The Church of Jesus Christ is an international Christian religious denomination headquartered in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, United States.

The stated purpose of the church is "to share the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, His promises and His redeeming love with all nations and races throughout the world and to carry out God’s plans in the latter days.

The belief system of being Jesus Christ's church upon the earth is the reason for avoiding any other names as descriptive terms, even in a historical context.

[2] The church is sometimes referred to as a "Bickertonite" or "Rigdonite" organization by non-members, and occasionally used in scholarly works to distinguish from other denominations with similar names.

On April 6, 1830, Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and a group of approximately 30 believers met to formally organize the Church of Christ into a legal institution.

The church then established its new headquarters in Nauvoo, Illinois, a city they built on drained swampland by the Mississippi River, where Smith served as mayor.

Many of the leaders of the church were absent from Nauvoo at the time of his death, serving as missionaries or working on Smith's presidential campaign.

Rigdon was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when he heard of Smith's death, and hurried back to Nauvoo, becoming one of the first church leaders to return.

The president of the church and his two counselors are elected by the general priesthood in conference and selected from among the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

The Quorum of Twelve is primarily responsible for guiding the spiritual growth and development of the church in general, acting as advisers to key operating committees.

The Church of Jesus Christ teaches that many of the doctrines and revelations Joseph Smith taught were not from God and were contrary to the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

The church believes that in order to obtain salvation, one must obey the Gospel by fulfilling the commandment of Jesus Christ.

As with most Restoration denominations, elders are never referred to as "Father" or "Reverend", as the belief of the church is that scripture forbids this practice (Matthew 23:9).

Deacons and deaconesses visit the sick, widows, and attend to many physical and spiritual duties for each branch of the church.

Each week, church services begin with preaching from the priesthood and generally followed by a testimony portion of the meeting, during which time members of the congregation (and visitors) are given the opportunity to "praise God for what He has done for them."

The Church of Jesus Christ considers Joseph Smith to have been an instrument in the hands of God in the restoration of the gospel.

In contrast with other Latter Day Saint denominations, the church does not believe that Smith was the "choice seer" predicted by the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 3:6-7).

[19][20] One of the key reasons why The Church of Jesus Christ believes Smith received many revelations contrary to the word of God was described by one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, David Whitmer.

"[22] Thus, in order to strictly adhere to God's will, The Church of Jesus Christ only accepts revelation as supported by the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

[18]: 115–116 [23] On this matter, church leader William Cadman wrote: "There has been much said about Joseph Smith .... [A]ll people who manifest faith in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, which includes the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, do acknowledge him to be inspired of God when but a youth ....

[24] Like many Christian denominations, the church uses bread and wine for the Lord's Supper/Communion, which represents the body and blood of Christ, which it believes was sacrificed for the sins of humankind.

Church members follow the ordinance of feet washing (John 13:5) four times a year as a demonstration of personal humility.

The church believes that this is a very important ordinance, citing Jesus' statement to Peter: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

The church believes that little children have no need of baptism to obtain salvation, as they are without sin, and are commonly blessed by the priesthood.

Young people are permitted to join the church when they reach an age of accountability and have a desire to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The hymnal The Songs of Zion consists of hymns that were given to a church member, Arlene Lea Buffington, through divine inspiration.

While North America disputed over civil liberties and racial segregation, the church directed its message towards all races.

[12] Historian Dale Morgan wrote in 1949: "An interesting feature of the Church's doctrine is that it discriminates in no way against ... members of other racial groups, who are fully admitted to all the privileges of the priesthood.

It has taken a strong stand for human rights, and was, for example, uncompromisingly against the Ku Klux Klan during that organization's period of ascendancy after the First World War.

"[27] At a time when racial segregation or discrimination was commonplace in most institutions throughout North America, two of the most prominent leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ were African American.