In the almost two thousand years of its history, the Christian Church has experienced many reformations. Whenever truth has become enshrouded in error, whenever form has obscured spirit, and whenever essentials have been dropped by the way, there has always been a God-inspired man or movement seeking to restore the church to its true character as the body of Christ and the people of God.
In the latter part of the nineteenth century , a major reformation began. This one is not nearly so well known as those led by Martin Luther or John Wesley, but its impact is still in the process of being realized. This reformation is known as the Church of God Reformation Movement.
In 1881, Daniel Sidney Warner and four associates thoughtfully separated themselves from church organizations and began to teach the unity of God’s people and a life of moral purity. The early leaders of this movement called all Christians to renounce a sectarian spirit and to "come out" of denominational barriers.
This present reformation, identified by the Bible name "Church of God" does not claim exclusive right to the use of this universal name. We have insisted that there is only one church . . . God’s church, and that all Christians are members of it. We believe that all Christians, regardless of where they worship belong to the Church of God . . . not because they joined the church but because they joined Christ. "Because he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (I Cor. 6:17). We believe that anything you join is not the church . . . because the church is not a joinable institution. "The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). This Reformation believes that the "church joining system" is wrong, and that it divides Christians into competitive groups and weakens the power and influence of the church.
The plea of this reformation is "back to the blessed old Bible" (II Tim. 3:16). We believe that Christians of the world cannot be expected to come to agreement on any creed other than the Bible. While the Bible is our rule of faith, no one person, or group of persons, is not infallible when it comes to the interpretation of scripture. We may disagree on some points of interpretation without disturbing our Christian fellowship.
Presently there are 107 Church of God congregations in the State of Illinois and 2,359 congregations in the U.S.A. and Canada. Congregations outside the U.S.A. number 4,432 with 391,447 constituents.
Last year over 10,000 persons were converted in local Church of God congregational meetings and outreach. This is an average of 28 people being won to Christ daily or one person believing in Christ every hour.
The Church of God does not profess to have a monopoly on truth. Much has been learned from brethren of various groups of Christendom. Local Church of God Congregations generally recognize a moral responsibility to other Christian Congregations. Therefore, we seek to reach our hands in fellowship to every Christian. By pursuing unity among all Christians we believe that we will fulfill our Lord’s prayer "that they may be one . . . " (John 17:11). We are witnessing a day where believers are laying aside their man-made labels and denominational ties and uniting in the Kingdom of God’s preparation for the Lord’s return. May this "movement" of Christian unity and evangelism increase!
