The Church of the Great God (CGG) is one of the
Armstrongist Churches of God. It broke away in 1992 from the
Worldwide Church of God
Worldwide may refer to:
* Pertaining to the entire world
* Worldwide (rapper) (born 1986), American rapper
* Pitbull (rapper) (born 1981), also known as Mr. Worldwide, American rapper
* ''Worldwide'' (Audio Adrenaline album), 2003
* ''Worldwide ...
in the wake of the major shifts in its doctrine during the 1980s and 1990s. The CGG, headquartered in
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Fort Mill, also known as Fort Mill Township, is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. As of 2020 census, 24,521 people live inside the town's corporate limits. Some businesses and resi ...
, continues to follow the teachings of
Herbert W. Armstrong
Herbert W. Armstrong (July 31, 1892 – January 16, 1986) was an American evangelist who founded the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). An early pioneer of radio and television evangelism, Armstrong preached what he claimed was the comprehensiv ...
.
Formation
CGG was organized as a religious non-profit church in January 1992 in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the primary leadership core consisting of Pastor John Ritenbaugh; elders John Reid, Edwin Pope, and James Russell; and Martin Collins and Richard Ritenbaugh. It held its first service via telephone conference call between Charlotte and a small group in Laguna Niguel, California, on January 11, 1992. About 20 members attended. It grew to several hundred members scattered across the United States, with groups in Charlotte; Southern California; Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Big Sandy, Texas; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; and several other locations.
Membership
CGG is small in membership, with about 400 persons attending services each week in about 50 small groups in the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, France, the Philippines, South Africa, Trinidad, and Zambia. The church indicates it has "over 2,000 people" on their active postal mailing list, about 60,500 receiving its magazine, ''Forerunner'', and over 106,500 subscribers to its daily email newsletter, ''The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment''. An indeterminable number attend virtual Sabbath services at home each week by listening to the Fort Mill, South Carolina, congregation's services via live audio stream.
See also
*
Armstrongism
Armstrongism is the teachings and doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong while leader of the Worldwide Church of God (WCG). His teachings are professed by him and his followers to be the restored true Gospel of the Bible. Armstrong said they were re ...
*
British Israelism
British Israelism (also called Anglo-Israelism) is the British nationalist, pseudoarchaeological, pseudohistorical and pseudoreligious belief that the people of Great Britain are "genetically, racially, and linguistically the direct descenda ...
*
Christian Sabbatarianism
References
External links
Church of the Great God Official WebsiteOnline Bible and Biblical Resources run by Church of the Great GodSabbatarian Doctrine written by the CGG ministry
{{Sabbath-Keeping Churches
Church of God (Armstrong)
British Israelism
Groups claiming Israelite descent