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| History of the C.M.E. Church |
The following information has been covered in our new members
classes. It is important that we know how the Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church began.
classes. It is important that we know how the Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church began.
WHAT EVERY C.M.E. SHOULD KNOW AND APPRECIATE
THE BEGINNING OF METHODISM
John Wesley, who became known as the father of Methodism, was born
June 17, 1703 and died March 2, 1791. The name “Methodist” was first
given to Wesley, his brother Charles and two other men, all of whom were
students at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.
In November of 1729, John and Charles and the others begin to meet
together regularly for study, prayer, and communion. They named
themselves the “Holy Club” and arranged a daily schedule of duties,
which they faithfully followed.
Because of their precise ways of worship, the regularity of their lives and
studies, they and those who followed them were designated as the “people
called Methodist”.
John Wesley described a Methodist as: “One who has the love of
God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him,
one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his
soul, with all his mind, with all his strength.” Methodism,
therefore, embraces both the spiritual and the intellectual.
In 1735 John and his brother Charles sailed to America as missionaries to
Georgia. On their return trip they were impressed with a group of
Moravians whose religious faith provided an inner assurance amidst the
terrible storms on the sea. Upon their arrival back in London in February
1738, John sought out Peter Bohler, a Moravian leader, who taught both
he and his brother about self-surrender, instantaneous conversion, and joy
in conscious salvation. As a result, John Wesley determined he would
strive for the ultimate holiness experience.
A HEART STRANGELY WARM
On Wednesday, May 24, 1738, with much heaviness, John Wesley went to
St. Paul’s Church. There he listened to the anthem, Out of the deep have I
called unto Thee, O Lord—O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord
there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He shall
redeem Israel from all her sins.” Later in the evening he went (he almost
decided against it) to a Society in Aldergate Street where a layman was
reading Martin Luther’s preface to the epistle to the Romans
describing faith. Possessed of such faith, that preface had said the heart is
cheered, elevated and transported with sweet affection toward God.
History says that at this point it was about a quarter before nine, and as
the layman read, John Wesley felt his heart strangely warm. He
said of this, I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an
assurance was given me that He had taken away my sin, even mine and
saved me from the law of sin and death. This marked the true
beginning of Methodism. It became known as the “religion with
the warm heart.”
METHODISM IN AMERICA AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE C.M.E.
CHURCH
During the years following the birth of Methodism, our denomination
grew rapidly. The Methodist Episcopal Church North and South was an
outgrowth of Wesley’s Methodism. After the experience of Aldergate, new
zeal was kindled and young evangelist began to appear on the American
scene. In late 1784, John Wesley sent ordained ministers, Dr. Thomas
Coke as general superintendent, and Richard Whitcoat and Thomas Vasey
to the newly formed nation to take charge of the Methodist work.
___________________________________________________
From 1784 to 1844 American Methodism enjoyed phenomenal growth.
Evangelists and circuit riders fanned out into the states and territories,
into New England, down south and across the Alleghenies. Wherever
people went, they followed. The greatest growth was among the colonies
and states south of Pennsylvania.
___________________________________________________
SLAVES ARE EXPOSED TO CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES
As Methodism spread through the southern states it soon came into
contact with the Negro slaves. The preaching of the gospel and teaching of
Christian principles were not denied them. John Wesley and the early
Methodist, from the beginning, were opposed to slavery. By
1830, however, the Methodist Episcopal Church had become a slave
holding church. Methodist were very effective in preaching the Gospel of
Jesus Christ to slaves. It was as slaves that Blacks heard the preaching of
the Gospel, were converted to Jesus Christ, and became devout Christians
and faithful Methodist. Many of them were licensed to preach.
As the abolitionist movement picked up momentum, it forced the church
to face up to the question of the rightness or wrongness of slavery.
Meeting from May 1 to June 11, 1844, the General Conference struggled
over the issue of slavery. Consequently a plan of separation was
adopted June 8, 1844.
Blacks living in the areas of northern Methodism known as The Methodist
Episcopal Church, stayed with them. The Blacks living in the South and
members of, or attenders of the Church of their Masters stayed in the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. When the Civil War closed in 1865
and Blacks were set free, there was great agitation on the part of some
whites to have Blacks remain in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Accordingly there was a great desire, and a request on the part of Blacks
for their own churches. Isaac Lane, a black Methodist preacher,
said that they requested their own separate and independent church,
“patterned after our own ideas and notions.”
