Church of God (Holiness)

Last updated
Church of God (Holiness)
Classification Methodist
Orientation Conservative holiness movement
Theology Wesleyan
Restorationist
Polity Mixed: elements of Congregationalist, Presbyterian and Episcopalian polities
Associations Global Wesleyan Alliance
Interchurch Holiness Convention
Origin1883
Centralia, Missouri
Branched from Methodist Episcopal Church
Congregationsabout 120
Official website cogh.net

The Church of God (Holiness) is an association of autonomous holiness Christian congregations. Originating in the 19th century as an outgrowth of the Methodist Episcopal Church, it teaches Wesleyan (Methodist) doctrine and is aligned with conservative holiness movement. [1] At its founding in 1883, the Church of God sought to actualize the New Testament church. [2] With respect to ecumenism, the Church of God is a member of the Global Wesleyan Alliance and Interchurch Holiness Convention.

Contents

History

The Church of God (Holiness) began on March 29, 1883, with the founding of a church in Centralia, Missouri with 44 members. [3] Those involved in this effort were: J. F. Watkins, N. T. Sneed, H. A. Foster, G. R. Sneed, F. H. Sumter, J. B. Ceighton, J. H. Allen, D. C. Brenneman, G. W. Petty, Isaiah Reid, T. B. Bratton, A. L. Brewer, A. M. Kiergan, and W. T. Bean. The name "Church of God" was chosen as its adherents felt that this was the Scriptural name for the body; its people opposed the idea of denominationalism, holding that "all who were genuinely converted were a part of the true church" and that "each individual was accountable to a local body of believers." [4] The movement grew out of a group of former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church that had been participating in the Southwestern Holiness Association. A cause of their departure from the Methodist Episcopal Church was their zealous propagation of the instantaneous aspect of entire sanctification, in contrast to the Methodist Episcopal Church, which taught that entire sanctification could be received either instantaneously or progressively. One of the early leaders was John Petit Brooks (1826–1915), who was editor of The Church Witness, which subsequently merged with The Good Way, to become the Church Herald, which later merged with the Church Advocate and Holiness Banner to become The Church Herald and Holiness Banner. He left the Methodist Episcopal Church circa 1886. [5]

Beliefs

The idea of church is for believers to come together as a body, and to have fellowship with other believers. God desires that we come to Him with a repentant heart and a desire to know Him more fully.

Organization

The Church of God (Holiness) has about 120 congregations in the United States, with the majority in Missouri and Kansas. [6] Additionally they have 12 congregations on the Navajo Reservation, 13 Spanish-speaking congregations in California, Texas, New York and Colorado, a Korean ministry in Overland Park, Kansas, and two Haitian works in New York and Florida. The church also has a sizeable outgrowth in the Cayman Islands. [7] Ministry departments of the church include Home Missions, World Missions, Harmony Hill Youth Ministries, and the Herald and Banner Press. Headquarters are located in Overland Park, Kansas. A general church conference is held annually in Overland Park. World missions works are found in Bolivia, the British West Indies, the Virgin Islands, Ghana, Nigeria, India, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, and Ukraine. [8] [9]

Ecumenism

With respect to ecumenism, the Church of God is a member of the Global Wesleyan Alliance and the Interchurch Holiness Convention.

Education

The Church of God (Holiness) is associated with Kansas Christian College in Overland Park. This institution gives degrees in ministry, business leadership, psychology, and education. The headquarters for the church is located on the campus and the General Camp and Convention are also held here. The church is also associated with several private elementary and secondary schools. These are El Dorado Christian School in Eldorado Springs, Missouri; Fort Scott Christian Heights in Fort Scott, Kansas; Gravette Holiness Bible School in Gravette, Arkansas; Lowry City Christian School in Lowry City, Missouri; Mount Zion Bible School in Ava, Missouri; Mountain State Christian School in Culloden, West Virginia; and Overland Christian Schools in Overland Park. [10]

Related Research Articles

Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christian tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significant early leaders in the movement. They were named Methodists for "the methodical way in which they carried out their Christian faith". Methodism originated as a revival movement within Anglicanism with roots in the Church of England in the 18th century and became a separate denomination after Wesley's death. The movement spread throughout the British Empire, the United States and beyond because of vigorous missionary work, and today has about 80 million adherents worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Nazarene</span> Evangelical Christian denomination

The Church of the Nazarene is a Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. With its members commonly referred to as Nazarenes, it is the largest denomination in the world aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement and is a member of the World Methodist Council.

