Chairman of the Board of Bishops Bishop Albert Galbraith. During the 1990s, President Bill Clinton was invited by then COGIC Presiding Bishop, Louis Henry Ford to attend the International Holy Convocation. Bishop Carlis Moody immediately began to reorganize the Missions Department, giving new guidelines. Each jurisdictional bishop appoints a jurisdictional supervisor to lead the work of the women on a jurisdictional level. ", COGIC teaches that sanctification is a continuous operation of the Holy Spirit, by which he "delivers the justified sinner from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God and enables him to perform good works". On June 5, 1951, he selected Bishop A. Mother Lillian Coffey appointed Mother Reatha Herndon as president of the National Women's Evangelist Board in 1951. Our Legacy Bishop Jerry W. Macklin First Assistant Presiding Bishop (2021present) and board member (2004present). Young, James Brewer, Daniel Spearman, and J. H. Boone. Bishop Blake led COGIC through the death of G. E. Patterson while preparing the church for its 100th Holy Convocation; an important milestone for the church. The exception is when the charges are against a Bishop which would be filed with the Board of Bishops. Upon his return to Jackson, Mississippi, Mason faced opposition when he recounted his experience. After the death of Bishop Mason, he assumed leadership as the Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ. Chairman of AIM Bishop Linwood Dillard. COGIC clergy are also allowed to be married. Bishop Mason appointed her as a young woman to be head of the small school in 1926, after she had been teaching there. During her leadership, several new buildings were constructed on the 350-acre campus to serve this expansion. The son-in-law of Bishop Mason, J. O. Patterson Sr., had served the church previously as a member of the executive board and as executive secretary. Of special note is Evangelist Reatha Herndon who served as the International Elect Lady of the Department of Evangelism from 1951 to 2001. In Chicago, Ford organized voter registration initiatives. COGIC considers any physical, sexual relationship outside of the sanctity of marriage to be outside of the sovereign will of God and unbiblical. Well-known gospel musicians with COGIC roots include; Andrae Crouch and Sandra Crouch, Walter Hawkins and Edwin Hawkins, Tramaine Hawkins, Rubenstein McClure, Yvette Flunder, Sara Jordan Powell, Daryl Coley, BeBe and CeCe Winans, The Winans, "Detroit" Gary Wiggins, John P. Kee, The O'Neal Twins, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Rance Allen, Rev. [29] The spread of COGIC was due largely to the efforts of its evangelists through crusades and revivals. Overseer E.R. In 2017, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake appointed gospel artist and Evangelist Dr. Dorinda Clark Cole of Detroit, Michigan as the Elect Lady. The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness - Pentecostal Christian denomination, [1] [2] with a predominantly African-American membership. Bishop O. T. Jones Sr, however, did not leave the COGIC. She was the Jurisdictional Supervisor of Women for Texas Southwest Jurisdiction under the late Bishop T. D. Iglehart. She built a home for missionaries in the Bahamas, a pavilion for senior citizens and unwed mothers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Office of the Secretariat members: Missionary Marcia Black-Watson, Jurisdictional Secretary Patterson appointed Dr. Edward Lee Battles President of the Department of Evangelism. Chairman of the National Judiciary Board Bishop Martin Luther Johnson. Nurses Aid Ministry nurses taking their skills to the mission field. They exist today as adversaries to the kingdom, purpose and will of God. 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. The study also found that over 70% of COGIC members overwhelmingly opposed the legalizing of same-sex marriage, and considered relationships from infidelity, polygamy, polyamory, and sex outside of marriage as sinful and unbiblical as well.[56]. Office of the General Secretary Office of the General Secretary Church Of God In Christ | Memphis TN 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. General Secretary Church of God in Christ, Inc. 930 Mason Street Memphis, Tennessee 38126 To file charges against a bishop, send the grievance to; The Chairman of the Board of Bishops, the Chairman of the Board of Bishops Grievance Committee, and the General Secretary Bishop Lyle. Bishop Mason was opposed to the ordination of women to formal ministry, but in 1911 created an autonomous department to promote the ministry of women in the church. In 1927, the call was made for workers to go to serve the Lord in foreign lands. [53], In 1965, during the March to Selma, a young COGIC minister Charles E. Blake, (previous COGIC Presiding Bishop) was studying at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, GA. We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, according to Acts 2:4, is given to believers who ask for it. Please note: Fields with ( *) are required. 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. Nigeria alone has 19 bishops and more than 2000 churches. Pentecostals have been criticized because of their noticeable absence from the official record of activism that has been largely overshadowed by black ministers of other denominations such as Baptists and Methodists; however, there is evidence to verify and document the role and response of COGIC ministers and other Pentecostal denominations to the cause and struggle for Civil Rights in the United States during the 20th Century. [20], The first national tabernacle was built and completed in 1925. Today COGIC operates the All Saints Bible College in Memphis, the C. H. Mason system of bible colleges, and the C. H. Mason Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. Mason Theological Seminary to train its ministers and ministry leaders. Education was considered key to advancement of the race. 