearheaded by Campbell. The has approximately 500 churches worldwide. In July 2006, Apostle Showell, appointed Pastor Bonnie Hunter as the first woman District Elder of the Bible Way Churches of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Church headquartered in Brooklyn

Rogers' group, by virtue of his fame and location, however, may be more widely known to the world. Though the Bible Way organizations are similar in structure and doctrine, the major differences reside in the questions of which of the two leaders is the rightful head and heir of the church and of the ordaining women to the office of elder. The church claims 250 churches throughout the world.

A similar incident occurred in Bible Way's sister church, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, upon the death of founder Sherrod Johnson. (Both of those churches branched out of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.)

References

  • Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
  • Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
  • For the Defense of the Gospel, Arthur Anderson, editor
  • My Father in the Gospel, by William L. Bonner
  • The Order of Succession, by Lawrence Campbell
  • Bible Way's Year of Impass, by T. Allen Stringer
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