Churches Of God (cleveland, Tennessee)

Worship in the Church of God, Cleveland, has long included elements of renewal such as lay participation, warm personal appeal, and energetic singing. New to the church, on the other hand, are some of the elements of liturgical worship. As in all such processes, new practices have replaced some older traditions. Like most other denominations headquartered within the United States, the Church of God, Cleveland, has been impacted by worship renewal. However, the specific attention to this renewal came much later than in many other denominations. It was not until 1983 that the church began a three-year emphasis on worship, culminating in the celebration of its centennial. This delay in worship renewal emphasis can be traced to a variety of factors. All of them are directly related to the Pentecostal style of worship. When seen as a whole, these factors tended to cause both clergy and laity to ignore the movement since they were already practicing many of its suggestions for renewal. T…