The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite (CGCM) is often referred to as the "Holdeman Mennonites," (or Holdemans); John Holdeman is the founder and leader of this group who succeeded from the Old Mennonite Church. John felt that the Old Mennonite Church had drifted away from sound doctrine, becoming corrupted, and that they had lost their right to continue on as the true church which began with the Apostles. The Old Mennonite Church did not respond favorably to his pleas to return to former ways of life and sound doctrine. John Holdeman felt that he was called and ordained by God to be a minister, though he was never a candidate for the ministry in the Old Mennonite Church. He left the Old Mennonite Church to re-establish the truth in a new congregation of four in his father’s home in April of 1859. The current membership is 20,000. John Holdeman summarized the reasons for his secession by saying “When a church lapses so far from the Word of God that one becomes a transgressor by remaining in it, because the members refuse to reform, one can only be obedient by going out.” (THP183) John Holdeman was considered friendly, gentle, and “seldom idle”. He smiled often and conversed freely, however he refrained from joking and loud laughter, choosing to retain a serious demeanor.
John Holdeman believed in the true lineage of the church. The CGCM continues to hold to the faith and practices of their claimed forefathers which include the Novatians, Donatists, Paulicians, Waldenses, Catharists, and Albigenses, all of which are dissenting groups of main-line Christianity that are considered early forms of Anabaptism.
Congregations function as a unit, and church-wide Conferences are held periodically to maintain this unity. CGCM (Church of God In Christ Mennonite) holds to a strict church discipline of any member that does not hold to their united beliefs and practices. The unique practices and beliefs of CGCM (Church of God In Christ Mennonite) are non-conformity to the world, non-resistance, excommunication and avoidance, closed communions, foot washing, amillennialism, the heavenly flesh of Jesus, and the One True Church doctrine. Some of these have been better clarified amongst members in recent events.
The families of CGCM live a plain and simple lifestyle. They do not have television sets, radios or CD players. They have telephones and many of them use the fax machine for communication. They drive plain, single color cars and mini-vans that are not sporty and high class, being careful to remove the radio systems of all vehicles. Their dress is of similar uniform design with the allowance of dresses to have individual patterns and colors of fabric. The women wear an everyday headcovering of a small black cap that is placed over a bun of hair set on the back of the head. When going to church, the women wear the “tie-down” veil, which is placed over a good portion of the head, hanging down in the back, and is tied just under the chin. Courtship and dating are not practiced. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, divorce is not allowed. Modesty in clothing and material possessions are strongly encouraged. The men wear a beard and may or may not have a mustache. Photographs are prohibited. CGCM has parochial schools and they educate to the eighth grade, leaving the remaining years to vocational training. They do not have any musical instruments, instead, they sing Acappella in church services and in social gatherings.
The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite is a plain church that is attractive in their close knit community and is comprised of devoted, group minded members. Those who are more individual minded and join have a harder time with laying down their own thinking and adopting the beliefs and practices of the church without question.
