The Church of God is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian denomination, with headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee. The oldest continuing Pentecostal denomination, it has grown to become one of the largest in the world, with worldwide membership of more than 6 million in over 152 countries. Currently it is the second largest Pentecostal denomination in the world, with the Assemblies of God being the largest. The movement's origins can be traced back to 1886 with a small meeting of Christians at the Barney Creek Meeting House on the Tennessee/North Carolina border, making it the oldest Pentecostal denomination in the United States.
Work of the Church of God has spread to many countries. In some Caribbean islands, including Jamaica, the name Church of God has been prefixed by the words New Testament giving it a new name – New Testament Church of God (NTCG). However adherence to the doctrines and practices of the Church of God has been kept and practised.
The Church of God believes the whole Bible to be completely and equally inspired and that it is the written Word of God. The Church of God adheres to the Declaration of Faith as its standard and official expression of doctrine.
The New Testament Church of God in the UK
In 1953 Dr Oliver Lyseight and six friends opened the first UK branch of the church in Wolverhampton in a rented YMCA hall after seeing the struggle for spiritual fulfilment faced by his countrymen. He was a member of the worldwide New Testament Church of God (NTCG) fellowship in Jamaica.
Today the New Testament Church of God, forms part of an international body with more than 107 branches, 12 missions, over 10,000 members and a further 20,000 adherents, varying in age and ethnicities in the United Kingdom. It has a National Office in Northampton and desires to serve the community in which it finds itself.