The Church of God (Cleveland) is a Protestant Christian denomination whose headquarters are in Cleveland, Tennessee. The movement's origins can be traced back to 1886 with a small meeting of Christians at the Barney Creek Meeting House on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. It has grown to become one of the largest Holiness Pentecostal denominations in the world. Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a large, long-established subgroup within a religion that has been in existence for many years. ... Cleveland is a city located in Bradley County, Tennessee. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... The history of Christianity is difficult to extricate from that of the European West (and several other culture-regions) in general. ... State nickname: Volunteer State Official languages English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Governor Phil Bredesen (D) Senators Bill Frist (R) Lamar Alexander (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 36th 109,247 km² 2. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State; Old North State Official languages English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Senators Elizabeth Dole (R) Richard Burr (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 28th 139,509 km² 9. ... Holiness means the state of being holy, that is, set apart for the worship or service of God or gods. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ...

Name

The name of this body is the Church of God, but it is referred to as Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) in order to distinguish it from other bodies called the Church of God. The church's worldwide membership exceeds 7 million people in over 160 countries. The Church of God (Cleveland) operates several universities, the oldest of which is Lee University in Cleveland, established in 1918. The Church of God also has Bible Colleges in countries around the world, including International Bible College in Canada. In response to the need for a seminary, the Church of God Graduate School of Christian Ministries (now known as the Church of God Theological Seminary) opened in 1975. The Church of God Publishing House is a major gospel music resource. There are numerous, mostly unrelated bodies in the United States and other English-speaking countries that are denominated the Church of God, including: // 7th Day Churches of God These groups put strong emphasis on the biblical seventh day of weekly worship, the Sabbath. ... Lee University Lee University is a private, coeducational university located in Cleveland, Tennessee. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Church of God Theological Seminary, located in Cleveland, Tennessee, is the main theological training center for the Church of God (Cleveland). ... Gospel music may refer either to the religious music that first came out of African-American churches in the 1930s or, more loosely, to both black gospel music and to the religious music composed and sung by white southern Christian artists. ...

Early History

Elder Richard Spurling (1810-1891), an ordained Baptist minister, rejected some of the views of the Baptists in his area as not in accord with New Testament Christianity. In August of 1886, he and seven members from Holly Springs and Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Churches in Monroe County, Tennessee and Cherokee County, North Carolina organized the "Christian Union". They agreed to free themselves from man-made creeds and unite upon the principles of the New Testament. In 1902, Richard Green Spurling (Richard Spurling's son) and W. F. Bryant founded the Holiness Church at Camp Creek (North Carolina). A. J. Tomlinson, a former Quaker, united with the church at Camp Creek in 1903, and was selected to pastor the congregation. Other churches were organized in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and the name Church of God was adopted in 1907. In 1909 Tomlinson was elected General Overseer. In 1923 this body was disrupted by division, creating the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) and the Church of God of Prophecy. 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Monroe County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. ... Cherokee County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers or Friends) was founded in England in the 17th century. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Church of God of Prophecy is a holiness pentecostal Christian denomination. ...

The definitive history of the Church of God can be found in "Like a Mighty Army," written by Charles W. Conn, Lit.D.(1920-). This is recognized as the essential history of the movement.

Missions

Missions is the strongest area of ministry in the Church of God. With over 5 million members overseas, the missions program has exploded since its humble beginnings of one missionary to the Caribbean. The missions programs in Africa, China, India, South America and Southeast Asia have grown tremendously. The focus is currently on one of the most neglected mission fields: Europe. Its success is in part due to the fact that while the initial work in each country is usually done by foreign missionaries, great care is taken to hand over the work to indigenous workers as soon as they have been trained to lead the programs. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Music

Something that makes a Church of God service unique from many other Southern Protestant denominations is the concert-like atmosphere. Music, in general, usually plays a very important part in the local churches, almost to the point of overshadowing the traditional sermon. Depending on the individual church, the music played can vary anywhere from old-time gospel and hymn-singing to contemporary Christian and Christian rock. Someone who performs, composes, or conducts music is a musician. ... A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... A hymn is a song specifically written as a song of praise, adoration or prayer, typically addressed to a god. ... Love Song Contemporary Christian music (CCM), or Christian pop music, is a sub-genre of Christian music. ... Christian rock is a form of rock music played by bands where the musicians are openly Christian. ...

Basic Beliefs

The Church of God subscribes to the following foundational Christian doctrines:

1. The verbal inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible.
2. One God, eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.
3. Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin Mary. He was crucified, buried and raised fromt he dead. He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
4. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
5. Justification, regeneration and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
6. Sanctification is subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Jesus, through the Word and by the Holy Ghost.
7. Holiness to be God's standard of living for His people.
8. Baptism with the Holy Ghost is subsequent to a clean heart.
9. Speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
10. Water baptism is by immersion and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
11. Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
12. The Lord's Supper and washing of the saints' feet are ordained by Christ for our observance.
13. The premillenial second coming of Jesus is, first, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air and, second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
14. The bodily resurrection for all, resulting in eternal life for the righteous and eternal punishment for the wicked.

Presently, there is an on-going effort to work closely with the Church of God of Prophecy (created by the division in 1923). Both churches hold very similar doctrine, and there has been much more cooperation between the churches and leadership.

Related bodies

• Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee) (org. 1993)
• Church of God, House of Prayer (org. 1939)
• Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) (org. 1943)
• Church of God of Prophecy (org. 1923)
• Church of God with Signs Following (org. circa 1922)
• (Original) Church of God (Chattanooga) (org. 1917)
• The Church of God for All Nations (org. 1981)
• The Church of God of All Nations (org. 1957)

The Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee) is a pentecostal holiness body of Christians with roots in the holiness movement among Baptists in the late 19th century. ... The Church of God, House of Prayer is a Pentecostal holiness body of Christians. ... The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) is a Pentecostal holiness body of Christians, based in Huntsville, Alabama. ... The Church of God of Prophecy is a holiness pentecostal Christian denomination. ... The Church of God with Signs Following is the name applied to Pentecostal holiness churches that engage in the practice of snake handling and drinking poison in their religious worship services, based on Mark 16:17-18. ... The Church of God (Chattanooga) is a Pentecostal holiness denomination of Christians, located mostly in the southeastern United States. ... The Church of God for All Nations is a theocratic Pentecostal holiness body of Christians. ... The Church of God of All Nations is a holiness Pentecostal body that descends from the Christian Union movement of Richard Spurling, A. J. Tomlinson and others. ...

External links

• Declaration of Faith of the Church of God (Cleveland)
• Lee University official Website
• International Bible College official Website
• Church of God Theological Seminary
• Church of God Publishing House
• Pathway Press Bookstore