Military chaplains have also been instrumental in spreading COGIC through military installations. F or the first time, the nation's largest Pentecostal and African-American denomination, the 5.5 million-member Church of God in Christ (COGIC), has voted out its presiding bishop. Drew Sheard elected as COGIC's new presiding bishop; two Memphis bishops elected to general board Sheard, 62, was elected in late March to lead the predominantly African American . Bishop Blake is married to Lady Mae Lawrence Blake. 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. It teaches that sanctification should precede the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Bishop Mason appointed her as a young woman to be head of the small school in 1926, after she had been teaching there. 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. As Senior Pastor of the 26,000 member, West Angeles Church of God In Christ in Los Angeles, California, Bishop Blakes leadership is positively impacting lives and enhancing the community through the work of the many ministries offered. 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. The Voice of Missions a bimonthly magazine, John Seth Bailey#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Michigan Southwest Jurisdiction; pastor, Bailey Cathedral, Detroit, MI, Elmer Elijah Cleveland#, jurisdictional bishop, Northern California Jurisdiction, pastor, Ephesians, Oakland, CA, Bishop David Willard Grayson, Sr#, Jurisdictional Bishop of Maine, Founding Jurisdictional Bishop of Eastern New York Fourth, David Daniels, educator, professor, auxiliary bishop, James Logan Delk#, politician, pastor, First, Hopkinsville, KY, James Louis Felton, auxiliary bishop, pastor, Mount Airy, Philadelphia, PA, James Neaul Haynes#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Texas Northeast First Jurisdiction; pastor, Saintsville, Dallas, TX, Roderick Hennings, author, auxiliary bishop, pastor, Zion Dominion Global Ministries, Amherst, NY, William Morgan James#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Ohio North First Jurisdiction, pastor, St. James, Toledo, OH and James Temple, Cincinnati, OH, Orzo Thurston Jones Jr.#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Jurisdiction; pastor, Holy Temple, Philadelphia, PA, Otha Miema Kelly#, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Eastern New York First Jurisdiction; pastor, Kelly Temple, Harlem, NY, Otis Lockett#, church planter, jurisdictional bishop, North Carolina Second Jurisdiction, pastor, Evangel Word Fellowship, Greensboro, NC, George Dallas McKinney#, scholar, general board member, jurisdictional bishop, Southern California Second Jurisdiction; pastor, St. Stephen's Cathedral, San Diego, CA, S.E. [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. Gilbert. [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. By. She served as chairperson of the board of supervisors, member, Executive Board, member, Screening Committee, member, Program Committee General Church, coordinator, Leadership Conference, International Marshall, secretary, and Assistant General Supervisor for the Department of Women. [6], In June 1896, Jones held a Holiness convention at Mt. Although headquartered in Memphis, COGIC's leaders . Most recently, Biola University conferred an honorary doctorate upon him on June 12, 2010. Secretary of the National Board of Trustees Dr. T. Lynn Smith. A. Blackwell, E. M. Blackwell, E. M. Page, R. H. I. Clark, D. J. Winbush was selected to serve as the first chairman. His pastor and mentor was Bishop F. D. Washington of Brooklyn, NY. The Youth Congress eventually become one of the largest conventions in COGIC. He was succeeded by Bishop Joe L. Ealy. Blake has served as Chair of the Executive Committee, member of the Board of Directors of Oral Roberts University, and as a member of the Board of Directors of International Charismatic Bible Ministries. The Elders' Council met and organized the first Missions board of the Church of God in Christ. One of her contributions was to divide the women's fellowship in the local congregations into two groups: The Christian Women's Council for the middle aged and senior women, and the Young Women's Christian Council (YWCC) for the younger women. Chairman of the General Council of Pastors and Elders Superintendent Michael Eaddy. These jurisdictions are then separated into districts, which consist of 5 to 7 churches and are governed by superintendents (ordained elder or pastor). As a compassionate advocate for the advancement of Gods Kingdom, he is committed to accomplishing Gods agenda as both a leader and a laborer, reaping a harvest of souls. He was recognized in Washington, D. C. by President Barack Obama in 2009 and invited to serve on the White House Advisory, Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Divorce is considered inconsistent with biblical teachings and is highly discouraged as well, but exceptions are made for special circumstances. His ministry spanned more than seven decades. [39], COGIC is a trinitarian Holiness Pentecostal denomination. Dr. Valerie Daniels Carter, entrepreneur, Jurisdictional Supervisor, Dr. Dorinda Clark Cole, International Elect Lady of Evangelism Dept., international evangelist. Page in 1927. G iving to the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) fell by nearly 50 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bishop