......It was 1886, in
a crude meeting house on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, where the Church
of God traces its roots. There, a group of eight sincere Christians had a
deep desire for a closer relationship and life with Christ. Realizing the futility
of reforming their own churches, they established a new church whose objective
would be to restore sound scriptural doctrines of the Bible, encourage deeper
consecration and promote evangelism and Christian service. Twenty-one years after
the formation of the Christian Union that evening at the Barney Creek Meeting
House, the growing movement would establish themselves permanently as the Church
of God.
From
this seemingly insignificant origin has grown one of the most influential worldwide
Pentecostal denominations. For nearly 120 years the Church of God has been a distinctive
movement focused upon communicating the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Presently, the Church of God has a world-wide membership of over 6 million with
a presence in nearly 150 countries. Leaders of the Church of God are recognized
as some of the most respected Pentecostal leaders of today. The
call of the Church of God today beckons back to those early days at Barney Creek.
Church of God congregations around the globe are experiencing the fire of the
Holy Spirit today more than ever. Reports of revivals where hundreds are saved
and filled with the Holy Spirit are frequent and on-going. The call of the Church
of God is for world evangelization. It is a call to discipleship and prayer. It
is a call of commitment. It is a call for the Church of God to be a channel for
Pentecostal revival well into the new millennium.
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