It believes that the gifts of the Spirit are given to believers and are active in the church today. 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. Throughout the dispute, Elder Carter made allegations against Bishop Blake for impropriety, sexual misconduct, and abuse of power as presiding bishop. The pair modeled the pastor and wife ministry team in COGIC. We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, according to Acts 2:4, is given to believers who ask for it. Bishop Blake also won a defamation lawsuit in 2016 against Earl Carter, who was ordered to remove all defamatory videos and to cease and desist from further conduct disparaging Bishop Blake. In 1945, Bishop S. Crouch of the Northern California Jurisdiction appointed Elder H. C. Johnson as State Sunday School Superintendent who appointed Missionary Lucille Cornelius to be Chairlady, the first woman to lead the supervision of COGIC women in the Sunday School Department. COGIC has always been traditionally anti-abortion. 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. Dr. Roy L.H. The judicial board serves as the judicial branch and is the supreme body that interprets polity and practice. Education was considered key to advancement of the race. 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. As African Americans migrated north and west to industrial cities during the Great Migration, he began to establish COGIC churches in the north and, especially after 1940, in the west. He established the World Fellowship of Black Pentecostal Churches and gained COGIC membership in the Congress of National Black Churches. 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]. ", Elder Carter said that such public rebuke and condemnation were unwarranted, as he was not given a chance to say why he had made such statements. He is credited with helping to secure the steel needed to construct Mason Temple which was virtually impossible during World War II.[52]. [49] The church does not practice infant baptisms or christenings, but does conduct baby dedications in formal ceremonies. He was recognized in Washington, D. C. by President Barack Obama in 2009 and invited to serve on the White House Advisory, Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Bishop Blake was the pastor of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ,[7] one of the largest African-American churches in the Western United States, with a membership of over 24,000, from 1969 until his retirement in 2022. On October 23, 2020, Bishop Blake announced that he will not seek a re-election as Presiding Bishop nor as a member of the General Board and that he would retire from the Office of Presiding Bishop and from the General Board in 2021.[34]. It has nine members, elected by the general assembly, including three bishops, three elders, and three lay members. Save Africa's Children, a program of PACF, currently provides support to over 220 charity missions and orphanages throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They are fallen angels who joined Satan in his failed attempt to usurp power in Heaven. Owens continued to serve as a jurisdictional bishop and member of the General Board until his death in 2011. Drew Sheard elected as COGIC's new presiding bishop; two Memphis bishops elected to general board Sheard, 62, was elected in late March to lead the predominantly African American . (Young People Willing Workers), and Missions and Evangelism. In 1945, Mason dedicated Mason Temple in Memphis as the church's national meeting site. He was a strong advocate for social justice. Mason was given authority to lead the new denomination. [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. 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". [94][95], After the November 2016 COGIC Holy Convocation, Carter left the COGIC denomination because Blake had been re-elected as the Presiding Bishop. Religious Figure, former Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the fourth largest Protestant denominaton in the world. The first convention was held in Los Angeles, California, in 1951. Dr. Mattie McGlothen (19751994) the fourth General Supervisor, was a tremendous organizer with great impact on the development of the Women's Department. The current leader of the International Music Department is recording artist Dr. Myron Williams, succeeding Dr. Judith Christie McAllister of Los Angeles, California, who is also a praise and worship national recording artist. 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.. However, the Church believes that in some extreme or rare cases, medical and operational abortion may be the safest way to help the mother if the pregnancy is jeopardizing the mother's life and health. In 2010, Bishop Blake led more than 50,000 delegates to the 103rd International Holy Convocation to St. Louis, Missouri. 2nd Assistant Presiding Bishop Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten. She developed the role of the State Minister of Music and traveled the world conducting seminars and workshops perfecting the quality of choir music, their performance, appearance and demeanor, and the COGIC sound. It was reopened in the early 1990s under the administration of Bishop L.H. On June 5, 1951, he selected Bishop A. On May 19, 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. Drew Sheard June 22 and the consecration service for the jurisdictional and auxiliary bishop designates June 23, 2021. . The jurisdictional supervisor is assisted by district missionaries who oversee the women's ministry of the district. Bishop Prince E. W. Bryant Sr. Board member (2021present). Drew Sheard who was elected in 2021. As a visionary who is both inspiring and influential, the awards and recognitions that Bishop Blake has received are extensive. The COGIC constitution at the time did not identify a clear successor or the authority of the executive board after Mason's death. The international membership of COGIC is estimated be between one and three million adherents. In 1984 and 1988 respectively, Rev. Patterson, the nephew of the above-mentioned Bishop J.O. He was also a member of the General Board, the twelve head religious and executive leaders and head bishops of the COGIC denomination from 1988 until 2021. The civil structure of the Church of God in Christ includes a president, first vice-president, second vice-president, general secretary, general treasurer, and the financial secretary. Although headquartered in Memphis, COGIC's leaders . As a compassionate advocate for the advancement of Gods Kingdom, he is committed to accomplishing Gods agenda as both a leader and a laborer, reaping a harvest of souls. 