Restored Church of God

The Restored Church of God (RCG) is one of many churches which were formed in response to major doctrinal changes which were made within the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), the church which was founded by Herbert W. Armstrong. It is one of the Sabbatarian Churches of God which emerged in the aftermath of a major schism which occurred in the WCG in 1995. The RCG claims to retain the tenets, style, and structure which existed in the earlier WCG before Armstrong's death in 1986.

Foundation[]

The RCG was formed in May 1999, in the midst of an ongoing upheaval in the wake of a departure from the WCG's established beliefs.^[1] It is based in Wadsworth, Ohio.

The RCG's founder and leader is David C. Pack (born 1948). As Pastor General of the Restored Church of God, David C. Pack oversees the operations of the church. He attended Ambassador College and entered WCG's ministry in 1971. Following the 1995 schism in WCG, Pack became a minister in the Global Church of God, but he was fired on May 3, 1999, and established his own church. Since then, he has established over 50 congregations, authored more than 20 books, written hundreds of booklets and articles,^[2] and appeared on The History Channel.^[3] The church claims to have thousands of members,^[4] but no reliable numbers have been published.

Doctrines[]

The RCG asserts that its doctrines are very similar to those of its predecessor, and

"...it claims to be 'the only true extension of The Worldwide Church of God' as it was before Armstrong’s death."

adhering to what is often referred to as Armstrongism, which includes the belief in the impending Apocalypse followed by the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on Earth, along with Old Testament dietary laws, tithing, observance of seventh-day Sabbath, bans on holidays and festivals with pagan roots like Christmas and Easter, and most of Herbert W. Armstrong's other teachings.^[5][6] The church has been noted by Time for its strong stance against the Halloween tradition of Trick-or-treating.^[7]

The Restored Church of God denies the Trinity, says that God is a composition of two beings who lives in the northern part of heaven, that Jesus is a god, that being born again means being resurrected from flesh to spirit, that the earth was re-created, that people will not go to hell and will be annihilated, that Christians do not go to heaven, that Jesus was raised on Saturday, that Jesus could have sinned, that the Holy Spirit is a force, and that salvation is a process that is not earned, but can be lost (CARM.ORG) (Note: This is not a primary source; cite primary material whenever possible, please.)

Church funding and the common doctrine[]

The Restored Church of God adheres to the laws of tithing as explained in the Old Testament. This has allowed a relatively small organization to reach people around the world. Non-members, called Coworkers, freely give offerings to show their support of the work of the Restored Church of God. Another doctrine cited, called "Common" comes from the New Testament understanding that Christians should avoid excess and contribute out of their excess to support the Work of the Church reaching millions around the world. This doctrine was first explained to the Church by David C. Pack in 2011, in a four-part sermon series titled “Christ’s Sayings—One Great Theme.” It was then revisited in his early 2014 two-part series, “How a Small Church Does Such Big Things.” RCG members are told to "sell all" and give their excess to support the Work of RCG.

Publications[]

The RCG's flagship magazine is The Real Truth, of which Pack is editor-in-chief. Pack hosts the program The World to Come, and he has also written a two-volume Biography, and a booklet titled Here Is The Restored Church of God, which contains more descriptions of his church's doctrines and practices. The RCG's literature and programs are offered to the public free of charge.

• The World to Come: weekly video and daily audio programs preach the church's doctrines
• Hundreds of free books and booklets, articles, lessons, and magazines (also in Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Italian, Polish, Swahili, and Chinese)^[8]
• The Real Truth: monthly flagship magazine which analyzes world news in the light of Bible prophecy—is styled a continuation of The Plain Truth magazine, as it was produced from 1934 through the mid-1980s
• Bible Introduction Course: 30 lessons which introduce the basic RCG doctrines
• The Splinter Explanation Packet: a series of ten books, as well as sermons, written for former WCG members
• The Pillar: a bi-monthly magazine which is published for the church's members
• Ambassador Youth: a bi-monthly magazine which is published for the church's teenage members

Schools and camps[]

The RCG runs Ambassador Center, a two-year institution to train RCG's future ministers and leaders, modeled after the WCG's Ambassador College. The church also runs Ambassador Youth Camp, an annual summer camp for its teenage members.

The church, as noted by the Wall Street Journal, discourages conventional 2-person romantic dating among teenagers, preferring group-based social activities.^[9] It also discourages participation in blogs, especially among youth, citing concerns over victimization.^[10]

Wadsworth headquarters[]

The RCG started constructing its world headquarters in Wadsworth, Ohio, in 2012, and it was partially modeled after Armstrong's Ambassador College campus in Pasadena, California. The church's plans for the project include a four-story Hall of Administration building, a 450-seat auditorium, an educational training center, a studio, and a mail-processing building.^[11] The project broke ground on May 10, 2012,^[12] and the administration building officially opened on June 21, 2013.^[13][14]

See also[]

• Christian observances of Jewish holidays
• Christian views on the Old Covenant
• Grace Communion International formerly the Worldwide Church of God
• Restorationism

References[]

External links[]

• Official website