THE SEPARATION TAKES PLACE
The General Conference of the M.E. Church South, meeting in New
Orleans, in 1866, granted the request of the “Colored” members. It
authorized the establishment of those Colored members into a separate,
General Conference jurisdiction.” Pursuant to the action, the Organizing
General Conference for the Colored Members was set for December 16,
1870.
“THE PREACHER’S EVENTFUL RIDE”
Bishop Othal H. Lakey in his book, “The History of The CME Church”, put
it this way: “It was Thursday morning. The black preacher rose from
his prayers. He went outside and saddled his horse for the familiar ride
into town. That morning his soul was filled with eager
anticipation. He would not, as he had on so many other occasions,
guide his horse to Liberty Street where the Colored church was located.
Rather he would head toward 2nd Street—to the white church. On that
day, the preacher was on his way to join 40 other Black men
(The preacher and those who gathered with him were former
slaves). Representing eight Annual Conferences of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They were coming to
establish their own church. The town was Jackson, Tennessee.
The date was December 15 and the year was 1870. That evening they
devoted themselves to prayer and commitment to God. The next day,
December 16, 1870, they organized the Colored Methodist Episcopal
Church in America. Senior Bishop Robert Paine of the M.E. Church, South
presided. It was to this meeting that the preacher took his
eventful ride. - The preacher was Isaac Lane, the pastor of Liberty CME
Church (who later became the fifth Bishop of the CME Church).”
___________________________________________________
THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IS PUT IN PLACE
Thus, the 1870 General Conference chose as the name of the new church
the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. (In 1954 the term
“Colored” was changed to “Christian.”) That conference adopted portions
of the Discipline of the M.E. Church, South, as its polity; approved the
Articles of Religion as its doctrine; and accepted the General Rules for its
standard of conduct. It established The Christian Index as the official
publication and set the boundaries of ten (10) Annual Conferences.
Significantly, the delegates elected two of their preachers – William Henry
Miles of Kentucky and Richard H. Vanderhost of Georgia – as their
bishops. On December 21, Bishop Paine ordained them the first two
bishops of the CME Church.
___________________________________________________
FROM WHENCE WE HAVE COME
. From such humble beginning, the CME Church has become a major
denomination among the Christian churches of the world. Today it is
divided into ten Episcopal Districts with ten active bishops. Its boundaries
reach from the United States to Africa, Haiti, and Jamaica. It has General
Departments and General Secretaries to administer the ministry and
mission of the church.
____________________________________________________
A HERITAGE GROUNDED IN EDUCATION
Bishop C.D. Coleman (now deceased) noted in the publication, “Christian
Methodist Episcopal Primer”, “Our church has always been known for
three things: 1) Good bi-racial relations; 2) Interdenominational and
ecumenical activities; 3) Our contribution to education. Bishop Coleman
wrote, “Our church was born of an act illustrative of bi-racial relations. It
was nourished in a cradle of interracial goodwill, and grew up in an
atmosphere of mutual respect of one race for the other. This seen in the
fact that the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, gave us all the property,
which we had formerly used before our separation from them. In 1881,
Bishop L. H. Holsey of our church and a committee from the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, began plans for establishing a school in Augusta,
Georgia, to be operated jointly by them and us. Out of this planning, Paine
College was founded”.
___________________________________________________
Interdenominational and ecumenical activities (inter-church activities)
have always claimed our deep and abiding interest, according to Bishop
Coleman. When our church was only ten years old, we sent a delegation
headed by Bishop Holsey, to the First Ecumenical Conference, which met
in London, England. We have had representatives at every Ecumenical or
World Council meeting since.
___________________________________________________
Bishop Coleman lets us know that from the very beginning there was a-
hurry and hunger for knowledge. The training of the clergy was felt to be
imperative. The lay people too, were hungry for education. Thus,
the Bishops were petitioned to lead out in the building of schools:
In 1873, land was purchased by Bishop W.H. Miles, the first Bishop of the
CME Church, for the purpose of establishing a school in Louisville,
Kentucky. As a result, he started a school in Sardis, Mississippi.
___________________________________________________
Other institutions of learning that were established but have since ceased
operation are:
Alabama, and became Miles College.
Those who established these schools did so with the training of
ministers and religious workers primarily in mind. Consequently,
in 1944 Phillips School of Theology was established at Jackson, Tennessee.
Colleges still in operation are:
THE BEGINNING OF METHODISM
John Wesley, who became known as the father of Methodism, was born
June 17, 1703 and died March 2, 1791. The name “Methodist” was first
given to Wesley, his brother Charles and two other men, all of whom were
students at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.