The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with the holiness movement teach that the life of a born again Christian should be free of sin. The movement is historically distinguished by its emphasis on the doctrine of a second work of grace, which is called entire sanctification or Christian perfection. The word Holiness refers specifically to this belief in entire sanctification as an instantaneous, definite second work of grace, in which original sin is cleansed, the heart is made perfect in love, and the believer is empowered to serve God. For the Holiness movement, "the term 'perfection' signifies completeness of Christian character; its freedom from all sin, and possession of all the graces of the Spirit, complete in kind." A number of Christian denominations, parachurch organizations, and movements emphasize those Holiness beliefs as central doctrine.

The Church of God , 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.

The Wesleyan Church, also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church and Wesleyan Holiness Church depending on the region, is a Methodist Christian denomination in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Indonesia, and Australia. The church is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement and has roots in the teachings of John Wesley. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine and is a member of the World Methodist Council.

Sanctification literally means "to set apart for special use or purpose", that is, to make holy or sacred. Therefore, sanctification refers to the state or process of being set apart, i.e. "made holy", as a vessel, full of the Holy Spirit of God. The concept of sanctification is widespread among religions, including Judaism and especially Christianity. The term can be used to refer to objects which are set apart for special purposes, but the most common use within Christian theology is in reference to the change brought about by God in a believer, begun at the point of salvation and continuing throughout the life of the believer. Many forms of Christianity believe that this process will only be completed in Heaven, but some believe that complete entire sanctification is possible in this life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian perfection</span> Process of achieving spiritual perfection

Within many denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by pure love of God and other people as well as personal holiness or sanctification. Other terms used for this or similar concepts include entire sanctification, holiness, perfect love, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, baptism by fire, the second blessing, and the second work of grace.

Pilgrim Holiness Church (PHC) or International Apostolic Holiness Church (IAHC) is a Christian denomination associated with the holiness movement that split from the Methodist Episcopal Church through the efforts of Martin Wells Knapp in 1897. It was first organized in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the International Holiness Union and Prayer League (IHU/IAHC). Knapp, founder of the IAHC, ordained and his Worldwide Missions Board sent Charles and Lettie Cowman who had attended God's Bible School to Japan in December 1900. By the International Apostolic Holiness Churches Foreign Missionary Board and the co-board of the Revivalist the Cowmans had been appointed the General Superintendents and the Kilbournes the vice-General Superintendent for Korea, Japan and China December 29, 1905. The organization later became the Pilgrim Holiness Church in 1922, the majority of which merged with the Wesleyan Methodists in 1968 to form the Wesleyan Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservative holiness movement</span>

The conservative holiness movement is a loosely defined group of theologically conservative Christian denominations with the majority being Methodists whose teachings are rooted in the theology of John Wesley, and a minority being Quakers (Friends) that emphasize the doctrine of George Fox, as well as River Brethren who emerged out of the Radical Pietist revival, and Holiness Restorationists in the tradition of Daniel Sidney Warner. Schisms began to occur in the 19th century and this movement became distinct from parent Holiness bodies in the mid-20th century amid disagreements over modesty in dress, entertainment, and other "old holiness standards". Aligned denominations share a belief in Christian perfection, though they differ on various doctrines, such as the celebration of the sacraments and observance of ordinances, which is related to the denominational tradition of the specific conservative holiness body—Methodist, Quaker, Anabaptist or Restorationist. Many denominations identifying with the conservative holiness movement, though not all, are represented in the Interchurch Holiness Convention; while some denominations have full communion with one another, other bodies choose to be isolationist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Methodist Church</span> Methodist denomination in the US

The Evangelical Methodist Church (EMC) is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination reported 399 churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Philippines and several European and African nations in 2018, and a total of 34,656 members worldwide.

