theology August 19, 2026

Church of God Celebrates 140th Anniversary Today

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| PentecostalTheology.com

Today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the Church of God celebrates its 140th birthday. This day marks the anniversary of a small group of people responding to the call of a twenty-nine-year-old preacher by the name of R.G. Spurling. In a mill house along Barney Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee, they formed a congregation called “Christian Union,” which is considered to be the birth of the Church of God.

According to Dr. David G. Roebuck, Church of God Historian, Spurling’s action arose from years of hindrance from local Baptist churches. In his experience, they had replaced the New Testament and the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor with creeds and traditions. Roebuck tells of the activities of that day, August 19, 1886: “Our earliest account reports that the meeting opened with singing and prayer, and then Spurling delivered ‘a strong discourse, emphasizing the need for a reformation.’ We are told, ‘The arguments were full of force and proved effective, and were endorsed by the hearers, so that when the time came for action there was free and earnest response.’” Following his sermon, Roebuck states that R.G. Spurling, “made a plea to take the New Testament as our only rule of faith and practice and to sit together as the Church of God.” Eight responded to Spurling’s appeal. Then with assistance from his father, Richard Spurling, who was an ordained minister, they set in order a congregation, which they called Christian Union.

“Indebted to the vision of R.G. Spurling, we have expanded from the mountain congregations he planted to a global Christian movement of almost 10 million members in 194 countries and territories of the world,” Roebuck continued. “The Church of God has embraced holiness and Pentecostal experience and theology, while still affirming the New Testament is our ‘only rule of faith and practice.’” R.G. Spurling’s son, G.P. Spurling, later remembered, “After the organization of the church in 1886, father furnished his own lumber and built a small church house. People would fill this church every meeting and pray. And how God would bless and save!”

Exactly 140 years later, we rejoice that God is still blessing and saving through the global ministries of the Church of God.

1 Comment

  • Reply August 20, 2026

    Troy Day

    didnt want to MISS congratulate you all John Mushenhouse Tony Richie Dale M. Coulter Neil Steven Lawrence Bill Coble ets logn-stand coggers in this group BUT what is wrong with this picture that needs to be corrected ASAP

    1. while 140yrs is A LOT – Spurling started NO cog and we knowS it; he hardly knew what COG would become today

    2. the no-man-creed is LONG GONE and yall knows it There nothing else BUT man-made creed left in cog #sorry

    3. the NT rightly divided as the ONLY rule is out and mixed with bunches of manmade rules and laws and regulations

    4. the LOST link has been LOST again and again and again EVEN spoke with a local 7-day pastor the other day not far away from Clev. in Tellico who stated that having read ALL early cog leaders they all wanted to keep the SABBATH 🙂 let this 1 sink a min

    5. having spoken with the good bishop Wade Phillips after he had recently returned the white wing jet back to cogoop AND after much of his research in his last recent book – not that many spoke in tongues in the school revival. Certainly NOT 100 and most certainly not even close to 100 but just a FEW + none of them regarded it as SPIRIT power or HSB but JUST entire sanctification – now gone from cog entirely Just quoting his words – dont hate the messenger WHO is GOD the Holy Spirit NOT a man…

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