Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ is a small seventh-day Sabbatarian Pentecostal body of Christian
s in the United States
and Canada
.
); the inspired infallible original texts of God's Word as the final authority of faith and practice; receiving the Holy Spirit
with the evidence of speaking in tongues; the pre-millennial return of Christ; observance of weekly seventh-day Sabbath, new moon
Sabbaths, and feast days (Pentecost, Unleavened Bread, First fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles). The church rejects the idea of a Trinity
, and the observing of days such as Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day. Salvation is available through Jesus
to those who have been baptized into Jesus' Name, received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (With the sign of speaking in tongues), and are obedient to His commandments.
John Quincy Adams followed a Oneness or concurrent modalistic monarchian form of Unitarianism, not to be confused with dynamic monarchianism another Unitarian teaching.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Faith and Practice
Doctrines of this church include the unity of one God (UnitarianismUnitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
); the inspired infallible original texts of God's Word as the final authority of faith and practice; receiving the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
with the evidence of speaking in tongues; the pre-millennial return of Christ; observance of weekly seventh-day Sabbath, new moon
New moon
In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth...
Sabbaths, and feast days (Pentecost, Unleavened Bread, First fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles). The church rejects the idea of a Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, and the observing of days such as Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day. Salvation is available through Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
to those who have been baptized into Jesus' Name, received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (With the sign of speaking in tongues), and are obedient to His commandments.
Church Name
John Quincy Adams had a number of followers, but did not formally organize a new denomination. After his death, the group remembered a dream of one of its members, and based on that dream, took a name to further identify themselves: "Many times they were asked, 'To what church do you belong?' They always replied, 'We don't belong to any church--We just follow Jesus'. One night one of them dreamed that when asked this question, she replied, 'I belong to the church of the Little Children of JESUS CHRIST!'" Church members usually write the church name as "Church of the little children of JESUS CHRIST" or "church of the little children of Jesus Christ".John Quincy Adams followed a Oneness or concurrent modalistic monarchian form of Unitarianism, not to be confused with dynamic monarchianism another Unitarian teaching.
Status
The Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ maintains a minimum of organization and does not keep membership rolls. Therefore statistics are not available. The last count from the Encyclopedia of American Religions reported "in the early 1970s...eight congregations and fewer than 100 members..." in Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming, and Saskatchewan. The church also engages in fellowshipping with other Sabbatarian congregations existing outside of organized religious groups, so the network of this church is much broader than its own congregations. Activities of the church include personal community evangelism by members; a monthly newsletter (known as The Gathering Call); a tape ministry; an internet ministry; and publication of the writings by John Quincy Adams. The Prophetic Word and Great Memorial Days are two of Adams' books that formulate much of the doctrine of the church. Services among the churches of the Little Children of Jesus Christ generally consist of praise and worship through singing, an extended time of prayer, interactive Bible study, sermons, and testimonies.Footnotes
- Melton gives 1916: the "Church of the Little Children...was formed in 1916 by John Quincy Adams (1890-1951) in Abbott, Texas, following his withdrawal from the Baptist ministry..." – EAR
- This John Q. Adams should not to be confused with John Quincy Adams (1825–1881), another Baptist minister and author of Baptists the Only Thorough Religious Reformers in 1876.