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The Church of God, with headquarters in
Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolit ...
, United States, is a
Holiness Pentecostal Christian perfection is the name given to theological concepts within some sects of Christianity that purport to describe a process of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by ...
Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, wors ...
. The Church of God's publishing house is Pathway Press.


History


Origins (1886–1902)

R. G. Spurling (1857–1935), a
Missionary Baptist Missionary Baptists are a group of Baptists that grew out of the missionary / anti-missionary controversy that divided Baptists in the United States in the early part of the 19th century, with Missionary Baptists following the pro-missions move ...
minister, and his father
Richard Spurling Richard Green Spurling (1857 – 1935) was an American Christian minister. Born in Monroe County, Tennessee Monroe County is a county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,250. It ...
(1810–91), an ordained
elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and ...
, rejected some of the views of the Baptists in his area as not being in accord with New Testament Christianity. R. G. Spurling disagreed with
Landmarkism Landmarkism is a type of Baptist ecclesiology developed in the American South in the mid-19th century. It is committed to a strong version of the perpetuity theory of Baptist origins, attributing an unbroken continuity and unique legitimacy to ...
, an
ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of the C ...
which held that only churches descending from churches with Baptist doctrine were part of the true Church, and that they should not associate with Christians of other traditions. Spurling felt that there needed to be another reformation of the Church that went beyond the Protestant Reformation so that Christians would be united together by love and not by creeds, which he believed were divisive. As long as something was not contrary to the New Testament, believers should be able to practice their faith in the form they chose. Even though not intending to form a new church or denomination, their rejection of Landmarkist values placed them in conflict with traditional churches in that area. Within a short period of time it became clear that they would not be allowed to remain as members of their churches. On August 19, 1886, after being barred from his local Baptist church, R.G. Spurling and eight others organized the Christian Union at the Barney Creek Meeting House in Monroe County, Tennessee. They agreed to free themselves from man-made creeds and unite upon the principles of the New Testament. Between 1889 and 1895, Spurling organized three other congregations, all with the name Christian Union, each functioning independently under Baptist polity. While this group would later disband and its members return to their original churches, the Church of God traces its origins to this 1886 meeting. In 1896, three Tennessee evangelists (William Martin, Joe M. Tipton, and Milton McNabb) with links to Benjamin H. Irwin's
Fire-Baptized Holiness Church The Fire-Baptized Holiness Church was a holiness Christian denomination in North America and much of the denomination was involved in the early formation of Pentecostalism, the advent of which caused schism in the church; it continues today in the ...
brought the message of entire sanctification to the western North Carolina countryside when they held a revival in the Shearer Schoolhouse near Camp Creek in Cherokee County. A feature of this revival was that some participants, including children, spoke in tongues when they experienced sanctification (this was later understood to be the baptism of the Holy Ghost, as spoken of in Acts 2). This phenomenon caused great excitement and controversy in the community, and leading Baptist and Methodist leaders soon denounced the revival. Several of the worshiper's homes, as well as a provisional meeting house were burned by mobs opposing the new revival. The worshipers began to meet in the house of William F. Bryant (1863–1949), a Baptist deacon prior to his joining the holiness movement, who assumed leadership of the group. R.G. Spurling often worshiped with the small fellowship and was the driving force behind its 1902 decision to organize into a church, called the Holiness Church at Camp Creek. Organization was made necessary because Irwin's more fanatical teachings were influencing the movement, and there was a need for authority to discipline erring members.


