The Christian Methodist Epsicopal Church is a historically black denomination within the broader context of Methodism. The group was organized in 1870 when several black ministers, with the full support of their white counterparts in the former Methodist Episcopal Church, South, met to form an organization that would allow them to establish and maintain their own polity, that is, to ordain their own bishops and ministers without the necessity of them being officially endorsed or appointed by the white-dominated body. They called this fellowship the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, which it remained until their successors adopted the current name in the 1950s.

The church maintains a publishing house in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee and Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama.

In the

Religious beliefs

• The Methodist Articles of Religion state our primary beliefs.
• .

Social Creed

The C.M.E. Church has set forth a Social Creed (Christian Methodist Episcopal).

Hymnal and responsive readings

Sunday worship services in the CME denomination commonly include a

The CME Responsive Readings are published in The Hymnal of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Items 1-545 are songs and items 546-604 are Responsive Readings. The official Responsive Readings are from the King James Version of the Bible. has substituted the same excerpts from New King James Bible (NKJV).

CME Connectional Emblem

The official logo or symbol of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was originally authorized by Bishop B. Julian Smith for the Centennial General Conference held in Memphis, 1970. It was officially adopted by the General Conference in 1974 as the denomination's connectional marker.

Designed by Will E. Chambers, the logo shows the place of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in the rapidly changing urbanized society and its relation to God's people. The logo is composed of:

The World Globe which represents the vineyard of God;

The Skyline which stands for the Church's concern for human and urban problems and people's alienation from God and one another;

The Weather Vane which symbolizes the need of the Church to be flexible in terms of meeting the contemporary needs of people; and

The Cross which denotes, by its vertical bar, the need for a proper relationship between people and God, and by its horizontal bar, the need for proper relationships between people. The total Cross is a sign of the final-assured victory through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Terrorism

Attacks on America: Responding With Love and Justice, prepared by The Commission on Social Justice and Human Concerns, CME Convocation, September 25 - 28, 2001, Nashville, Tennessee.

See also

• Articles of Religion (Methodist)
• Churches Uniting in Christ