| Metropolitan Church Association | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Methodism |
| Orientation | Holiness movement |
| Polity | Connexionalism |
| Separated from | Methodist Episcopal Church |
| Members | 55,000 |
The Metropolitan Church Association, also known as the Metropolitan Methodist Mission and Metropolitan Evangelistic Church, is a Methodist denomination in the holiness movement. [1] The Metropolitan Church Association has congregations throughout the world, and in the 20th century, it possessed intentional communities in Wisconsin, Virginia, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Texas, among other locations. [2] [3]
The Metropolitan Methodist Mission was founded in the 1890s and gradually entered into schism with the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was initially headquartered in Chicago and then moved to Waukesha. [3] The founders included Edwin L. Harvey and Marmaduke Mendenhall Farson, who "came from pious Methodist homes in Chicago." [1]
The Metropolitan Church Association adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and emphasizes "enthusiastic worship, evangelism, holy living, and communal values." [4] As with the Reformed Free Methodist Church and Emmanuel Association of Churches, the Metropolitan Church Association is among the Holiness Methodist Pacifists, teaching nonresistance and peace. [4] Due to their enthusiastic worship, the members of the Metropolitan Church Association are known as "Holy Jumpers" by those outside the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. [5]
In the United States, the Metropolitan Church Associations once had a periodical called the Burning Bush, which had a circulation of over 100,000. [1]
Burning Bush Colonies were Methodist intentional communities in Wisconsin, Virginia, West Virginia, Louisiana, as well as Smith and Cherokee Counties in Texas, U.S., south of Bullard, on the Smith-Cherokee county line, among others. [2] [6]
In Texas, representatives from the Metropolitan Church Association, commonly called the Society of the Burning Bush, started the colony on a 1,520-acre farm near Bullard in 1912, and in 1913, 375 members of the church arrived at the colony. They constructed a tabernacle and residences. [6] When colonists joined the church, they lived communally and gave up all their possessions. This was also the makeup of the Burning Bush Colony. They ate together in a common dining hall and had a communal storehouse. They sustained themselves mainly through farming, but also through odd jobs in other local communities. [6] The colony did not have much success with farming, and eventually failed, despite support from the Metropolitan Church Association. After the colony failed, some stayed in Texas, but most returned to the North. [6] According to the 1986 book, Ghost Towns of Texas by T. Lindsay Baker, the site of Burning Bush was in Bullard 0.3 miles south of Farm to Market Road 344 across from the Douglas Family Cemetery, which is on County Road 3707. [7]
In India, the Metropolitan Church Association has more than 50,000 members and in Eswatini, its membership exceeds 1,000. [1] There are six congregations in South Africa with over 600 communicants, where the connexion is known as the Metropolitan Evangelistic Church. [1] In Mexico, there are twenty-five churches. [1] In the United States, the Metropolitan Church Association discontinued its publication of its periodical the Burning Bush in 2016.
The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is Wesleyan in theology, and is defined by its view of personal sin, and emphasis on the doctrine of a second work of grace generally called entire sanctification or Christian perfection. For the Holiness Movement "the term 'perfection' signifies completeness of Christian character; its freedom from all sin, and possession of all the graces of the Spirit, complete in kind." A number of evangelical Christian denominations, parachurch organizations, and movements emphasize those beliefs as central doctrine.
The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) is a Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations. Historically centered in the Southeastern United States, particularly the Carolinas and Georgia, the Pentecostal Holiness Church now has an international presence. In 2000, the church reported a worldwide membership of over one million—over three million including affiliates.
The Wesleyan Church, also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church and Wesleyan Holiness Church depending on the region, is a Methodist Christian denomination in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Indonesia, Asia, and Australia. The church is aligned Wesleyan-Holiness movement and has roots in the teachings of John Wesley. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine and is a member of the World Methodist Council.
The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834).
Pilgrim Holiness Church (PHC) or International Apostolic Holiness Church (IAHC) is a Christian denomination associated with the holiness movement that split from the Methodist Episcopal Church through the efforts of Martin Wells Knapp in 1897. It was first organized in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the International Holiness Union and Prayer League (IHU/IAHC). Knapp, founder of the IAHC, ordained and his Worldwide Missions Board sent Charles and Lettie Cowman who had attended God's Bible School to Japan in December 1900. By the International Apostolic Holiness Churches Foreign Missionary Board and the co-board of the Revivalist the Cowmans had been appointed the General Superintendents and the Kilbournes the vice-General Superintendent for Korea, Japan and China December 29, 1905. The organization later became the Pilgrim Holiness Church in 1922, the majority of which merged with the Wesleyan Methodists in 1968 to form the Wesleyan Church.
