Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME ) is a Christian church in a Methodist tradition with primarily African-American members.

Dissemination

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church has 800,000 members in the United States and has missions and sister churches in Haiti, Jamaica, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria.

History

The CME was founded in 1870 as a primarily African-American denomination, when several Methodist preachers wanted to ordain their own African-American bishops and preachers, without having to rely on the consent of Americans with white skin color. Initially named the Afro-American church their church founder Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. This church name remained until the middle of the 50s of the 20th century exist.

CME owns a publishing house in Memphis (Tennessee). In Jackson, Tennessee, is one of the Lane College and in Fairfield, Alabama, the Miles College to church.

Teaching and practice

Theory and practice corresponds to the Methodist and Wesleyan churches.

Church structure

The church structure essentially corresponds to that of Methodist churches.

Supreme authority is the General Conference, which meets every four years and is composed in equal clergy and laity, who are elected by the annual conferences of the episcopal districts.

The bishops are elected by the General Conference and face of the 10 annual conferences. The Community of Bishops is the executive body of the church.

Ecumenism

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church is a member of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the World Methodist Council and the World Council of Churches.

The CME has for many years with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in merger talks to form a joint church. 2004 failed this merger for the time being - among others to the agreement on a common name.

Table fellowship is with the member churches of Churches Uniting in Christ.