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. Ford, as Saints' Academy, a private co-educational grade school. In 2010 Superintendent J. All rights reserved. Today COGIC has more than 12,000 churches, and several schools, missions, and medical clinics in more than eighty nations, including every inhabited continent. 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. [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. Drew Sheard, Sr. as Presiding Bishop on March 20, 2021. Nevertheless, as time progressed in the 1950s and 60s, and as COGIC began to grow and became increasingly institutionalized as a denomination, several other churches and denominations began partnering up with COGIC's leaders to help advance the cause of Civil Rights for African Americans, most notably such as the National Baptist Convention, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and many other similar predominantly Black denominations as well. Golden Jr. Chandler David Owens Sr. (October 2, 1931 - March 6, 2011) was an American minister and Holiness Pentecostal denomination leader of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), for which he served as the Presiding Bishop from 1995 to 2000, after the death of Bishop Louis Henry Ford. Young were appointed as a committee by C. P. Jones to investigate reports of a revival in Los Angeles, California that was being led by an itinerant preacher named William J. Seymour. He was a strong advocate for social justice. He became nationally recognized in 1955 for officiating at the funeral of 15-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. COGIC became a major force in the collective Black Church and worldwide Pentecostal movement. The YPWW department began in 1928 with the convening of its first Youth Congress. [93] Leaders within the COGIC, other denominations and Bishop Blake's own family came to his defense. By. As COGIC continued to grow, the various departments began the practice of convening annually to conduct the business unique of their ministries. 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. 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. Chairman of AIM Bishop Linwood Dillard. She is also the Jurisdictional Supervisor for the First Jurisdiction, Southern California. COGIC does not teach that Spirit baptism is the same as salvation. She organized the sewing circle and after meeting Elder Searcy, she encouraged the women to support mission work through the Home and Foreign Mission bands. It was reopened in the early 1990s under the administration of Bishop L.H. Other leaders of the Youth Department who leader became influential leaders of the church included: Bishop F.D. In 1951, the first separate National Sunday School Convention convened in Kansas City, Missouri. These jurisdictions are then separated into districts, which consist of 5 to 7 churches and are governed by superintendents (ordained elder or pastor). He appointed regional presidents to serve as liaisons to the jurisdictional presidents. [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. In 1982, he was selected by Ebony magazine as one of the 15 "Greatest Preachers in America". [29], Bishop Charles E. Blake assumed leadership and was elected Presiding Bishop of the church after the death of Bishop G.E. Historically, women in ministry in COGIC are known as "Missionaries" and are designated in two categories: Deaconess Missionary, and Evangelist Missionary. He re-ignited the church to be a flagship Pentecostal denomination. The result of sin is the depravity of man, broken communion with God, shame and guilt, and physical and spiritual death. [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. Presiding Bishop J. The church's new presiding bishop, who took office on March 20, said he will have to. 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. "[91] Bishop Blake apologized to a young man (Andrew C. Caldwell) who, following Superintendent Carter's message, came forward to proclaim that he had been delivered from homosexuality. Over time, the ministers and churches under Leonard P. Adams also separated from COGIC; they assimilated into other white Pentecostal groups or organizations. After being removed from the office of Senior Bishop, he remained the Jurisdictional Bishop of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until his death in 1972. The international headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee. During his visit, Mason received the baptism of the Holy Ghost; the evidence was believed to be his "speaking in other tongues", in accordance with the biblical account found in the book of Acts 2:4. 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. Vice Chairman of the General Assembly Bishop Jerry W. Maynard. 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. Ford was pastor of the St. Paul COGIC in Chicago and was Presiding Prelate of the Historic Illinois First Jurisdiction. We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, according to Acts 2:4, is given to believers who ask for it. The church started with only 50 members in 1969 when he became pastor. His dream was to establish an international ministry complex known as "Saints Center" and an accredited institution known as "All Saints University". Patterson established protocols of worship, policy and practices. He was able to bridge denominational barriers and encourage non-COGIC ministries to work collboratively with the COGIC denomination. Superintendent, International Sunday School Department Superintendent Mark Ellis. 