What is the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church?

Answer

The Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church is a Methodist church with episcopal leadership established by former slaves in 1870 in Jackson, Tennessee. The term episcopal denotes the bishop-led governance of the church. The Episcopal Church represents the American branch of the Anglican Church or Church of England. When John Wesley initiated Methodism, he served as an Anglican minister, and Methodism emerged as a movement within that church. In the American Colonies, the church was formally recognized as the Methodist Episcopal Church. Following the Revolutionary War, the connections to England diminished, and both the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Methodist Church no longer acknowledge the Archbishop of Canterbury. Over the centuries, each church has developed unique doctrines and practices diverging from their historical origins.

Before the Civil War, the Methodist Episcopal Church in the South supported slavery. Post-Civil War, the church leadership recognized the need to address the well-being of the “colored” members. (The term colored is used in a historically accurate context on the CME official website, and CME originally stood for “Colored Methodist Episcopal” but was altered to “Christian Methodist Episcopal” in 1954.) These members expressed a desire to form their own separate organization or denomination. The ME Church took the necessary actions to facilitate this, and in May 1870, 41 former slaves were chosen to establish an independent church.

Today, the CME Church is divided into eleven Episcopal Districts, nine in the Continental United States and two in Africa. Each Episcopal District comprises geographical Regions overseen by a bishop elected by the General Conference. Various connectional departments, under the authority of a General Secretary, carry out the church’s ministries, including Christian Education and discipleship.

, evangelism, and missions. Its theological school is Phillips School of Theology, which is a part of the Interdenominational Theological Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia. The CME Church sponsors four liberal arts colleges: Lane College, Jackson, Tennessee; Paine College, Augusta, Georgia; Miles College, Birmingham, Alabama; and Texas College, Tyler, Texas. The Connectional Headquarters and publishing operations of the CME Church are located in Memphis, Tennessee” (https://thecmechurch.org/history, accessed 9/13/20). The CME Church currently has over 12 million members and is becoming increasingly multicultural and ethnically diverse.

The mission and vision of the church are also summarized on the official website (https://thecmechurch.org/mission-beliefs, accessed 9/13/20):

“Mission Statement: The mission of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is to be disciples of Jesus the Christ by serving individuals, communities, and the world as the representative, loving presence of God and as witnesses to God’s salvation and grace.

“Vision Statement: The vision of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is to be a transforming church for Jesus the Christ within a changing world.”

The articles of faith are thoroughly evangelical regarding issues of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the Scriptures, and salvation by grace through faith. The CME Church allows for the ordination of women and for women to serve as lead pastors of churches. The CME Church has also explored unification with the two other historically black Methodist Episcopal Churches (AME and AMEZ). Currently, all three are in full fellowship with each other and with the United Methodist Church, which is not evangelical in doctrine or practice.

As with any denomination, the “flavor” and particular practices of individual churches may vary widely from each other and from the stated beliefs of the larger denomination.