Declaration of Faith Sunday Set for January 2, 2022

The annual observance of Declaration of Faith Sunday is set for the first Sunday of the new year as congregations across the Church of God will celebrate perhaps the most important document of the denomination on January 2, 2022.

The Declaration of Faith contains 14 statements and 281 words, and is an enduring statement of beliefs adopted by the Church of God in 1948. The late Charles W. Conn, author of the Church of God’s premier historical volume, Like A Mighty Army, stated that it was at the General Assembly of 1948 when a committee was appointed to begin work on such a document. Conn went on to say that, “So manifest and unified was the faith of the Church of God that the committee was able to draft a brief statement of faith and report to the same meeting. The proposed Declaration was incomplete, and the committee was urged to draft an exhaustive statement of faith. The (Declaration of Faith committee) remained intact for several years and endeavored to expand the doctrinal instrument, but there has been neither addition to it nor expansion of it.”

“In those 281 words that can be recited in less than two minutes, the Declaration of Faith affirms the foremost beliefs of our church,” said Church of God General Overseer Tim Hill. “It is a basic key for understanding the bedrock doctrinal convictions of the Bible. The Declaration of Faith helps us easily remember the basic essentials of our trustworthy message.”

Conn summarized the history of the document by saying, “The Declaration of Faith, written 42 years after the first General Assembly, manifested that in those years of change and expansion there had been no change in the faith of the Church of God. Truths that possessed the hearts of twenty-one Pentecostal believers in 1906 still possessed the hearts of the eight thousand in 1948.” (Like A Mighty Army Definitive Edition, page 337). The Declaration of Faith remains unchanged to this day, some 73 years later.

General Overseer Hill encourages local churches to observe Declaration of Faith Sunday by offering a sermon series or otherwise drawing attention to the document. A video message from Hill about the Declaration of Faith is available here for download to show to congregations or post on social media and local church websites.

To read more about the Declaration of Faith and the 14 statements contained within it, visit www.churchofgod.org and click on the “About” tab. In addition, a number of resources related to the Declaration of Faith are available at www.pathwaybookstore.com including study guides, banners and framed copies suitable for lobby display. Just type “Declaration of Faith” in the search bar. Churches are encouraged to take advantage of these resources to celebrate the importance of this most sacred document.

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