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The Living Church of God (LCG) is one of the largest church groups formed by followers of the teachings of the late Herbert W. Armstrong . It was formed as a series of major doctrinal changes were introduced in the Worldwide Church Of God (WCG, originally incorporated as the Radio Church Of God ) in the 1990s. The leader of the Living Church of God, called the presiding evangelist, is Roderick C. Meredith . Meredith had been a high ranking evangelist in the WCG since 1952 . BRIEF HISTORY According to Herbert W. Armstrong, the church was to be governed "from the top down." He created a structure of ranks in the WCG ministry that allowed for progressive increases in responsibility and salary, including deacon (unpaid, nonministerial); local elder; preaching elder; pastor; regional administrator, and others. "Evangelist" was the highest rank attainable except for the title of "Apostle," given to Armstrong. After Armstrong died in 1986, the Worldwide Church of God immediately began to change many of its historic and core doctrines (including the key teaching that the seventh-day Sabbath is holy and set aside for worship). These changes continued until the WCG became a typical "mainstream" Sunday-keeping Protestant church. Meanwhile, members who did not wish to accept the changes in the faith left the church and joined together in diverse seventh-day Church Of God groups, usually according to their proximate geography as well as teachings. Many of these small groups incorporated as churches and then split again over wranglings that ranged from suspected ministerial dereliction of duty to board members running off with church funds to start their own church. New organization Following the controversial firing of Meredith as the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer, and the presiding evangelist of the Global Church Of God (which he founded in December 1992 after leaving the Worldwide Church of God over doctrinal differences) by its board of directors on November 25, 1998, the Living Church of God was quickly incorporated several weeks later in San Diego, California in December 1998. In 2003, the church's corporate headquarters was moved from San Diego to Charlotte, North Carolina . Television & Radio Programs Within a few weeks of the church's incorporation in December 1998, the organization was once again producing a weekly half-hour television program, ''Tomorrow's World''. As of 2007, the television program is anchored by Meredith, Richard Ames, Rod King, and Wallace "Wally" Smith. The two-time Telly Award winning telecast (in 2003 and 2007) is shown on 211 television stations throughout the world. |
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