The Church of God General Conference is an Adventist Christian body which is also known as the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith and the Church of God General Conference (McDonough, Georgia). The Church of the Blessed Hope, some of whose congregations use the name Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith are a separate denomination, although they share the same origins.
Contents |
History
| Part of a series on Adventism |
 |
| William Miller |
| Background and History Christianity · Protestantism |
| Biographies William Miller |
| Theology Annihilationism · Conditional immortality |
| Adventist Denominations Advent Christian Church |
The Church of God General Conference has roots in several similar groups in England and North America that eventually united in 1921 in Waterloo, Iowa to form the current national organization. These small groups had reached similar doctrinal convictions through independent Bible study. In the mid 1800s, some of the individuals and groups, including Joseph Marsh of New York and the Wilson family of Illinois (Benjamin Wilson's family), began to circulate religious writings which made the groups aware of one another. This led to fellowship, the development of state conferences, and an attempted national organization in 1888. Strong convictions on the autonomy and authority of individual congregations, though, led to the demise of the original attempt.
In 1921 the groups divided, with the larger becoming the Church of God General Conference, and the smaller the Church of the Blessed Hope. The Church of the Blessed Hope held to the beliefs shared by Benjamin Wilson, and the Church of God General Conference expanded their belief system to embrace doctrines (e.g. the existence of a personal devil) previously not held by the group Wilson helped co-found.
Doctrines
Doctrines of the Church of God General Conference include belief in the authority of the Bible as the rule of faith, one God, who is the Father, Jesus is God's Son, who came into existence beginning with his miraculous conception in Mary's womb, repentance is life long change, the literal premillennial second coming of Jesus Christ, those who have accepted the gospel will be resurrected at the return of Christ, and that the promises of God to Abraham will be literally fulfilled, referred to as the "Kingdom of God" being established on earth.
Organization
The Churches of God are congregational in government, yet cooperate in publications and missions ministries, and the Atlanta Bible College. International headquarters are located in McDonough in Henry County, Georgia in the metro-Atlanta area. The Restitution Herald is the official periodical of the church, and is published bi-monthly. A journal dealing with the doctrines of the movement, A Journal From the Radical Reformation, has been published quarterly since 1991. According to the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, the Church of God General Conference had 89 churches and 5018 members in 2002.
Korean Extension: The Korean Extension is an outgrowth of the ministry of Atlanta Bible College. The Korean Extension was officially started at the fall semester of the 2003 school year. The Korean extension is led by Pastor Steve An, and the campus is located in Duluth, Georgia. As of the year 2010 there is nearly 100 students in the Korean portion of Atlanta Bible College.
See also
References
- Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead and Samuel S. Hill
- Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches (2009), National Council of Churches
- Hemingray, Peter (2003). John Thomas: His Friends and His Faith. Canton, MI: Christadelphian Tidings. ISBN 81-7887-012-6.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