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. When she died in 1945, she had laid an impressive foundation for the women's ministry in COGIC. COGIC believes in divine healing, however, it does not advocate the exclusion of medical supervision. [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. In 1951, the first separate National Sunday School Convention convened in Kansas City, Missouri. The first Sunday School Superintendent was Professor L. W. Lee (19081916). The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and is part of a consortium of the Interdenominational Theological Center. 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. They were given the authority through a "gentlemen's agreement" to license ministers and establish churches under the COGIC name. By 1906, the church had grown to nearly 100 congregations in three states. From the very beginning of gospel music, COGIC members have influenced its rise. Today however, many church mothers have been reserved to titular positions as many pastor's wives have assumed the role of leader of women's ministries in local congregations. [29] In 1926, upon the recommendation of Mother Lizzie Roberson, Elder C. G. Brown of Kansas City Missouri, was appointed the first Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Home and Foreign Missions Department by Bishop C. H. Mason. It ultimately ended by 1930, when the Depression set in. In 1946, the National Sunday School Congress began to meet with the Young People's Willing Workers (YPWW) Congress. Washington, Bishop Chandler D. Owens, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, and Bishop J. According to its 1973 Constitution, the church has two structures to govern the church: civil and ecclesiastical. 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. Clean White, Jurisdictional Bishop, Bermuda Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction, National Evangelist, Recording Artist, Songwriter, Atlanta, Georgia, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 15:15. Churches are organized in dioceses called jurisdictions, each under the authority of a bishop. COGIC Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake issued a public apology, saying "I apologize for what seemed to be a harsh, uncompassionate, disrespectful spirit on the part of that speaker. Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten Second Assistant Presiding Bishop (2021present) and board member (2012present). 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. It is one of the largest gathering of Christian women from any major denomination and religious organization. Remarriage is highly discouraged, except in the case of the death of a spouse. In 1976, under the leadership of Bishop J.O. In 1945, Mason dedicated Mason Temple in Memphis as the church's national meeting site. Bishop Brandon B. Porter Secretary to the General Board (2021present) and board member (2012present). During the tenure of Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. as Presiding Bishop in the 1970s and 80s, Bishop Patterson established several interdenominational Christian schools and seminaries, and helped to establish the World Fellowship of Black Pentecostal Churches and gained COGIC membership in the Congress of National Black Churches as well, a national caucus of Black church denominations that represent different denominations and organizations of the Black Church in America. 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. [45] It teaches that salvation is a work of grace brought about through faith in Jesus Christ; it does not promulgate nor encourage the doctrine of eternal security, also known as "once saved, always saved. According to a 2015 statistical study by the Pew Research Center, the denomination was estimated to have a United States membership of approximately 84% African-Americans, 5% White Americans, 8% Latino-Americans, and roughly 2% Asian-Americans. In 1933, he set apart five overseers to the Office of Bishop in the church, the first five bishops of COGIC. Nevertheless, women are licensed in COGIC to proclaim the gospel as evangelists. He was one of the nine members of the strategy committee that organized the sanitation strike in Memphis. She led its expansion and emphasized high academic standards, disciplined behavior, and prayer. Each state in the US consists of at least one jurisdiction, and several states have more than one jurisdiction. It can be spoken of as the individual and the collective, physical and spiritual. including information stored locally or on any other media connected to this system. In 1968, COGIC established the C.H. He was elected four times uncontested as presiding bishop. Mother Deborah Mason Patterson#, daughter of founder, Bishop Mason and wife of first presiding bishop James O. Patterson Sr. The general assembly elects a 12-person general board (presidium) every four years from the college of bishops, who serve functionally as apostles of the church. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. She served as the jurisdictional supervisor of several states including Maryland and New Jersey helping to establish and stabilize struggling jurisdictions. As Pentecostals, the Church believes that demons can be subdued and subjugated through the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. He became nationally recognized in 1955 for officiating at the funeral of 15-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. There seemed no prospect of an integrated Pentecostal movement under the leadership of an African-American such as C. H. Demons exist as manifestation of evil or unclean spirits. Mrs. Anna Broy Crockett Ford was the first organizer and director of the National Music Department, which was formally established in November 1949. Chairlady, International Youth Department Evangelist Vandalyn Kennedy. As the church continued to grow, she created women auxiliaries including the Purity Class and the Sunshine Band. