The (Original) Church of God

The (Original) Church of God is a Pentecostal Holiness 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 (Chattanooga,TN) to distinguish it from other related 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.

The (Original) Church of God shares a common origin and history with the Church of God (Cleveland) and several other Christian bodies named Church of God. The (Original) Church of God, Inc. came into being in 1917, when the Church of God in Chattanooga, Tennessee, led by Joseph L. Scott, separated from the Cleveland-based church. This body's use of Original in parentheses reflects the belief that it is true to the original faith, purpose and practice of the Church of God movement. The church incorporated in 1922. Ridgedale Theological Seminary was founded in 1925. Introduction

A Brief history of “The (Original) Church of God”

The following is a brief history of “The (Original) Church of God." The name as above was given to us by the Superior Court, and we chartered it as such in a number of States. It is registered at the United States Patent Office in Washington DC, and is the first church to take the name of “The Church of God” in the United States of America. Our General Office is located in Chattanooga, TN.

About the year 1884, a spirit of dissatisfaction and unrest began to work in mind of a licensed minister of the Missionary Baptist Church by the name of Richard G. Spurling, then living in Monroe County, TN. The dissatisfaction arose because certain traditions and creeds that were burdensome and exceedingly binding on the members. This humble and sincere servant of God, who was also a faithful servant of the church of which he was a member, and licensed minister, began a more careful study of the Bible, and for two years or more spent much time in searching of the Scriptures, and church history with a view to a reformation. After two years or more of careful searching, praying and weeping, and pleading with his church for reform to no avail, he, with others, began to arrange for an independent meeting for a conference and a more careful consideration of religious matters. The result of the prayers and research on the part of Mr. Spurling and his companions proved three things to their entire satisfaction. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the noble and illustrious reformers were throwing off and breaking out from under the galling yoke of Romanism, and launched and inaugurated what is commonly known as Protestantism, they failed to reform from creeds; they adopted the law of faith when they should have adopted the law of love: and they failed to reserve a right of way for the leadership of the Holy Ghost as the General Overseer. Besides the aforesaid points, they were awakened to the fact that God’s Church existed only where God’s law and government was observed by His children.

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