Tomlinson era (1903–1923)

It would be
Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson Ambrose Jessup (A.J.) Tomlinson (September 22, 1865 – October 2, 1943), a former Quaker, united with the Holiness Church at Camp Creek in 1903. With his drive, vision, and organizational skills, he was elected the first general overseer of the ...
and his organizational skills, however, that would be responsible for the growth of the Camp Creek Holiness Church into a national denomination. A Quaker and
colporteur Colportage is the distribution of publications, books, and religious tracts by carriers called "colporteurs" or "colporters". The term does not necessarily refer to religious book peddling. Etymology From French , where the term is an altera ...
(the publishing and distribution of religious materials) for the
American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engag ...
, Tomlinson had received the sanctification experience (but had not spoken in tongues) and had connections with
Frank Sandford Frank Weston Sandford (October 2, 1862 – March 4, 1948)Shirley Nelson, ''Fair Clear and Terrible: The Story of Shiloh, Maine'' (Latham, New York: British American Publishing, 1989), 27. A second edition (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2016) includes r ...
's Shiloh church in
Durham, Maine Durham is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,173 at the 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston- Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New Engla ...
. While not an ordained minister, churches often invited him to preach. The church at Camp Creek had known Tomlinson for seven years before they asked him to join their church in 1903. After climbing what is now known as Prayer Mountain in Murphy, North Carolina (located within the Fields of the Wood park), and reportedly being divinely assured that this fledgling church was indeed God's reestablishment of the New Testament church, Tomlinson joined the church and was soon elected its pastor. This allowed Spurling and Bryant to pursue evangelism. Fourteen new members were added to the church in the first year of Tomlinson's pastorate, and other churches were soon established in Georgia and Tennessee. By 1905, there was a desire for greater organization among the churches. Delegates from four churches met at Camp Creek (approximately a mile northwest of Fields of the Wood) in January 1906 to conduct the 1st General Assembly of the "Churches of East Tennessee, North Georgia, and Western North Carolina." Though the intention was still to avoid the creation of a creed and denomination, the members' consensus on certain endeavors and standards laid the groundwork for the future denomination. The Assembly declared, "We hope and trust that no person or body of people will ever use these minutes, or any part of them, as articles of faith upon which to establish a sect or denomination," and that the General Assembly was not "a legislative or executive body, utjudicial only." The 1st Assembly decided that foot washing was on the same level as the
sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the rea ...
of communion and, like other holiness groups, condemned the use of
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus ''Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the chie ...
. Tomlinson served as moderator and secretary. The name "Church of God" was adopted in 1907, and Tomlinson was elected general overseer in 1909.Synan, ''The Holiness–Pentecostal Tradition'', p. 79. The Church of God was a part of the
holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is historically distinguished by its emp ...
and believed in entire sanctification as a definite experience occurring after salvation. While individuals had spoken in tongues in the 1896 revival, tongues were not yet understood by the Church of God to be the initial evidence of
baptism in the Holy Spirit In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctr ...
. As news of the
Azusa Street Revival The Azusa Street Revival was a historic series of revival meetings that took place in Los Angeles, California. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher. The revival began on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. ...
began to spread and reach the Southeast, Church of God adherents began to seek and obtain Spirit baptism. Tomlinson was one of these seekers. In June 1907, he traveled to
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fro ...
, to attend a meeting of M. M. Pinson and Gaston B. Cashwell. After being baptized in the Spirit at Azusa Street, Cashwell had returned to the South, spreading the revival and bringing many holiness groups into the Pentecostal fold. Tomlinson invited Cashwell to preach in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was there, under Cashwell's preaching, that Tomlinson received the Pentecostal blessing. After Tomlinson's experience, the Church of God's emphasis changed from being mainly holiness in nature, to being both holiness and Pentecostal, and it has identified that way ever since. In 1910, the official publication, "The Church of God Evangel," was founded, and it remains the oldest continuous Pentecostal publication. Growth followed in the years after organization. In 1902, there was one church with 20 members. By 1910, there were 1,005 members in 31 churches throughout the Southeastern United States.


Statistics

On the church's website, it reports that in 2022, they had 36,000 churches and 7 million members in 178 countries.


Name

The precise legal name of this body is "Church of God". After a protracted court case involving donations intended for the use of its orphanages being received by other groups using the same name, the
Supreme Court of Tennessee The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice. Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state le ...
determined that it alone was entitled to use the simple name Church of God in 1953. The group however uses Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) in order to distinguish it from other bodies that use "Church of God" in their titles.


