Overseer E.R. He was elected as the denomination's leader on March 27, 2021. "[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. His ministry spanned more than seven decades. He continued to build on the department through expansion of the Regional Administration into 10 geographical locations across the country. [16], A few years after the Azusa Revival, in 1914, shortly before the United States entered World War I, approximately 300 white ministers, representing a variety of independent churches and networks of churches, including the "Association of Christian Assemblies" of Indiana; and the "Church of God in Christ and in Unity with the Apostolic Faith Movement" from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas; met in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Mother Jennie Bell Dancy Jones of Arkansas became the first National Field Representative under Bishop Patrick. Blake, Sr. and the late Evangelist Lula M. Blake. Presiding Bishop J. Today COGIC has more than 12,000 churches, and several schools, missions, and medical clinics in more than eighty nations, including every inhabited continent. Bishop Darrell L. Hines Board member (2016present). 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. Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. is the fifth Presiding Bishop and the seventh leader in succession, appointed in November 2007 by the General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ. He was pastor of the Pentecostal Temple Institutional COGIC in Memphis, Tennessee, and was the Presiding Prelate of the Tennessee Headquarters Jurisdiction. [44], COGIC teaches that salvation is the work of redemption to the sinner and his restoration to divine favor and communion with God. 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. COGIC clergy are also allowed to be married. He established the World Fellowship of Black Pentecostal Churches and gained COGIC membership in the Congress of National Black Churches. It was destroyed by fire in 1936. The Presiding Bishop - Church Of God In Christ Drew Sheard, Sr. as Presiding Bishop on March 20, 2021. [96][97][98][99], This article is about the Holiness Pentecostal denomination. Male as well as female evangelists were instrumental in spreading COGIC throughout the United States as well as around the world. 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". Historically, women in ministry in COGIC are known as "Missionaries" and are designated in two categories: Deaconess Missionary, and Evangelist Missionary. She led its expansion and emphasized high academic standards, disciplined behavior, and prayer. They determined to separate from COGIC and form what would eventually become the Worldwide Fellowship of the Assemblies of God. [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. After graduating from high school, he matriculated to Wayne State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a Master of Education degree in mathematics. He was denied such trial in 2016. Church Of God In Christ, Inc. 2015-23. During World War I, the FBI opened a file on Bishop Mason and conducted surveillance on him because of his pacifism during the war. Under her leadership, the Women's International Convention added the term "and Crusade" to highlight and promote the evangelistic approach of the convention. In 1955, Emmett Till's funeral was held at Robert's Temple Church Of God in Christ in Chicago, Illinois. He was a strong advocate for social justice. This came on the heels of former Presiding Bishop Charles Edward Blake Sr.'s October 2020 announcement that he would not seek reelection. Deaconess Missionaries serve and assist in the ceremonial and temporal affairs of the local church. Each state in the US consists of at least one jurisdiction, and several states have more than one jurisdiction. Al Sharpton, a noted civil rights activist, began his ministerial career as a minister in COGIC. Green. BISHOP CHARLES E. BLAKE, SR. - Church Of God In Christ Presiding bishop - Wikipedia [37] The National Council of Churches ranks it as the fifth largest Christian denomination in the U.S.[38] COGIC is a HolinessPentecostal Christian denomination,[2][4] with a predominantly African-American membership. Her predecessor was Evangelist Dr. Rita Womack of Los Angeles, California. This list may not reflect recent changes . 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. The first meeting was held in Memphis, Tennessee around 1937. Page in 1927. In Chicago, Ford organized voter registration initiatives. [2][3] On March 21, 2007, he became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., as a result of Presiding Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson's death. It includes not only those who are members of COGIC, but all believers who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. Bishop Blake is married to Lady Mae Lawrence Blake. The church has more than 3,000 churches in Asia, and 2,000 churches in the Caribbean and South America. Today, the International Youth Department (IYD) is led by the International Youth President, Superintendent Nathaniel Green of Dallas, TX, and the International Chairlady, Evangelist Vandalyn Kennedy of Queens, NY. Category : Presiding Bishops of the Church of God in Christ Patterson, who became presiding bishop in 2000 at the age of 60. COGIC believes in divine healing, however, it does not advocate the exclusion of medical supervision. Succession of COGIC Leaders Nurses Aid Ministry nurses taking their skills to the mission field. On May 19, 1952, he added Bishop J. O. Patterson Sr. Under her leadership and tenure, COGIC choirs and individual singers came to dominate gospel music producing a number of recordings and gospel hits. Bishop Jones was the only living bishop of the five original bishops consecrated by Bishop Mason. During her leadership, several new buildings were constructed on the 350-acre campus to serve this expansion. Bishop O. T. Jones Sr, however, did not leave the COGIC. Factions developed within the organization as both the senior bishop and Bishop A. 