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 Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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