His pastor and mentor was Bishop F. D. Washington of Brooklyn, NY. In a November 2007 special election, he was elected to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor as Presiding Bishop. BISHOP CHARLES E. BLAKE, SR. - Church Of God In 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. [58], Her successor, Lillian Brooks Coffey (19451964) was the organizer of the Women's International Convention to support the work of foreign missionaries. It has nine members, elected by the general assembly, including three bishops, three elders, and three lay members. The first general secretary of COGIC was Elder William B. Holt, a white minister. On May 19, 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. [29] COGIC continued to grow and in 1973, the church claimed a worldwide membership of nearly three million. [11] In 2016, Bishop Blake was appointed as the Co-Chairperson to the leadership council of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America. Green. 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. Nigeria alone has 19 bishops and more than 2000 churches. 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. It was reopened in the early 1990s under the administration of Bishop L.H. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Bishop Nate' M. Jefferson. 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]. Church of God in Christ names Detroit's Bishop J. Drew Sheard new In 2015, after more than 40 years of faithful service, Bishop Carlis L. Moody was emeritized as Bishop of Missions. He is known to many as being an eloquent, compassionate and practical leader, as well as a humanitarian and an advocate with a God-given gift for ministering to the whole man. The presiding bishop chairs the biennial Church-wide Assembly and provides for the preparation of agendas for the assembly, the Church Council and its executive . 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. Male as well as female evangelists were instrumental in spreading COGIC throughout the United States as well as around the world. 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. Dr. Valerie Daniels Carter, entrepreneur, Jurisdictional Supervisor, Dr. Dorinda Clark Cole, International Elect Lady of Evangelism Dept., international evangelist. CN Morning Rundown: Watch COGIC Installation, Consecration of Bishops [36], In 2022, it was present in 112 countries in 2022. As the church continued to grow, she created women auxiliaries including the Purity Class and the Sunshine Band. Bishop Darrell L. Hines Board member (2016present). For a brief period of time, the YPWW Congress was combined with the Sunday School Congress in a joint convention until 1951. 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. As a Pentecostal church, COGIC teaches that when one is baptized in the Holy Spirit, the believer will experience an initial evidence of speaking in tongues (glossolalia) by the will of God. COGIC believes "that if such a case arises, the mother should pray and seek the wisdom and guidance of God and the Holy Spirit on whether or not they should resort to emergency abortion if it is necessary to save her life," but if not, the Church traditionally encourages expecting mothers to "seek God's guidance for other options and choices regarding their unborn child so that they do not have to choose aborting it, and can safely go through with their pregnancy until childbirth. In 1927, the call was made for workers to go to serve the Lord in foreign lands. Religious Figure, former Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the fourth largest Protestant denominaton in the world. He has also been awarded the Salvation Army's William Booth Award, the Greenlining Institute's Big Heart Award, and was the designated recipient of the L.A. Urban League's Whitney M. Young Award for the year 2000. 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. Some of these African-American Baptist pastors in local Southern areas such as Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas considered Jones and Mason to be controversial. When the COGIC was first founded by Bishop Mason in the 1910s, he wanted the denomination to have ecumenical relationships with other predominantly Black Methodist and Baptist churches, but many of them were unwilling to do so at the time because of Mason's controversial history with being expelled from his former Baptist ministry associations and churches in Mississippi for preaching sanctification and Pentecostalism. COGIC also teaches that all the spiritual gifts are for believers today. From the very beginning of gospel music, COGIC members have influenced its rise. The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a HolinessPentecostal Christian denomination,[2][4] and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Church of God in Christ announced it has elected a new Presiding Bishop to lead the organization. [1] [2] Early life [ edit] The YPWW department began in 1928 with the convening of its first Youth Congress. However, the General Assembly vested authority in the executive board composed of the seven bishops selected by Bishop Mason before his death. When she died in 1945, she had laid an impressive foundation for the women's ministry in COGIC. B. McEwen, Bishop J. S. Bailey, and Bishop O. M. Kelly as his assistants. 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. He was officially installed as the senior pastor of the church the following year in 1970. COGIC has always been traditionally anti-abortion. He was pastor of the Pentecostal Temple Institutional COGIC in Memphis, Tennessee, and was the Presiding Prelate of the Tennessee Headquarters Jurisdiction. COGIC believes in divine healing, however, it does not advocate the exclusion of medical supervision. B. McEwen was elected chairman of the executive board, and O.T. However, he said in his remarks that he did not want to use the word "retirement" as he said, "he would still be worshiping and fellowshiping with the saints of God in worship services, and that he would still be around for anyone who needs pastoral and fatherly counseling, prayer, and mentorship,"but added that he would no longer be carrying out his official duties as senior pastor of the church, and that he would "continue to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and serve the ministries of West Angeles however the Lord leads me and however you all may need me as the Lord sees fit and allows me to live on, so consider myself as semi-retired."[sic]. 