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Their stated commission is to "proclaim the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God to all the world as a witness and teach all nations to observe what Christ commanded." As a corporate entity, the United Church of God (UCG) was formed after a series of major doctrinal changes were introduced by the leadership of the Worldwide Church Of God (WCG, originally incorporated as the Radio Church Of God ) in the 1990s. As an International Association, UCG has members worldwide. In early May of 2005 , the United Church of God Council of Elders named '''Clyde Kilough''' as the new president to replace '''Roy Holladay'''. GOVERNMENT The United Church of God is governed by a 12-man Council of Elders. Those serving on the Council of Elders are chosen by the General Conference of Elders (made up of all elders in good standing of the United Church of God). The General Conference of Elders meets once a year in May to approve the Budget, Operation Plan, Strategic Plan, choose the members of the Council of Elders, and to participate in seminars designed to strengthen the abilities and enthusiasm of the ministry for the work of the United Church of God. The Council of Elders acts as the governing body for the international association and is responsible for forming policy and doctrine for the Church. The Council meets four times a year. The Council of Elders is currently made up of Robert Dick (Chairman), Jim Franks, Larry Salyer, Clyde Kilough, Victor Kubik, Les McCullough, Joel Meeker, Mario Seiglie, Richard Thompson, Leon Walker, and Anthony Wasilkoff. The international headquarters of the United Church of God is referred to as the "Home Office" and is located in Milford, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati ). The Home Office is headed by the President (Clyde Kilough). The president is charged with administrative responsibility over the day-to-day functions of the work of the United Church of God and acts as the official spokesman for the Church. The president leads a team of Operations Managers. The three operation managers are Dr. Thomas Kirkpatrick (Financial Services), Jim Franks (Ministerial Services), and Peter Eddington (Media and Communication Services). AMBASSADOR BIBLE CENTER The Home Office of the United Church of God also houses the Ambassador Bible Center (ABC). ABC is an eight-month program of intensive classes in theological studies. Designed to include all the theology classes taught at Ambassador College (now defunct, but formerly operated by the Worldwide Church of God and founded by Herbert Armstrong), the ABC program is designed to give young adults and all interested peoples a thorough foundation in the teachings of the Bible. The faculty of the Ambassador Bible Center is made up of David Register, Clyde Kilough, Gary Antion, Dr. Ralph Levy, David Johnson, and other adjunct faculty. MISSION AND MEDIA The Mission of the United Church of God is to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the entire world and to prepare a people. Through the various media listed below, the church strives to achieve this mission.
In addition to the above publications, the UCG has produced 31 booklets on various Biblical and prophetic topics, a 12-lesson Bible study course, a monthly systematic Bible reading program with commentary, various article reprints, a national radio program, local access television programs, and a website. (See External links, below.) DOCTRINE The Fundamental Beliefs of the United Church of God are listed at http://www.ucg.org/about/fundamentalbeliefs.htm/ . By way of summary, UCG beliefs diverge from mainstream Christian beliefs on many doctrinal issues. Key doctrinal distinctives include:
HISTORY The United Church of God has its roots in the Worldwide Church Of God (WCG), founded by the late Herbert W. Armstrong . Herbert Armstrong died in 1986 , and Joseph W. Tkach succeeded him as the head of the church. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Tkach approved the introduction of numerous changes in key areas of church doctrine. When teachings on such core Worlwide Church of God doctrines as the observance of the 7th day Sabbath, observance of the Holy Days as outlined in the Old Testament, and health and dietary laws were changed as part of what became known as New Covenant Theology in the WCG, thousands of members and hundreds of ministers left the church. The United Church of God was founded at a conference organized in Indianapolis, Indiana in the spring of 1995 and attended by WCG and former WCG ministers concerned by the doctrinal changes introduced by the WCG. The first president of the United Church of God was David Hulme. Hulme was voted out of the office of president in 1998 and subsequently left the United Church of God. He currently functions as the head of the Church Of God, An International Community (not to be confused with the Church Of God International , which is also rooted in the Worldwide Church of God but splintered from that body in 1978 through Armstrong's son, Garner Ted Armstrong ). Though a couple thousand members left UCG to join the organization formed by Hulme, the United Church of God has since grown larger than it was before the 1998 split. Following Hulme, elders selected to serve as president have been Les McCullough in 1998, Roy Holladay in 2001 , and Clyde Kilough in 2005 . The current president, Clyde Kilough, graduated from Ambassador College in 1974 and pastored in congregations in Canada , Arkansas , Missouri , Pennsylvania , Ohio , and California . He served a writer for ''Youth'' magazine (now defunct, but once published by the WCG), was a UCG regional pastor in California, served as council reporter, council member, and chairman of the Council of Elders until his selection as president. The Council of Elders has since selected Robert Dick to serve a second term as chairman. SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS
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