The History of The Church of God

The Church of God was founded on June 13, 1903 by A.J. Tomlinson in Cherokee County, NC. At its inception, the church was known as The Holiness Church. In 1907, the name of the church was changed to Church of God. A.J. Tomlinson was named General Overseer of the church in 1914 after many years of leading the church. In 1923, he reformed the church after it began a decline into democracy.

After A.J. Tomlinson founded the Church of Prophecy Markers Association in 1941, he appointed Grady R. Kent as head over it in 1943. After Tomlinson's death his son Milton was appointed as General Overseer. In the subsequent years, Grady Kent was instrumental in the Fields of the Wood project in Murphy, NC and the airplane program. He, along with several pilots and other personnel, flew with nine single engine airplanes to the Caribbean Islands and became known at "The Flying Bishop of America." In 1948, the church adopted a resolution making the General Assembly the highest authority in the church. In 1953, the church changed its name from Church of God to The Church of God of Prophecy.

Grady Kent resigned from The Church of God of Prophecy on February 13, 1957 and led a reformation to return to God's pattern of Theocratic Government - with an appointed leader, 12 apostles, 72 Prophets, and the 7 Men of Wisdom. 300 people made a decision to stand with him and his convictions. This group reorganized and in 1958 adopted its official name, The Church of God. He was then appointed Chief Bishop over The Church of God.

In 1958, a seven acre tract of land was purchased in Cleveland, Tennessee and became known as Jerusalem Acres. In May of 1962, Bishop Kent made a long-anticipated trip to Israel for the purpose of marking the site on Mt. Hattin where Jesus established the church. There, he built a marker, placing twelve stones, symbolic of the twelve apostles that Jesus ordained there, upon one large stone which represented the revelation of Jesus Christ whom upon the early church was built. He also introduced the concept of "New Testament Judaism" to the church as a restoration of the Judaic Heritage of first century Christianity.

Bishop Kent died on March 31, 1964 during the Passover season, at the time of the great earthquake in Alaska. Since then, several Chief Bishops have presided over the church: Marion Hall, Robert Somerville, and John Looper. In 1976, the Star of David Buiilding on Jerusalem Acres was dedicated. This serves as the Headquarters building and Publishing house of The Church of God, today. From 1964 through the early nineties, the church began to lean away from the ideals on which it was founded.

Currently, Bishop Samuel Kramer is the Presiding Bishop, having been appointed in July of 1996. Under his leadership, the church has fully returned to a Sabbath-keeping service schedule which had largely been abandoned under Looper's administration and has worked to restore the full practice of Theocratic Government within the church.

Restoration of the Church

The early church Jesus established during the time of His ministry reaped many thousands of members who made up the great "spiritual house," the temple of the Lord (1 Peter 2:5).

In its latter years after the death of the apostles and the apostolic fathers, evil men as grievous wolves crept in unawares to overthrow the faith of many by using the grace of God as a pretext for lasciviousness and substituting human traditions for the truth of God. This brought about an eventual revelation in the spiritual realm of the prophetic situation about which Isaiah spoke concerning Judah: "How is the faithful city become a harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers." (Isaiah 1:21)

The great church which Jesus established went down into the darkness and eventual death of apostasy by adopting the pagan traditions of the Roman Empire in return for safety and wealth that its rulers guaranteed the church. When it sold out the sacred truth of the Word of God which Jesus, Himself, had revealed, the church became Mystery, Babylon the Great (Revelation 17:1-5)

When the early church consummated its union with the state of Rome, the covenant of the body was broken, and the church died. For centuries the light of the church was not seen, though the faith of God continued to be manifest in His kingdom. Finally God raised upon brave men to reinstate the doctrines of the kingdom of God and to preach spiritual rebirth. Other doctrines of the kingdom were reestablished including sanctification and baptism by the Holy Spirit.

It was about the time when the Holy Spirit began to be poured out that the revelation of the need for a resurrection and restoration of the church in the last days was made known by Bishop A.J. Tomlinson. He implemented the revelation to bring about the resurrection of the church in a small body of people in Cherokee County, NC in 1903 (Isaiah 52:1-2, 60:1)

Since that time the doctrines of the early church have been progressively restored to the church in this day. Following the Reformation of the church in 1957, this work was accelerated with Chief Bishop Grady R. Kent, restoring the governmental pattern of the church - with apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-13). This is a fulfillment of Isaiah 1:26: "I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors at thy beginning; afterward thou shalt be called The City of Righteousness, the faithful city."

The restoration of the church among the Gentiles is the focal point of the prophetic programs that God will bring to pass in the time of the end of the age. All other prophetic programs revolve around and are contingent upon the restoration of the church. The one word which characterizes the work of God for this generation is restoration, and the restoration of the church leads the way in this work.

The objective of The Church of God is to bring about a complete restoration of the church of the Bible with every doctrine and practice fully implemented and with every gift and office fully operational. This is the prophetic work that is to be accomplished when the spiritual tabernacle of David is restored among the Gentiles in the last days in preparation for the second coming of Jesus (Amos 9:11, Acts 15:15-17).