Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama)

Last updated

The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) is a Pentecostal holiness body of Christians, formerly based in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) shares a common history with the Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP) up until their division in 1943. The original Church of God was led by Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson (1865-1943) until his death. The leaders of the church determined to install Milton A. Tomlinson as the General Overseer of the church. Milton's brother, Homer Aubrey Tomlinson, withdrew and established church headquarters in Queens Village, Queens. After the death of Homer Tomlinson, Voy M. Bullen was chosen as his successor and headquarters were moved to Huntsville, Alabama, closer to the center of the movement. Bishop Bullen chose Danny R. Patrick as his successor, prior to his death in 1997. Bishop Patrick moved headquarters yet again, to his hometown of Scottville, Kentucky. He is the pastor of the largest church in the organization, East Willow Street Church of God. This group calls itself The Church of God, though "World Headquarters" is sometimes added for clarification. In 2016 Bishop Danny R. Patrick chose Roger L. Centers as the new General Overseer.

The Handbook of Denominations reported 75,890 members for this group in 1978. Piepkorn's Profiles in Belief reported 1933 congregations in the United States with 75,290 members. By most accounts this figure is highly inflated.

A recent division brought into existence The Church of God in Divine Order, which was organized October 14, 2000, led by Ted Carr who disagreed with the decision to appoint Patrick as General Overseer. The group is headquartered in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.

Related Research Articles

Church of God is a name used by numerous denominational bodies. The largest denomination with this name is the Church of God

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of God in Christ</span> Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African American membership based within the United States. The international headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee. The current Presiding Bishop is Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr., who is the Senior Pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ of Detroit, Michigan. He was elected as the denomination's leader on March 27, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)</span> Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Church of God, with headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee, United States, is an international Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination. The Church of God's publishing house is Pathway Press.

The Church of God or TCOG is a Holiness Pentecostal denomination of Christianity. It is based in the United States. The church's actual name is The Church of God; however, the parenthetical phrase Charleston, Tennessee is added to distinguish it from similar-sounding organizations. The Church of God was organized in 1993 after a schism in the Church of God of Prophecy. Its headquarters is in Cleveland, Tennessee but its postal address is in Charleston, Tennessee. As of 2007, The Church of God operates in 48 countries and territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of God of Prophecy</span> Pentecostal Holiness denomination founded 1923

The Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP) is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian church. It is one of six Church of God bodies headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, that arose from a small meeting of believers who gathered at the Holiness Church at Camp Creek near the Tennessee/North Carolina border on Saturday, June 13, 1903.

The (Original) Church of God is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian denomination located mostly in the Southeastern United States. Its origins can be traced to a small meeting of Christians at the Barney Creek Meeting House in Monroe County, Tennessee in 1886. This church is often denominated the Church of God to distinguish it from other related Church of God bodies, but the church's designation for itself is The (Original) Church of God, Inc. Offices and a publishing house are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Pulaski, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brethren in Christ Church</span> River Brethren Christian denomination

The Brethren in Christ Church (BIC) is a River Brethren Christian denomination. Falling within the Anabaptist tradition of Christianity, the Brethren in Christ Church has roots in the Mennonite church, with influences from the revivals of Radical Pietism and the holiness movement. They have also been known as River Brethren and River Mennonites. The Canadian denomination is called Be In Christ.

The Church of God is a holiness Pentecostal body that descends from the Christian Union movement of Richard Spurling, A. J. Tomlinson and others. They consider themselves officially The Church of God, but also designate themselves as The Church of God (1957 Reformation) and The Church of God (Jerusalem Acres), which is the name of their headquarters.

The Church of God for All Nations is a theocratic Pentecostal holiness body of Christians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas</span>

The Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas is a predominantly African-American Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination based in the United States. Originating when the African American members of the integrated Fire-Baptized Holiness Church withdrew to form their own organization, the church was founded at Greer, South Carolina in 1908.

The Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God was founded in 1916 as the Ethiopian Overcoming Holy Church of God by the late Bishop W.T. Phillips in Mobile, Alabama. The Church was locally incorporated on July 14, 1920.

Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Sr. was an American Holiness–Pentecostal pastor and minister. He was the founder and first Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, based in Memphis, Tennessee. It developed into what is today the largest Holiness Pentecostal church denomination and one of the largest predominantly African-American Christian denominations in the United States.

The Church of God, Alexander Jackson Sr. General Overseer, formerly The Church of God under the leadership of Bishop James C. Nabors, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination with roots in the late 19th-century American Holiness movement and early 20th-century Pentecostal revival. It shares a common history with The Church of God (TCOG) until 2006 when a separation occurred. The official name is The Church of God. The phrase Alexander Jackson Sr. General Overseer is added to distinguish this group from many others called Church of God.

Homer Aubrey Tomlinson, was an American bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy, a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination founded by his father, Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson</span> American Pentecostal bishop

Ambrose Jessup (A.J.) Tomlinson, a former Quaker, united with the Holiness Church at Camp Creek in 1903. With his drive, vision, and organizational skills, he was elected the first general overseer of the Church of God in 1903. He also served as the first president of the church's Lee College, later known as Lee University (1918–1922). In 1923, Tomlinson was impeached, causing a division which led to the creation, by followers of Tomlinson, of what would become the Church of God of Prophecy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O. T. Jones Sr.</span>

Ozro Thurston Jones Sr. was a Holiness Pentecostal denomination leader and minister, who was the second Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. (1962–1968), succeeding Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, who was the founder. The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is the fourth largest denomination in the United States, being in the Holiness Pentecostal tradition.

The Latter Rain Movement was a late nineteenth-century radical Holiness theology and Revivalist phenomenon which began in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Elements of the movement gave rise to and merged with what would become incipient modern Pentecostalism.

Chandler David Owens Sr. was an American minister and Holiness Pentecostal denomination leader of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), for which he served as the Presiding Bishop from 1995 to 2000, after the death of Bishop Louis Henry Ford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Magdalena Lewis Tate</span>

Mary Magdalena Lewis Tate was an African American evangelist. She was the first American woman to serve as a Bishop in a nationally recognized denomination. She founded a Pentecostal denomination, The Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, in 1903. Its first convocation was held in June 1903 in Greenville, Alabama. The church was the first Pentecostal Holiness church in America founded by a woman, and spread to at least twenty states. At least seven denominations currently trace their history back to her church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Drew Sheard Sr.</span> Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ

John Drew Sheard is an American pastor and minister from Detroit, Michigan, who is the current Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, a 6 million-member predominantly African-American Holiness Pentecostal denomination that has now grown to become one of the largest African American Pentecostal denominations in the United States. He was elected as the leader of the denomination in the denomination's first ever all-virtual online election, that was held virtually online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on March 20, 2021. He is the first Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ from the state of Michigan and is the pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, one of the denomination's largest churches in Michigan. He also previously served as a member of the General Board, the twelve bishops who make up the national Board of Directors of the COGIC denomination, and as the president of the COGIC International Youth Department, the auxiliary ministry department of the COGIC denomination focused on youth and young adults, from 1997 to 2001, and the International President and Chairman of the COGIC Auxiliaries In Ministry (AIM) convention from 2004 to 2012.

References