Questions Answered - The Eternal Church of God

A A A

Question: When were you established?

Answer: The Eternal Church of God was established in March 2000.

Question: From where did you come?

Answer: We trace our roots to the Jerusalem Church established on the day of Pentecost, 31 AD. More recently, our roots can be traced to the Worldwide Church of God. However, most of our members separated themselves from the Worldwide Church of God in 1992-1993 because of the clear apostasy being advanced by the leadership of that time. Some of our members attended with a few of the prominent splinter groups. Regrettably, factions within those groups became a distraction. Several doctrinal issues were also ignored by the dissenting leadership. As a result, our members felt compelled to begin this community of believers.

Question: How are you financed?

Answer: The Eternal Church of God is financed through tithes and offerings of its members and others who find value in this branch of God’s work. We have been able to sustain a large work including sending free books, booklets, CD, DVDs, and correspondence worldwide even though our budget has remained quite modest.

Question: How can I contribute to this work?

Answer: You may contribute with tithes and offerings by one of two options. You may send contributions through the mail, or you may use an online payment method. Select this link for further information.

Question: Do you believe you are the only true Church of God?

Answer: We believe that the Church of God cannot be found in any single organization. The Church Christ built is a spiritual organism comprised of those who have the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9, 14). We do not believe we are the only organization where Spirit led Christians can be found. There are many Churches of God where faithful individuals can be found. In addition, those who have been called are at varying levels of understanding. Most Christians are striving to honor God in the way they know best. We rejoice in that fact and respect their efforts. However, the majority of these organizations are not entirely conforming to what the Scriptures declare.

Question: Why don’t you join a larger group?

Answer: We recognize that there are other organizations within the Church of God that are striving to honor God’s law in their own way. However, a large number of these groups are misusing the Scriptures. For example, some believe the commission to preach the gospel has been fulfilled. This belief goes contrary to our understanding of the Scriptures. Some teach particular doctrines that we find are not biblical and refuse to accept anything different than their own understanding. We believe it is the duty of elders to feed the flock with an honest and accurate understanding of God’s commandments, statutes, and judgments. This commission includes not only spiritual nourishment, but also creating an environment in which all of God’s people are respected by the leaders of His Church.

To this end, the leadership of the Eternal Church of God feels no sense of superiority over its members, nor does it believe it has the right to subjugate them. We believe the role of the ministry is to proclaim the truth and edify brethren—not to propagate agendas in an attempt to strengthen the Church by being inclusive, adding new members, and striving to increase tithes and offerings. We are committed to serving the needs of God’s people, and believe these responsibilities are best served in a fellowship that is dedicated to proclaiming nothing but the truth.

Question: Do you have an ordained ministry?

Answer: The Eternal Church of God has ordained elders that are dedicated to serving the needs of God’s people which includes: counseling, baptism, laying on of hands, anointing, preaching the gospel, authoring literature, and providing guidance and encouragement.

Question: Do you approve of other Church of God fellowships?

Answer: We believe it is important to understand that God’s spiritual family is not limited to those in any single fellowship or organization. It is also not our place to pass judgment on other congregations (Mat. 7:1-5). However, we take Christ’s admonition seriously when He said to “judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). While we may not agree with every teaching and practice of the various splinter groups, we love our brethren. However, we are not afraid to make it known that something is wrong according to the Scriptures. Nonetheless, we feel no superiority over other congregations. We see both their members and their leaders as brothers and sisters in Christ. We rejoice in their success and lament their trials. We look forward to the time when Christ will gather all His sheep into one pasture where we will once again be one body.

Question: What about the former Worldwide Church of God which is now known as Grace Communion International? Would you encourage your members to visit it?

Answer: No. We believe the former Worldwide Church of God has repudiated the teachings embraced by the apostolic Church as restored by Herbert W. Armstrong. We believe attending such a group is problematic at best and is even warned against in the Scriptures (2 Cor. 11:13).

Question: Would you recommend a particular Church of God?

Answer: The Eternal Church of God recommends attendance with a congregation striving to hold fast to the truth according to the Scriptures (1 Ths. 5:21). Though there are many splinter groups, some are more closely adhering to biblical principles than others. In addition, there are some splinter groups that have become toxic. Please contact us to discuss possible options in your area. You are also welcome to attend with us live on the internet or on a conference call. Please contact us or select this link for more information.

Question: Who are your leaders?

Answer: The director of ministerial and administrative services is Terry Moore. Mr. Moore was raised in the Worldwide Church of God from childhood beginning in 1968. He has served the Eternal Church of God since its inception in 1999. Moore was ordained as a deacon in 2002 and began handling much of the administrative duties shortly thereafter. Moore was then ordained an elder in 2006 and accepted the office of director of administrative services. Mr. Moore later assumed the responsibilities of pastor along with his administrative functions when Mr. Braidic stepped down as the pastor in 2015 after 35 years of serving God’s Church. Mr. Braidic continues to be an active elder and board member of the Eternal Church of God.