In November of 1729, John and Charles and the others begin to meet
together regularly for study, prayer, and communion. They named
themselves the “Holy Club” and arranged a daily schedule of duties,
which they faithfully followed.
Because of their precise ways of worship, the regularity of their lives and
studies, they and those who followed them were designated as the “people
called Methodist”.
John Wesley described a Methodist as: “One who has the love of
God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him,
one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his
soul, with all his mind, with all his strength.” Methodism,
therefore, embraces both the spiritual and the intellectual.
In 1735 John and his brother Charles sailed to America as missionaries to
Georgia. On their return trip they were impressed with a group of
Moravians whose religious faith provided an inner assurance amidst the
terrible storms on the sea. Upon their arrival back in London in February
1738, John sought out Peter Bohler, a Moravian leader, who taught both
he and his brother about self-surrender, instantaneous conversion, and joy
in conscious salvation. As a result, John Wesley determined he would
strive for the ultimate holiness experience.
A HEART STRANGELY WARM
On Wednesday, May 24, 1738, with much heaviness, John Wesley went to
St. Paul’s Church. There he listened to the anthem, Out of the deep have I
called unto Thee, O Lord—O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord
there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He shall
redeem Israel from all her sins.” Later in the evening he went (he almost
decided against it) to a Society in Aldergate Street where a layman was
reading Martin Luther’s preface to the epistle to the Romans
describing faith. Possessed of such faith, that preface had said the heart is
cheered, elevated and transported with sweet affection toward God.
History says that at this point it was about a quarter before nine, and as
the layman read, John Wesley felt his heart strangely warm. He
said of this, I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an
assurance was given me that He had taken away my sin, even mine and
saved me from the law of sin and death. This marked the true
beginning of Methodism. It became known as the “religion with
the warm heart.”
METHODISM IN AMERICA AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE C.M.E.
CHURCH
During the years following the birth of Methodism, our denomination
grew rapidly. The Methodist Episcopal Church North and South was an
outgrowth of Wesley’s Methodism. After the experience of Aldergate, new
zeal was kindled and young evangelist began to appear on the American
scene. In late 1784, John Wesley sent ordained ministers, Dr. Thomas
Coke as general superintendent, and Richard Whitcoat and Thomas Vasey
to the newly formed nation to take charge of the Methodist work.
___________________________________________________
From 1784 to 1844 American Methodism enjoyed phenomenal growth.
Evangelists and circuit riders fanned out into the states and territories,
into New England, down south and across the Alleghenies. Wherever
people went, they followed. The greatest growth was among the colonies
and states south of Pennsylvania.
___________________________________________________
SLAVES ARE EXPOSED TO CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES
As Methodism spread through the southern states it soon came into
contact with the Negro slaves. The preaching of the gospel and teaching of
Christian principles were not denied them. John Wesley and the early
Methodist, from the beginning, were opposed to slavery. By
1830, however, the Methodist Episcopal Church had become a slave
holding church. Methodist were very effective in preaching the Gospel of
Jesus Christ to slaves. It was as slaves that Blacks heard the preaching of
the Gospel, were converted to Jesus Christ, and became devout Christians
and faithful Methodist. Many of them were licensed to preach.
As the abolitionist movement picked up momentum, it forced the church
to face up to the question of the rightness or wrongness of slavery.
Meeting from May 1 to June 11, 1844, the General Conference struggled
over the issue of slavery. Consequently a plan of separation was
adopted June 8, 1844.
Blacks living in the areas of northern Methodism known as The Methodist
Episcopal Church, stayed with them. The Blacks living in the South and
members of, or attenders of the Church of their Masters stayed in the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. When the Civil War closed in 1865
and Blacks were set free, there was great agitation on the part of some
whites to have Blacks remain in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Accordingly there was a great desire, and a request on the part of Blacks
for their own churches. Isaac Lane, a black Methodist preacher,
said that they requested their own separate and independent church,
“patterned after our own ideas and notions.”
THE SEPARATION TAKES PLACE
The General Conference of the M.E. Church South, meeting in New
Orleans, in 1866, granted the request of the “Colored” members. It
authorized the establishment of those Colored members into a separate,
General Conference jurisdiction.” Pursuant to the action, the Organizing
General Conference for the Colored Members was set for December 16,
1870.
“THE PREACHER’S EVENTFUL RIDE”
Bishop Othal H. Lakey in his book, “The History of The CME Church”, put
it this way: “It was Thursday morning. The black preacher rose from
his prayers. He went outside and saddled his horse for the familiar ride
into town. That morning his soul was filled with eager
anticipation. He would not, as he had on so many other occasions,
guide his horse to Liberty Street where the Colored church was located.