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]. 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. March 22, 2021. The current leader of the International Music Department is recording artist Dr. Myron Williams, succeeding Dr. Judith Christie McAllister of Los Angeles, California, who is also a praise and worship national recording artist. Bishop L. H. Ford (Former Presiding Bishop COGIC) - Man of God / Man of the People Yuko Ichioka 396 subscribers Subscribe 360 Share 22K views 8 years ago If he were alive, my grandfatherLouis. COGIC clergy do not officially sanction or recognize same-sex relationships to be united in marriage and the denomination at-large discourages same-sex relationships as unbiblical and immoral. Each department convened its own convention in various cities through 1975. He believed that the name, taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:14, was divinely revealed and biblically inspired. In a November 2007 special election, he was elected to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor as Presiding Bishop. 2 in the denomination and whose death was reported by The Detroit News; Bishop Timothy Scott, a leader for nearly 50 years of the denomination in Mississippi whose death was reported 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. At the start of the new millennium, then COGIC presiding Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson, continued to support the advancement of civil rights. 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. Church of God in Christ Elects J. Drew Sheard as New Presiding Bishop Charles Blake was born on August 5, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas, to the late Bishop Junious Augustus (J. [39], COGIC is a trinitarian Holiness Pentecostal denomination. 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. COGIC continues to influence gospel music with a new generation of artists with COGIC roots that include: Kim Burrell, Ivan Powell, Doobie Powell, Kierra Sheard, J. Moss, Micah Stampley, Kurt Carr, Ricky Dillard, Kelly Price, Mary Mary Erica Campbell (musician) and Tina Campbell (musician), Tamela Mann, Dr. Gennie Ruth Cheatham Chandler, Earnest Pugh, Jonathan McReynolds, Jabari Johnson, DuShawn Washington, Instrumentalists: Dr. Vernard Johnson (saxophonist), Samuel Murrell (violinist) and Terrance Curry (trombonist), D'Extra Wiley (II D Extreme) and Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child). A new constitution and official manual of the church were completed in 1973. 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]. She formed her daughters into a singing group who became known as the legendary "Clark Sisters" who helped introduce and became leaders of the contemporary gospel music era. The current presiding bishop and chief apostle is Bishop J. Despite what seems to be obvious limitations to minister because of ordination, women have been given great latitude and numerous opportunities to serve in ministry in COGIC. 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. According to the Articles of Religion, "We believe that we are not baptized with the Holy Ghost in order to be saved, but that we are baptized with the Holy Ghost because we are saved". In 1982, he was selected by Ebony magazine as one of the 15 "Greatest Preachers in America". 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. Bishop. He also established the COGIC national headquarters there. In 1924, the Sunday School was formally organized under "Father" F. C. Christmas (19161944). 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. [61] Finally, she changed the visible presence of women in ministry with the introduction of the ministry "habit". The church believes that women are gifted and called to ministry; it does not, however, officially ordain women to the office of elder, pastor, or bishop. He is credited with helping to secure the steel needed to construct Mason Temple which was virtually impossible during World War II.[52]. His dream was to establish an international ministry complex known as "Saints Center" and an accredited institution known as "All Saints University". Memphis' Bishop Brandon Porter open to becoming COGIC presiding bishop [27], Several bishops disagreed with the new organizational structure; they severed ties with COGIC to start their own organizations. Herndon and her twin sister Leatha were pioneers of the evangelistic work of the Church of God in Christ. 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.