The name of the United Church of God, an International Association, signifies that we are united in our commitment to faithfully follow the way of life and mission for the Church revealed and established by God and His Son, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Scriptures.
Jesus prayed that His Church would be unified and preserved in the name of God (John 17:11). Also, the New Testament’s most frequent designation for the original body of believers is the "church of God" (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 10:32; 1 Corinthians 11:22; 1 Corinthians 15:9; 1 Timothy 3:5).
Some New Testament passages also attach the location, such as "the church of God which is at Corinth" (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1).
Because many divergent groups refer to themselves as the Church of God, we attach the word United to provide us with distinctiveness. It was also chosen to convey the unity in belief, mission and purpose for which Jesus prayed when He asked that the Church be kept in God’s name.
Also, instead of attaching a local city name, as in the New Testament, we add the phrase "an International Association" to appropriately reflect the worldwide scope of the Church and its activities.