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 . Music Dept. 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. On April 24, 2022, while addressing his local congregation at the West Angeles COGIC for their sunday morning service, he announced that he has been dealing with and coping with Parkinson's disease, "for the past ten years", and that as of April 2022, he was going to be retiring as the senior pastor of West Angeles COGIC, and that his two sons who are also COGIC elders and ministers, Reverends Charles, Jr. and Lawrence Blake, would be taking over as the de facto pastor and assistant pastor of the West Angeles congregation, respectively. However, his out-spoken criticism of the racial prejudice and discrimination of whites led most, if not all of them, to leave his church for other ministries where the message against racism was not so obvious and offensive to them. In 1976, under the leadership of Bishop J.O. [48] COGIC clergy are also encouraged to have a certain degree of training in marriage counseling as well. They rejected denominational names such as Baptist, Methodist, or Episcopal. Patterson Sr. in 1989. As has been stated, COGIC does not ordain women as elder or bishop, however, COGIC would not have become the largest predominately African-American Pentecostal church in the world, nor have the largest Women's convention of any major denomination without the contributions of women. 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. Helm Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, attended by Mason and others from several states. Battles served as president until his death in December 1996. In November 1975, at the National Holy Convocation in Memphis, TN., with the consent of the General Board, Bishop Carlis Moody Sr. of Evanston, Illinois, was appointed by Bishop J. O. Patterson to be president of the Department of Home and Foreign Missions. 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. Bishop J. It is one of the largest gathering of Christian women from any major denomination and religious organization. Secretary of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Superintendent Prince W. Bryant, II. It believes that the gifts of the Spirit are given to believers and are active in the church today. They exist primarily in the spiritual realm and are organized according to duty and function. 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. Timothy Wright, Myrna Summers, Rev. Remarriage is usually highly discouraged, except in the case of the death of a spouse or former spouse. Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten Second Assistant Presiding Bishop (2021present) and board member (2012present). In 1895, C.P. Jones and C.H. Mason were licensed Baptist ministers in Mississippi who began teaching and preaching a Wesleyan doctrine of Christian perfection or entire sanctification as a second work of grace to their Baptist congregations. Bishop Brandon B. Porter Secretary to the General Board (2021present) and board member (2012present). Later in 1897, while in Little Rock, Arkansas, C. H. Mason stated that God had given him such a name for the group, the "Church of God in Christ". Her predecessor was Evangelist Dr. Rita Womack of Los Angeles, California. Assistant Financial Secretary Bishop David A. Sanders. It was also around this time, that he married his wife, Mae Lawrence Blake, a native of Michigan and daughter of another COGIC bishop and pastor, and they had three children together, Charles Blake, Jr., Lawrence "Larry" Blake, and Kimberly Blake. B. McEwen was elected chairman of the executive board, and O.T. [citation needed] Bishop Ford is credited with inviting President Bill Clinton, a personal friend, to speak to the Eighty-Sixth International Holy Convocation on November 13, 1993. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Vice Chairman of the National Judiciary Board Bishop Enoch Perry. We believe that the regeneration by the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for personal salvation. Patterson Sr., the five major departments of COGIC were united under an umbrella convention known as UNAC-5 (United National Auxiliary Convention). Bishop Sedgwick Daniels Board member (2008present). In 2009 he was appointed as a member of Barack Obama's Inaugural Advisory Council of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships where he served for one year on the council. Elect Lady, International Department of Missions Mother Maddaline Norfleet. There was the creation of the Sunday School Field Representative. During the tenure of Bishop L. H. Ford as Presiding Bishop in the 1990s, he helped gain COGIC membership into the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America, a more diverse, international caucus of different Pentecostal church denominations and organizations that sought to heal the racial divides in the North American Pentecostal movement.[57]. ", 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". He is an example of servant leadership and has become a voice to the nations to uphold the standards of holiness. 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. According to its 1973 Constitution, the church has two structures to govern the church: civil and ecclesiastical. The current chairman of AIM is Bishop Linwood E. Dillard of Memphis, TN.