In the late 19th Century, a small group of believers in Western North Carolina (USA) became increasingly dissatisfied with the organized church of their day.  When they looked across the religious landscape, they found that most churches/mission movements had become more intent on following the traditions and creeds of men, than on following the Bible.  This dissatisfaction led them to turn to times of intense prayer, fasting, and study of the Scriptures, searching for the church found in the New Testament.

 

This hunger for truth culminated in the formation of a "Christian Union" in 1886 near Murphy, North Carolina.  After years of searching out the New Testament church, the obvious conclusion they arrived at was predicated on the thought that an individual should accept the Bible as God's Word, believe and practice it's teachings, with the New Testament as their rule of faith and practice, allowing every individual to follow the Scriptures according to their own conscience.  Years later, this group would become known as the Holiness Church at Camp Creek.

 

On June 13, 1903, a Bible/tract distributor from Westfield, Indiana by the name of Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson joined the small group and provided much-needed leadership.  His energy, committment to organization and missions soon cause this small group to become known as the Church of God (officially adopted in 1906).  From this small group, a plethora of movements have branched off to literally reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with a Holiness/Pentecostal distinction.

 

Today, this group has churches planted in every state of the United States and 137 countries across the world.  With a fervor to plant churches, and build the Kingdom of God, this small beginning has yielded an International Movement reaching the world!