Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ

The Church of the Little Children of Jesus Christ is a small seventh-day Sabbatarian Pentecostal body of Christians in the United States and Canada.
Faith and Practice
Doctrines of this church include the unity of one God (Unitarianism); 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.
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 <u>Encyclopedia of American Religions</u> 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.
References in popular culture
Colleen Mccullough mentions the Children of Jesus in her novel 'The Independence of Mary Bennet'. Mary is abducted by the leader of the sect in order to write out the Church's doctrine.

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