Pauline Hancock
Encyclopedia
Pauline Bailey Hancock was the founder of the Church of Christ (Hancock)
in Independence, Missouri
in 1946, and was the first woman to found and lead a denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement
. A former member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and then later the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
, Hancock was excommunicated from the Temple Lot church in 1946, due to differences between her view of the Godhead and theirs. She later claimed a vision of Jesus Christ, whom she claimed had told her to "go and teach," leading her to found her own church in 1946. She would lead this church until her death in 1962.
), whose father had been a minister of that denomination in Salt Lake City, Utah
. During the Supreme Directional Control
controversy of the 1920s, she opposed President Frederick M. Smith's attempt to take "supereme directional control" over the RLDS church; she later transferred her memebership to the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
. In 1935, following the excommunication of her friend Apostle Samuel Wood of the Temple Lot church (who was expelled for believing in a modalistic view of the Godhead, a view Hancock supported), Hancock resigned from that organization.
being crucified that led her to believe she had become "a new creature". Hancock's organization rejected the Doctrine and Covenants
of their parent church, as well as the Pearl of Great Price
used by the LDS Church, retaining only the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon
. She adopted a modalistic view of God
, insisting that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were merely manifestation of the same, one God. The organization bought property in Independence and built a submerged sanctuary that became locally known as the "basement church" because most of it was underground.
Hancock exercized functions normally reserved solely to men during this time in Latter Day Saint history, such as performing baptism
s and administering other ordinances, as well as preaching. She did not claim any formal title, but remained the undisputed leader of her church from its founding until the time of her death.
, began to question the authenticy of the Book of Mormon, which led to Hancock's church rejecting it in 1973. Her church continued to function for a time strictly as a Protestant denomination, but later chose to dissolve itself in 1984, after which its members mostly joined with various Evangelical Protestant churches. Hancock's "basement church" was used by a Protestant church for a time, but was later sold to a local Restoration Branch, which constructed an above-ground sanctuary atop the old structure.
Church of Christ (Hancock)
The Church of Christ , also known as the Basement Church, the Church of Christ and the Church of Christ was a sect of the Latter Day Saint movement founded in Independence, Missouri in 1946 by Pauline Hancock...
in Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
in 1946, and was the first woman to found and lead a denomination 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...
. A former member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and then later the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
, Hancock was excommunicated from the Temple Lot church in 1946, due to differences between her view of the Godhead and theirs. She later claimed a vision of Jesus Christ, whom she claimed had told her to "go and teach," leading her to found her own church in 1946. She would lead this church until her death in 1962.
Early life and Latter Day Saint heritage
Pauline Hancock was a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now called the Community of ChristCommunity of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
), whose father had been a minister of that denomination in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. During the Supreme Directional Control
Supreme Directional Control
The Supreme directional control controversy refers to a term commonly used within portions of the Latter Day Saint movement to describe a dispute between the primary leadership quorums of the Community of Christ , the movement's second largest denomination, that began in the 1920s and had...
controversy of the 1920s, she opposed President Frederick M. Smith's attempt to take "supereme directional control" over the RLDS church; she later transferred her memebership to the Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
The Church of Christ is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement headquartered in Independence, Missouri on what is known as the Temple Lot. Members of the church have been known colloquially as "Hedrickites", after Granville Hedrick, who was ordained as the church's first leader in July 1863...
. In 1935, following the excommunication of her friend Apostle Samuel Wood of the Temple Lot church (who was expelled for believing in a modalistic view of the Godhead, a view Hancock supported), Hancock resigned from that organization.
Seeing a vision
Hancock later claimed to have had a vision in which God told her to "go and teach others." Her account of this vision is as follows:"I was reading in our living room, when all of a sudden I saw a marvelous vision. It seemed that I was taken to Jerusalem and I saw a man seated upon what looked like a stool. All around and about him, men were mocking, bowing and making fun of this individual.... I continued to watch as he was condemned to death and a crown of thorns was placed on his head.... I knew that there was nothing good in me except God had put it there.... I knew I had to have this Jesus or die.... I fell upon my knees and prayed to God through Jesus and His shed blood, to be forgiven of my sins.... When my prayer was finished, God baptized me with His own spirit and my soul was on fire with love towards God and mankind - I became a new creature....
God spoke to me then and said: 'Now go and teach all people what I have shown you - for I am the way.' I answered Him that I couldn't do that and He said, 'I will be with you.' I said, 'I am a woman and they won't receive me.' He said, 'I wasn't a woman and they didn't receive me - go teach and I'll be with you.'
Blessed by the name of God. Yes, He calls women. He called me".
Founding a church
Hancock subsequently founded her own organization to propegate her teachings and visions, which included one of JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
being crucified that led her to believe she had become "a new creature". Hancock's organization rejected the Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
of their parent church, as well as the Pearl of Great Price
Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)
The Pearl of Great Price is part of the standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and some other Latter Day Saint denominations....
used by the LDS Church, retaining only the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. She adopted a modalistic view of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, insisting that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were merely manifestation of the same, one God. The organization bought property in Independence and built a submerged sanctuary that became locally known as the "basement church" because most of it was underground.
Hancock exercized functions normally reserved solely to men during this time in Latter Day Saint history, such as performing baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
s and administering other ordinances, as well as preaching. She did not claim any formal title, but remained the undisputed leader of her church from its founding until the time of her death.
Death and aftermath
Hancock died in 1962, still accepting the Book of Mormon as a valid work of scripture. However, following her death members of her church, including Jerald and Sandra TannerJerald and Sandra Tanner
Jerald Dee Tanner was an American writer and researcher who, with his wife Sandra McGee Tanner spent nearly fifty years annotating and publishing archival and evidential materials which, the Tanners claim, accurately portrayed the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, began to question the authenticy of the Book of Mormon, which led to Hancock's church rejecting it in 1973. Her church continued to function for a time strictly as a Protestant denomination, but later chose to dissolve itself in 1984, after which its members mostly joined with various Evangelical Protestant churches. Hancock's "basement church" was used by a Protestant church for a time, but was later sold to a local Restoration Branch, which constructed an above-ground sanctuary atop the old structure.