former presiding bishops of cogic former presiding bishops of cogic

Then in 1946, the YPWW Department was combined with the Sunday School Department for joint conventions until 1951 when they were separated once again. C. P. Jones was elected the General Overseer, C. H. Mason was selected as Overseer of Tennessee, and J. 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. [20], In 1926, Mason authorized the church's constitution, outlining the bylaws, rules, and regulations of the church. 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. [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. The legislative authority of the church is vested in a general assembly, composed of the members of the general board, jurisdictional/auxiliary bishops, jurisdictional supervisors, chaplains, pastors, ordained elders, four district missionaries and six lay members from each jurisdiction. Chairman of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Superintendent Michael Eaddy. Assistant Financial Secretary Bishop David A. Sanders. [11] In 2016, Bishop Blake was appointed as the Co-Chairperson to the leadership council of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America. Salvation is an operation of the Holy Spirit upon sinners brought about by repentance toward God, which brings about conversion, faith, justification, and regeneration. Lizzie Woods Robinson (19111945) was the first "General Mother" of the church. In 1976, under the leadership of Bishop J.O. 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. (Young People Willing Workers), and Missions and Evangelism. They have three children and eight grandchildren. In 1946, the National Sunday School Congress began to meet with the Young People's Willing Workers (YPWW) Congress. COGIC policies and bylaws have also been established regarding sexual misconduct of COGIC clergy and laymembers for disciplinary purposes. The former Detroit-based math teacher was elected as the new presiding bishop over the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country in March. She also established a musical program. Winbush General Board Member Jurisdictional prelate", Atonement: COGIC Leader Slams "Disrespectful" Preacher & Apologizes To 'I'm Not Gay No More' Guy | AlwaysAList.com, Bishop Blake Condemns 'Bad Preacher'; Apologizes to 'I Don't Like Mens No More' Guy, "COGIC's Bishop Charles Blake Wins Defamation Lawsuit Against Minister Earl Carter", "Man Who Attacked COGIC Bishop Charles Blake Jailed", "Dr. Earl Carter Responses to Bishop Blake Apology", "A Letter to the Members of the Church of God in Christ, Inc", Succession of Church of God in Christ Leaders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Church_of_God_in_Christ&oldid=1141739755, Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. presiding bishop, Bishop J. S. Bailey first assistant presiding bishop, Bishop S. M. Crouch second assistant presiding bishop. A.) World headquarters are in Memphis, Tennessee at Mason Temple. Remarriage is usually highly discouraged, except in the case of the death of a spouse or former spouse. [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. 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. As a visionary who is both inspiring and influential, the awards and recognitions that Bishop Blake has received are extensive. Today however, many church mothers have been reserved to titular positions as many pastor's wives have assumed the role of leader of women's ministries in local congregations. [6], In June 1896, Jones held a Holiness convention at Mt. There was the creation of the Sunday School Field Representative. Sin originated in eternity when Satan committed open rebellion against God in heaven. For the Anabaptist denomination, see, The official seal of the COGIC features a sheaf of wheat representing the members of the COGIC. A. Blackwell, E. M. Blackwell, E. M. Page, R. H. I. Clark, D. J. COGIC considers any physical, sexual relationship outside of the sanctity of marriage to be outside of the sovereign will of God and unbiblical. 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. Winbush was selected to serve as the first chairman. Charles Edward Blake Sr. (born August 5, 1940) is an American minister and pastor who served as the Presiding Bishop and leader of the Church of God in Christ, a 6 million-member Holiness Pentecostal denomination, that has now grown to become one of the largest predominantly African American Pentecostal denominations in the United States, from 2007 to 2021. In a November 2007 special election, he was elected to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor as Presiding Bishop. Today COGIC operates the All Saints Bible College in Memphis, the C. H. Mason system of bible colleges, and the C. H. Mason Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. The church has more than 3,000 churches in Asia, and 2,000 churches in the Caribbean and South America. B. McEwen was elected chairman of the executive board, and O.T. 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. Chairman of the Board of Bishops Bishop Albert Galbraith. Mother Lillian Coffey appointed Mother Reatha Herndon as president of the National Women's Evangelist Board in 1951. 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. It had a membership of more than 400,000, who supported more than 4,000 churches. "[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. G iving to the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) fell by nearly 50 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have two children, Kierra Kelly and John Drew Sheard, II, one son-in-love, Jordan Kelly, and two grandchildren. The Department of Evangelism was officially organized on a national level by Overseer L.C. President, International Youth Department Superintendent Nathaniel Green. [35], In 2016, the Church had 5.5 million members in 60 countries around the world. Adjutant General Bishop Dickerson L. S. Wells Sr.. General Supervisor, Department of Women Mother Barbara McCoo Lewis. Herndon and her twin sister Leatha were pioneers of the evangelistic work of the Church of God in Christ. Recognizing the significance of women to the ministry, COGIC has created numerous positions that allow women to work as counterparts to the department presidents as chair ladies (YPWW) and Elect ladies (Evangelism). Drew Sheard is a former public-school teacher. Bishop Patterson was the second youngest person to ever be elected Presiding Bishop of COGIC at the age 60 in 2000, second to his uncle, Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. who was 56 when he was elected Presiding Bishop in 1968. His dream was to establish an international ministry complex known as "Saints Center" and an accredited institution known as "All Saints University". The court ordered the church to convene a constitutional convention in February 1968. Mitchell#, national evangelist, pastor, St. Andrew, Denton, TX, Carlis L. Moody#, foreign missionary, jurisdictional bishop emeritus, Germany Jurisdiction; pastor, Faith Temple, Evanston, IL, Eugene Franklin Rivers, political activist, pastor, Azusa Christian Community, Boston, MA, William Roberts#, jurisdictional bishop, Illinois First Jurisdiction, pastor, Robert's Temple, Chicago, IL, John Drew Sheard, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Michigan North Central Jurisdiction; pastor, Greater Emmanuel Institutional, Detroit, MI, Nathan Simmons#, national evangelist, pastor, Citadel of Hope Evangelistic, Atlanta, GA, Robert James Ward#, jurisdictional bishop, Eastern Missouri First Jurisdiction; pastor, Historic Kennerly Temple, St. Louis, MO, Wyoming Wells#, jurisdictional bishop, Greater North Carolina Jurisdiction; pastor, Well's Memorial, Greensboro, NC; Well's Chapel, Greenville, NC, Frank Otha White#, General Board Member, Jurisdictional Bishop, New York Eastern Third Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction; Pastor, Zion Cathedral, Freeport, NY, David Lawrence Williams Sr.