WCG Changes Name to GCI!
TRANSFORMED FROM TRUTH
Finally, WCG has changed its name! Here is what J. Tkach wrote in his latest letter:
April 2009
After reviewing all the submitted names and discussing the viable ones at length, the search team isolated key terms that reflect the church’s values and mission as a denomination while avoiding key terms that are normally associated with other denominations as well as those that are already in use by other organizations.
The name search team presented their findings and recommendations to a combined meeting of the Board and the Advisory Council of Elders on Dec. 20, 2005. After all factors and criteria were considered, the Board and the Council settled on the name “Grace Communion International.” Grace lies at the heart of our values and mission as a transformed church. Our spiritual unity with God and with one another is reflected in the word Communion. The word International identifies us as a unified body of believers who span the globe, sharing a common history and journey of faith.
The decision was announced in the February 2006 issue of WCG Today and was met with mixed reactions. Although a majority of members expressed their support for the new name, many were uncomfortable with it, so we decided to put the name change on hold, praying that God would reconfirm, in time, whether or not this was truly where he was leading us.
As time has passed, the consensus in favor of the name “Grace Communion International” has continued to grow. Although we cannot expect 100 percent agreement on any name, we have now reached a point at which more than 80 percent of U.S. members favor a change to this name.
We are a church that God has changed radically from what we once were to what we are today. Our change to a new name – one that accurately describes what God has done with us – will be consistent with that transformation.
Of course, most of our congregations have already taken on local names, demonstrating the value in putting before the public a name that better represents who our Father has made us, through the Spirit, to be in Jesus Christ. Grace Communion International describes our spiritual journey together, celebrates our new life in Christ, and communicates our Trinitarian, Christ-centered theology.
As a reminder, local churches, and our international regions, will still be able to choose their own name that may or may not be the same as our denominational name. In some countries, it is even prudent for them to keep the name “Worldwide Church of God.”
You will see the name change take shape in a carefully orchestrated way over the next several months. The name, “Worldwide Church of God” will still be ours. Our web address, www.wcg.org, will continue to belong to us, and will eventually redirect users to a new web address. New publications and other media will begin to reflect the new name in the next month or so, but keep in mind that all Worldwide Church of God copyrighted material will continue to belong to us, as will everything pertaining to the name Worldwide Church of God…
May God bless you with a joyous Easter season!
With much love in Jesus’ name,
Joseph Tkach
I have been waiting for this for a long, long time (although WCG seemed to lean more towards Grace International Communion than Grace Communion International before).
WCG is NOT a real “Church of God” and I am very happy that they will no longer officially use that name in Pasadena.
The Bible does NOT endorse GCI”s (Grace Communion International) view of the Godhead, nor Easter.
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning Is binitarianism the correct position? What about unitarianism or trinitarianism? Is there a threeness in the Godhead?
Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity? Or did they have a different view?
Did the True Church Ever Teach the Modern Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it?
Was Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church? Many, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim it was, but was it?
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning This is a shorter article than the Binitarian View article, but has a little more information on binitarianism.
What Happened in the Crucifixion Week? How long are three days and three nights? Did Jesus die on “Good Friday”? Was the resurrection on Sunday? Do you really know? Who determined the date of Easter?
Did Early Christians Celebrate Easter? If not, when did this happen? What do scholars and the Bible reveal?
 |
Tweet |
|