Believer's baptism by immersion; weekly or regular breaking of bread as memorial
The COGC practices believer's baptism by full immersion as the New Testament pattern for Christian initiation. Baptism is administered to those who have made a personal confession of faith, following repentance. Infant baptism is not practiced. Baptism is understood as an act of obedience and public identification with Christ's death and resurrection, connected to the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), though the COGC does not teach that the act of baptism is itself salvific apart from genuine faith.
The Lord's Supper (breaking of bread) is observed as a memorial of Christ's death and a proclamation of his coming return. The COGC does not hold to the Real Presence in the Catholic or Lutheran sense — the elements of bread and juice are symbolic representations of Christ's body and blood. The Lord's Supper is observed with reverence and solemnity as one of the central acts of Christian worship.
The COGC rejects the elaborate sacramental theology of Catholic and high-church Protestant traditions, regarding these as post-biblical developments that obscured the simplicity of the New Testament church's practice. Its approach to the ordinances is consistent with the Restorationist impulse of its Abrahamic Faith heritage — a return to the plain, simple practice of the apostolic church as described in the New Testament.
Key Distinctions
- Term used:
- ordinances
- Sacrament count:
- two (Baptism and Lord's Supper)
- Baptism mode:
- immersion
- Baptism recipients:
- believers only
- Eucharist presence:
- symbolic memorial
Scripture References
Sources
- Church of God General Conference Statement of Faith