The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) is a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

body of

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, formerly based in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

. The Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama) shares a common history with the

Church of God of Prophecy The Church of God of Prophecy is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian church. It is one of five ''Church of God'' bodies headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, that arose from a small meeting of believers who gathered at the Holiness Church at Camp Cr ...

(COGOP) up until their division in 1943. The original Church of God was led by

Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson Ambrose Jessup (A.J.) Tomlinson (September 22, 1865 – October 2, 1943), a former Quaker, united with the Holiness Church at Camp Creek in 1903. With his drive, vision, and organizational skills, he was elected the first general overseer of the ...

(1865-1943) until his death. The leaders of the church determined to install Milton A. Tomlinson as the General Overseer of the church. Milton's brother, Homer Aubrey Tomlinson, withdrew and established church headquarters in

Queens Village, Queens Queens Village is a mostly residential middle class neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bound by Hollis to the west, Cambria Heights to the south, Bellerose to the east, and Oakland Gardens to the north. ...

. After the death of Homer Tomlinson, Voy M. Bullen was chosen as his successor and headquarters were moved to Huntsville,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, closer to the center of the movement. Bishop Bullen chose Danny R. Patrick as his successor, prior to his death in 1997. Bishop Patrick moved headquarters yet again, to his hometown of Scottville, Kentucky. He is the pastor of the largest church in the organization, East Willow Street Church of God. This group calls itself The Church of God, though "World Headquarters" is sometimes added for clarification. In 2016 Bishop Danny R. Patrick chose Roger L. Centers as the new General Overseer. The ''Handbook of Denominations'' reported 75,890 members for this group in 1978. Piepkorn's ''Profiles in Belief'' reported 1933 congregations in the United States with 75,290 members. By most accounts this figure is highly inflated. A recent division brought into existence The Church of God in Divine Order, which was organized October 14, 2000, led by Ted Carr who disagreed with the decision to appoint Patrick as General Overseer. The group is headquartered in

Sand Springs, Oklahoma Sand Springs is a city in Osage, Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A western suburb of Tulsa, it is located predominantly in Tulsa County. The population was 19,874 in the 2020 U. S. Census, an increase of 5.1 percent from ...

References

*''Encyclopedia of American Religions'', J. Gordon Melton, editor *''Handbook of Denominations in the United States (9th edition)'', by Frank S. Mead and Samuel S. Hill *
Profiles in Belief:
The Religious Bodies of the United States and Canada'', by Arthur Carl Piepkorn Pentecostal churches in Alabama Christian organizations established in 1943 Churches in Huntsville, Alabama Holiness denominations {{Alabama-church-stub