The Church of God, with international headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee, traces its roots to 1886 in a meeting house located at Barney Creek in the mountains of eastern Tennessee. The Christian Union was organized with eight members. Since that inauspicious start, the Church of God has become an international church with a membership approaching 4 million. The Church of God is a grassroots organization with an appeal to and a concern for the common man and his needs.

The mission of the Church of God is to perpetuate the full gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19,20), in the Spirit and power of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, 6, 13-18), through specific attention to and emphasis upon the centrality of God’s Word, world evangelization, ministerial development, Christian discipleship, lay ministry, biblical stewardship, church growth, church planting, family enrichment, and servant leadership.