Church of God (Holiness)

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Church of God (Holiness)
Classification Protestant
Orientation Holiness Methodist
Theology Wesleyan-Arminian theology
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
Membersunknown

The Church of God (Holiness) is an association of autonomous holiness Christian congregations. Originating in the 19th century, it is aligned with conservative holiness movement of Methodism. 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. [1] 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 movement grew out of a group of former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church that had been participating in the Southwestern Holiness Association. The leading cause of their departure from the Methodist Church was their zealous propagation of a unique interpretation of the doctrine of entire sanctification that differed from the rest of the Methodist Church. 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. [2]

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. [3] 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. [4] 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. [5] [6]

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. [7]

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Fred A. Hillery

Fred A. Hillery was an early leader in the American Holiness Movement; the founding president of the South Providence Holiness Association; the founding pastor of the People's Evangelical Church, the "mother church of the Church of the Nazarene in the East"; a co-founder of the Central Evangelical Holiness Association and also of the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America; one of the founders of the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute ; one of the founding fathers of the Church of the Nazarene; and the publisher of holiness periodicals and books.

Wesleyan Holiness Connection

The Wesleyan Holiness Connection, also known as the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium, is an interdenominational organization of denominations and congregations, with membership primarily including those aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement or Holiness Pentecostalism. It seeks to promote Biblical holiness in churches that historically rooted in the evangelical movement initiated by John Wesley. The Wesleyan Holiness Consortium aims to guide efforts and projects focused on holiness in the 21st century for pastors, unity within and among the participating churches, a holiness voice to the broader church, and the importance of holiness in the future mission of the church.

The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (AWMC), originally the Wesleyan Methodist Church , and also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church (WMC), is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement primarily based in the United States, with missions in Peru, Ghana, and Haiti.

Kansas Christian College (Overland Park)

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

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The Bible Methodist Connection of Churches is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement.

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.

Immanuel Missionary Church Methodist denomination

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References

  1. ↑ A History of the Church of God (Holiness) by Dr. C. E. Cowen, p. 26
  2. ↑ A History of the Church of God (Holiness), by C. E. Cowen
  3. ↑ Roster of Accredited Ministers and Church Directory 2009-2010: Church of God (Holiness)
  4. ↑ Roster of Accredited Ministers and Church Directory 2009-2010: Church of God (Holiness)
  5. ↑ "Home". coghworldmissions.org.
  6. ↑ Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
  7. ↑ Roster of Accredited Ministers and Church Directory 2009-2010: Church of God (Holiness)
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