Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ

Last updated
Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ
Classification Esoteric Christianity
Orientation Spiritual
Theology Spiritualism
Polity Episcopal
Presiding BishopJames D. Tindall, Sr.
Headquarters Kansas City, Missouri
FounderBishop William F. Taylor
Official website mscccongress.org

The Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ (MSCC) is a Christian denomination descending from the spiritual church movement. Formed in 1925 within Kansas City, Missouri, the MSCC is divided into 7 dioceses led by diocesan prelates. [1] The current presiding prelate for the denomination is Bishop James D. Tindall Sr. [2]

Contents

History

In September 1925, the first congregation—Metropolitan Spiritual Church of Christ—was established in Kansas City, Missouri by Bishop William F. Taylor (not to be confused with Bishop William Taylor, missionary) and Elder Leviticus L. Boswell. [3] Previously, Taylor served within the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and Boswell served within the Metropolitan Community Church; Boswell was ordained as an elder within the Church of God in Christ. [4] :142 Leaving their established religious communities to establish a Spiritualist movement, one member claimed the MSCC "provided in part an 'umbrella group for gays.'" In 1926, the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ began ordaining women ministers. [4] :143

Following the death of Bishop Taylor, a succession crisis occurred, and in 1942 the MSCC merged with the Divine Spiritual Churches of the Southwest, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. This merger created the United Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ, though the united and uniting church schismed into two separate denominations: the United Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ, and the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ in Kansas City. [4] :143

In 1974, the MSCC held its 49th congress under the leadership of Bishop Taylor's successor, Bishop Clarence H. Cobbs. [5] Under Bishop Taylor's administration, Cobbs founded the First Church of Deliverance in May 1929. [6] By 1979, Lucretia L. Smith became the first female presiding bishop of the denomination. [7]

Doctrine

As a part of the spiritual church movement, the Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ syncretizes certain tenets of Christian Science, Pentecostalism, and Methodism. [4] :144 The MSCC also teaches the foursquare gospel and some of its churches use Catholic iconography and statues, though ritual items and belief systems vary through each congregation; once, the denomination officially practiced seances, however the MSCC "has attempted to disassociate itself from certain aspects of the larger Spiritual movement (.e.g., seances) and particularly Voodoo." [4] :148

Related Research Articles

A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role or office of the bishop is called episcopacy. Organizationally, several Christian denominations utilize ecclesiastical structures that call for the position of bishops, while other denominations have dispensed with this office, seeing it as a symbol of power. Bishops have also exercised political authority within their dioceses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy orders</span> Sacraments in some Christian churches

In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders include the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian, Old Catholic, Independent Catholic and some Lutheran churches. Except for Lutherans and some Anglicans, these churches regard ordination as a sacrament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deacon</span> Office in Christian churches

A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Reverend</span> Christian religious honorific style

The Reverend is an honorific style given before the names of certain Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style, but is sometimes referred to as a title, form of address, or title of respect. The style is also sometimes used by leaders in other religions such as Judaism and Buddhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of God in Christ</span> Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and a large Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African-American membership based within the United States. The international headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee. The current Presiding Bishop is Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr., who is the Senior Pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ of Detroit, Michigan. He was elected as the denomination's leader on March 27, 2021. On November 12, 2024, Bishop Sheard was re-elected by acclamation to serve another four-year term as the presiding bishop and chief apostle of the denomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship</span>

The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship (FGBCF) or Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International (FGBCFI) is a predominantly African-American, Charismatic Baptist denomination established by Bishop Paul Sylvester Morton—a Gospel singer and former National Baptist pastor. Founded as a response to traditional black Baptists upholding cessationism, Full Gospel Baptists advocate for the operation of Charismatic Christian spiritual gifts, while also holding to some traditional Baptist doctrine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Diocese of Washington</span> Diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States

The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is a diocese of the Episcopal Church covering Washington, D.C., and nearby counties of Maryland in the United States. With a membership of over 38,000, the diocese is led by the Bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde. It is home to Washington National Cathedral, which is the seat of both the diocesan bishop and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minister (Christianity)</span> Religious occupation in Christianity

In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community. The term is taken from Latin minister. In some church traditions the term is usually used for people who have been ordained, but in other traditions it can also be used for non-ordained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of South India</span> United Protestant church in South India

The Church of South India (CSI) is a united Protestant Church in India. It is the result of union of a number of Protestant denominations in South India that occurred after the independence of India.

A presiding bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity.

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priesthood in the Catholic Church</span> Catholic holy order

The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms priest refers only to presbyters and pastors. The church's doctrine also sometimes refers to all baptised (lay) members as the "common priesthood", which can be confused with the ministerial priesthood of the consecrated clergy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishops in the Catholic Church</span> Ordained ministers of the Catholic Church

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Church. Catholics trace the origins of the office of bishop to the apostles, who it is believed were endowed with a special charism and office by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Catholics believe this special charism and office has been transmitted through an unbroken succession of bishops by the laying on of hands in the sacrament of holy orders.

In Christianity, an elder is a person who is valued for wisdom and holds a position of responsibility and authority in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions an elder is an ordained person who serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of word, sacrament and order, filling the preaching and pastoral offices. In other Christian traditions, an elder may be a lay person serving as an administrator in a local congregation, or be ordained and serving in preaching or pastoral roles. There is a distinction between ordained elders and lay elders. The two concepts may be conflated in everyday conversation. In non-Christian world cultures the term elder refers to age and experience, and the Christian sense of elder is partly related to this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa</span>

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa is a Lutheran church in South Africa. The church has 580,000 baptized members in seven dioceses in South Africa, Botswana, and Eswatini, and is the largest Lutheran church in the southern African region. It is a member of the Botswana Council of Churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Church (United States)</span> Protestant Anglican denomination

The Episcopal Church (TEC), also officially the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church is Sean W. Rowe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Sinai Holy Church of America</span>

The Mount Sinai Holy Church of America (MSHCA) is a Christian church in the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition. The church is episcopal in governance. It has approximately 130 congregations in 14 states and 4 countries and a membership of over 50,000. Its headquarters is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Precedence signifies the right to enjoy a prerogative of honor before other persons; for example, to have the most distinguished place in a procession, a ceremony, or an assembly, to have the right to express an opinion, cast a vote, or append a signature before others, to perform the most honorable offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Christianity</span> Overview of and topical guide to Christianity

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Christianity:

Clarence Henry Cobbs was an African-American spiritualist clergyman and broadcaster, the leader of the First Church of Deliverance in Chicago.

References

  1. "Diocesan Prelates". MSCC International Congress. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  2. "College of Bishops". MSCC International Congress. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  3. "Our Story". Metropolitan Spiritual Church of Christ. Archived from the original on 2024-11-22. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Baer, Hans A. (1988). "The Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ: The Socio-Religious Evolution of the Largest of the Black Spiritual Associations". Review of Religious Research. 30 (2): 140–150. doi:10.2307/3511351. ISSN   0034-673X.
  5. "Metropolitan Spiritual Churches 49th congress 1974". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1974-07-27. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  6. Marovich, Robert M. (2015-03-15). "Turn Your Radio On". A City Called Heaven: Chicago and the Birth of Gospel Music. University of Illinois Press. pp. 64–69. ISBN   9780252097089 via Google Books.
  7. "History". MSCC International Congress. Retrieved 2023-12-15.