Each department convened its own convention in various cities through 1975. Vice Chairman of the Board of Bishops Bishop Roger L. Jones. Built in the 1940s during World War II, the nearly 4000-seat building was the largest church auditorium of any African-American religious group in the United States. [20], In 1926, Mason authorized the church's constitution, outlining the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the church. These jurisdictions are then separated into districts, which consist of 5 to 7 churches and are governed by superintendents (ordained elder or pastor). She was greatly interested in the building of Mason Temple and she kept her national building fund drives functioning until she knew the building was ready for dedication. The early pioneers of this newly formed Holiness-Pentecostal body in 1907 were E. R. Driver, J. Bowe, R. R. Booker, R. E. Hart, W. Welsh, A. She is also the Jurisdictional Supervisor for the First Jurisdiction, Southern California. COGIC teaches that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the world. They unanimously chose C.H. [2][3] On March 21, 2007, he became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., as a result of Presiding Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson's death. The then"Minister & Sister Carter" established and . He was pastor of the Pentecostal Temple Institutional COGIC in Memphis, Tennessee, and was the Presiding Prelate of the Tennessee Headquarters Jurisdiction. (19721994). As a visionary who is both inspiring and influential, the awards and recognitions that Bishop Blake has received are extensive. In 2010 Superintendent J. Mason Theological Seminary to train its ministers and ministry leaders. This endorsement allows female chaplains who are serving in the military, working in an institution or jails to perform religious services including funerals and weddings. Supervisor Irene Oakley#, pastor, supervisor, bishop's wife, Mother Louise Patterson, evangelist, former first lady and wife of G.E. [22], The years of 19621968 has been described as a "Dark Period" in the history of the Church of God in Christ, because there was polarization and conflict in leadership following the death of the founder. President, International Youth Department Superintendent Nathaniel Green. Al Sharpton, a noted civil rights activist, began his ministerial career as a minister in COGIC. The result of sin is the depravity of man, broken communion with God, shame and guilt, and physical and spiritual death. Field representative, International Sunday School Department Mother Cleolia Penix. A. Jeter was selected as Overseer of Arkansas. He is also known for his aggressive initiative, "Save Africa's Children" which supports hundreds of African children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS in orphanages in several countries in Africa. He became a Christian and converted to Pentecostal Christianity as a young adolescent, under the ministry of his mother and father in Arkansas, and he and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was in his 20's when his father was asked to take over as a bishop of the First Jurisdiction of Southern California for the COGIC denomination. [26], The parties filed lawsuits in the Chancery Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, to resolve the legitimate authority of the denomination. Robinson was a staunch advocate for holiness and taught strict guidelines for the women with regard to dress and worldliness. Winbush was selected to serve as the first chairman. Patterson appointed Dr. Edward Lee Battles President of the Department of Evangelism. The first convention was held in Los Angeles, California, in 1951. After the death of Mother Coffey in 1964, Dr. Annie L. Bailey (19641975), became the third General Supervisor. COGIC continues to influence gospel music with a new generation of artists with COGIC roots that include: Kim Burrell, Ivan Powell, Doobie Powell, Kierra Sheard, J. Moss, Micah Stampley, Kurt Carr, Ricky Dillard, Kelly Price, Mary Mary Erica Campbell (musician) and Tina Campbell (musician), Tamela Mann, Dr. Gennie Ruth Cheatham Chandler, Earnest Pugh, Jonathan McReynolds, Jabari Johnson, DuShawn Washington, Instrumentalists: Dr. Vernard Johnson (saxophonist), Samuel Murrell (violinist) and Terrance Curry (trombonist), D'Extra Wiley (II D Extreme) and Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child). The presiding bishop is part of a general board, consisting of eleven other bishops elected by a general assembly consisting of pastors, elders, chaplains, bishops, missionaries, supervisors, and designated lay delegates. The current president of the Missions Department is Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr. of South Africa. [46], COGIC teaches that the baptism of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is an experience