[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. She established new auxiliaries including the International Hospitality Unit, the Educational and Bishop's Wives Scholarship funds, WE-12 and Lavender Ladies. Drew Sheard who was elected in 2021. COGIC is a conservative denomination. The Board was updated on a proposed budget modification to cover outstanding obligations from the previous fiscal year. She was the Jurisdictional Supervisor of Women for Texas Southwest Jurisdiction under the late Bishop T. D. Iglehart. Herndon and her twin sister Leatha were pioneers of the evangelistic work of the Church of God in Christ. [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. We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible written Word of God. She began women's work on the state level and appointed the first state mothers. Chairman of the National Judiciary Board Bishop Martin Luther Johnson. We hope you enjoy learning more about the Church leadership and the important role they have in leading God's people. 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. [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. [29] In 1926, upon the recommendation of Mother Lizzie Roberson, Elder C. G. Brown of Kansas City Missouri, was appointed the first Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Home and Foreign Missions Department by Bishop C. H. Mason. COGIC believes in divine healing, however, it does not advocate the exclusion of medical supervision. It was destroyed by fire in 1936. In 1924, the Sunday School was formally organized under "Father" F. C. Christmas (19161944). African-American parents sent their children to this school from across the United States, especially those who had grown up in Mississippi and knew its reputation. forgot password WARNING!!! The Church may search and retrieve any information stored within this system. The church has more than 3,000 churches in Asia, and 2,000 churches in the Caribbean and South America. All charges against a Pastor or a local Church must be filed with the General Secretary, and the Jurisdictional Secretary. COGIC became a staple of gospel music under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. 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. YPWW became a distinctive trademark for COGIC and the principle training institute usually meeting on Sunday night prior to evening worship services. Furthermore, the new constitution created the office of the presiding bishop and a general board of twelve bishops and defined their responsibilities. He was a noted evangelist who had pastored several churches, including: Bostick Temple in St. Louis, Missouri; Well's Cathedral COGIC in Newark, New Jersey; and Greater Community COGIC in Marietta, Georgia. WARNING!!! 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. Mother Lillian Coffey appointed Mother Reatha Herndon as president of the National Women's Evangelist Board in 1951. 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. He protested during the 1950s and 1960s against lodging segregation in Memphis, while participating in COGIC Holy Convocations there during the Civil Rights era before federal laws prohibiting such segregation. Bishop Patterson was also to date the youngest person to ever be elected presiding bishop of COGIC at the age of 56; the second youngest was his nephew Gilbert Earl (G.E.) 11 were here. There was the creation of the Sunday School Field Representative. Mother Deborah Mason Patterson#, daughter of founder, Bishop Mason and wife of first presiding bishop James O. Patterson Sr. She is the longest serving president of the International Music Department and her influence and legacy have been indelible and are recognized 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. retrieve any information stored within this system. The General Secretary is the official keeper of the COGIC seal, Registered Agent for the Church and signatory on all official documents. This system HAS BEEN LICENSED FOR USE BY the General Secretary's and Financial Secretary's Offices of the Church Of God In Christ. Bishop Owens led the COGIC in its centennial celebration in 1997 with the theme, "Holiness, a Proven Foundation for a Promising Future!" Regards, Executive Secretary Sidney Buggs, III. 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. [61] Finally, she changed the visible presence of women in ministry with the introduction of the ministry "habit". [29] COGIC continued to grow and in 1973, the church claimed a worldwide membership of nearly three million. However, his out-spoken criticism of the racial prejudice and discrimination of whites led most, if not all of them, to leave his church for other ministries where the message against racism was not so obvious and offensive to them. [29], Bishop Gilbert Earl (G. E.) Patterson began his ministry as co-pastor of the Holy Temple COGIC with his father, Bishop W. A. Patterson. A general supervisor of women is appointed by the presiding bishop and given authority to lead the International Women's Ministry of the church. Remarriage is usually highly discouraged, except in the case of the death of a spouse or former spouse. He became nationally recognized in 1955 for officiating at the funeral of 15-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. [94][95], After the November 2016 COGIC Holy Convocation, Carter left the COGIC denomination because Blake had been re-elected as the Presiding Bishop. In 2015, after more than 40 years of faithful service, Bishop Carlis L. Moody was emeritized as Bishop of Missions. Assistant Financial Secretary Bishop David A. Sanders. 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. COGIC theology and beliefs fall in the tradition of Wesleyan-Arminian theology.