Church War of Jonesboro facts for kids

The Church Wars of Jonesboro were a series of disagreements and conflicts that happened in Jonesboro, Arkansas, during the early 1930s. These events involved two main groups: followers of a traveling preacher named Joe Jeffers and the members of the First Baptist Church, led by their pastor, Reverend Dow H. Heard. The conflicts became so serious that the governor even called in the Arkansas National Guard to help keep the peace.

Who Was Joe Jeffers?

Joe Jeffers was born in 1898 in Roanoke, Oklahoma. His parents worked for the railroad. He was one of 15 children, and many of his brothers and sisters became missionaries in other countries. In 1918, when he was 20, Jeffers became a Baptist minister. He was a big fan of another preacher named J. Frank Norris. Jeffers first worked as an actor and comedian before becoming a traveling preacher.

In June 1930, the First Baptist Church and Jonesboro Bible College invited Jeffers to Craighead County, Arkansas. He started holding special outdoor church meetings called "tent revivals." These meetings became very popular and lasted through the summer.

When the pastor of the First Baptist Church, A. W. Reaves, left his job, the church members chose Jeffers to be their new pastor. However, many people in the church felt that their votes weren't counted fairly. They asked for a new vote. In the end, the church chose Dow H. Heard from Big Springs, Texas to be their pastor instead. While the church was deciding, Jeffers took a break. Once Heard was chosen, Jeffers left Jonesboro to continue his preaching elsewhere.

Conflicts at First Baptist Church

In August 1931, Jeffers came back to Craighead County. He started holding more revival meetings. In his sermons, he warned people that the Second Coming (a religious event) would happen in May 1932. He also accused Pastor Heard and the mayor, Herbert J. Bosler, of doing bad things.

On September 9, a fight broke out at the First Baptist Church between Jeffers' supporters and Heard's supporters. A supporter of Jeffers, George L. Cox Jr., was seen as the one who started the fight. He was supposed to go to court the next day.

The next day, Jeffers led a group of his supporters to the courthouse to protest Cox's arrest. During a prayer, Jeffers asked God to "strike the mayor dead." Jeffers' supporters also attacked Mayor Bosler and the police chief, W. C. Craige.

Because of the violence, Governor Harvey Parnell sent state troops from Arkansas State College and other parts of the state to Craighead County. They even used a military observation plane to watch over the area. The troops set up positions all over town, including near Jeffers' large tent, which had held as many as 5,000 people. At that time, Jonesboro had a population of just over 10,000.

By September 14, the troops left. Two days later, on September 16, someone threw a tear-gas bomb outside Jeffers' tent. The disagreements continued to grow. Twenty-one of Jeffers' followers were removed from the First Baptist Church. On October 25, Jeffers' revival tent burned down. Supporters of Pastor Heard claimed that Jeffers' group had set the fire themselves to make Heard's supporters look bad and gain more support for Jeffers.

Jonesboro Baptist Church Conflicts

Jeffers had already planned to build his own church, called Jonesboro Baptist Church. It was built at Matthews and Cobb Street, and his followers continued to meet there. Soon after the church was built, Jeffers left and hired Pastor Dale Crowley from Deaton, Texas to lead the church.

After 11 months, Jeffers returned to the church. However, he had changed some of his religious beliefs. Jeffers and Crowley often argued about who was in charge of the church and about their different religious ideas. The church split into two groups: one led by Jeffers and the other by Crowley. Sometimes, they even held church services at the same time, with two sermons and two choirs trying to be louder than the other!

On August 14, 1933, a fight broke out at Jonesboro Baptist Church. It included fistfights, and some men even had shotguns. To stop more conflict, Jeffers and Crowley decided to take their disagreement to court. On October 9, the court decided that Crowley should get the church.

The next day, Crowley and his bodyguard, L. H. Kayes, went to claim the church building. On their way, they had a shootout with J. W. McMurdo, a janitor and watchman hired by Jeffers. Crowley was not hurt, but Kayes was injured. McMurdo was shot multiple times and sadly died two days later.

Crowley was arrested. At a court hearing on October 14, he said he acted to protect himself. On October 17, an unknown person tried to harm Crowley at the Craighead County jail. They put a machine gun through the bars and fired, but Crowley was not hurt. Crowley's trial began on January 3, 1934, in Piggot Clay County. The trial was moved there because of the strong feelings still present in Craighead County. Crowley was found not guilty and set free.

What Happened Next?

After the shooting incident, Jeffers left Craighead County and moved to Miami, Florida. He later said he was no longer a Baptist minister. He became a leader of a group called Pyramid Power Yahweh and called himself a prophet in Missouri. Pastor Heard and Pastor Crowley also left Jonesboro soon after these events.