The
Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the
Scientology belief system. The
Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall management, dissemination and propagation of Scientology.
Every Church of Scientology is separately incorporated and has its own local board of directors and executives responsible for its own activities and corporate well-being.
The first Scientology church was incorporated in December 1953 in
Camden, New Jersey, by American
science fiction author
L. Ron Hubbard. The church has been the subject of much
controversy. Its world headquarters are located in the
Gold Base,
unincorporated Riverside County, California.