The Legacy of William Bickerton and the Church's Evolution

Following the murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in 1844, Sidney Rigdon, who had been Joseph’s 1st Counselor, made the claim to Church members in Nauvoo that he was the rightful successor to lead the Church as its guardian. After his falling out with the Twelve apostles, Sidney left Nauvoo and travelled to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania where he built up a church there separate and apart from the Church Brigham Young and the Twelve led to Utah. And, today, the only branch of the Restoration that claims its right of succession from Joseph Smith through Sidney Rigdon is The Church of Jesus Christ, also sometimes referred to as the “Bickertonites.” The Church of Jesus Christ is headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania and is the third largest branch of the Restoration movement today.

On this episode of Church History Matters, Casey sits down with Josh Gehly, a friend and ordained Evangelist in The Church of Jesus Christ, to take a deep dive into the details of this movement.

For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/