Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A.

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The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. is a Holiness body of Christians headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. shares a common early history with the Church of God in Christ. Charles Price Jones, a Missionary Baptist preacher in Alabama and later Mississippi, accepted the doctrine of Holiness around 1896. During this time C.P. Jones became associated with W. S. Pleasant, J. A. Jeter, Charles Harrison Mason, along with other Holiness leaders. In 1897, C.P. Jones conducted a Holiness convention from June 6-15 at the church he pastored, Mt. Helm Baptist Church, in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1898, the name Mt. Helm Baptist Church was changed to Church of Christ. This new group of Holiness leaders was expelled from the Jackson Baptist Association. From that expulsion, they adopted the name Christ Association of Mississippi of Baptized Believers in Christ in 1900, and the national Holiness movement accepted the name by C. H. Mason—Church of God in Christ—in 1906. In that same year, an annual convocation selected J. A. Jeter, C. H. Mason, and D. J. Young to investigate the Azusa Street Revival conducted by [[William J. Seymour]. C.H. Mason and D. J. Young accepted William Seymour's teaching concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit and returned with such doctrinal message with great enthusiasm. After an extended discussion on the issue of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, at the 1907 convention, a right hand of fellowship, a separation occurred, with C. H. Mason, D. J. Young and others leading a Holiness, Pentecostal group. C. P. Jones retained its Holiness emphasis when other early African-American leaders such as C. H. Mason embraced Pentecostalism.

The name Church of God in Christ was widely held by both groups until 1915, when Bishop C. H. Mason had the name COGIC, incorporated. Churches of the Holiness division began to use the name Church of Christ Holiness, and in October of 1920 was chartered in the state of Mississippi as the Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A..

The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. is trinitarian with a Holiness emphasis. Water baptism of believers by immersion and the Lord's supper as a memorial are held to be ordinances of the church. Foot washing is also practiced, but it is not regarded as an ordinance. The church does not reject speaking in tongues (glossolalia). The church emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is an indispensable gift to every believer, but places no emphasis on an initial evidence as speaking in tongues to be the results of such gift.

The church in the United States is divided into eight dioceses - Eastern, North Central, Northern, Pacific North West, South Central, South Eastern, South Western, and Western. In 1998 the Church of Christ (Holiness) had 10,393 members in 167 congregations in the U. S. Following the death of Bishop Jones, in 1949, Bishop Major Rudd Conic, Sr. became the President and Senior Bishop of the Church. He held both positions until 1992. In 1996 Bishop Maurice D. Bingham of Jackson, Mississippi was elected Senior Bishop, a position he held until August of 2004. Bishop Emery Lindsay of Chicago is the Current Senior Bishop; Bishop Vernon Kennebrew (Little Rock, Arkansas) is the President. It's annual "National Convention" is held during the month of July. The church will celebrate it's 111th Convention in Jackson, Mississippi in 2007.