In August 1886, Richard Spurling (1810–1891), an ordained Baptist minister, became dissatisfied with what he believed were overly creedal approaches to New Testament Christianity.
In 1903, these small fellowships organized the Christian Union with the stated intent to unite on the principles of the New Testament without reference to restatements of the faith in creedal form.
Ultimately, the Christian Union under leadership of Spurling's son Richard Spurling Jr, and others including a former Quaker and Bible salesman named Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson, experienced remarkable growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Appalachian foothills.
[2][page needed] In 1993, this group which at the time referred to themselves as "The Concerned" called for a "solemn assembly", borrowing an Old Testament term for corporate devotion to prayer to rhetorically emphasize its earnestness.
[3] A meeting of TCOG's leadership during the summer of 2006 ended with the selection of Stephen Smith as the interim General Overseer to replace Pruitt.
As a result, this group withdrew and formed The Church of God under the leadership of Bishop James C. Nabors.
A meeting of the presbytery unanimously chose Bishop Oscar Pimentel to serve as the Interim General Overseer until a more permanent selection could be made at the annual Genera Assembly.
After one is saved, a second work of grace (sanctification) makes living a holy life possible along with the doctrine of Christian perfectionism.
TCOG holds the following three ordinances: water baptism by immersion, the Lord's Supper reserved for sinless and consecrated Christians, and feet washing.
Sunday is not Christian Sabbath but is merely a day set aside to give special attention to the worship of God.