Bishop Jones was the only living bishop of the five original bishops consecrated by Bishop Mason. 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. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 6.5 million members in the United States. If you have any further questions, please contact Executive Secretary Sidney A. Buggs. C. P. Jones and those Holiness leaders who did not embrace the Azusa Revival experience continued as Holiness churches. 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. According to the Church of God in Christ's official website, the role of the General Board, comprised of 12 bishops, is to establish and execute policies for the COGIC membership, as well as . 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. Southern California Second Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. He also established the COGIC national headquarters there. The current Presiding Bishop is Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr., who is the Senior Pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ of Detroit, Michigan. He was able to bridge denominational barriers and encourage non-COGIC ministries to work collboratively with the COGIC denomination. Divorce is considered inconsistent with biblical teachings and highly discouraged as well. The school and college remain closed at present.[29]. Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr., who had previously been elected to the General Board in 2012 and 2016, was reelected to the General Board and subsequently elected as the current Presiding Bishop on March 20, 2021, in the first-ever virtual online election for the denomination. They rejected denominational names such as Baptist, Methodist, or Episcopal. 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]. Bishop Blake led the COGIC to become a greater global ministry, primarily in Africa and Latin America, while at the same time investing in the inner cities where many COGIC congregations are located. 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. Washington, Bishop Chandler D. Owens, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, and Bishop J. The Office of the Jurisdictional Secretary is responsible for maintaining accurate and detailed records of administrative, ecclesiastical, and civil operations of the Michigan Southwest Third Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. She also established a musical program. All officers are elected by the General Assembly. [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. Desiring to learn more about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, C. H. Mason, J. Factions developed within the organization as both the senior bishop and Bishop A. It is one of the largest gathering of Christian women from any major denomination and religious organization. During the 1940s and 50s, Bishop Mason often invited the white elected officials of the city of Memphis to the International Holy Convocation on Civic Night. Each department convened its own convention in various cities through 1975. The location for General Assembly will be announced, as Mason Temple is currently under construction. (Young People Willing Workers), and Missions and Evangelism. Ford, as Saints' Academy, a private co-educational grade school. 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. Music Dept. She began women's work on the state level and appointed the first state mothers. Secretary of the National Judiciary Board Attorney Peter Davis. Originally, this gathering of the 'Saints' lasted for twenty days, from November 25 to December 14. We hope you enjoy learning more about the Church leadership and the important role they have in leading God's people. Dr. Roy L.H. In 1982, Patterson led COGIC in its Diamond Jubilee, in a celebration of the International Holy Convocation. Assistant Elect Lady, COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Lee E.Van Zandt. Welcome to the home page of the General Board of the Church Of God In Christ, Inc. They disagreed in having an electoral process to select the presiding bishop.[28]. COGIC believes in divine healing, however, it does not advocate the exclusion of medical supervision. President, International Music Department Dr. Myron Williams, General Assembly and Call Meeting (April) Memphis, General Council of Pastors and Elders (May), International Women's Crusade and Convention (May), Auxiliaries in Ministry (AIM) Conference (July), Bishop Mason's Birthday/Founder's Celebration (September), International Holy Convocation and General Assembly (November), Mother Lizzie Woods Robinson first general supervisor (19111945), Mother Lillian Brooks Coffey second general supervisor and founding president of the Women's International Convention (19461964), Mother Annie L. Bailey third general supervisor (19641975), Mother Mattie McGlothen fourth general supervisor (19751994), Mother Emma F. Crouch fifth general supervisor (19941997), Mother Willie Mae Rivers sixth general supervisor (19972017), Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis seventh general supervisor (2017present), Evangelist Emily Bram Bibby#, longest-serving national female evangelist, Missionary Pearl Paige Brown#, foreign missionary. She established a high school and gained accreditation for it, and then for the junior college which she founded on campus. He became nationally recognized in 1955 for officiating at the funeral of 15-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. Winbush was selected to serve as the first chairman. 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. We believe in the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling a Christian is enabled to live a holy and separated life in the present world. They were given the authority through a "gentlemen's agreement" to license ministers and establish churches under the COGIC name. 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. Mason Temple, a flagship of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), was a monumental achievement, becoming upon its completion in 1945 the largest gathering place in Memphis as well as the largest church owned and operated by African Americans in the United States. He is credited with helping to secure the steel needed to construct Mason Temple which was virtually impossible during World War II.