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. 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. Drew Sheard who was elected in 2021. The current chairman of AIM is Bishop Linwood E. Dillard of Memphis, TN.[62]. 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. Robinson was a staunch advocate for holiness and taught strict guidelines for the women with regard to dress and worldliness. Her life story led many African-Americans into the Holiness movement, including Mason. Mother Willie Mae Rivers (19972017) of Goose Creek, South Carolina, succeeded Mother Crouch. Dr. Mattie McGlothen (19751994) the fourth General Supervisor, was a tremendous organizer with great impact on the development of the Women's Department. Jones Sr. was elected Senior Bishop by the General Assembly. 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. Hall Sr. Board member (2021present). He led a group of students to participate in the March on Selma. After the death of Mother McGlothen, Mother Emma F. Crouch (19941997) of Dallas, Texas, served as the fifth General Supervisor. During his administration, Battles organized Regions to oversee evangelistic ministry in various regional areas across the country. 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. It has had rapid growth in many regions as one of the fastest-growing and largest religious groups in the United States.[30]. General Secretary Bishop Joel H. Lyles Jr.. Chairman of the General Assembly Bishop Lemuel F. Thuston. Assistant Elect Lady, COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Lee E.Van Zandt. (Young People Willing Workers), and Missions and Evangelism. Another body operating under the same name Church of God in Christ, International, split and organized in the Northeast area under Bishop R. T. Jones of Philadelphia and later Bishop C. E. Williams Sr. of Brooklyn, New York. 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. 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. Patterson in March 2007. Mother Willie Mae Rivers served faithfully for 20 years as General Mother until 2017 and the age of 91. The current International Sunday School Superintendent is Superintendent Mark Ellis of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the International Field Representative is Mother Cleolia Penix of Chicago, Illinois.[29]. [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. Drew Sheard is a former public-school teacher. As a result, many local congregations, foreign missions, and schools were established through the leadership and efforts of women in COGIC. 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. 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. Here are the other 11 members elected to COGIC's general board, its highest executive board: Bishop Prince Bryant Sr., pastor of The Island of Hope Church of God in Christ and Buck Street Memorial . 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. Presiding Bishop J. [11] In 2016, Bishop Blake was appointed as the Co-Chairperson to the leadership council of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America. Mason Theological Seminary to train its ministers and ministry leaders. COGIC Bishop Alvin A. Childs of the Faith Temple Church of God in Christ (later renamed Child's Memorial in his honor) was the clergyman who finally opened his doors. 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. 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. The first youth leader on a national level was Elder M.C. Among those who died after reportedly contracting the virus were: First Assistant Presiding Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, a preacher, and leader from Detroit who was No. 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. This seasonal period was selected because most of the COGIC members were farmers and were finished harvesting their crops around this time. Factions developed within the organization as both the senior bishop and Bishop A. Young, James Brewer, Daniel Spearman, and J. H. Boone. The denomination teaches that God gives life to human beings, biologically and spiritually, through the moment of conception in the womb of the mother, using Jeremiah 1:5, Genesis 1:2627, and Psalms 139:1316 as their scriptural basis for this belief. 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. As a classical Holiness Pentecostal denomination,[2][4] COGIC continues to embrace its holiness heritage, teaching modesty in dress, appearance, moderate participation in secular entertainment and prohibitions against profanity, alcohol, substance abuse and immoral behavior. The Church of God in Christ ecclesiastical structure is an episcopal-presbyterian form of government. William B. Holt was appointed as General Superintendent. Jurisdictions are set up similar to the national church in terms of composition, polity, and procedure. All officers are elected by the General Assembly. Patterson appointed Dr. Edward Lee Battles President of the Department of Evangelism. Under her leadership, the Women's International Convention added the term "and Crusade" to highlight and promote the evangelistic approach of the convention. 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. " Save Africa's Children, a program of PACF, currently provides support to over 220 charity missions and orphanages throughout sub-Saharan Africa. 