[62]. Owens outlined a progressive plan to position the COGIC for ministry in the twenty-first century, known as "Vision 2000 and Beyond." For a brief period of time, the YPWW Congress was combined with the Sunday School Congress in a joint convention until 1951. However, after a meeting in Hot Springs, Arkansas that led to the founding of the Assemblies of God, the white constituency of COGIC continued to decline, until it was almost nonexistent by the 1930s. All rights reserved. In 1984 and 1988 respectively, Rev. Mallory retired in 1976 after fifty years of service; and she had a national reputation. Some pastor's wives have served as pastor of congregations usually after the death of a pastor sometimes serving under the title of "shepherdess, shepherd mother, or church administrator. By 1906, the church had grown to nearly 100 congregations in three states. She began women's work on the state level and appointed the first state mothers. Chairman of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Superintendent Michael Eaddy. The pair modeled the pastor and wife ministry team in COGIC. Blake has also formerly served as an Advisory Committee Member of the Pentecostal World Conference, and as the founder and Co-chair of the Los Angeles Ecumenical Congress (LAEC), an interdenominational coalition of religious leaders and pastors for the city of Los Angeles. In 2021 he was again re-elected Bishop as a member of the Presidium (General Board) of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., at that time he was also subsequently elected to the Office of the Presiding Bishop as Chief Apostle. [9] This Holiness group/fellowship adopted the name Church of God in Christ, and COGIC began to develop congregations throughout the South. On May 19, 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. Bishop O. T. Jones Sr, however, did not leave the COGIC. Known for the achievements of her students and school alumni, she had also served during these years, by invitation and appointment, on national federal commissions and with noted African-American women's groups. 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. Porter pointed out that he is based in Memphis. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. [23][24] After Mason's death, in accordance with the 1952 church constitution, the control of the church reverted to the COGIC Board of Bishops. 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. He was a lifelong member of the. This list may not reflect recent changes . Patterson, Evangelist Joyce L Rodgers#, Jurisdictional Supervisor, Former Chairlady of Youth Dept., international evangelist, Dr. Lytia R. Howard, Emeritus, President of the Sunshine Band, COGIC Pastor, Mother Leatha Herndon Chapman Tucker#, church organizer, national evangelist, Mother Elizabeth White#, foreign missionary, Dr. Rita Womack, national evangelist, former Elect Lady, Mother Willa Mary Collins#, founding First Lady of Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ in Evansville, Indiana. [96][97][98][99], This article is about the Holiness Pentecostal denomination. Bishop Sheard has over 30 years of leadership in the Church of God in Christ. The Church of God in Christ was formed in 1897 by a group of disfellowshipped Baptists, most notably Charles Price Jones (18651949) and Charles Harrison Mason (18641961). Treasurer of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Pastor William Ward. [6], In June 1896, Jones held a Holiness convention at Mt. She is the longest serving president of the International Music Department and her influence and legacy have been indelible and are recognized around the world. Bishop Patterson was also to date the youngest person to ever be elected presiding bishop of COGIC at the age of 56; the second youngest was his nephew Gilbert Earl (G.E.) This group of seven bishops became known officially as the executive commission; they took on greater responsibility over church affairs until Mason's death. More:J. [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. After the death of Mother McGlothen, Mother Emma F. Crouch (19941997) of Dallas, Texas, served as the fifth General Supervisor. Young, James Brewer, Daniel Spearman, and J. H. Boone. The presiding bishop and all twelve members of the general board are to be elected every four years and preside over the church when the General Assembly is not in session. He was a noted evangelist who had pastored several churches, including: Bostick Temple in St. Louis, Missouri; Well's Cathedral COGIC in Newark, New Jersey; and Greater Community COGIC in Marietta, Georgia. Bishop Mason taught COGIC members against going to war, but more so he was against African-American men being called to fight a war overseas for freedom and then coming home and being treated as second-class citizens and being lynched, even in their uniforms, because of racism. Gilbert. Charles Blake was born on August 5, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the late Bishop Junious Augustus (J. He is credited with helping to secure the steel needed to construct Mason Temple which was virtually impossible during World War II.[52]. 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". Mother Willie Mae Rivers served faithfully for 20 years as General Mother until 2017 and the age of 91. Mother Willie Mae Rivers (19972017) of Goose Creek, South Carolina, succeeded Mother Crouch.