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.
