Christian Catholic Church

Christian Catholic Church, religious denomination founded (1896) in Chicago by John Alexander Dowie. Its members are sometimes known as Zionites. The church has its center in Zion, Ill., which Dowie founded (1901) as a religious community. In addition to religious and educational activities in Zion, the founder started various industries on a cooperative basis, an undertaking that was built up by Wilber Glenn Voliva, who became general overseer upon the deposition of Dowie in 1905. Zion is no longer exclusively a religious community. The church extensively supports foreign missions. There are about 3,000 members in the United States and Canada.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.