Origins (1886)

The road to the General Assembly reached back to 1886, when small bands of believers in the Appalachian foothills hungered for a church life shaped by Scripture rather than status. Leaders such as Richard Green Spurling urged the saints to return to the New Testament pattern—repentance, holy living, and loving obedience—trusting that Christ would gather His people without the props of worldly power.

Mountain Revival and Shepherds

In the decades that followed, the work spread through humble meetinghouses and home gatherings across eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. Men like William F. Bryant labored among neighbors who knew hardship well, calling sinners to salvation and believers to sanctification. When A. J. Tomlinson joined the fellowship in the early 1900s, he carried the burden of evangelism from ridge to ridge, often traveling long distances with little pay, enduring misunderstanding, and pressing on in prayer.

First General Assembly (January 26, 1906)

On January 26, 1906, believers from the mountain churches of the Southeast convened the first General Assembly of the Church of God at Camp Creek in Cherokee County, North Carolina. They came with Bibles open and hearts set on obeying Christ. Their purpose was not recognition, but holiness, unity, and Spirit-empowered witness. In an era of limited resources and little social influence, they chose accountability, shared counsel, and cooperative evangelism, believing that order and fellowship would strengthen the churches and guard the flock.

Legacy of Faith and Courage

The Assembly’s heroism was quiet but real: ordinary saints choosing truth over comfort, prayer over presumption, and mission over isolation. They took seriously the Lord’s promise, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses…to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And when their strength felt small, they could rest in this assurance: “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Their humble beginning helped shape a movement marked by repentance, reverence, courage, and a readiness to follow wherever the Lord led.