Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas
Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas | |
---|---|
The Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas logo | |
Abbreviation | FBHC |
Classification | Protestant |
Orientation | Holiness |
Polity | Episcopal polity |
Senior Bishop | Bishop Patrick L. Frazier Jr. |
2nd Episcopal Diocese | Bishop J.L. Davis |
3rd Episcopal Diocese | Bishop A.L. Rodgers |
Headquarters | Greenville, South Carolina |
Founder | Benjamin Hardin Irwin and Bishop William Edward Fuller Sr. |
Origin | 1908 Greer, South Carolina |
Congregations | 160 |
Official website | www.thefbhchurch.com |
The Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas is a predominantly African-American Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination based in the United States. Originating when the African American members of the integrated Fire-Baptized Holiness Church withdrew to form their own organization, the church was founded at Greer, South Carolina in 1908.
History
The church was founded by Benjamin Hardin Irwin and Bishop William Edward Fuller Sr. (1875–1958). The Fire-Baptized Holiness Association originated in Iowa in 1895 under the leadership of Benjamin H. Irwin of Lincoln, Nebraska. Irwin expanded this into a national organization as the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church at Anderson, South Carolina in August 1898. At age 23, William E. Fuller Sr., a member of the African-American New Hope Methodist Church, attended the founding of that body in 1898. Blacks and whites were admitted with equality. Fuller returned to New Hope from the 1898 meeting, resigned his offices, turned in his license, and cast his lot with the Fire-Baptized Holiness. After Irwin left the church in 1900, Joseph Hillery King became the general overseer. Fuller served as Assistant General Overseer to King in 1905.
Acting on what he thought was a trend toward segregation, Fuller led about 500 members to organize the Colored Fire Baptized Holiness Church in 1908 in Greer, South Carolina. The True Witness periodical was established in 1909. On June 8, 1926 the name Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas was adopted.
The predominantly Anglo-American division of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church merged with the Pentecostal Holiness Church on January 30, 1911 in Falcon, North Carolina, to form what is now known as the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, though prior to this in 1898, the Southeastern Kansas Fire Baptized Holiness Association separated from the denomination over differences in doctrine and is known today as the Bible Holiness Church.[1]
Structure and beliefs
The church government of the organization is episcopal. Bishops are the highest officials of the church, and preside over divisions called dioceses. The sacraments of the church are baptism and the Lord's Supper. Feet washing, matrimony, and funerals are considered ordinances. Women can be licensed and ordained to preach and serve as pastors.
The church headquarters and school are located in Greenville, South Carolina. In 2003, the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God had about 160 congregations, mostly on the east coast of the United States, but also including one church each in Canada, England, the Virgin Islands, and 15 congregations in Jamaica.
References
- ^ Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A. (November 10, 2016). Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-4422-4432-0.
- Handbook of Denominations in the United States (8th ed.), by Frank S. Mead and Samuel S. Hill
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
- Religion in Black America
- Historically African-American Christian denominations
- Clergy
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church | |
---|---|
First African Baptist Church (Richmond, Virginia) | |
First African Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia) |
|
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship | |
Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention | |
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. | |
National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. | |
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America | |
Progressive National Baptist Convention | |
United American Free Will Baptist Church |
- Apostolic Assemblies of Christ
- Apostolic Faith Church (William J. Seymour)
- Church of God in Christ (Charles Edward Blake Sr.
- Andraé Crouch
- Sandra Crouch
- Robert Michael Franklin Jr.
- Samuel Green Jr.
- Edwin Hawkins
- O. T. Jones Sr.
- John P. Kee
- Charles Harrison Mason
- Chandler David Owens Sr
- Gilbert E. Patterson
- J. O. Patterson Jr.
- Wayne Perryman
- Ted Thomas Sr.
- F. D. Washington
- Dickerson Wells
- Timothy Wright
- Lennox Yearwood)
- Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith (Robert C. Lawson)
- Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God (James F. Jones
- James Shaffer)
- Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas
- Mount Sinai Holy Church of America (Ida B. Robinson)
- Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
- Pentecostal Churches of Christ (J. Delano Ellis)
- Reformed Zion Union Apostolic Church
- Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ (Elias Dempsey Smith)
- United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God, Incorporated
- United Holy Church of America
- United Sabbath-Day Adventist Church
- Black Catholicism (Servant of God Mother Mary Lange
- Venerable Mother Henriette DeLille
- William Augustine Williams
- Venerable Pierre Toussaint
- Venerable Fr Augustus Tolton
- George Clements
- Bishop John Ricard
- Servant of God Julia Greeley
- Servant of God Sr Thea Bowman
- Sr Jamie Phelps, OP
- Clarence Rivers
- Fr Cyprian Davis, OSB
- Archbishop James Lyke
- Cardinal Wilton Gregory)
- African Orthodox Church (George Alexander McGuire)
- Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. (Charles Price Jones)
- Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America
- City of Refuge UCC (Yvette Flunder)
- Global United Fellowship (Neil Ellis)
- Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation (George Augustus Stallings Jr.)
- Interdenominational Theological Center
- Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge
- Love Center Church (Walter Hawkins)
- Original Church of God or Sanctified Church
- Spencer Churches (Peter Spencer)
- Trinity United Church of Christ (Otis Moss III)
- United House of Prayer for All People (Marcelino Manuel da Graça
- Walter McCollough
- Samuel C. Madison
- C.M. Bailey)