[40]. Divorce is considered inconsistent with biblical teachings and is highly discouraged as well, but exceptions are made for special circumstances. [55], A 2014 statistical study from the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion & Public Life, reported that most members of COGIC usually got married between the ages of 25 and 30, and that over 42% of COGIC members between the ages of 25 and 65+ were married, at least 19% were divorced or separated, 32% were never married, and at least 5% were widowed. Administrative Assistant & Member Executive Committee-General Assembly - 1989-Present. His testimony "literally went viral, and brought upon him criticism and sardonicism. Bishop Mason was pivotal in licensing and credentialing both white and African-American ministers, who spread the Pentecostal message and planted new churches. 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. Office of the Secretariat members: Missionary Marcia Black-Watson, Jurisdictional Secretary In addition, the Office of the General Secretary is an integral part of all ceremonial activities, inaugurals, celebrations and ecumenical services. In 1981, Bishop J.O. 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. 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. COGIC teaches that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the world. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 6.5 million members in the United States. Forms; Assessments, Records and Credentials Portal; Resolution; General Assembly Minutes; COGIC ARC; OGS Training Registration; Facebook; Contact; From the very beginning of gospel music, COGIC members have influenced its rise. We believe in the Blessed Hope, which is the rapture of the Church of God, which is in Christ, at His return. For many years, West Angeles has been one of the fastest growing churches in the United States and remains the largest COGIC local congregation with a membership of 25,000. The General Secretary - Just another Church Of God In Christ, Inc. site. Rev. His dream was to establish an international ministry complex known as "Saints Center" and an accredited institution known as "All Saints University". A Jeter and D. J. Drew Sheard. 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. The pair modeled the pastor and wife ministry team in COGIC. 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. Lizzie Woods Robinson (19111945) was the first "General Mother" of the church. The Chairman of the Board of Bishops, CC it to both the Board of Bishop's Secretary and the Chairman of the Grievance Committee. [32], Bishop Chandler David Owens Sr. was elected Presiding Bishop after the death of Bishop Ford in 1995. The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and is part of a consortium of the Interdenominational Theological Center. Bishop David A. Mamie Till-Mobley was a member of St. Paul COGIC led by then Elder Louis Henry Ford (who would later become the presiding bishop of the denomination) officiated the service. 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. 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. These women have been listed for their significant contributions and impact to the church. Factions developed within the organization as both the senior bishop and Bishop A. 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. Many mainline denominations and countless nondenominational churches that once rejected these beliefs and practices have adopted these distinctions in their worship liturgy and lifestyle practices. The denomination considers these to be inconsistent with COGIC doctrine and teaching. In 1951, the first separate National Sunday School Convention convened in Kansas City, Missouri. On May 19, 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. Also in 1952, Mason revised the constitution to determine the leadership and succession of the church after his death. As COGIC continued to grow, the various departments began the practice of convening annually to conduct the business unique of their ministries. At the start of the new millennium, then COGIC presiding Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson, continued to support the advancement of civil rights. She was the Jurisdictional Supervisor of Women for California Northern First Jurisdiction. The current president of the Missions Department is Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr. of South Africa. The international membership of COGIC is estimated be between one and three million adherents. Mother Jennie Bell Dancy Jones of Arkansas became the first National Field Representative under Bishop Patrick. Email: cogsecgeneral@churchofgod.org. Organized in the South and having a predominately African-American membership, COGIC has had a long history in advancing civil rights. The international headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee. Al Sharpton, a noted civil rights activist, began his ministerial career as a minister in COGIC. In 1997, Bishop Chandler D. Owens appointed Evangelist Richard "Mr. Clean" White as president of the Department of Evangelism. Elder L. C. Patrick was added to the National Sunday School. 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. 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. The fastest growing areas include Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, and India. On April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I've Been To The Mountaintop" speech, at Mason Temple Church Of God in Christ in Memphis. It believes that the gifts of the Spirit are given to believers and are active in the church today. Assistant Secretary of the Board of Bishops Bishop Adrian Williams. The general secretary, general treasurer, and financial secretary terms run concurrent with the current presidential administration that is elected every four years.[20]. J. O. Patterson Sr. was the Presiding Bishop at that time. 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. Gary Lewis was elected to the post of Secretary General on July 29, 2022 at the Church of God International General Assembly in San Antonio, Texas.