The Holiness Methodist Church now has been absorbed by the Evangelical Church of North America. The Holiness Church, with 1,000 members in twenty-seven congregations, had its greatest strength in Minnesota, with churches also in Oregon, Washington, and Montana.
The Evangelical Church was formed a little over a year ago when a group of churches—mainly in Oregon, Washington, and Montana—opted out of the Methodist—Evangelical United Brethren merger. Forty-six congregations then broke away and paid the United Methodist Church about $700,000 for church property.
The Evangelical Church now has three conferences—Portland, Montana, and Central—with plans for a fourth in Pennsylvania. A spokesman says there are 106 churches and a nationwide membership of about 10,000. The Evangelical Church received the Holiness Methodist Church at a meeting of the former’s conference superintendents.
