Church of God

The Church of God is a Protestant Christian denomination founded in 1886 as the Christian Union in Tennessee by a former Baptist minister and a congregation of only eight others. The minister, Richard Green "R.G." Spurling (1857-1935) and his followers believed their church was needed because many of the existing Christian denominations were too focused on creeds and church practices instead of on the Bible's New Testament. They originally called themselves the Christian Union and operated under the principle that they were all equally empowered to read and interpret scripture. Because they thought of themselves as God's church, they eventually adopted "Church of God" as their formal name in 1907, twenty-one years after they founded the Christian Union.

The Church of God grew quickly despite persecution in its early years when leaders in nearby Baptist congregations objected to some of its teachings. In the twenty-first century, the Church of God had grown to 36,000 congregations with more than seven million members in 178 countries. Their international offices are located on a 40-acre complex in Cleveland, Tennessee.

History

The Church of God's founder, R.G. Spurling, was credentialed as a Baptist minister in 1876 and, along with his father, was part of the Holly Springs Baptist Church. The church was part of the Landmark Baptist Movement, which considered only members of its movement part of God's church. Its members, especially its clergy, had to stay away from all others who considered themselves Christian.

Spurling felt this requirement was out of line. He believed strongly in the New Testament's call to love God and your neighbors. He was so convinced of this that he voluntarily gave up his license to preach in the Baptist church and began a time of prayer, study, and fasting in preparation to start a new church.

In a sermon he gave on August 19, 1886, Spurling invited all who were willing to put Christ and the New Testament first and give each other the right to interpret scripture to come forward and help him start a new church.

Since Spurling was no longer a minister, his father, who was still a minister at Holly Springs Baptist Church, re-ordained his son to lead the new Christian Union.

Within a few years, the Christian Union established several other locations in nearby counties. In 1896, a ten-day revival at the Shearer Schoolhouse in Camp Creek sparked great interest in renewed holiness and sanctification, or growing in God's grace. Those in attendance responded with great enthusiasm and spent time praying, fasting, and, according to contemporary accounts, "earnestly seeking God."

This upset the leaders of the Landmark Baptist Movement, who felt their members were the only true members of God's church. These leaders ejected any who followed the teachings of the Christian Union and began persecuting its members. Churches were burned or dismantled, and members of the congregations were shot at, harassed, and beaten. Members of the Christian Union generally stood strong in the face of persecution and even offered forgiveness to their attackers.

Though the churches' membership plummeted because of the persecution, interest in the holiness movement of the Christian Union remained. In 1903, a former Quaker named A. J. Tomlinson joined the church and became a pastor. Tomlinson had a greater vision for the church as a worldwide force, and under his leadership, the church's name was changed to the Church of God. Worldwide evangelism efforts began with an outreach to the Bahamas in 1909 and expanded to include China, Mexico, South America, Africa, Egypt, and a number of European countries.

Beliefs

The Church of God is based on a belief in Jesus Christ and his teachings as recorded in the New Testament. It has a Declaration of Faith that outlines its basic beliefs, which include a belief in the Trinity and the verbal inspiration of the Bible. The Protestant principles of justification by faith, the divinity of Christ, his virgin birth, salvation by his sacrificial death, a literal resurrection of his body, and Christ's return to Earth in bodily form are key to the church's doctrine. The Church of God is Pentecostal and believes that the Holy Spirit gives the power to speak in tongues. Followers also believe that the Holy Spirit can bestow gifts of healing, prophecy, and miracles. They see these gifts as visible evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit.

While the church has ordained clergy, it believes in the priesthood of all believers and empowers and encourages laypersons to take an active role in church governance in accordance with the responsibilities outlined in the New Testament.

Organization

The Church of God uses a combination of ordained and lay leadership, including ordained bishops, ordained ministers, exhorters (lay leaders who can preach, lead a church, and, in certain circumstances, perform other functions normally reserved to ordained clergy), ministers of music, and ministers of Christian education. The church allows women to hold all ministries except bishop.

The church is episcopal and hierarchical in administration. Appointed bishops oversee various regions within the church. The day-to-day operations of the church are governed by the International Executive Committee and a presiding bishop. The general assembly, which includes all lay members over the age of sixteen and all ministers who are present at the bi-annual meeting, elects the executive officers, as well as the leaders of certain other church ministries.

It should be noted that there are a number of other churches that use "Church of God" as part of their name but are not affiliated with the denomination founded in 1886.

Bibliography

"A Brief History of the Church of God." Church of God, www.churchofgod.org/about/a-brief-history-of-the-church-of-god. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

"Beliefs." Church of God, www.churchofgod.org/beliefs/church-of-god-is. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

Roebuck, David G., and Louis F. Morgan. Living the Word: 125 Years of Church of God Ministry. Pathway Press, 2011.

Tomlinson, A. J. "A Brief History of the Church that is Now Recognized as the Church of God." The Last Great Conflict, The Press of W. E. Rodgers, 1913, pp. 184-198.

“What We Believe.” Church of God (Seventh Day), cog7.org/what-we-believe. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.