Contend for the Faith Summit Conducted
Cleveland, TN–Two groups of Church of God leaders recently came together for a summit entitled, “Contend for the Faith.” The Christian Apologetics Task Force and Doctrine and Polity Committee are two groups of ministers, educators, and scholars that have dealt with doctrinal, faith, and, cultural issues, seeking Biblical answers through research and prayer.
The Doctrine and Polity (D&P) Committee (established in 1994) has produced dozens of scholarly papers through the years. Authored by members of the D&P Committee, topics have included morality choices, such as suicide, abortion, abstinence, and cremation, but have mostly addressed spiritual topics, such as speaking in tongues, spiritual gifts, and the Sabbath. The papers are housed on the Church of God website (churchofgod.org) under the “Beliefs” tab, but not until they receive a thorough review by the D&P members and the Executive Committee.
Meeting on January 17, 2024, at the International Offices, Contend for the Faith opened
with a welcome from Dr. Mark L. Williams, Assistant General Overseer and chair of the D&P Committee.
“This historic summit was planned to combine the efforts and focus of the doctrine of the Church of God,” Williams stated. “This meeting brings together the long-standing Doctrine & Polity Committee with the Apologetics Task Force from the newly created Ministry of Evangelism department.” Presenters and facilitators included Williams, Dr. Sean S. O’Neal, Director of the Ministry of Evangelism, Bishop Scott Sheppard, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Evangelism, Dr. Mark L. Swank, Chairman of the Apologetics Task Force, members of the Doctrine and Polity Committee and members of the Apologetics Task Force.
Presentations started with Church of God history, presented by Dr. Lee Roy Martin. He was followed by The Deity and Authority of Jesus Christ presented by Dr. Karen Holley. Dr. French Arrington spoke on Pentecostal Theology, followed by Swank who spoke on Missiology. Practical Apologetics was presented by Pastor Nick Mitchell, and Our Present Reality was addressed by O’Neal.
Following the presentations Williams returned to the podium to cast a vision for the future of the two bodies of scholars and how they can best serve the Church of God. He was followed by O’Neal who facilitated a conversation with the participants, followed by a session led by Swank with the topics of “Strengthening doctrinal integrity,” and “bringing clarity within the church and effectively training laity and clergy in doctrine and apologetics.”
Following a lunch break, participants engaged in contemporary conversations, facilitated by Swank and Sheppard. Questions were asked on how to address and answer the cessation and Reformed Calvinist arguments against Pentecostal theology doctrine and practice, answering the primary question: “What does it mean to be a Pentecostal in the 21st Century?”
Sheppard facilitated the question to address and answer, “the challenge of the loss of the knowledge of God among people, especially among churched young people.”
O’Neal led a discussion addressing the potential development and Implementation of Global Apologetics Conferences and other initiatives including: creating a Periodical/Journal; Pastoral Surveys; Books; Social Media; and Podcasts. Nearing the end of the day-long event, O’Neal presented the next action steps and networking, Williams closed the session with prayer.
“These two groups represent some of the greatest minds in our church today,” O’Neal stated. “I would place their body of work and research over the years up against any publications in religious circles today. We covered a lot of territory in a short amount of time, and I look forward to how the combined efforts of the Doctrine and Polity Committee and Apologetics Task Force will impact this critical and necessary realm of our movement.”
Members of the Doctrine and Polity Committee and Apologetics Task Force came together at the International Offices for ‘Contend for the Faith’ (click photo to enlarge)
Church of God Doctrine and Polity Committee
Mark L. Williams, Chair
James Cossey
Terry Cross
Jerald Daffe
Randy Eaton
Karen Holley
Lee Roy Martin
Gregory Sloop
David Han
Gary Lewis, Ex Officio
Church of God Christian Apologetics Task Force
Mark Swank, Chair
Michael Knight
Lorinda Roberts
Nick Mitchell
Alton Carter
Brett Seals
Clifton Clarke
David Cooper
Carl Mann II
Leonard Albert
Sean S. O’Neal, Ex Officio
Scott Sheppard, Ex Officio
