02/08/2026
✝️ 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛?
One important question every Christian should ask is: Who founded my church?
Here are the historical founders of some major Christian churches and movements.
✝️ 𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛
• Founder: Jesus Christ
• Founded: Around A.D. 33
• Built upon the Apostles, with St. Peter as the visible head (Matthew 16:18–19).
✝️ 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗫 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛
• Shares its origin with the early Church founded by Jesus Christ.
• Separated from full communion with Rome in A.D. 1054 during the Great Schism.
✝️ 𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛
• Martin Luther
• Began in 1517.
✝️ 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 (𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗗)
• King Henry VIII
• Established in 1534.
✝️ 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗕𝗬𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛
• John Knox
• Founded in the 16th century.
✝️ 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛
• John Wesley
• Began in the 18th century.
✝️ 𝗕𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧
• Commonly traced to John Smyth
• Began in the early 17th century.
✝️ 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛
• William Miller's movement, later organized by leaders including Ellen G. White, James White, and Joseph Bates
• Officially organized in 1863.
✝️ 𝗝𝗘𝗛𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗛'𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦
• Charles Taze Russell
• Began in the 1870s.
✝️ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗝𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗦 (𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗢𝗡)
• Joseph Smith
• Founded in 1830.
✝️ 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧
• Emerged from the Azusa Street Revival led by William J. Seymour in 1906.
✝️ 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥
History shows that many Christian communities began through reformers or revival movements. Catholics believe the Catholic Church is unique because she traces her origin directly to Jesus Christ and the Apostles through an unbroken line of Apostolic Succession.
"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church." (Matthew 16:18)
Ignatius Catholicum ✍️✝️
