Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)

===Origins (1886–1902)===
[[R. G. Spurling]] (1857–1935), a [[Missionary Baptist]] minister, and his father [[Richard Spurling]] (1810–91), an ordained [[Elder (Christianity)|elder]], rejected some of the views of the [[Baptists]] in his area as not being in accord with [[New Testament]] Christianity. R. G. Spurling disagreed with [[Landmarkism]], an [[ecclesiology]] which held that only churches descending from churches with Baptist doctrine were part of the true Church, and that they should not associate with Christians of other traditions. Spurling felt that there needed to be another reformation of the Church that went beyond the [[Protestant Reformation]] so that Christians would be united together by love and not by [[creed]]s, which he believed were divisive. As long as something was not contrary to the New Testament, believers should be able to practice their faith in the form they chose.{{Sfn | Roebuck | 1999 | p = 2}}

Even though not intending to form a new church or denomination, their rejection of Landmarkist values placed them in conflict with traditional churches in that area. Within a short period of time it became clear that they would not be allowed to remain as members of their churches. On August 19, 1886, after being barred from his local Baptist church, R.G. Spurling and eight others organized the Christian Union at the Barney Creek Meeting House in [[Monroe County, Tennessee]]. They agreed to free themselves from man-made creeds and unite upon the principles of the New Testament.  Between 1889 and 1895, Spurling organized three other congregations, all with the name Christian Union, each functioning independently under Baptist polity.{{Sfn | Roebuck | 1999 | p = 3}}  While this group would later disband and its members return to their original churches, the Church of God traces its origins to this 1886 meeting.{{Sfn | Synan | 1997 | p = 73}}

In 1896, three Tennessee evangelists (William Martin, Joe M. Tipton, and Milton McNabb) with links to Benjamin H. Irwin's [[Fire-Baptized Holiness Church]] brought the message of [[entire sanctification]] to the western [[North Carolina]] countryside when they held a revival in the Shearer Schoolhouse near Camp Creek in [[Cherokee County, North Carolina|Cherokee County]]. A feature of this revival was that some participants, including children, spoke in tongues when they experienced sanctification (this was later understood to be the baptism of the Holy Ghost, as spoken of in Acts 2). This phenomenon caused great excitement and controversy in the community, and leading Baptist and Methodist leaders soon denounced the revival. Several of the worshiper's homes, as well as a provisional meeting house were burned by mobs opposing the new revival.{{Sfn | Synan | 1997 | p = 72}}

The worshipers began to meet in the house of [[William F. Bryant]] (1863–1949), a Baptist [[deacon]] prior to his joining the holiness movement, who assumed leadership of the group. R.G. Spurling often worshiped with the small fellowship and was the driving force behind its 1902 decision to organize into a church, called the Holiness Church at Camp Creek.{{Sfn | Roebuck | 1999 | pp = 4–5}}  Organization was made necessary because Irwin's more fanatical teachings were influencing the movement, and there was a need for authority to discipline erring members.{{Sfn | Synan | 1997 | p = 74}}