Clergy

The Church of God recognizes three ranks of credentialed ministers: Exhorter (initial level), Ordained Minister (intermediate level), and Ordained
Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
(highest level). Exhorters are authorized to preach, serve as
evangelists Evangelists may refer to: * Evangelists (Christianity) In Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism, monotheistic religion based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, life and Teachings of Jesus, teac ...
, and serve as pastor of a church.In emergencies, Exhorters may be authorized by their state overseer to baptize converts and receive new church members. When serving as pastors, if state laws allow, the Exhorter may solemnize marriages. 2012 COG Minutes S58.II, pp. 155. Ordained Ministers are further authorized to baptize converts, receive new church members, administer sacraments or ordinances, solemnize marriages, and establish churches. In addition to the rights and privileges held by Exhorters and Ordained Ministers, Ordained Bishops are authorized to assist in ordination ceremonies. State/regional overseers are designated "Administrative Bishops," International Executive Committee members as "Executive Bishops," and the General Overseer as " Presiding Bishop." Women are eligible to be Exhorters and Ordained Ministers; however, only men can become Ordained Bishops. There are also categories of Licensed Minister of Christian Education and Licensed Minister of Music.


Beliefs

The Church has a Pentecostal
confession of faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...
.


Structure


International

The Church of God is a hierarchical church with an
episcopal polity An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. (The word "bishop" derives, via the British Latin and Vulgar Latin term ''*ebiscopus''/''*bisc ...
.2012 COG Minutes S35.1, p. 115. The Church of God's highest judicial body is the International General Assembly.2012 COG Minutes S1.IV.A, p. 58. This body has "full power and authority to designate the teaching, government, principles, and practices" of the Church of God.2012 COG Minutes S3.I.1, pp. 65–67. Meeting every two years, the General Assembly's voting membership includes all
lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune * Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) ...
members, credentialed ministers of the Church of God, and members 16 years of age or older, but to vote one must be present and registered. The General Assembly is responsible for electing the church's executive officers. These are the general overseer, the three assistant general overseers, and the secretary general. In addition, it elects the directors of the church's missionary and Christian education ministries.2012 COG Minutes S2.VI.1, pp. 59–61.


Higher education

The Church of God operates
Lee University Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school gre ...
, a Christian Liberal Arts university in Cleveland, Tennessee, established in 1918. In response to the need for a graduate seminary, the Church of God Graduate School of Christian Ministries opened in 1975. Its name was changed to the Church of God Theological Seminary and then again to the Pentecostal Theological Seminary (PTS) with the hopes of appealing to a broader student base.


Related bodies

* Church of God (Chattanooga) (org. 1917) *
Church of God with Signs Following Snake handling, also called serpent handling, is a religious rite observed in a small number of isolated churches, mostly in the United States, usually characterized as rural and part of the Holiness movement. The practice began in the early ...
(org. circa 1922) *
Church of God of Prophecy The Church of God of Prophecy is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian church. It is one of five ''Church of God'' bodies headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, that arose from a small meeting of believers who gathered at the Holiness Church at Camp Cr ...
(org. 1923) *
Church of God, House of Prayer The Church of God, House of Prayer is a Pentecostal Holiness body of Christians. History The Church of God, House of Prayer, founded in 1939 by Harrison W. Poteat and incorporated in 1966, is doctrinally similar to the ''Church of God (Cleveland ...
(org. 1939) *
Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) is a Pentecostal holiness body of Christians, formerly based in Huntsville, Alabama. The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) shares a common history with the Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP) up until the ...
(org. 1943) * The Church of God (Jerusalem Acres) (org. 1957) * The Church of God for All Nations (org. 1981) *
Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee) The Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee) or TCOG is a Holiness Pentecostal denomination of Christianity. It is based in the United States. The church's actual name is The Church of God; however, the parenthetical phrase ''Charleston, Tennessee' ...
(org. 1993)