Question: What is your opinion of choosing to stay at home for Church services?

Answer: There are many individuals who choose to stay at home rather than aligning themselves with an organized body. We believe many of these people constitute the casualties of poor leadership and even misguidance of brethren within God’s Church. The Bible identifies these abuses in Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34. Attending services can be a great benefit to all brethren. It can be likened to a support group for all God’s people. We believe that brethren should assemble on His Sabbath and annual holy days whenever possible. However, we also understand that there are times when individuals may feel that their local congregation is damaging to them spiritually. For this reason, we offer our services live on the web as well as on a conference phone call. Our purpose of providing these services is so that people may have a form of fellowship during what are difficult times within the fragmented Church of God. For more on this subject we have produced an article titled What Defines a Holy Convocation.

Question: How are you different from other Churches of God?

Answer: The Eternal Church of God agrees with the most of the doctrine of the wider Church of God. However, we differ from other organizations if several ways. First, we tend to be more conservative when it comes to doctrine. For example, we teach that Christians are not to do business on the Sabbath. This business includes purchasing food and services at restaurants. And we strictly adhere to the scriptures in Deuteronomy 16:16 which enjoin giving offerings three times a year instead of seven as taught by most Church of God organizations. We also feel that those who are chosen to escape the tribulation will not be directed to flee by one or more ministers. We also believe that the Scriptures provide significant evidence to support a doctrine of Church eras. We have also published a book explaining God’s plan found in the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7 and 14. Also, Christ’s principles for resolving conflict in Matthew 18 have vastly not been applied by most brethren. For more on these subjects, please read the following literature.

In addition to these topics, the Eternal Church of God is very conservative when it comes to doctrine, but generally more liberal when dealing with people. We realize that each person is at a different level in his spiritual growth and we therefore do not condemn those who some might consider weak in the faith, but rather encourage them to study the Scriptures and to grow in grace and knowledge. This is part of the reason that we host a question and answer session after each weekly Sabbath service in which members can ask questions and comment on the sermon without fear of repercussion.

Question: What is the purpose of the question and answer period after services?

Answer: As mentioned above, the question and answer period is designed to gain clarity with respect to the Bible readings, sermonettes, and sermons delivered during services. It allows those in attendance to gain further clarity, or even respectfully challenge the speakers, if they believe something that was presented was not accurate. We held these discussions form the beginning of this organization, and believe it to be an important aspect of our Sabbath observance which has proven to be extremely valuable.

Question: Who authors your books, booklets, and articles?

Answer: All material produced by the Eternal Church of God represents a collaborative effort. Most were written and approved by the elders Art Braidic and Terry Moore. Others have contributed to some of our literature, but the published work will always include the involvement of one or more elders. In fact, we ensure that nothing produced reflects the opinion of only one author and is not published without an ordained minister’s contribution and approval. God’s word states that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is established, and where two or more agree Christ will be in the judgment (Mat. 18:18-20). This is a principle that should be applied to many Church functions. For this reason, the Eternal Church of God requires the concurrence of at least two elders to reflect this principle. In addition, we have a small community of Hispanic brethren that have translated many of our publications into the Spanish language.

Question: What did Dennis Fischer have to do with the Eternal Church of God?

Answer: Dennis Fischer assisted Art Braidic with starting the Eternal Church of God as an organization in in 1999. Although Fischer was not ordained, he was put in charge of finances and other administrative functions. During that time, Fischer and Braidic wrote several booklets together. In 2001 Fischer stepped down from his position and stopped attending with ECG. He began his own website that featured many of the booklets published by ECG. Years later, after what Braidic and Moore would describe as a series of attacks against the ECG leadership, Fischer wrote an extensive article against our position on Satan’s fate. The hostility expressed by Fischer toward Braidic and Moore, as well as against several other ministers in other CoG organizations, escalated to the point that Braidic and Moore felt it necessary to distance ECG from Fischer’s website. Moore and Braidic re-wrote the material Fischer had part in writing with the exception of one book that ECG had already stopped printing years earlier.

Several years later after this, Fischer wrote an article on his website attempting to detail his history with ECG. Fischer made considerable effort to disparage Braidic and Moore using insults and accusations that are inaccurate while claiming that his part in the early years was “nothing short of heroic.” It must be understood that the article does not accurately describe the situation and intentionally leaves out various important details. In one of Braidic and Moore’s last conversations with Fischer before he died, Fischer admitted to Braidic and Moore that much of what he had written was a “mistake.” Nonetheless, he refused make any changes or remove the article from his website.

You are welcome to contact us if you have further questions.