Bible Missionary Church
| Bible Missionary Church | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Evangelical, Holiness |
| Separated from | Church of the Nazarene |
| Members | N/A |
Bible Missionary Church, founded in 1955, is an evangelical, holiness Christian denomination headquartered in the United States. The church is part of the holiness movement and has roots in the teachings of John Wesley. The church is Wesleyan in doctrine and Arminian in theology.
The denomination was founded in 1955 with a total of 126 members. The church traces its roots to Methodism with direct ties to the Church of the Nazarene. In 1958, the denomination began Bible Missionary Institute, a then-three year Bible college offering basic theology degrees. Bible Missionary Institute is located in Rock Island, Illinois. In 1959, founder Glenn Griffith and many others severed ties with the Bible Missionary Church over what they perceived to be an overly-lenient view of divorce, forming the Wesleyan Holiness Church. Although the split devastated the church and slowed its growth, the Bible Missionary Church has grown with international branches in Canada, Mexico, the Philippine islands, Guyana, Ghana, Nigeria, Japan, Nepal, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Barbados, and Venezuela.
The Bible Missionary Church holds a monotheistic, Trinitarian theology in the Wesleyan tradition.
The BMC teaches that believers are cleansed from inbred sin and rebellion to God by a second definite experience referred to as entire sanctification, as taught by the historic Methodist Church and the Church of the Nazarene. In conjunction with entire sanctification, the BMC teaches that believers are to live godly lives, manifesting this by compliance to an outward standard of holiness. Many of these standards are codified in the rules contained within the church manual. They believe that complete obedience to God is a joy and delight. In 1999, the Bible Missionary Church adopted a resolution against same-sex marriage, forbidding its ministers to perform the wedding ceremonies of same sex couples. Unlike many other conservative churches, however, the Bible Missionary Church allows women to fill leadership positions in church boards. Observance of Christian Sabbath, Sunday, is also expected by abstaining from unnecessary work or commerce and setting the day aside for worship and service to humanity.
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