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, as COGIC continued to grow to millions of members nationwide, COGIC ministers all over the country continued to advance civil rights in their communities. [5] Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African-American membership based within the United States. Bishop J.W. This seasonal period was selected because most of the COGIC members were farmers and were finished harvesting their crops around this time. In 1984 and 1988 respectively, Rev. Patterson, who became presiding bishop in 2000 at the age of 60. 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. Vice Chairman of the General Assembly Bishop Jerry W. Maynard. Church Of God In Christ, Inc. 2015-23. The location for General Assembly will be announced, as Mason Temple is currently under construction. He consecrated and appointed more than 100 bishops during his twenty-one years of leadership. [94][95], After the November 2016 COGIC Holy Convocation, Carter left the COGIC denomination because Blake had been re-elected as the Presiding Bishop. Bishop Blake said, "The Church of God in Christ does not compromise its stance against homosexuality as the Word of God condemns it as sin, but "this preacher's" (referring to Earl Carter) comments were unacceptably offensive and uncalled for, and will not be tolerated by the Church of God in Christ or its leadership. The Church of God in Christ ecclesiastical structure is an episcopal-presbyterian form of government. In 1975, he resigned as co-pastor, withdrawing his membership in the COGIC because of leadership disagreements with his uncle, J. O. Patterson Sr. concerning an establishment of another jurisdiction in the city of Memphis. We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible written Word of God. At the start of the new millennium, then COGIC presiding Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson, continued to support the advancement of civil rights. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Faye M. Butler. Evangelist Missionaries are licensed to preach the gospel, conduct gospel meetings, and may be given the oversight of local congregations serving as the church administrator. [49] The church does not practice infant baptisms or christenings, but does conduct baby dedications in formal ceremonies. law enforcement and other purposes. If you have any further questions, please contact Executive Secretary Sidney A. Buggs. 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. 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. Chairman of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Superintendent Michael Eaddy. The school enjoyed its greatest growth and success under the leadership of Dr. Arenia Conella Mallory (19041977). The Holy Spirit is the agent that equips, empowers, leads, and guides the church until the return of Christ. It was reopened in the early 1990s under the administration of Bishop L.H. During the current administration of Presiding Bishop Charles Blake, COGIC unveiled its Urban Initiatives Program to provide 60,000 programs nationwide through its more than 12,000 congregations to continue to promote the work of civil rights, and to reduce poverty, crime and violence, etc. Name * Email Address (UserID) * Create a Password * Confirm your Password * Birthday * Month: Day: Year: Gender * Male Female Jurisdiction * Church [93] Leaders within the COGIC, other denominations and Bishop Blake's own family came to his defense. But during the early twentieth century, the Pentecostal movement had rapid growth nationally and attracted racially integrated congregants to its worship services. The court ordered the church to convene a constitutional convention in February 1968. [13], Although the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) began earlier, it is still the case that in 1907, with ten congregations, The Church of God in Christ became the first legally chartered Pentecostal body incorporated in the United States. He established the World Fellowship of Black Pentecostal Churches and gained COGIC membership in the Congress of National Black Churches. These auxiliaries are found in nearly every church, district, and jurisdiction within COGIC and function to support the holistic approach that COGIC has toward ministry within the church and the larger community that COGIC congregations serve. A. 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. He began production of the YPWW Quarterly Topics to train the youth of the COGIC in the faith, doctrine, and polity of the church. After being removed from the office of Senior Bishop, he remained the Jurisdictional Bishop of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until his death in 1972. 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. After the death of Mother McGlothen, Mother Emma F. Crouch (19941997) of Dallas, Texas, served as the fifth General Supervisor. He was able to bridge denominational barriers and encourage non-COGIC ministries to work collboratively with the COGIC denomination. Drew Sheard. Regards, Executive Secretary Sidney Buggs, III. Green. [55], A 2014 statistical study from the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life, reported that most members of COGIC usually got married between the ages of 25 and 30, and that over 42% of COGIC members between the ages of 25 and 65+ were married, at least 19% were divorced or separated, 32% were never married, and at least 5% were widowed. 