Otto Fetting - Division of The Fettingite Organization

Division of The Fettingite Organization

Four years after Fetting's death, a young Fettingite Elder named William A. Draves from Nucla, Colorado claimed that the same messenger who had appeared to Fetting had begun to appear to him, as well. While many of Fetting's followers accepted Draves and his messages, some did not, leading to a split in the Fettingite organization in 1939. Draves' adherents formed the Church of Christ with the Elijah Message, which claims to be the sole legitimate continuance of Fetting's original organization. Draves himself would receive a total of 90 messages prior to his death in 1994, all of which were combined with Fetting's into a book entitled The Word of the Lord Brought to Mankind by an Angel.

The Fettingites who rejected Draves' claims later split into two separate organizations, divided by the decision of the Church of Christ (Fettingite)—the remnant in Independence who rejected William Draves' claims—to introduce the Saturday Sabbath into their organization during the 1950s under Apostle S.T. Bronson. A group of congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi, under the leadership of A.C. DeWolf, rejected this change and formed the Church of Christ (Restored), which continues to observe Sunday as their day of worship.

Other than disagreeing as to the proper day for worship, the "Bronsonite" and "DeWolf" organizations remain virtually identical in doctrine and practice. Both of them accept Fetting's ministry and messages, but not Draves'. Each rejects the other, and considers itself the sole true continuation of Otto Fetting's church. Draves' organization, on the other hand, rejects both of these groups, accepting their founder's messages and those of Otto Fetting.

The Church of Christ at Halley's Bluff has no connection with any of these organizations, though it does accept Fetting's message (but not those of Draves).