Recent history

During the latter half of the twentieth century, the Church of God gradually relaxed what they call their "Practical Commitments". These are separate from their Declaration of Faith, which are the biblical beliefs of the church. These practical commitments are the social practices of the church, and originally included "That members dress according to the teachings of the New Testament," "That our members conform to the Scripture relative to outward adornment and to the use of cosmetics, etc. that create an unnatural appearance," as well as other admonitions concerning hair, ornamental jewelry, "mixed bathing" (i.e., mixed swimming), television/movies, dances, and "worldly amusements." Many of these practical commitments were modified as the church adapted to ministry outside of its southeastern U.S. roots; however, the Declaration of Faith has not been modified since its adoption in 1948. In 2007, the denomination had 6 million members worldwide. Eric Patterson, Edmund Rybarczyk, ''The Future of Pentecostalism in the United States'', Lexington Books, USA, 2007, p. 139


Notable ministers

*
Charles Paul Conn Charles Paul Conn (born December 23, 1945) is Chancellor and former President of Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Conn became president of Lee University in 1986 and announced retirement in 2019. He retired in 2020 to become chancellor. ...
– Chancellor of
Lee University Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school gre ...
* Raymond F. Culpepper – First Assistant General Overseer *
Marcus Lamb Marcus Daron Lamb (October 7, 1957 – November 30, 2021) was an American televangelist, prosperity theologian, minister, Christian broadcaster, and anti-vaccine advocate. He was the co-founder, president, and CEO of the Daystar Television Net ...
– Founder of
Daystar Television Network The Daystar Television Network (commonly referred to as Daystar Television, often shortened to Daystar) is an American evangelical Christian-based religious television network owned by the Word of God Fellowship, founded by Marcus Lamb in 1993 ...
* G. Dennis McGuire – Former General Overseer * Perry Stone – Evangelist, author, host of ''Manna-fest'' *Paul Walker – President of Lee University


See also

*
Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) is a holiness Christian denomination with roots in Wesleyan-Arminianism and also in the restorationist traditions. The organization grew out of the evangelistic efforts of several Holiness evangelists in In ...
*
Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma) The Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma), also known as the Church of God Evening Light, is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Arminian and Restorationist traditions, being aligned with the conservative holiness movement. History The origin ...
*
Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) is a Pentecostal holiness body of Christians, formerly based in Huntsville, Alabama. The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) shares a common history with the Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP) up until the ...
* The Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee) * Protestantism in the United States *
List of the largest Protestant bodies This is a list of the largest Protestant denominations. It aims to include sizable Protestant communions, federations, alliances, councils, fellowships, and other denominational organisations in the world and provides information regarding the me ...
*
Christianity in the United States Christianity is the most prevalent religion in the United States. Estimates from 2021 suggest that of the entire US population (332 million) about 63% is Christian (210 million). The majority of Christian Americans are Protestant Christians (14 ...


Notes


References

*. *. *Crew, Michael. ''The Church of God: A Social History''. University of Tennessee Press, 1990. *. *.


Bibliography

*Conn, Charles W. ''Where the Saints Have Trod: A History of Church of God Missions''. Cleveland: Pathway Press, 1957. *Robins, R.G. ''Tomlinson. Plainfolk Modernist.'' Oxford: University Press, 2004.


External links

*
Official website of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) in the PhilippinesOfficial website of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) in CanadaOfficial website of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific IslandsOfficial website of the Church of God(Cleveland, Tennessee)in India, Kerala State
{{Authority control Cleveland, Tennessee Religious organizations established in 1886 Pentecostalism in Tennessee Pentecostalism in the United States Church of God denominations Pentecostal denominations in North America Christian denominations established in the 19th century 1886 establishments in Tennessee Members of the National Association of Evangelicals Evangelical denominations in North America Holiness Pentecostals