ORLANDO, Florida;The National Association of Evangelicals-conducted its 55th annual convention for denominational leaders in Orlando; March 4 to 6. Representing the Worldwide Church of God at the conference were Joseph Tkach, Michael Feazell, Greg Albrecht and Randal Dick.
NAE is a group of denominations who seek common ground in the faith without abandoning their differences. President Don Argue wrote in the convention brochure God is calling evangelicals to work together to impact their communities. Local churches and servant ministries are freely forming to saturate their communities with the gospel.
On Monday, March 3, and Wednesday, March 5, Mr. Tkach addressed the NAE board and the delegates to the convention. He spoke about the church's spiritual journey over the past several years.
Mr. Tkach told them that he and several others were given the responsibility of defending Mr. Armstrong's teachings. As challenges and questions came in to church headquarters, he and the others, independently, studied our teachings and began to see that many things we had believed and taught were false. Because we lived under a cloud of legalism, we were afraid to reach out and talk to each other about it, Mr. Tkach said. But eventually we did and to our surprise we all found out that we were on the same page.
Mr Tkach said that as we began to unfold our teachings to our ministry and membership, it met with great resistance and split our denomination in half. Mr. Tkach continued: We have experienced what Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 3:14 [in Christ the veil is taken away], and we with unveiled faces reflect God's glory and are being transformed into his likeness. Mr. Tkach's address to the convention was greeted with an immediate, cheerful and sustained standing ovation.
National Association of Evangelicals Release May 7, 1997
Transformed Church Finds Acceptance and Fellowship in Evangelical Community
NAE Accepts Worldwide Church of God
WHEATON, IL The Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has voted overwhelmingly to accept the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., into membership. The application process included examination of doctrinal changes, which have taken place in the once-controversial denomination.
NAE is founded on the premise that the Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. I respect Joseph Tkach and the leadership of the Worldwide Church of God who did not rest in the refuge of their historically held doctrines, but sought the Truth through careful study of the scriptures even at significant cost to the denomination, said NAE President Don Argue. And we thank God for his faithfulness to them. We appreciate the gracious and open manner in which this church's leaders answered questions about the struggles that led them to a biblically-based theology.
WCG members once followed the teachings of church founder, Herbert W. Armstrong, who rejected the Trinity as a pagan doctrine, while also insisting that tithing and observance of the Old Testament Sabbath were necessary for salvation, among numerous other old covenant practices. After Armstrong's death in 1986, denominational leaders began to study and reflect on the validity of the church's teachings. In light of the Word of God in the Bible, they not could find support for many of the denomination's most controversial doctrines.
These dramatic changes, however, have cost WCG nearly half its membership that once topped almost 90,000 people in the United States. The denomination has about 58,000 members worldwide [2003 statistics]. About half of its 870 churches are located in the U.S. There are more than 1000 ordained WCG ministers worldwide; almost 700 in the United States.
The greater Christian community is just beginning to realize what God has done with the Worldwide Church of God; and understandably many still tend to view it with extreme skepticism, WCG leader Joseph Tkach told the Board of Directors of the association in March. We have experienced what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:15-18, '...whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away... And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.'For years, people have been praying for their friends and relatives who have been a part of the Worldwide Church of God, asking that they would be able to see the truth of God's word, said Don Argue in announcing their acceptance into membership. We see the dramatic changes that have occurred among our friends as God's continuing efforts to bring renewal and revival for His glory.
The Worldwide Church of God joins 48 other denominational members in the fellowship of the National I Association of Evangelicals, including Reformed, Pentecostal, Free Church, Holiness, and various other I traditions, hi essentials unity, in distinctive liberty, in all things charity is the motif of the association which serves as a forum, a voice, and a resource for the evangelical community.
National Association of Evangelicals Press Release, May 7, 1997
Transformed Church Finds Acceptance and Fellowship in
Evangelical Community
NAE Accepts Worldwide Church of God
WHEATON, IL The Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has voted overwhelmingly to accept the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), headquartered in California, into membership. The application process included examination of doctrinal changes which have taken place in the once-controversial denomination.
NAE is founded on the premise that the Bible is the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. I respect Joseph Tkach and the leadership of the Worldwide Church of God who did not rest in the refuge of their historically held doctrines, but sought the Truth through careful study of the scriptures even at significant cost to the denomination, said NAE President Don Argue. And we thank God for his faithfulness to them. We appreciate the gracious and open manner in which this church's leaders answered questions about the struggles that led them to a biblically-based theology.
WCG members once followed the teachings of church founder, Herbert W. Armstrong, who rejected the Trinity as a pagan doctrine, while also insisting that tithing and observance of the Old Testament Sabbath were necessary for salvation, among numerous other old covenant practices. After Armstrong's death in 1986, denominational leaders began to study and reflect on the validity of the church's teachings. In light of the Word of God in the Bible, they not could find support for many of the denomination's most controversial doctrines.
These dramatic changes, however, have cost WCG more than half its membership that once topped almost 90,000 people attending in the United States. The denomination has about 36,000 members worldwide [2007 statistics]. Over one third of its 900 churches are located in the U.S. There are almost 1000 ordained WCG elders worldwide; almost 600 in the United States.
The greater Christian community is just beginning to realize what God has done with the Worldwide Church of God; and understandably many still tend to view it with extreme skepticism, WCG leader Joseph Tkach told the Board of Directors of the association in March. We have experienced what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:15-18, '...whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away... And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.'
For years, people have been praying for their friends and relatives who have been a part of the Worldwide Church of God, asking that they would be able to see the truth of God's word, said Don Argue in announcing their acceptance into membership. We see the dramatic changes that have occurred among our friends as God's continuing efforts to bring renewal and revival for His glory.
The Worldwide Church of God joins 48 other denominational members in the fellowship of the National Association of Evangelicals, including Reformed, Pentecostal, Free Church, Holiness, and various other traditions. In essentials unity, in distinctives liberty, in all things charity is the motif of the association which serves as a forum, a voice, and a resource for the evangelical community.
Worldwide Church of God, now named Grace Communion International,