Church of God (Anderson)
Church of God (Anderson, IN) logo
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| Orientation | Holiness movement |
|---|---|
| Polity | Congregational |
| Associations |
Christian Churches Together |
| Region | North America, Europe, Africa |
| Founder | Daniel Sidney Warner and several others |
| Origin | 1881 |
| Branched from | General Eldership of the Church of God |
| Separations |
Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma) Church of God (Restoration) |
| Congregations | 2,214 (US & Canada) 7,446 (International) |
| Members | 251,429 (US & Canada) 1,170,143 (International) |
Christian Churches Together
Christian Holiness Partnership Wesleyan Holiness Consortium
The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) is a holiness Christian body with roots in Wesleyan pietism and also in the restorationist traditions. Founded in 1881 by Daniel Sidney Warner, the church claims 1,170,000+ adherents. While having some characteristics of a denomination, the Church of God considers itself Non-denominational Christianity.
One of its more distinctive features is that there is no formal membership, since the movement believes that true biblical salvation, which will result in a life free from sin, makes one a member. Similarly, there is no formal creed other than the Bible. Accordingly, there is much official room for diversity and theological dialogue, even though the movement's culture is strongly rooted in Wesleyan holiness theology.
This church movement is not historically related to other Church of God bodies such as the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) or the Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee). Though these bodies are also holiness Christian in outlook, the Church of God (Anderson) does not share their Pentecostal practices. It is distinguished from these other churches by the location of its central office in Anderson, Indiana.
The history of the Church of God (Anderson) begins in 1881 with Daniel Sidney Warner and several others. Warner had been a member of John Winebrenner's General Eldership of the Church of God, whose members were called Winebrennerians. He differed with the Winebrennerians on the doctrine of sanctification, which he held to be a second definite work of grace, and on the nature of the church. The desire of Warner and the others was to forsake denominationalism and creeds. To this end, they determined to trust in the Holy Spirit as their guide and the Bible as their creed. Warner's vision was that the Church of God would "extend our hand in fellowship to every blood-washed one", rather than align themselves with a movement.
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