Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association

Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association
ClassificationMethodist[1]
OrientationWesleyan-Holiness movement[1]
TheologyWesleyan-Arminian
LeaderDr. Philip Speas
AssociationsChristian Holiness Partnership[2]
RegionEastern Kentucky
FounderDr. Lela G. McConnell
Origin1925
Vancleve, Kentucky
Separated fromMethodist Episcopal Church (1925)
Congregations13
Primary schoolsMount Carmel High School, Mount Carmel Elementary School
Secondary schoolsKentucky Mountain Bible College

The Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association (KMHA) is a Christian denomination in eastern Kentucky aligned with Holiness Methodist beliefs.[1] The Association was begun in 1925 by Lela G. McConnell, a deaconess in the Methodist Episcopal Church.[3] The Association maintains a Wesleyan-Holiness doctrine with a strong emphasis on sanctification. The association maintains an elementary school, a high school, a four-year Bible college, two radio stations, a district of churches, and a farm. Philip Speas is the current association president.

Although the Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association has 12 member churches, it does not consider itself to be a "denomination," and many of its member churches list themselves as "non-denominational."[4] The Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association joined the National Holiness Association as a member (now known as the Christian Holiness Partnership),[2] though many of its members are present at the Interchurch Holiness Convention as well.

  1. ^ a b c McCauley, Deborah Vansau (1995). Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History. University of Illinois Press. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-252-06414-2.
  2. ^ a b The College Blue Book. Macmillan Information. 1972. p. 252.
  3. ^ "Twentieth Century Holiness". Archived from the original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference London was invoked but never defined (see the help page).