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). He was one of the nine members of the strategy committee that organized the sanitation strike in Memphis. Founder 1907-1961* Senior Bishop & Chief Apostle Charles Harrison Mason: . Church of God in Christ Elects J. Drew Sheard as New Presiding Bishop He was able to bridge denominational barriers and encourage non-COGIC ministries to work collboratively with the COGIC denomination. Mother Rivers also began the "49 and Under" to enlist and focus the younger women of COGIC to remain committed to the doctrine and teachings of the church. Mason. At the start of the new millennium, then COGIC presiding Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson, continued to support the advancement of civil rights. Secretary of the National Board of Trustees Dr. T. Lynn Smith. He was elected four times uncontested as presiding bishop. 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. All rights reserved. Patterson, who became presiding bishop in 2000 at the age of 60. Jesse Jackson was invited to speak during the COGIC International Holy Convocation when he was running for the presidency. Chandler David Owens Sr. - Wikipedia [31], Bishop Ford also renovated several COGIC structures in Memphis, including Mason Temple. President, International Youth Department Superintendent Nathaniel Green. It is one of the largest gathering of Christian women from any major denomination and religious organization. In her brief tenure, she encouraged the women to stay focused and supportive to the leadership of the church. Lizzie Woods Robinson (19111945) was the first "General Mother" of the church. ", 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". [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. He was succeeded by Bishop Joe L. Ealy. 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. He led a group of students to participate in the March on Selma. Their pastor was then elder Gilbert Earl Patterson, who also became a COGIC Presiding Bishop, at Holy Temple COGIC in Memphis, Tennessee. [50], In July 2016 during their annual Auxiliaries in Ministries convention, COGIC announced their Urban Initiative Outreach ministries and Missions and Charity departments would be partnering up with The Human Coalition, an anti-abortion advocacy group, from 2016 to 2019 for a three-year initiative to encourage COGIC pastors and ministers to encourage anti-abortion advocacy in their local churches. Mother Jennie Bell Dancy Jones of Arkansas became the first National Field Representative under Bishop Patrick. Co Directors of the Men's Department Bishop Michael B. 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. It was destroyed by fire in 1936. 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. 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. 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. [29], Bishop Louis Henry Ford of Chicago, Illinois, was elected after the death of J.O. The denomination considers these to be inconsistent with COGIC doctrine and teaching. Assistant Elect Lady, COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Lee E.Van Zandt. Pastor Dennis Martin and Superintendent Willie James Campbell succeeded Bishop White as presidents. Vice Chairman of the Board of Bishops Bishop Roger L. Jones. 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. Bishop Sedgwick Daniels Board member (2008present). 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. Bishop Carter came into holiness in 1952 at the Jones Avenue Church of God in Christ, under the leadership of the late Bishop George Briley. After the death of Mother McGlothen, Mother Emma F. Crouch (19941997) of Dallas, Texas, served as the fifth General Supervisor. In 1988, he was installed as Pastor of Greater Emmanuel Church. In addition to the general board, there is a board of bishops that is composed of all jurisdictional and auxiliary bishops, a national trustee board that is composed of 15 members who are elected for a term of four years, the General Council of Pastors and Elders, which is open to any officially recognized pastor and current credentialed ordained elder in the church. Salvation is an operation of the Holy Spirit upon sinners brought about by repentance toward God, which brings about conversion, faith, justification, and regeneration. There seemed no prospect of an integrated Pentecostal movement under the leadership of an African-American such as C. H. The pair modeled the pastor and wife ministry team in COGIC. Mason was influenced by the testimony of the African-American Methodist evangelist Amanda Berry Smith, one of the most widely respected African-American holiness evangelists of the nineteenth century. Secretary of the National Judiciary Board Attorney Peter Davis. Field representative, International Sunday School Department Mother Cleolia Penix. 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. As public education was segregated and underfunded by white officials in the South through most of the tenure of the first major leader, this school became a destination for parents wanting their children to have high-quality education. Of special note is Evangelist Reatha Herndon who served as the International Elect Lady of the Department of Evangelism from 1951 to 2001. The then"Minister & Sister Carter" established and . The Church of God in Christ is the fifth largest Protestant religious denomination in the United States, the largest Pentecostal church in the country and the second largest Pentecostal organization in the world with churches in 60 countries worldwide and an estimated membership of nearly 6.5 million members. 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). 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. During the 1950s and 60s, during the height of the civil rights movement, COGIC ministers and congregations played host to many significant events. In 1982 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in . [44], COGIC teaches that salvation is the work of redemption to the sinner and his restoration to divine favor and communion with God. They are fallen angels who joined Satan in his failed attempt to usurp power in Heaven. General Secretary Bishop Joel H. Lyles Jr.. Chairman of the General Assembly Bishop Lemuel F. Thuston. In 1964 however, disagreement between the authority of the Senior Bishop and the executive board, led by Bishop A. These jurisdictions are then separated into districts, which consist of 5 to 7 churches and are governed by superintendents (ordained elder or pastor).

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