subsequent to conversion and sanctification, can be experienced by all believers who ask for it. Medger Evers, the famed NAACP Field representative for the state of Mississippi who was gunned down in the front of his house in 1963 was raised in by his mother as a member of COGIC before later becoming a Baptist. All rights reserved. Herndon and her twin sister Leatha were pioneers of the evangelistic work of the Church of God in Christ. Over time, the ministers and churches under Leonard P. Adams also separated from COGIC; they assimilated into other white Pentecostal groups or organizations. Mason as General Overseer and Chief Apostle. In 2010, Bishop Blake led more than 50,000 delegates to the 103rd International Holy Convocation to St. Louis, Missouri. Remarriage is usually highly discouraged, except in the case of the death of a spouse or former spouse. Mallory retired in 1976 after fifty years of service; and she had a national reputation. [12] Mason stayed in Los Angeles for five weeks and his visit to the Azusa Street Revival changed the direction of the newly formed holiness church. The beliefs of the Church of God in Christ are briefly written in its Statement of Faith, which is reproduced below:[41] It is often recited in various congregations as part of the order of worship and all national and international convocations. [63] The current president of the Department of Evangelism is Bishop Elijah Hankerson III of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1968, Two sanitation workers who were also COGIC members, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were crushed to death in a garbage compactor where they were taking shelter from the rain. Some of these African-American Baptist pastors in local Southern areas such as Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas considered Jones and Mason to be controversial. Protestant doctrinal debates about Calvinism and Wesleyan Perfectionism affected how even local African-American Baptist pastors responded to new Christian movements at the time. In looking to COGIC'S future, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr., senior pastor of West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, announced last year that he would not seek-re-election as a member of the General Board or Presiding Bishop. The most notable rift occurred in 1969, when fourteen bishops met in Evanston, Illinois, to form the Church of God in Christ, International. According to the Articles of Religion in the COGIC Official Manual, COGIC believes in biblical inspiration and holds that the Bible is the supreme and final authority for doctrine and practice. The first Sunday School Superintendent was Professor L. W. Lee (19081916). Charles Blake was born on August 5, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the late Bishop Junious Augustus (J. In 1964 however, disagreement between the authority of the Senior Bishop and the executive board, led by Bishop A. [29] COGIC continued to grow and in 1973, the church claimed a worldwide membership of nearly three million. Driver, who was the overseer of California and pastor of the Saints Home COGIC led an interracial congregation made up of many Blacks, Whites, and Latinos, for many years. Bishop. The current General Supervisor of Women is Dr. Barbara McCoo Lewis of Los Angeles, California. She was the wife and companion of Bishop John Seth Bailey, a trusted adviser of Bishop Mason, and later the first assistant presiding bishop of the church. Most recently, Biola University conferred an honorary doctorate upon him on June 12, 2010. March 22, 2021. As founder and CEO of Save Africas Children, a program of the Pan African Childrens Fund, he helps to support more than 200,000 children in 400 orphan care programs throughout more than 23 nations on the continent of Africa. A local church mother since the age of 21, she was committed to strengthening the auxiliaries in the local churches and to prepare the younger women to carry the mission of COGIC into the Twenty-first Century. They determined to separate from COGIC and form what would eventually become the Worldwide Fellowship of the Assemblies of God. [16], A few years after the Azusa Revival, in 1914, shortly before the United States entered World War I, approximately 300 white ministers, representing a variety of independent churches and networks of churches, including the "Association of Christian Assemblies" of Indiana; and the "Church of God in Christ and in Unity with the Apostolic Faith Movement" from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas; met in Hot Springs, Arkansas. But during the early twentieth century, the Pentecostal movement had rapid growth nationally and attracted racially integrated congregants to its worship services. Their pastor was then elder Gilbert Earl Patterson, who also became a COGIC Presiding Bishop, at Holy Temple COGIC