Back Jesu Kristi Kirke (Bickertonitter) Danish Kirche Jesu Christi (Bickertoniten) German Iglesia de Cristo (Bickertonita) Spanish Jeesuksen Kristuksen kirkko (bickertonilaiset) Finnish Chiesa di Gesù Cristo (bickertonita) Italian Bickertonitter NB Igreja de Jesus Cristo (Bickertonita) Portuguese The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) Swedish 耶穌基督的教會 (比克頓派) Chinese
| The Church of Jesus Christ | |
|---|---|
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| Classification | Restorationist |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | Monongahela, Pennsylvania |
| Origin | April 6, 1830 Manchester or Fayette, New York, United States |
| Members | Approximately 22,992 |
The Church of Jesus Christ is an international Christian religious denomination headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, United States.[1][2] Organized at Green Oak, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. in the year 1862. The church is a Christian Restorationist church and accepts the Book of Mormon as scripture. The church considers itself the gospel restored, or the original church and good news as established by Jesus Christ in the New Testament, restored upon the earth. It also claims to be the spiritual successor to the Church of Christ, organized by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830. The church sees Sidney Rigdon as Smith's rightful successor following the assassination of Smith because Rigdon was Smith's first counselor in the First Presidency.[3] The church is not officially affiliated with any other church, organization or denomination.
As of August 2023, members of the church are located throughout the world including North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa—for a membership total of 22,992.[4] The Church of Jesus Christ is considered "the third largest Restoration church to have resulted from the 1844 succession crisis", describing Joseph Smith's death that year without a clear line of succession.[5] It has sometimes been referred to as a "Bickertonite church" or "Rigdonite organization"[6] based upon the church's historical succession through William Bickerton and Sidney Rigdon. Some refer to the church as the Pentecostal Mormon church[7] as it has the present operation of the gifts of the Spirit, similar to Charismatic or Pentecostal churches. However, the church does not use these terms in referring to itself.
The stated purpose of the church is "to share the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, His promises and His redeeming love with all nations and races throughout the world and to carry out God’s plans in the latter days."[8]
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- ^ Registered corporate name in the Pennsylvania corporate registry.
- ^ Valenti, Jerry (1986). "Volume 56". Welcome to The Church of Jesus Christ. Bridgewater, MI: Gospel News. p. 9.
- ^ McKiernan, M.F. (1979). "Volume 56". The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness: Sidney Rigdon, Religious Reformer. USA: Coronado Press. p. 9.
- ^ The Church of Jesus Christ General Business and Organization Conference Agenda. Greensburg, PA: The Church of Jesus Christ. 2018. p. 5494.
- ^ New President for Church of Jesus Christ (Bickerton) (PDF). The John Whitmer Historical Association. 2005. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-23.
- ^ Pronounced /bikərtənaɪt/ , /rɪgdənaɪt/.
- ^ "Alice Cooper: Mormon Pentecostal Movement". 16 October 2018.
- ^ Calabrese, Joseph (1973). The Divine Continuity of The Church of Jesus Christ. Bridgewater, MI: The Church of Jesus Christ.