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". His pastor and mentor was Bishop F. D. Washington of Brooklyn, NY. COGIC clergy do not officially sanction or recognize same-sex relationships to be united in marriage and the denomination at-large discourages same-sex relationships as unbiblical and immoral. 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. 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. Page in 1927. 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. Bishop Blake is married to Mae Lawrence Blake, a native of Michigan, and they have three children together, Charles Blake II (Jr.), Lawrence Blake, and Kimberly Blake, and they have eight grandchildren.[6]. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Faye M. Butler. [36], In 2022, it was present in 112 countries in 2022. During her leadership, several new buildings were constructed on the 350-acre campus to serve this expansion. 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. J. O. Patterson Sr. was the Presiding Bishop at that time. Deaconess Missionaries serve and assist in the ceremonial and temporal affairs of the local church. Drew Sheard was born on January 1, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, to Bishop and Mrs. John Henry Sheard. [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. Furthermore, the new constitution created the office of the presiding bishop and a general board of twelve bishops and defined their responsibilities. These departments include: the Women's Department, the Sunday School Department, the Youth Department known as Y.P.W.W. 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. [1] [2] Early life [ edit] 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. [27], Several bishops disagreed with the new organizational structure; they severed ties with COGIC to start their own organizations. He believed that the name, taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:14, was divinely revealed and biblically inspired. There are more than 200 ecclesiastical jurisdictions around the world, with 170 in the United States. The former Detroit-based math teacher was elected as the new presiding bishop over the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country in March. 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). 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. COGIC became a staple of gospel music under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. [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. He began production of the YPWW Quarterly Topics to train the youth of the COGIC in the faith, doctrine, and polity of the church. From 1985 to 2009, he maintained the position of Prelate for the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of California, where he was responsible for overseeing over 250 . Ford was pastor of the St. Paul COGIC in Chicago and was Presiding Prelate of the Historic Illinois First Jurisdiction. 1st Assistant Presiding Bishop Bishop Jerry W. Macklin. The school enjoyed its greatest growth and success under the leadership of Dr. Arenia Conella Mallory (19041977). [39], COGIC is a trinitarian Holiness Pentecostal denomination. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Bishop Glenn Plummer. 2 in the denomination and whose death was reported by The Detroit News; Bishop Timothy Scott, a leader for nearly 50 years of the denomination in Mississippi whose death was reported 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. COGIC licensed female evangelists may also serve as chaplains in military, federal, state, and local institutions requiring chaplains. The COGIC emphasized the use of the choir as an integral part of the worship experience. In 2017, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake appointed gospel artist and Evangelist Dr. Dorinda Clark Cole of Detroit, Michigan as the Elect Lady. Over time, the ministers and churches under Leonard P. Adams also separated from COGIC; they assimilated into other white Pentecostal groups or organizations. Drew Sheard, Sr. as Presiding Bishop on March 20, 2021. In 1955, Emmett Till's funeral was held at Robert's Temple Church Of God in Christ in Chicago, Illinois. Adjutant General Bishop Dickerson L. S. Wells Sr.. General Supervisor, Department of Women Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis. 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. Owens and became known as AIM (Auxiliaries in Ministry). Patterson, who became presiding bishop in 2000 at the age of 60. COGIC also teaches that all the spiritual gifts are for believers today. A new constitution and official manual of the church were completed in 1973. 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. She led its expansion and emphasized high academic standards, disciplined behavior, and prayer. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Each department convened its own convention in various cities through 1975. Nurses Aid Ministry nurses taking their skills to the mission field. He was a speaker at the Democratic National Conventions first Ecumenical Service where he eloquently, challenged all to protect the unborn by advocating pro-life. As a result, many local congregations, foreign missions, and schools were established through the leadership and efforts of women in COGIC. These elders became the first Pentecostal General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ. 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. Mason sent ministers and evangelists to cities and urban areas outside the South, including William Roberts (Chicago), O. M. Kelly (New York), O. T. Jones Sr. (Philadelphia), E. R. Driver (Los Angeles), and Samuel Kelsey (Washington, D.C.) From these major cities, COGIC spread throughout the country. However, in 1996, the umbrella format was revised under the administration of Bishop C.D. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Bishop Blake has several academic and honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity from California Graduate School of Theology, a Doctor of Law degree from Oral Roberts University and an honorary doctorate from California State University, Los Angeles. Bishop J. [93] Leaders within the COGIC, other denominations and Bishop Blake's own family came to his defense. His ministry spanned more than seven decades. Desiring to learn more about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, C. H. Mason, J. Presiding Bishop J. 