in Memphis, Tennessee. Many Holiness Christian groups and fellowships forming at the time wanted biblical names for their local churches and fellowships, such as "Church of God, Church of Christ, or Church of the Living God". He was succeeded by Bishop Joe L. Ealy. He also established the COGIC national headquarters there. [18], The H. A. Goss faction left COGIC to join the Assemblies of God USA. COGIC does not teach that Spirit baptism is the same as salvation. Not everyone in the church were willing to accept "speaking in tongues" as the initial evidence of baptism of the Holy Ghost. The former Detroit-based math teacher was elected as the new presiding bishop over the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country in March. Later, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, ironically known as the "godmother of Rock and Roll," expanded and highlighted the COGIC sound to the greater American public in the 1930s and 1940s. In her brief tenure, she encouraged the women to stay focused and supportive to the leadership of the church. In 1951, the first separate National Sunday School Convention convened in Kansas City, Missouri. Christ is the Head of the church, and He is the only mediator between God and humanity, and there is no salvation in any other. Owens continued to serve as a jurisdictional bishop and member of the General Board until his death in 2011. Today thousands of COGIC women when ministering the gospel or serving in official capacities are seen in their civic (black) or ceremonial (white) habits. The current Presiding Bishop is Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr., who is the Senior Pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ of Detroit, Michigan. "[50][51] COGIC also encourages mothers that if they know they will not be able to provide proper care to their child, they should seek assistance to give the child up for either private adoption, legal adoption through domestic or international adoption agencies, or foster care. [7] The leadership of the Mississippi State Convention of the National Baptist Convention intervened and expelled Jones, Mason, and others who embraced the Wesleyan teaching of entire sanctification. (Young People Willing Workers), and Missions and Evangelism. [8], In 1897, Elder Mason founded the St. Paul Church in Lexington, Mississippi, as the first church of the new movement. We believe that the regeneration by the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for personal salvation. MEMPHIS, Tenn Funeral arrangements are set for COGIC Evangelist Louise Patterson, the widow of the late Bishop G.E. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Bishop Nate' M. Jefferson. She served as chairperson of the board of supervisors, member, Executive Board, member, Screening Committee, member, Program Committee General Church, coordinator, Leadership Conference, International Marshall, secretary, and Assistant General Supervisor for the Department of Women. The school enjoyed its greatest growth and success under the leadership of Dr. Arenia Conella Mallory (19041977). Today the International Women's Convention/Crusade meets annually in May in different cities throughout the nation drawing thousands of women from around the world. Blake, Sr. and the late Evangelist Lula M. Blake. In 1982 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in . The church started with only 50 members in 1969 when he became pastor. In 1992, during the Ford administration, UNAC was disbanded in favor of three separate conventions namely: the International Sunday School Convention, the MY Convention (Music and Youth) and the ME Convention (Missions and Evangelism) again meeting in separate cities.. B. McEwen, Bishop J. S. Bailey, and Bishop O. M. Kelly as his assistants. A general supervisor of women is appointed by the presiding bishop and given authority to lead the International Women's Ministry of the church. Bishop Sheard is a former mathematics teacher and . Vice Chairman of the National Judiciary Board Bishop Enoch Perry. Owens outlined a progressive plan to position the COGIC for ministry in the twenty-first century, known as "Vision 2000 and Beyond." Drew Sheard was appointed Superintendent of the Emmanuel District, by Bishop Herbert J. Williams, Sr., Prelate of the North Central Michigan Jurisdiction. He is credited with systematically restructuring church departments and ministries, expanding the church in Asia, primarily India and the Philippines, and placing the COGIC on a solid financial status. To be consistent with progressive measures and modernization, in the Nineties, the international church along with many local COGIC churches began to use the term "youth department" instead of "YPWW. " Patterson established protocols of worship, policy and practices. It believes that the gifts of the Spirit are given to believers and are active in the church today. The three-year-initiative with The Human Coalition was also supposed to encourage local COGIC clergy leaders across the United States, both male and female, to partner up with other anti-abortion advocacy groups and Christian ministries to lobby for more anti-abortion restrictions throughout local states.