OUR HISTORY
—walking out of the past and into the future—
Timeline
1880
1880-1881: A Movement Is Born
The Church of God movement is born. And from the very beginning, Church of God people have been a people on the move, whether it was the bands of evangelists traveling the country or individuals called to cross-cultural ministry.1891
1891: The First Missionary
B. F. Elliott feels the call of the Spirit to take the gospel to the Spanish-speaking people of Baja California, a work that eventually spread across Mexico. He becomes the first recorded cross-cultural evangelist of the Church of God.1892
1892: England
Church of God evangelists W. J. Henry and J. H. Rupert begin preaching in England.1896
1896: India
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, a young Muslim man in India came to faith in Christ in 1893. Through the influence of the Gospel Trumpet, the weekly newspaper of the Church of God movement, this young Indian Christian, A. D. Kahn, was exposed to the teachings of the Church of God reformation movement. By 1896, Kahn had fully committed himself to the teaching of the movement and begun holding Saturday afternoon meetings in Calcutta, as well as..Read More1901
1901: Germany
George Vielguth returns to his native Germany to share the Church of God message.1902
1902: Russia
German workers establish a work in Russia.1907
1907: Jamaica
The Church of God is planted in Jamaica.1908
1908: Japan
A. U. Yajima takes the Church of God message to his native Japan.1909
1909: Missionary Board Organized
By 1909, it was evident to leaders of the Church of God reformation movement that some organization was needed to coordinate the fervent cross-cultural evangelistic work of the church. And so on June 12, 1909, the Missionary Board of the Church of God became the second official agency of the Church of God by common consent of the ministers present at the annual camp meeting in Anderson, Indiana. At the first annual meeting of the Missionary Board that year, 19..Read More1910
1910: Panama
A witness for the Church of God begins in Panama. In the United States, the first missions magazine, Missionary Herald, begins publication.1912
1912: Independent Work in Kenya
H.C. and Gertrude Kramer independently pioneer the work in Kima, Kenya, established by the South African Compounds and Interior Mission. Formally taken over by the Missionary Board in 1922.1932
1932: Church of God Women Organize
National Woman’s Home and Foreign Missionary Society is formed under the leadership of Nora Siens Hunter. In time, this comes to be known as the Woman of the Church of God and later Christian Women Connection.1962
1962: Inter-American Conference
First Inter-American Conference meets in Mexico City. This conference of Church of God leaders from across Latin America continues today at la Confraternidad Interamericano de le Iglesia de Dios, meeting biennially with smaller regional forums occurring in the off years. Today, this includes leaders from across the Church of God in Central America, South America, and the Dominican Republic.1967
1967: Missionary Boards Integrate
The Foreign Missionary Board of the National Association integrates with the Missionary Board of the Church of God.1974
1974: Disaster Relief Fund
A disaster fund becomes part of World Service budget, providing funds for suffering resulting from natural disaster and starvation.1979
1979: Caribbean-Atlantic Assembly
The Church of God congregations on the English-speaking islands of the Caribbean form the Caribbean-Atlantic Assembly of the Church of God. Today, 17 islands in the region participate.1980
1980: Church of God Centennial
In 1980, the Church of God celebrated its centennial, 100 years of God’s work. By this time, the number of full-time missionaries with the Missionary Board had grown to 78. The Church of God had expanded to have a presence in 60 countries worldwide, with the Missionary Board responsible for work in 42 of them. And the number of believers in the movement outside the United States had grown to nearly equal to the number within the United States.1982
1982: Asian Church of God Conference
The Asian Church of God Conference, representing countries throughout Asia and the Pacific, forms. Today, this continues as the Asia-Pacific Church of God Conference, which meets biennially.1998
1998: Becoming Global Missions
The Missionary Board of the Church of God is reorganized as the Global Missions department of Church of God Ministries, which was created from the merger of multiple national Church of God agencies. At this point, Global Missions was responsible for relationships with Church of God fellowships in approximately 87 countries.2002
2002: STW Launched
At the International Youth Convention, organizers launch Spread the Word to encourage teenage giving and involvement in missions.2009
2009: Celebrating 100 Years
Global Missions celebrates 100 years of organized cross-cultural mission administration with the Global Gathering at the North American Convention of the Church of God in June. Leaders from the Church of God around the world represent the international reach of the Church of God.2015
