John Holdeman

John Holdeman (January 31, 1832 - March 10, 1900) was an American preacher and the most well-known founder of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, also known in certain areas as the Holdeman Mennonite Church.^[1][2][3] This is a plain dress and theologically conservative Mennonite denomination that has 27,000 members, mostly in the United States and Canada.^[4][5][6]

Holdeman was born in Wayne County, Ohio in 1832 to Amos and Nancy (Yoder) Holdeman. He married Elizabeth Ritter in 1852. ^[7] He began preaching in 1858 and drew a large following in Kansas. He preached across the United States and Canada throughout his lifetime. In 1881, many members of another Mennonite denomination, the Kleine Gemeinde, which had originated in the Russian Empire, joined the CGCM, which they believed to be the true Church of God.^[8] Holdeman died suddenly in 1900 at the age of 68.^[9]