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* The church is thought to have nearly two million members in 7,000 churches on the continent of Africa. His passion for meeting the needs of the whole man reaches globally through his humanitarian efforts. Patterson in March 2007. F or the first time, the nation's largest Pentecostal and African-American denomination, the 5.5 million-member Church of God in Christ (COGIC), has voted out its presiding bishop. White. [5] Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African-American membership based within the United States. The first meeting was held in Memphis, Tennessee around 1937. They determined to separate from COGIC and form what would eventually become the Worldwide Fellowship of the Assemblies of God. Bishop Sheard was inducted into the prestigious Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers. Dr. Mattie Moss Clark#, second and longest-serving president of Int'l. Mother Jennie Bell Dancy Jones of Arkansas became the first National Field Representative under Bishop Patrick. 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. She established new auxiliaries including the International Hospitality Unit, the Educational and Bishop's Wives Scholarship funds, WE-12 and Lavender Ladies. This office is reserved for a woman who serves as counterpart to the Sunday School Superintendent. 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. Bishop Sheard is a former mathematics teacher and . In a November 2007 special election, he was elected to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor as Presiding Bishop. Dr. Valerie Daniels Carter, entrepreneur, Jurisdictional Supervisor, Dr. Dorinda Clark Cole, International Elect Lady of Evangelism Dept., international evangelist. Malcolm X's Funeral was held in Harlem, New York City at Faith Temple Church Of God in Christ. It includes not only those who are members of COGIC, but all believers who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. President, International Department of Missions Bishop Vincent Matthews Jr.. 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. Evangelist Goldia Haynes, Elder Utah Smith, Madame Earnestine Washington, and Marion Williams continued COGIC's influence throughout the fifties and sixties. 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. COGIC believes, though, that even then in the case of saving the life of the mother, that abortion should still only be considered as a last resort, if all other options to help the mother and the unborn fetus have been thoroughly exhausted. Elect Lady, International Department of Missions Mother Maddaline Norfleet. The Church of God in Christ will host the installation service of Rev. COGIC policies and bylaws have also been established regarding sexual misconduct of COGIC clergy and laymembers for disciplinary purposes. The ordinances of the church are water baptism by immersion, the Lord's Supper and foot washing. 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. The Voice of Missions a bimonthly magazine, John Seth Bailey#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Michigan Southwest Jurisdiction; pastor, Bailey Cathedral, Detroit, MI, Elmer Elijah Cleveland#, jurisdictional bishop, Northern California Jurisdiction, pastor, Ephesians, Oakland, CA, Bishop David Willard Grayson, Sr#, Jurisdictional Bishop of Maine, Founding Jurisdictional Bishop of Eastern New York Fourth, David Daniels, educator, professor, auxiliary bishop, James Logan Delk#, politician, pastor, First, Hopkinsville, KY, James Louis Felton, auxiliary bishop, pastor, Mount Airy, Philadelphia, PA, James Neaul Haynes#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Texas Northeast First Jurisdiction; pastor, Saintsville, Dallas, TX, Roderick Hennings, author, auxiliary bishop, pastor, Zion Dominion Global Ministries, Amherst, NY, William Morgan James#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Ohio North First Jurisdiction, pastor, St. James, Toledo, OH and James Temple, Cincinnati, OH, Orzo Thurston Jones Jr.#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Jurisdiction; pastor, Holy Temple, Philadelphia, PA, Otha Miema Kelly#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Eastern New York First Jurisdiction; pastor, Kelly Temple, Harlem, NY, Otis Lockett#, church planter, jurisdictional bishop, North Carolina Second Jurisdiction, pastor, Evangel Word Fellowship, Greensboro, NC, George Dallas McKinney#, scholar, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Southern California Second Jurisdiction; pastor, St. Stephen's Cathedral, San Diego, CA, S.E. Jesse Jackson was invited to speak during the COGIC International Holy Convocation when he was running for the presidency. Patterson Sr. in 1989. Mason. March 22, 2021. Salvation is an operation of the Holy Spirit upon sinners brought about by repentance toward God, which brings about conversion, faith, justification, and regeneration. In 1988, he was installed as Pastor of Greater Emmanuel Church. She formed her daughters into a singing group who became known as the legendary "Clark Sisters" who helped introduce and became leaders of the contemporary gospel music era. 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. The result of sin is the depravity of man, broken communion with God, shame and guilt, and physical and spiritual death. Mother Lillian Coffey appointed Mother Reatha Herndon as president of the National Women's Evangelist Board in 1951. Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., Presiding Bishop Emeritus of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the largest Black Christian denomination in the country with a membership of 6.5 million, and an international statesman and humanitarian, has been named to the National Advisory Panel of The PuLSE Institute (Institute for Public Leadership and Social Equity), [6], In June 1896, Jones held a Holiness convention at Mt. [27], Bishop James Oglethorpe Patterson Sr. was elected in November 1968 as the first presiding bishop of the church by the General Assembly at the Sixty-First Holy Convocation of the church. Pastor Dennis Martin and Superintendent Willie James Campbell succeeded Bishop White as presidents. He served faithfully as an Ordained Deacon, the Sunday School Superintendent and the Guitarist. He accepted his call into the ministry in 1956. B. McEwen, Bishop J. S. Bailey, and Bishop O. M. Kelly as his assistants. 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. 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 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. 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). Chairman of the National Board of Trustees Bishop Dwight E. Walls Sr.. First Vice Chairman of the National Board of Trustees Superintendent Melton Timmons. From 1985 to 2009, he maintained the position of Prelate for the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of California, where he was responsible for overseeing over 250 churches. The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and is part of a consortium of the Interdenominational Theological Center. 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. She began women's work on the state level and appointed the first state mothers.