Sheard has over 30 years of leadership in the Church of God in Christ. Chairman of the National Board of Trustees Bishop Dwight E. Walls Sr.. First Vice Chairman of the National Board of Trustees Superintendent Melton Timmons. He appointed regional presidents to serve as liaisons to the jurisdictional presidents. Humanity can only be restored through salvation offered only through Jesus Christ. In 2017, Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake appointed gospel artist and Evangelist Dr. Dorinda Clark Cole of Detroit, Michigan as the Elect Lady. COGIC teaches that according to the Word of God, there will be final events and conditions that address the end of this present age of the world. COGIC members gathered for praying, fasting, teaching, preaching, fellowship and conducting business related to the national COGIC organization. On November 14, 1968, the General Assembly of the COGIC elected the first general board and presiding bishop of the church. Assistant General Treasurer Bishop Kendall Anderson. After the death of Mother Coffey in 1964, Dr. Annie L. Bailey (19641975), became the third General Supervisor. 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. She built a home for missionaries in the Bahamas, a pavilion for senior citizens and unwed mothers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. However, the General Assembly vested authority in the executive board composed of the seven bishops selected by Bishop Mason before his death. [27], Several bishops disagreed with the new organizational structure; they severed ties with COGIC to start their own organizations. CN Morning Rundown: Watch COGIC Installation, Consecration of Bishops Originally, this gathering of the 'Saints' lasted for twenty days, from November 25 to December 14. In 1982 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education, and in 1998 he earned a Master of Arts in Mathematics from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. [29] She is also the Jurisdictional Supervisor of Women for the South Carolina Jurisdiction. The YPWW department began in 1928 with the convening of its first Youth Congress. In 1982, he was selected by Ebony magazine as one of the 15 "Greatest Preachers in America". Patterson established protocols of worship, policy and practices. A general supervisor of women is appointed by the presiding bishop and given authority to lead the International Women's Ministry of the church. As a result, an ongoing dispute between Elder Carter and Bishop Blake continued without resolution. In a November 2007 special election, he was elected to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor as Presiding Bishop. 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". This office is reserved for a woman who serves as counterpart to the Sunday School Superintendent. Drew Sheard, Sr. as Presiding Bishop on March 20, 2021. The COGIC emphasized the use of the choir as an integral part of the worship experience. Desiring to learn more about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, C. H. Mason, J. 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. Sin originated in eternity when Satan committed open rebellion against God in heaven. Washington, Bishop Chandler D. Owens, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, and Bishop J. 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. 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. The ordinances of the church are water baptism by immersion, the Lord's Supper and foot washing. Detroit pastor J. Drew Sheard elected COGIC presiding bishop On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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. The current presiding bishop and chief apostle is Bishop J. He became nationally recognized in 1955 for officiating at the funeral of 15-year-old Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi. 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. She developed the International Women's Convention into a training institute for women in the ministry. 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. Today the International Women's Convention/Crusade meets annually in May in different cities throughout the nation drawing thousands of women from around the world. Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten Second Assistant Presiding Bishop (2021present) and board member (2012present). During the formative stages of COGIC, Bishop Mason organized departments to further support the work of the church as it continued to grow and expand. The Five Presiding Bishops of the Church Of God In Christ Owens outlined a progressive plan to position the COGIC for ministry in the twenty-first century, known as "Vision 2000 and Beyond." By 1906, the church had grown to nearly 100 congregations in three states. On June 5, 1951, he selected Bishop A. They have two children, Kierra Kelly and John Drew Sheard, II, one son-in-love, Jordan Kelly, and two grandchildren. Bishop L. H. Ford (Former Presiding Bishop COGIC) - YouTube The human soul is immortal and will spend eternity either in heaven as the redeemed or in hell as the damned. This group of seven bishops became known officially as the executive commission; they took on greater responsibility over church affairs until Mason's death. In November 2012, Bishop Blake was re-elected again to serve a four-year term as the Presiding Bishop.