HOLINESS (2002)

WHEREAS the year 2002 is the centennial anniversary of the Holiness Church at Camp Creek, which was organized on May 15, 1902, and which established the name Holiness Church as our name until we adopted the name Church of God in 1907, and which established the Church of God movement in the broader Holiness Movement; and

WHEREAS the 2002 evaluation of the Church of God (by INJOY denominational consultants) noted that holiness defines our character, and that this character must be passed on to the next generation with a specific recommendation to establish a plan of education in order to influence the next generation; and

WHEREAS the Scriptures compel us to live holy lives conformed to the image and character of a holy God; and

WHEREAS the Church of God is firmly rooted in both the Pentecostal and Holiness Movements; and

WHEREAS the Church of God is historically, doctrinally, and practically a holiness church;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we accept holiness as the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and humbly recognize the Scriptural mandate to be a holy people; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we thankfully praise the Lord for His holiness and His call for us to be holy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we joyfully and decisively affirm our holiness character as a people of God; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we reaffirm our commitment to holiness as expressed in the “Resolution Relative to Principles of Holiness” adopted in 1960 and published in the Supplement to the Minutes of the International General Assembly; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we continually remind our ministers and laity of the importance of love in the preaching, teaching, and practice of holiness, so that our God-given character of holiness flows out of a spirit of compassion rather than a spirit of legalism; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that we call upon all Church of God educational programs to intentionally develop and maintain a curriculum that emphasizes the Biblical call to holiness, our history as a church rooted in the Holiness Movement, and the ongoing necessity to live a life pleasing to God in an increasingly sinful and secular world.