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. President, International Department of Evangelism Evangelist Gary Sprewell, Elect Lady, International Department of Evangelism . It was reopened in the early 1990s under the administration of Bishop L.H. It is a separate and distinct work of grace that occurs in the lives of believers after conversion. The international membership of COGIC is estimated be between one and three million adherents. In April 2018, Bishop Blake led COGIC in partnership with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis to continue to struggle for civil rights in the 21st Century. However, the General Assembly vested authority in the executive board composed of the seven bishops selected by Bishop Mason before his death. These events include physical death, the intermediate state, bodily resurrection, the Second Coming of Christ, the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, the Millennial Reign, the Final Judgment, the future of the wicked in hell, and life for the redeemed in heaven.[48]. 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. In 1927, the call was made for workers to go to serve the Lord in foreign lands. Blake, Sr. and the late Evangelist Lula M. Blake. 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. 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. Mrs. Anna Broy Crockett Ford was the first organizer and director of the National Music Department, which was formally established in November 1949. 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. The denomination considers these to be inconsistent with COGIC doctrine and teaching. 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. 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. Vice Chairman of the National Judiciary Board Bishop Enoch Perry. As COGIC continued to grow, the various departments began the practice of convening annually to conduct the business unique of their ministries. He was elected as the denomination's leader on March 27, 2021. Bishop Sedgwick Daniels Board member (2008present). COGIC became a major force in the collective Black Church and worldwide Pentecostal movement. [4] He was reelected to a third term as Presiding Bishop on November 15, 2016. From 1985 until 2009, he was the Jurisdictional Prelate of the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Southern California, overseeing more than 250 churches that compose the jurisdiction. [19], Mason continued to travel across the nation preaching and establishing COGIC churches. Charles Blake was born on August 5, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the late Bishop Junious Augustus (J. Organized in the South and having a predominately African-American membership, COGIC has had a long history in advancing civil rights. After being removed from the office of Senior Bishop, he remained the Jurisdictional Bishop of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until his death in 1972. In 1924, the Sunday School was formally organized under "Father" F. C. Christmas (19161944). 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. Pastor Dennis Martin and Superintendent Willie James Campbell succeeded Bishop White as presidents. "[92], Elder Carter was attempting to address members of COGIC as to sexual misconduct, and specifically, homosexual practices. Between 2009 and 2011, in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, Blake founded and was the first president of the Pan African Children's Fund (PACF). Presiding Bishop J. 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. [35], In 2016, the Church had 5.5 million members in 60 countries around the world. He was one of the nine members of the strategy committee that organized the sanitation strike in Memphis. Finding two groups of women in the church, one group praying known as the Prayer Band, the other group studying and teaching the Word known as the Bible Band, she combined the two under the name of the Prayer and Bible Band. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Bishop Glenn Plummer. The pair modeled the pastor and wife ministry team in COGIC. Chairman of AIM Bishop Linwood Dillard. We believe that the regeneration by the Holy Ghost is absolutely essential for personal salvation. In 2000 at the Ninety-Third International Holy Convocation, the COGIC General Assembly elected Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson to replace Owens as Presiding Bishop. In 1946, the National Sunday School Congress began to meet with the Young People's Willing Workers (YPWW) Congress. 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. All rights reserved. Vice Chairman of the Board of Bishops Bishop Roger L. Jones. [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. [61] Finally, she changed the visible presence of women in ministry with the introduction of the ministry "habit". The school and college remain closed at present.[29]. Washington, Bishop Chandler D. Owens, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, and Bishop J. 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. [96][97][98][99], This article is about the Holiness Pentecostal denomination. 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. They are fallen angels who joined Satan in his failed attempt to usurp power in Heaven. He was a lifelong member of the. For a brief period of time, the YPWW Congress was combined with the Sunday School Congress in a joint convention until 1951. Secretary of the National Judiciary Board Attorney Peter Davis. Church mothers have historically served as the leader of the women's ministries in the local congregations. 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. He re-ignited the church to be a flagship Pentecostal denomination. 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. The church declares to be evangelical in ministry, fundamental in doctrine and practice and Pentecostal in worship and expression. There seemed no prospect of an integrated Pentecostal movement under the leadership of an African-American such as C. H. A. Blackwell, E. M. Blackwell, E. M. Page, R. H. I. Clark, D. J. His ministry spanned more than seven decades. There are more than 200 ecclesiastical jurisdictions around the world, with 170 in the United States. 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.