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. Divorce is considered inconsistent with biblical teachings and is highly discouraged as well, but exceptions are made for special circumstances. William B. Holt was appointed as General Superintendent. G. E. Patterson established the Temple of Deliverance, the Cathedral of Bountiful Blessing which grew to become the largest Pentecostal church in Memphis with over 14,000 members. Each department convened its own convention in various cities through 1975. He was pastor of the Pentecostal Temple Institutional COGIC in Memphis, Tennessee, and was the Presiding Prelate of the Tennessee Headquarters Jurisdiction. COGIC theology and beliefs fall in the tradition of Wesleyan-Arminian theology.[40]. Evangelist Goldia Haynes, Elder Utah Smith, Madame Earnestine Washington, and Marion Williams continued COGIC's influence throughout the fifties and sixties. As COGIC has continued to grow, new departments, auxiliaries, and ministries have been established including the music department, the National Adjutancy, Men's Department, COGIC Charities, and Urban Initiatives to name a few. Lizzie Woods Robinson (19111945) was the first "General Mother" of the church. The Youth Congress eventually become one of the largest conventions in COGIC. On November 14, 1968, the General Assembly of the COGIC elected the first general board and presiding bishop of the church. Bishop David A. Ford, as Saints' Academy, a private co-educational grade school. 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.. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 6.5 million members in the United States. 1st Assistant Presiding Bishop Bishop Jerry W. Macklin. B. McEwen, came to a head and was addressed at the 57th Holy Convocation. The first meeting was held in Memphis, Tennessee around 1937. Al Sharpton, a noted civil rights activist, began his ministerial career as a minister in COGIC. [37] The National Council of Churches ranks it as the fifth largest Christian denomination in the U.S.[38] COGIC is a HolinessPentecostal Christian denomination,[2][4] with a predominantly African-American membership. [61] Finally, she changed the visible presence of women in ministry with the introduction of the ministry "habit". We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross provides healing for the human body in answer to believing prayer. 11 were here. [9] This Holiness group/fellowship adopted the name Church of God in Christ, and COGIC began to develop congregations throughout the South. Other leaders of the Youth Department who leader became influential leaders of the church included: Bishop F.D. The General Secretary. In April 2018, Presiding Bishop Charles Blake along with Lee Saunders, Andrew Young, DeMaurice Smith, and Brian Dunn coordinated the "I AM 2018 Mountaintop Conference" at the historic Mason Temple in Memphis to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. COGIC believes marriage is a monogamous sacred, civil, and legal union between a husband and wife that is recognized as a covenant between them and God for the purpose of the couple being a helpmate to each other and raising a family together. He testified to receiving entire sanctification after reading her autobiography in 1893. [21], In 1907, there were ten COGIC churches, but by the time of Bishop Mason's death in 1961, COGIC had spread to every state in the United States and to many foreign countries. [15], In 1951, when Bishop Mason was approaching 85 years of age, he set up a "special commission" to help with the administration and oversight of the church. COGIC became a major force in the collective Black Church and worldwide Pentecostal movement. Adjutant General Bishop Dickerson L. S. Wells Sr.. General Supervisor, Department of Women Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis. These offices are found in every local, district, and jurisdiction to support development and growth of the Sunday School. [42], COGIC teaches that angels are messengers sent from God who served during the creation, throughout the Old Testament, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the establishment of the church and the ministry of the apostles, and continue to be at work in the Kingdom of God. C. P. Jones and those Holiness leaders who did not embrace the Azusa Revival experience continued as Holiness churches. She began women's work on the state level and appointed the first state mothers. Secretary of the Board of Bishops Bishop William Watson, III. Bishop Prince E. W. Bryant Sr. Board member (2021present). Carter was found in contempt of court for failing to obey the court order and was jailed until he removed all videos and agreed to comply. Patterson Sr. in 1989. The current presiding bishop and chief apostle is Bishop J. During the 1930s and 40s, a white COGIC elder named James L. Delk who remained in the church after many whites had left, was very active in politics in Missouri and worked to promote civil rights by writing legislatures and petitioning the federal government on the behalf of COGIC. In the 1920s, Arizona Dranes, a blind Evangelist Missionary became one of the first gospel artists to bring the musical styles of COGIC to the public in her records for Okeh and performances. On February 21, 1965, when Malcolm X was assassinated and the family needed a place for his funeral, no major black church or facility would open their doors for the service. As the International Holy Convocation grew to thousands, COGIC leaders had to negotiate with city officials to provide hotel accommodations for the saints. The current chairman of AIM is Bishop Linwood E. Dillard of Memphis, TN.[62]. This convention brings thousands of COGIC members representing all the major departments including Sunday School, Missions, Evangelism, Music, and Youth together in July and meets in cities around the U.S.
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