| Churches of God General Conference (Winebrenner) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Governance | Presbyterian polity |
| Executive Director | Lance Finley |
| Headquarters | Findlay, Ohio |
| Founder | John Winebrenner |
| Origin | 1830 |
| Congregations | 336 in 2000 |
| Members | 32,208 in 2000 |
| Official website | https://cggc.org/ |
TheChurches of God, General Conference (Winebrenner) (CGGC) is anEvangelicalChristian denomination in theUnited States originating in therevivalism andevangelistic efforts ofJohn Winebrenner.
John Winebrenner (1797–1860) was ordained on September 28, 1820, as a minister of theGerman Reformed Church, aCalvinist body. He was given charge of four congregations in theHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, area. Winebrenner labored extensively inrevival meetings, but some of the members opposed what they considered "unusual efforts for the conversion of sinners." In 1828 the General Synod of the German Reformed Church dropped him from its roster of ministers, in response to such complaints. In July 1830, Winebrenner was rebaptized by immersion by Jacob Erb. That year, he and co-laborers sympathetic with his efforts met and organized the General Eldership of the Church of God. Representatives from various denominations were present, and the new organization reflected that diversity.[1]
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In the early years of the Church of God, its members were popularly called Winebrennerians, after their founder.[2] The official name was changed to the General Eldership of the Churches of God in North America in 1845, and to its present title in 1975.
The church reported 336 congregations with 32,208 members in 2000, principally in Pennsylvania and theMidwest.
The basic theology of the Churches of God isArminian, conservative, andEvangelical. The church observes three ordinances:baptism by immersion, theLord's Supper (taken in the evening, while seated), andfeet washing.[2] The Bible is the church's only rule of faith and practice.
The CGGC has apresbyterian polity. The church is divided into regional conferences, with headquarters inFindlay, Ohio. The church operatesWinebrenner Theological Seminary on theUniversity of Findlay campus.The Global Advocate is the CGGC's official periodical, published bi-monthly by the church.
There are seven regional organizations in the Churches of God-USA. These are the Allegheny Region, Eastern Regional Conference, California Eldership, Great Lakes Conference, Mid-South Conference, Midwest Region, and Western Region.
Around the world the CGGC also has established conferences in Bangladesh (1898), Brazil (1999), Haiti (1967), India (1898), Kenya (2011), Venezuela (2012), and emerging works in the Dominican Republic, Sweden, and Thailand.