#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Virginia Second Jurisdiction; pastor, Mason Memorial, Norfolk, VA, Levi Edgar Willis#, radio and television personality, jurisdictional bishop, Virginia Third Jurisdiction; pastor, Garden of Prayer Temple, Norfolk, VA, Roy Lawrence Hailey Winbush#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Louisiana First Jurisdiction; pastor, Gethsemane, Lafayette, LA, Bishop Richard Mr. 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". Clinton is the only US president to have addressed a COGIC convocation at Mason Temple. Deaconess Missionaries serve and assist in the ceremonial and temporal affairs of the local church. Mason Theological Seminary to train its ministers and ministry leaders. Church Of God In Christ, Inc. 2015-23. Bishop Sheard is a former mathematics teacher and . On October 23, 2020, Bishop Blake announced that he will not seek re-election as Presiding Bishop nor as a member of the General Board. In 1917, the YPWW was officially organized under the leadership of Elder Ozro Thurston Jones Sr., who in 1928 established the first Youth Congress bringing together youth leaders and workers on a national level. [29] She is also the Jurisdictional Supervisor of Women for the South Carolina Jurisdiction. 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. [25], Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones Sr. was pastor of the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia and the Jurisdictional Bishop of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Jurisdiction. [63] The current president of the Department of Evangelism is Bishop Elijah Hankerson III of St. Louis, Missouri. 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. [44], COGIC teaches that salvation is the work of redemption to the sinner and his restoration to divine favor and communion with God. [12] On November 15, 2016, Bishop Blake was reelected as the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ during the 2016 COGIC Election held by the COGIC General Assembly to a third four-year term. There is one God eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Church of God in Christ announced it has elected a new Presiding Bishop to lead the organization. Military chaplains have also been instrumental in spreading COGIC through military installations. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. During World War I, the FBI opened a file on Bishop Mason and conducted surveillance on him because of his pacifism during the war. Elder Carter called for a Church trial before the COGIC General Assembly and Judicial Board according to the Constitution of the COGIC. 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. He continued to build on the department through expansion of the Regional Administration into 10 geographical locations across the country. . Chairlady, International Youth Department Evangelist Vandalyn Kennedy. He accepted his call into the ministry in 1956. As previously stated, COGIC although predominately black, had a significant white membership during its first decade of existence, with a number of white ministers holding leadership positions in the church. He has one older brother, J. The result of sin is the depravity of man, broken communion with God, shame and guilt, and physical and spiritual death. On June 5, 1951, he selected Bishop A. In 1996, the then Elder J. The presiding bishop is part of a general board, consisting of eleven other bishops elected by a general assembly consisting of pastors, elders, chaplains, bishops, missionaries, supervisors, and designated lay delegates. They rejected denominational names such as Baptist, Methodist, or Episcopal. COGIC believes in divine healing, however, it does not advocate the exclusion of medical supervision. A new constitution and official manual of the church were completed in 1973. 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. He is an example of servant leadership and has become a voice to the nations to uphold the standards of holiness. Carter currently posts material on YouTube and Facebook reporting alleged misconduct and impropriety within current leadership of COGIC and other Christian (mainly African-American) denominations. They unanimously chose C.H. Rev. General Treasurer Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Patterson Sr.. Financial Secretary Bishop Frank A. 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 . In 1982, he was selected by Ebony magazine as one of the 15 "Greatest Preachers in America". He was a strong advocate for social justice. Church mothers have historically served as the leader of the women's ministries in the local congregations. After graduating from high school, he matriculated to Wayne State. Originally, this gathering of the 'Saints' lasted for twenty days, from November 25 to December 14. Church Of God In Christ, Inc. 2015-23. [29] Former International Music Department President Professor Iris Stevenson-McCullough (originally from Rochester, NY) is a major influence in the gospel music industry around the world. Mother Willie Mae Rivers served faithfully for 20 years as General Mother until 2017 and the age of 91. These auxiliaries are found in nearly every church, district, and jurisdiction within COGIC and function to support the holistic approach that COGIC has toward ministry within the church and the larger community that COGIC congregations serve. Mason. He self-identifies as Bishop/CEO of his newly organized fellowship called the 7000 Club (not to be confused with The 700 Club from Pat Robertson). [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. [17][16] The organizers of the meeting in Hot Springs had sent invitations only to white ministers to discuss a new movement. Drew Sheard is a former public-school teacher. But during the early twentieth century, the Pentecostal movement had rapid growth nationally and attracted racially integrated congregants to its worship services. She revolutionized and reorganized the music ministry to become a leading department in the church. 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]. 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.