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Denominations - Protestant

Short profiles of selected Christian denominations in the U.S.

CME Church Symbol

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Methodist, Historically Black Church

  • Date Founded:  1870
  • Membership/Number of Clergy/Number of churches:  1,400,000/3,600/3500 as of 2013.
  • Headquarters:   466 Elvis Presley Blvd., Memphis, TN, 38116-7100
  • Schools & Seminaries:  Lane College, Miles College, Paine College, Texas College, Phillips School of Theology--ITC
  • Publications:  The Christian Index
  • Website:  https://www.thecmechurch.org/
  • Social Media:  Facebook, YouTube, Instagram
  • Core Beliefs: "It holds that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Son of God whose life, teachings, sacrificial death on the cross and glorious resurrection from the dead reconciled humankind to God, overcame sin and conquered death, procuring thereby eternal salvation to all who believe. The CME Church believes that the Holy Spirit is God’s continuing presence in the world empowering the church to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and fulfill its mission of saving and serving all humankind. Basic to the faith of the CME Church is the conviction that the Bible is the inspired Word of God containing all things necessary for human salvation."

Short History: 

The church was founded in 1870 in Jackson, TN when former enslaved people from eight different Annual Conferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church South banded together and formed the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America.  The word Colored was changed to Christian in 1954, and the "in America" was dropped in 1956.  The church has 11 Episcopal Districts, of which 9 are in the U.S. and 2 in Africa.

Local Churches:

Brown Memorial CME Church, 809 W Chestnut St Louisville, KY, 40203

Lampkins Chapel CME Church, 2738 Algonquin Parkway Louisville, KY, 40210

Miles Memorial CME Church, 728 E Burnett Ave Louisville, KY, 40217

Phillips Memorial CME Church, 3535 Grand Ave Louisville, KY, 40211

Church Locator: https://thecmechurch.org/find-a-cme-church/