Rather he would head toward 2nd Street—to the white church. On that
day, the preacher was on his way to join 40 other Black men
(The preacher and those who gathered with him were former
slaves). Representing eight Annual Conferences of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They were coming to
establish their own church. The town was Jackson, Tennessee.
The date was December 15 and the year was 1870. That evening they
devoted themselves to prayer and commitment to God. The next day,
December 16, 1870, they organized the Colored Methodist Episcopal
Church in America. Senior Bishop Robert Paine of the M.E. Church, South
presided. It was to this meeting that the preacher took his
eventful ride. - The preacher was Isaac Lane, the pastor of Liberty CME
Church (who later became the fifth Bishop of the CME Church).”
___________________________________________________
THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IS PUT IN PLACE
Thus, the 1870 General Conference chose as the name of the new church
the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America. (In 1954 the term
“Colored” was changed to “Christian.”) That conference adopted portions
of the Discipline of the M.E. Church, South, as its polity; approved the
Articles of Religion as its doctrine; and accepted the General Rules for its
standard of conduct. It established The Christian Index as the official
publication and set the boundaries of ten (10) Annual Conferences.
Significantly, the delegates elected two of their preachers – William Henry
Miles of Kentucky and Richard H. Vanderhost of Georgia – as their
bishops. On December 21, Bishop Paine ordained them the first two
bishops of the CME Church.
___________________________________________________
FROM WHENCE WE HAVE COME
. From such humble beginning, the CME Church has become a major
denomination among the Christian churches of the world. Today it is
divided into ten Episcopal Districts with ten active bishops. Its boundaries
reach from the United States to Africa, Haiti, and Jamaica. It has General
Departments and General Secretaries to administer the ministry and
mission of the church.
____________________________________________________
A HERITAGE GROUNDED IN EDUCATION
Bishop C.D. Coleman (now deceased) noted in the publication, “Christian
Methodist Episcopal Primer”, “Our church has always been known for
three things: 1) Good bi-racial relations; 2) Interdenominational and
ecumenical activities; 3) Our contribution to education. Bishop Coleman
wrote, “Our church was born of an act illustrative of bi-racial relations. It
was nourished in a cradle of interracial goodwill, and grew up in an
atmosphere of mutual respect of one race for the other. This seen in the
fact that the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, gave us all the property,
which we had formerly used before our separation from them. In 1881,
Bishop L. H. Holsey of our church and a committee from the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, began plans for establishing a school in Augusta,
Georgia, to be operated jointly by them and us. Out of this planning, Paine
College was founded”.
___________________________________________________
Interdenominational and ecumenical activities (inter-church activities)
have always claimed our deep and abiding interest, according to Bishop
Coleman. When our church was only ten years old, we sent a delegation
headed by Bishop Holsey, to the First Ecumenical Conference, which met
in London, England. We have had representatives at every Ecumenical or
World Council meeting since.
___________________________________________________
Bishop Coleman lets us know that from the very beginning there was a-
hurry and hunger for knowledge. The training of the clergy was felt to be
imperative. The lay people too, were hungry for education. Thus,
the Bishops were petitioned to lead out in the building of schools:
In 1873, land was purchased by Bishop W.H. Miles, the first Bishop of the
CME Church, for the purpose of establishing a school in Louisville,
Kentucky. As a result, he started a school in Sardis, Mississippi.
- Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee evolved from a CME High
- In 1894, Texas College at Tyler, Texas began operation.
- Mississippi Industrial College (MIT), at Holly Springs was founded
- Miles College was founded in 1905 at Birmingham, Alabama.
- Holsey-Cobb Institute was established a few years later in Cordele,
___________________________________________________
Other institutions of learning that were established but have since ceased
operation are:
- A high school at Docena and Thomasville, Alabama. These two
Alabama, and became Miles College.
- Boley Institute-Boley, Oklahoma.
- Haywood Institute-Haywood, Arkansas.
- Homer College-Homer, Louisiana.
- South Boston Virginia Institute-South Boston, Virginia.
Those who established these schools did so with the training of
ministers and religious workers primarily in mind. Consequently,
in 1944 Phillips School of Theology was established at Jackson, Tennessee.
Colleges still in operation are:
- Lane College, Jackson, TN.
- Paine College, Augusta, GA.
- Texas College, Tyler, TX.
- Miles College, Birmingham, AL.
- Phillips School of Theology (part of the Interdenominational
