Church of Jesus Christ (Drewite)
Encyclopedia
The Church of Jesus Christ is a schismatic
organization in the Latter Day Saint movement
which was organized in 1965 as a branch-off from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
.
In the early 1950s, Theron Drew, a member of the Strangite church, met Merl Kilgore, who at the time was the leader of another Latter Day Saint group called Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi. Drew was convinced that Kilgore was the "One Mighty and Strong
" prophesied of in Mormon scripture and that Kilgore should become the successor of James Strang
and lead the Strangite church. However, not long after promoting Kilgore as the long-awaited prophet
ic successor to Strang, Drew changed his mind about Kilgore.
When Drew returned to meeting with the Strangite church, he was rejected and asked not to return. He was excommunicated from the Strangites in 1965. Following this event, Drew, his family, and a small number of supporters organized the Church of Jesus Christ, claiming it to be the true successor of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Church of Christ. The church meets in farmhouse previously owned by Wingfield W. Watson
, an early leader in the Strangite church. Drew died in 1978, and leadership of the church passed to Richard Drew, Theron's son.
The Strangite church sued the Church of Jesus Christ to recover some of the church documents in Theron Drew's possession, but were not successful in the lawsuit.
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
organization in the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
which was organized in 1965 as a branch-off from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement with around three hundred members as of 1998...
.
In the early 1950s, Theron Drew, a member of the Strangite church, met Merl Kilgore, who at the time was the leader of another Latter Day Saint group called Zion's Order of the Sons of Levi. Drew was convinced that Kilgore was the "One Mighty and Strong
One Mighty and Strong
One Mighty and Strong is a person of unknown identity who was the subject of an 1832 prophecy by Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, echoing the words and prophecy of Isaiah 28:2. The One Mighty and Strong was said by Smith to be one who would "set in order the house of...
" prophesied of in Mormon scripture and that Kilgore should become the successor of James Strang
James Strang
James Jesse Strang was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , a faction of the Latter Day Saint movement...
and lead the Strangite church. However, not long after promoting Kilgore as the long-awaited prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
ic successor to Strang, Drew changed his mind about Kilgore.
When Drew returned to meeting with the Strangite church, he was rejected and asked not to return. He was excommunicated from the Strangites in 1965. Following this event, Drew, his family, and a small number of supporters organized the Church of Jesus Christ, claiming it to be the true successor of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Church of Christ. The church meets in farmhouse previously owned by Wingfield W. Watson
Wingfield W. Watson
Wingfield W. Watson was a religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which was founded by Joseph Smith, Junior, and succeeded by James Jesse Strang He was a church records keeper. And some of his works have been compiled, showing the beliefs and actions of Strang...
, an early leader in the Strangite church. Drew died in 1978, and leadership of the church passed to Richard Drew, Theron's son.
The Strangite church sued the Church of Jesus Christ to recover some of the church documents in Theron Drew's possession, but were not successful in the lawsuit.