The conservative holiness movement is a loosely defined group of theologically conservative Christian denominations with the majority being Methodists whose teachings are rooted in the theology of John Wesley, and a minority being Quakers (Friends) that emphasize the doctrine of George Fox, as well as River Brethren who emerged out of the Radical Pietist revival and Holiness Restorationists in the tradition of Daniel Sidney Warner. Schisms began to occur in the 19th century and this movement became distinct from parent Holiness bodies in the mid-20th century amid disagreements over modesty in dress, entertainment, and other "old holiness standards" reflective of the related emphases on the Wesleyan–Arminian doctrine of outward holiness or the Quaker teaching on the testimony of simplicity or the River Brethren and Restorationist teachings on nonconformity to the world, depending on the denomination. Many denominations identifying with the conservative holiness movement, though not all, are represented in the Interchurch Holiness Convention; while some denominations have communion with one another, other bodies choose to be isolationist.
Outward holiness, or external holiness, is a Wesleyan–Arminian doctrine emphasizing modest dress and sober speech. It is a testimony of a Christian believer's regeneration, done in obedience to God. The doctrine is prevalent among denominations emerging during the revival movements, including the Methodists, as well as Pentecostals. It is taken from 1 Peter 1:15: "He which hath called you is Holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation."
The Evangelical Methodist Church (EMC) is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination reported 399 churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Philippines and several European and African nations in 2018, and a total of 34,656 members worldwide.
The Evangelical Church of North America (ECNA) is a Wesleyan-Holiness, Protestant Christian denomination headquartered in Clackamas, Oregon. As of 2000, the Church had 12,475 members in 133 local churches. The Church sponsors missionaries in seven countries.
The Fire-Baptized Holiness Church was a holiness Christian denomination in North America and much of the denomination was involved in the early formation of Pentecostalism, the advent of which caused schism in the church; it continues today in the following denominations: International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas, Bible Holiness Church and Wesleyan Holiness Alliance.
The People's Methodist Church was a Wesleyan-Holiness denomination in the Southern United States from 1938–1962 founded by revivalist Jim H. Green.
The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (AWMC), originally the Wesleyan Methodist Church , and also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church (WMC), is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement primarily based in the United States, with missions in Peru, Ghana, and Haiti.
Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Protestant Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit. For Christians, this event commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus Christ, as described in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. Pentecostalism was established in Kerala at the start of the 20th century.
The Bible Methodist Connection of Churches is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement.
House of Prayer is a Christian denomination aligned with the conservative holiness movement. It has roots in Christian communalism, restorationism, and the Wesleyan-Holiness movement.
Martin Wells Knapp (1853–1901) was an American Methodist minister who founded several institutions including the magazine "God’s Revivalist" in 1888, the International Holiness Union and Prayer League in 1897, and God's Bible School, later known as God's Bible School and College. He was a central figure of the more radical wing of the Holiness movement.
The Interchurch Holiness Convention (IHC), formerly the Interdenominational Holiness Convention, is an ecumenical organization of denominations and congregations within the conservative holiness movement. Aligned with the conservative holiness movement, the majority of these IHC members are Methodist, though others have a Quaker, Anabaptist or Restorationist background. The IHC was founded in 1952 during the post-World War II era. Thousands of individuals are present at the Interchurch Holiness Convention's annual international meeting that is usually held in Dayton, Ohio or in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; in addition the Interchurch Holiness Convention hosts regional meetings at local churches in different parts of the world throughout the year.
The Evangelical Wesleyan Church, formerly known as the Evangelical Wesleyan Church of North America, is a Methodist denomination in the conservative holiness movement.
The Reformed Free Methodist Church (RFMC) was a Methodist denomination in the conservative holiness movement.
Edwin Harvey (1865-1926) was a Methodist minister and leader in the holiness movement. His emphasis on communal living led to the foundation of the Metropolitan Methodist Mission, which supported the Burning Bush Colony in Texas.
