Church of Christ (Restored)

This article is about the Missouri-based Latter Day Saint sect that split from the Church of Christ (Fettingite) in the 1930s. For similarly named Latter Day Saint sects, see Church of Jesus Christ Restored (disambiguation).
Church of Christ (Restored)
Church of Christ (Restored) meetinghouse in Independence, Missouri
ClassificationLatter Day Saint movement
OrientationLatter Day Saints
PolityChurch conference
ModeratorNone; all members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are equal
RegionUnited States
FounderA. C. DeWolf
OriginLate 1930s
Separated fromChurch of Christ (Fettingite)

The Church of Christ (Restored) is a denomination within the Latter Day Saint movement that split from the Church of Christ (Fettingite) in the late 1930s under the leadership of Elder A. C. DeWolf. This schism was provoked by a difference in opinion regarding a series of claimed "messages" received by William Draves, an elder in that church, following the death of founder Otto Fetting. Whereas the main Fettingite church initially chose to grant cautious acceptance to these missives, several Fettingite branches in Louisiana and Mississippi did not, and split from the main organization to form the Church of Christ (Restored). Even after the main Fettingite church chose to reject Draves and his messages in 1943 (leading Draves to leave and found his own sect, the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message), the DeWolf faction refused to reconcile with the main body, considering itself to be the sole legitimate continuation of the Fettingite church, and the only true church on earth today. Its membership is currently concentrated mostly in the American South, and stands at about 450 members.