Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc. (1957 - Present) - Religious Group
Religious Family: PentecostalReligious Tradition: Evangelical Protestant
Description: The Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc. is a predominantly black Oneness Pentecostal church founded in 1957 by Smallwood E. Williams and former members of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. Frustrated with Robert Clarence Lawson's leadership of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, the founders of BWCWW sought to establish form of governance less dependent on a personality. In 1997, a conflict over leadership led to the creation of the International Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which took the majority of BWCWW's congregations.
Official Site: https://biblewaychurch.org/
Connections: Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc.
| Group (Active) | Group (Defunct) | Other |
Maps: Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc.1
Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)
Congregations (2020)
Top 5 Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc. States (2020)1 [View all States]
| Rank | State | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | 7 | 17,260 | 3.37 |
| 2 | District Of Columbia | 2 | 200 | 0.29 |
| 3 | Georgia | 5 | 1,120 | 0.10 |
| 4 | Alabama | 1 | 290 | 0.06 |
| 5 | Ohio | 2 | 680 | 0.06 |
Top 5 Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc. Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]
| Rank | County | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richland County, SC | 4 | 16,780 | 40.32 |
| 2 | Saluda County, SC | 1 | 80 | 4.24 |
| 3 | Lancaster County, SC | 1 | 320 | 3.33 |
| 4 | Sumter County, GA | 1 | 80 | 2.70 |
| 5 | Lafayette County, MS | 1 | 80 | 1.43 |
Top 5 Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc. Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]
| Rank | Metro | Congregations | Adherents | Adherence Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia, SC Metro Area | 5 | 16,860 | 20.33 |
| 2 | Americus, GA Micro Area | 1 | 80 | 2.34 |
| 3 | Oxford, MS Micro Area | 1 | 80 | 1.43 |
| 4 | Waco, TX Metro Area | 1 | 180 | 0.65 |
| 5 | Abilene, TX Metro Area | 1 | 80 | 0.45 |
Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc., Members (1957 - 1970)2
Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc., Ministers & Churches (1957 - 1970)2
Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, Inc., Trends (1957 - 1970)2
| YEAR | MEMBERS | MINISTERS | CHURCHES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 15,000 | 65 | 65 |
| 1958 | 15,000 | 120 | 115 |
| 1959 | 25,000 | 130 | |
| 1960 | 25,000 | 135 | 125 |
| 1961 | 35,000 | 160 | 140 |
| 1965 | 45,000 | 165 | 155 |
| 1967 | 25,000 | 353 | 343 |
| 1968 | 25,010 | 1,000 | 347 |
| 1969 | 26,010 | 1,008 | 347 |
| 1970 | 30,000 | 350 | 350 |
Sources
1 The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]
2 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.
Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.
When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.
