Church of Christ (Bickertonite)
The Church of Christ (Bickertonite) is an organization officially titled The Church of Christ, but known informally as the Bickertonites. The church also calls itself The Church. The Church presents itself as the true succession of the Gospel as restored by God through Joseph Smith, Jr. during 1820-1830. After the death of Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1844, the First Counselor of The Church, Sidney Rigdon, moved from Nauvoo, Illinois to Philadelphia, Pa, and then back to Pittsburgh, Pa. After his plans failed to establish a New Jerusalem in upstate New York failed, one William Bickerton led a related group in the Pittsburgh area.
The Church was organized in July 1862 with William Bickerton as its leader. The Church was officially incorporated, with headquarters at Monongahela, Pa., on April 5, 1941. The church has a worldwide membership of about 7,000, with about 2,600 located in the United States. It has experienced significant growth for a splinter Latter Day Saint organization opening a number of new chapels in the eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania area within the last 10 years or so.
External Reference
- Official web site: http://www.the-church.org/