[51]. Bishop L. H. Ford (Former Presiding Bishop COGIC) - Man of God / Man of the People Yuko Ichioka 396 subscribers Subscribe 360 Share 22K views 8 years ago If he were alive, my grandfatherLouis. Other leaders of the Youth Department who leader became influential leaders of the church included: Bishop F.D. He also served as the Presiding Prelate of the New Jersey Garden State Jurisdiction and the Central Georgia Jurisdiction. He protested during the 1950s and 1960s against lodging segregation in Memphis, while participating in COGIC Holy Convocations there during the Civil Rights era before federal laws prohibiting such segregation. One of her contributions was to divide the women's fellowship in the local congregations into two groups: The Christian Women's Council for the middle aged and senior women, and the Young Women's Christian Council (YWCC) for the younger women. Secretary of the Board of Bishops Bishop William Watson, III. In 1988, he was installed as Pastor of Greater Emmanuel Church. Mason. Presiding Bishop Emeritus of the Church of God in Christ, Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America, "COGIC Re-Elects Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr. as Leader - Afro", "PRESS RELEASE: Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. Will Not Seek Reelection", "Why the Power of the Black Church Matters This Election", "Whitehouse.gov - Inaugural Advisory Council: Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships", Succession of Church of God in Christ Leaders, Historically African-American Christian denominations, First African Baptist Church (Richmond, Virginia), First African Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia). In his first year as Presiding Bishop in 2021, in order to combat debt that the church had accrued from previous years, Bishop Sheard helped to launch the "I Love My Church" Initiative, which was a massive fundraising campaign that helped the COGIC denomination to pay off much of its debts, renovate and refurbish its headquarters church, Mason Temple, establish housing complexes for low-income families throughout Shelby County, Tennessee near the church's headquarters, and purchased a former Catholic nunnery convent in Memphis to provide housing for single mothers affected by health challenges, disabilities, teen pregnancies, and domestic violence. The designated church mother along with other "older and seasoned" women of the church provided the practical teaching of holiness in daily life and practice. He became nationally recognized in 1955 for officiating at the funeral of 15-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. COGIC teaches the deity of Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, sinless life, physical death, burial, resurrection, ascension and visible return to the earth. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Faye M. Butler. Bishop James Oglethorpe Patterson 1968-1989* *Tenure as leader of the church: Presiding Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson 2000-Present: Bishop Louis Henry Ford 1990-1995* Bishop Chandler David Owens 1995-2000* Owens and became known as AIM (Auxiliaries in Ministry). The denomination considers these to be inconsistent with COGIC doctrine and teaching. During the 1950s and 60s, during the height of the civil rights movement, COGIC ministers and congregations played host to many significant events. Drew Sheard, Sr. as Presiding Bishop on March 20, 2021. From 1997-2001 Bishop Sheard served COGIC as President of the International Youth Department; and he served as Chairman of the AIM Convention from 2004 to 2012. In the 1990's and early 2000's, Blake also penned articles for Ebony and Christianity Today noting the importance of the Black Church's influence on presidential elections and American politics and society in general. In 1981, Bishop J.O. B. McEwen made conflicting administrative and executive decisions. James Moore, Thomas Whitfield (singer), Deniece Williams, Hubert Powell, Donnie McClurkin, LaShun Pace, The Anointed Pace Sisters, Dr. Bettye Ransom Nelson, Bishop Richard "Mr. Clean" White, Bishop Paul S. Morton, The Clark Sisters: (Jacky Clark-Chisholm, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole and Karen Clark-Sheard). This group of seven bishops became known officially as the executive commission; they took on greater responsibility over church affairs until Mason's death. It also increasingly stressed high academic standards so that its graduates could go to normal school or college, especially to teach other African Americans. Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr., who had previously been elected to the General Board in 2012 and 2016, was reelected to the General Board and subsequently elected as the current Presiding Bishop on March 20, 2021, in the first-ever virtual online election for the denomination. In 1988, after a thirteen-year exodus from COGIC, Bishop G. E. Patterson returned as the founding Prelate of the newly formed Tennessee Fourth Jurisdiction. In 1915, after years of court litigation over the name of the organization and use of the name "Church of God in Christ" by the two groups; Mason's group was granted the use of the name and Jones's group organized a legally chartered Holiness body called the Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A.[14], After moving to Memphis, Tennessee, Bishop Mason established a local congregation called Temple COGIC. Since 2007, Ebony has recognized Bishop Blake annually, as one of its 100+ most influential African Americans. In 1997, Bishop Chandler D. Owens appointed Evangelist Richard "Mr. Clean" White as president of the Department of Evangelism. The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and is part of a consortium of the Interdenominational Theological Center. Bishop Blake is the senior pastor of the West Angeles Cathedral COGIC in Los Angeles. COGIC teaches that according to the Word of God, there will be final events and conditions that address the end of this present age of the world. It has nine members, elected by the general assembly, including three bishops, three elders, and three lay members. She has previously served on the Women's advisory board, Executive Board, steering committee Women's International Convention, General Supervisor's Regional Representative (West Coast Region of the United States), member of the Program Committee then chairperson, Chairperson Special Convention Assistance Committee, National Leadership Conference and Women's Convention Leadership Conference, International Marshall and Assistant General Supervisor. His dream was to establish an international ministry complex known as "Saints Center" and an accredited institution known as "All Saints University". According to Alex Haley, "He and his wife then received bomb threats at home and at church." She built a home for missionaries in the Bahamas, a pavilion for senior citizens and unwed mothers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Although headquartered in Memphis, COGIC's leaders . Adjutant General Bishop Dickerson L. S. Wells Sr.. General Supervisor, Department of Women Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis. During World War I, the FBI opened a file on Bishop Mason and conducted surveillance on him because of his pacifism during the war. In 1945, Mason dedicated Mason Temple in Memphis as the church's national meeting site. Assistant Elect Lady, COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Lee E.Van Zandt. It was destroyed by fire in 1936. A. Blake, Jr., who is also a bishop and pastor in the COGIC denomination in San Diego, California. The general assembly meets biannually each year in April and November while the presidium acts as the executive branch of the church, overseeing the day-to-day operation when the general assembly is not in session. [43], COGIC teaches that man was created perfect and sinless in the image of God as a tripartite being having a body, soul, and spirit. Ford, as Saints' Academy, a private co-educational grade school. The church's new presiding bishop, who took office on March 20, said he will have to. Mother Deborah Mason Patterson#, daughter of founder, Bishop Mason and wife of first presiding bishop James O. Patterson Sr. African-American parents sent their children to this school from across the United States, especially those who had grown up in Mississippi and knew its reputation. The first meeting was held in Memphis, Tennessee around 1937. In 1924, the Sunday School was formally organized under "Father" F. C. Christmas (19161944). Chairman of AIM Bishop Linwood Dillard. During the tenure of Bishop G.E. Secretary of the National Judiciary Board Attorney Peter Davis. Malcolm X's Funeral was held in Harlem, New York City at Faith Temple Church Of God in Christ. On May 19, 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. Also in 1952, Mason revised the constitution to determine the leadership and succession of the church after his death. The Church of God in Christ ecclesiastical structure is an episcopal-presbyterian form of government. In 1927, the call was made for workers to go to serve the Lord in foreign lands. The first youth leader on a national level was Elder M.C. Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten Second Assistant Presiding Bishop (2021present) and board member (2012present). Vice chairman of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Bishop Marcus Ways. They were also instrumental in establishing 75 churches across the nation. After being ejected for accepting these new Pentecostal teachings, Mason called a meeting in Memphis later in the year and reorganized the Church of God in Christ as a Holiness-Pentecostal body. The general secretary, general treasurer, and financial secretary terms run concurrent with the current presidential administration that is elected every four years.[20]. Pentecostals have been known and continue to be known for their lively worship, exuberant expressions of praise and worship, and musical compilations, mostly relying on congregational singing of hymns and chants. COGIC has always been traditionally anti-abortion. The pair modeled the pastor and wife ministry team in COGIC. COGIC became a major force in the collective Black Church and worldwide Pentecostal movement. Sin was transmitted to humanity when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, as a result all men have original sin. It can be spoken of as the individual and the collective, physical and spiritual. In 2000, he was elected as the Presiding Bishop of COGIC. He established COGIC Charities which has provided thousands of dollars in college scholarships and disaster relief efforts such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. [4] He was reelected to a third term as Presiding Bishop on November 15, 2016. The church is thought to have nearly two million members in 7,000 churches on the continent of Africa. During the formative stages of COGIC, Bishop Mason organized departments to further support the work of the church as it continued to grow and expand. [48] COGIC clergy are also encouraged to have a certain degree of training in marriage counseling as well. Patterson in March 2007. Holy Temple COGIC was the first church to open its doors to the garbage workers. [60] Units added during her tenure as general supervisor were the: business and Professional Women's Federation, Rescue Squad, Sunday School Representatives Unit, United Sisters of Charity, National Secretaries Unit, and the Jr. Missionaries. Upon his return to Jackson, Mississippi, Mason faced opposition when he recounted his experience. Bishop O. T. Jones Sr, however, did not leave the COGIC. These departments include: the Women's Department, the Sunday School Department, the Youth Department known as Y.P.W.W. Of special note is Evangelist Reatha Herndon who served as the International Elect Lady of the Department of Evangelism from 1951 to 2001. Mamie Till-Mobley was a member of St. Paul COGIC led by then Elder Louis Henry Ford (who would later become the presiding bishop of the denomination) officiated the service. Bishop John Drew Sheard is Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., one of the largest African American Pentecostal denominations in the United States with 12,000 churches in over 112 countries. Lizzie Woods Robinson (19111945) was the first "General Mother" of the church. [12] On November 15, 2016, Bishop Blake was reelected as the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ during the 2016 COGIC Election held by the COGIC General Assembly to a third four-year term. On June 5, 1951, he selected Bishop A. Together he and his wife, Karen, founded Karew Records, a faith-based record label focusing on various forms of Gospel, Christian and Inspirational music. [33] C. E. Blake served as the Presiding Prelate of the First Jurisdiction of Southern California. She revolutionized and reorganized the music ministry to become a leading department in the church. Elder Carter called for a Church trial before the COGIC General Assembly and Judicial Board according to the Constitution of the COGIC. In 1982, Patterson led COGIC in its Diamond Jubilee, in a celebration of the International Holy Convocation. Throughout the dispute, Elder Carter made allegations against Bishop Blake for impropriety, sexual misconduct, and abuse of power as presiding bishop. Superintendent, International Sunday School Department Superintendent Mark Ellis. Bishop Elijah Hankerson III - Board member (2021present), Bishop Charles E. Blake Presiding Bishop Emeritus. The church believes that women are gifted and called to ministry; it does not, however, officially ordain women to the office of elder, pastor, or bishop. Desiring to learn more about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, C. H. Mason, J. His sons Reverend Charles Blake, Jr. and Reverend Lawrence Blake were officially appointed as the senior pastor and assistant pastor of the church in October of 2022.[13]. Succession of Church of God in Christ Leaders. Presiding Bishop J. In 1969, he was asked by his father and by Southern California COGIC bishop, Bishop Samuel M. Crouch, to take over as the pastor of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ.
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