[52]. As a result, the general board exercises great authority over the church. Login ::: Church Of God In Christ ARC Portal ::: Log-in to your ARC account. President, International Department of Missions Bishop Vincent Matthews Jr.. 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. Bishop Mason appointed her as a young woman to be head of the small school in 1926, after she had been teaching there. Also send a copy to the General Secretary Bishop Lyle. Rev. The early pioneers of this newly formed Holiness-Pentecostal body in 1907 were E. R. Driver, J. Bowe, R. R. Booker, R. E. Hart, W. Welsh, A. Malcolm X's Funeral was held in Harlem, New York City at Faith Temple Church Of God in Christ. Herndon and her twin sister Leatha were pioneers of the evangelistic work of the Church of God in Christ. Her life story led many African-Americans into the Holiness movement, including Mason. 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. 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. [26], The parties filed lawsuits in the Chancery Court of Shelby County, Tennessee, to resolve the legitimate authority of the denomination. The YPWW department began in 1928 with the convening of its first Youth Congress. In keeping with the times, the school had some industrial education and training for its students, so that they could learn practical skills. The General Board received a summation of the actions of the National Board of Trustees and updates on national properties since November 2018. The general secretary, general treasurer, and financial secretary terms run concurrent with the current presidential administration that is elected every four years.[20]. Macklin was selected as the first chairman. [47], COGIC teaches that the church is the community of Christian believers who have accepted Jesus Christ and submit to his Lordship and authority in their lives. It was reopened in the early 1990s under the administration of Bishop L.H. 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. 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. The Board was updated on a proposed budget modification to cover outstanding obligations from the previous fiscal year. Bishop Carlis Moody immediately began to reorganize the Missions Department, giving new guidelines. The first general secretary of COGIC was Elder William B. Holt, a white minister. [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. 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]. The constitutional convention drafted and approved a new constitution which dissolved both the office of the Senior Bishop and the executive board; it also established the General Assembly, which meets biannually, as the supreme authority over the church to decide matters of faith and practice. 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". The Presiding Bishop is the both the President and the CEO of the corporation, the other eleven members complete the Board of Directors. He established COGIC Charities which has provided thousands of dollars in college scholarships and disaster relief efforts such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. [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. Chairman of the Board of Bishops Bishop Albert Galbraith. Today thousands of COGIC women when ministering the gospel or serving in official capacities are seen in their civic (black) or ceremonial (white) habits. Hall Sr. Board member (2021present). We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible written Word of God. 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". In 1946, the National Sunday School Congress began to meet with the Young People's Willing Workers (YPWW) Congress. 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. 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. The Department of Evangelism was officially organized on a national level by Overseer L.C. Education was considered key to advancement of the race. He was a strong advocate for social justice. The COGIC has always had a long history with Christian ecumenism, partnering up with and collaborating with other Christian churches and denominations for the purposes of advancing ministry and charity efforts, both in the United States, and globally in foreign countries as well. 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. She established new auxiliaries including the International Hospitality Unit, the Educational and Bishop's Wives Scholarship funds, WE-12 and Lavender Ladies. 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. Mason. Organized in the South and having a predominately African-American membership, COGIC has had a long history in advancing civil rights. 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. Complete biographical information will be added to this page soon. This seasonal period was selected because most of the COGIC members were farmers and were finished harvesting their crops around this time. Timothy Wright, Myrna Summers, Rev. [5] Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African-American membership based within the United States. In 2014, at the COGIC International Holy Convocation held in St. Louis, Missouri, COGIC minister Elder Earl Carter was selected by the General Board to be the keynote speaker for Saturday night. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Supervisor Faye M. Butler. The Church of God in Christ ecclesiastical structure is an episcopal-presbyterian form of government. 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. [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. [31], Bishop Ford also renovated several COGIC structures in Memphis, including Mason Temple. Field representative, International Sunday School Department Mother Cleolia Penix. The General Secretary. B. McEwen, came to a head and was addressed at the 57th Holy Convocation. 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. 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. This system HAS BEEN LICENSED FOR USE BY the General Secretary's and Financial Secretary's Offices of the Church Of God In Christ. COGIC teaches that because God uses conception through and after sexual reproduction and intercourse to create human life, that willfully aborting a human fetus is contrary to God's Word and Christian ethics, and it is considered to be a sin against God and the Bible within the denomination.
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