The Bible Missionary Church, founded in 1955, is a Methodist denomination of Christianity aligned with the conservative holiness movement. It is headquartered in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesleyan theology</span> Protestant Christian theological tradition

Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles Wesley. More broadly it refers to the theological system inferred from the various sermons, theological treatises, letters, journals, diaries, hymns, and other spiritual writings of the Wesleys and their contemporary coadjutors such as John William Fletcher, Methodism's systematic theologian.

Finished Work Pentecostalism is a major branch of Pentecostalism that holds that after conversion, the converted Christian progressively grows in grace. On the other hand, the other branch of Pentecostalism—Holiness Pentecostalism teaches the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification as an instantaneous, definite second work of grace, which is a necessary prerequisite to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Finished Work Pentecostals are generally known to have retained the doctrine of progressive sanctification from their earlier Reformed roots, while Holiness Pentecostals retained their doctrine of entire sanctification from their earlier Wesleyan roots. William Howard Durham is considered to be the founder of Finished Work Pentecostalism.

The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (AWMC) is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement. It is primarily based in the United States, with missions in Peru, Ghana, and Haiti. The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection is currently led by Rev. David Blowers (President) and Rev. Joseph Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas Christian College (Overland Park)</span>

Kansas Christian College is a private Christian college in Overland Park, Kansas. It is affiliated with the Church of God (Holiness) and accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education. The sports programs associated fielded by Kansas Christian College are nicknamed the Falcons, and compete in the NCCAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second work of grace</span> Christian belief of interaction with God

According to certain Christian traditions, a second work of grace is a transforming interaction with God that may occur in the life of an individual Christian. The defining characteristics of the second work of grace are that it is separate from and subsequent to the New Birth, and that it brings about significant changes in the life of the believer. In the Methodist, the Quaker and the Holiness Pentecostal traditions of Christianity, the second work of grace is traditionally taught to be Christian perfection.

Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Protestant Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal relationship with God and experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit. For Christians, this event commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus Christ, as described in the second chapter of the Book of Acts. Pentecostalism was established in Kerala, India at the start of the 20th century.

The Interchurch Holiness Convention (IHC), formerly the Interdenominational Holiness Convention, is an ecumenical organization of denominations and congregations within the conservative holiness movement. Aligned with the conservative holiness movement, the majority of these IHC members are Methodist, though others have a Quaker, Anabaptist or Restorationist background. There are a number of denominations aligned with the conservative holiness movement, however, that are not affiliated with the Interchurch Holiness Convention. The IHC was founded in 1952 during the post-World War II era. Thousands of individuals are present at the Interchurch Holiness Convention's annual international meeting that is usually held in Dayton, Ohio or in Gatlinburg, Tennessee; in addition the Interchurch Holiness Convention hosts regional meetings at local churches in different parts of the world throughout the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immanuel Missionary Church</span> Methodist denomination

The Immanuel Missionary Church (IMC) is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement.

References

  1. ↑ "Church of God (Holiness)". COGH. 2024. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024. The Church of God (Holiness) is an association of autonomous congregations originating in the 19th century that has historically aligned with the conservative holiness movement of Methodism.
  2. ↑ Kostlevy, William (3 August 2009). Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement. Scarecrow Press. pp. 48, 55. ISBN   978-0-8108-6318-7.
  3. ↑ A History of the Church of God (Holiness) by Dr. C. E. Cowen, p. 26
  4. ↑ Black, Brian (2003). The Holiness Heritage. Allegheny Publications. pp. 205–206.
  5. ↑ A History of the Church of God (Holiness), by C. E. Cowen
  6. ↑ Roster of Accredited Ministers and Church Directory 2009-2010: Church of God (Holiness)
  7. ↑ Roster of Accredited Ministers and Church Directory 2009-2010: Church of God (Holiness)
  8. ↑ "Home". coghworldmissions.org.
  9. ↑ Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
  10. ↑ Roster of Accredited Ministers and Church Directory 2009-2010: Church of God (Holiness)
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