Who We Are
The
Church
of God
was founded in 1886 upon the principles of Christ as they are revealed in the
Bible, the Word of God. It has its foundation of faith and practice in the
Scriptures and the vital experience of its constituents is scripturally
oriented.
CHRISTIAN
First and foremost, the
Church
of God
is a determinedly Christian church. It is built upon the person of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. The doctrines and practices of the church are based
upon His teachings.
PROTESTANT
The Church
of God
is founded upon the principles of Protestantism, although it is not a
traditional follower of any specific leader of the Protestant Reformation. The
denomination stands firmly for justification by faith, the priesthood of
believers, the authority of the Bible, religious freedom, and the separation of
church and state.
EVANGELICAL
Evangelical is the term used to describe those who
affirm the primary doctrines revealed in the Scriptures. These doctrines
include the inspiration and authority of the Word of God; the Trinity; the
deity and virgin birth of Jesus Christ; salvation by faith in the atoning death
of Christ; His bodily resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the
Father; the ministry of the Holy Spirit; the second coming of Christ; and the
spiritual unity of believers in Jesus Christ.
The Church
of God
has aligned itself with the basic statement of faith of NAE (National Association of Evangelicals) the
largest association of Evangelicals in the USA.
The NAE is, in turn, a member of the World
Evangelical Alliance. Members of NAE subscribe to a common statement of
faith. The Church
of God
can be described as positioned in the mainstream of Evangelical Protestantism.
PENTECOSTAL / CHARISMATIC
In 1896, many members of the
Church
of God
experienced a spiritual outpouring they identified as the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. Because it was so similar to the experience of the early Christians on
the day of Pentecost, it came to be called a Pentecostal experience, an
enrichment of the Christian life through the power of the Holy Spirit that
empowered believers to be effective witnesses of Christ. The principle
distinctive of the Church
of God
as a Pentecostal organization is its believe in
speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance (Acts 2:4): The
charismata (Gk.) or gifts of the Spirit (e.g., 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians
4:11-12) appeared early in the life and ministry of the Church of God. The Holy
Spirit bestows these gifts and those who accept the validity of these gifts are
called charismatic.
EVANGELISTIC
From its inception the
Church
of God
has been a revival movement. Evangelism has been in the forefront of all its
activities. The church has maintained an aggressive effort to take the message
of Christ throughout the world by all means and methods. Every program of the
church reflects an evangelistic attitude: revivalism, conferences, worship
services, teaching, preaching and its missionary efforts.
ORGANIZED
The magnitude of the Great Commission requires a
united effort. This united endeavor is efficiently served by guidance, support,
resources and leadership from a common center. The
Church
of God
is centrally organized. Centralized church government is administration from
the international, state or territorial and local levels. It helps facilitate
the fulfillment of the mission of the church.
The control of the Church
of God
rests with the laity and ministers, who jointly form a governing body called
the General Assembly which meets biennially. Benefits of centralized government
include the following: uniformity of doctrine and practice; principles that
bind together local churches in the same manner; membership commitments in all
churches; expansion and extension of fellowship; accountability; cooperative
decision-making; and united efforts in evangelism and world outreach.
MINISTERS AND LAITY
Ministers and laity are full partners in ministry
throughout every area of the church. Ministers in the
Church
of God
are ranked as ordained, licensed, exhorter, minister of music and minister of
Christian education. They achieve these levels of ministry through a profession
of faith, commitment to the church, training, internship and fulfillment of
credential requirements. The Church
of God
emphasizes the doctrinal position of the priesthood of all believers and
encourages laity to assume a Biblical role in local church ministry.
EDUCATION
Emphasis upon education and training is a priority of
the Church
of God.
Educational opportunities are provided from local congregations through
institutions of higher learning at the international level of the church.
UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, AND SCHOOLS
Lee University, located in
Cleveland,
Tennessee,
is the Church
of God's
oldest and largest educational institution at over 3,500 students. Founded in
1918, it offers graduate and under-graduate degrees in more than 55 areas of
study. European Theological Seminary (Freudenstadt-Kniebis,
Germany),
Asian Seminary of Christian Ministry (Manila,
Phillippines), Han
Young
Theological
University
(Seoul,
Korea),
Patten
University
(Oakland,
California),
In addition, World Missions maintains 107 Bible Schools around the world with
over 23,000 students. Founded in 1975 and one of only six Pentecostal
seminaries in the U.S., the Church of God Theological Seminary (Cleveland,
Tennessee) is the denomination's largest graduate institution. It offers
masters and doctoral programs. Lee
University
and Han
Young
Theological
University
also offer graduate studies.
WORLD
MISSIONS
The heart of World Missions ministry is the
implementation of a global strategy of evangelism, church planting and
training. Its scriptural purpose is to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ;
share Christ's love for the world; minister to the totality of human need;
bring men and women to the knowledge of God and His redeeming grace; and obey
Christ by confessing Him to the world. Today, Church of God missions is carried
out in 161 countries organized in eight geographical regions.
Missionaries
World Missions provides missionary services through
the following: teaching or administering in educational institutions and
programs; serving in medical ministries; planting new churches; working in
relief and development efforts; and many other areas. Men and Women of Action exists as a humanitarian program. It organizes relief
efforts following natural disasters and assists in church building projects
around the globe. Volunteers in Medical Missions (VIMM)
provides medical care and supplies to needy areas around the world. The
Church
of God
provides avenues of outreach for the organization and supplies are provided
through private donations.
For more information about the
Church
of God,
please visit their website at www.churchofgod.cc
.