Bishop Sheard is a former mathematics teacher and . 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. [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. We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible written Word of God. Bishop Sheard was inducted into the prestigious Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers. 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. 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). Drew Sheard was born on Jan. 1, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, to Bishop and Mrs. John Henry Sheard. 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. Humanity can only be restored through salvation offered only through Jesus Christ. These women have been listed for their significant contributions and impact to the church. Drew Sheard was born on January 1, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, to Bishop and Mrs. John Henry Sheard. In 2010, Bishop Blake led more than 50,000 delegates to the 103rd International Holy Convocation to St. Louis, Missouri. As a result, the general board exercises great authority over the church. He established the World Fellowship of Black Pentecostal Churches and gained COGIC membership in the Congress of National Black Churches. Overseer E.R. It believes that the gifts of the Spirit are given to believers and are active in the church today. Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., Presiding Bishop Emeritus of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the largest Black Christian denomination in the country with a membership of 6.5 million, and an international statesman and humanitarian, has been named to the National Advisory Panel of The PuLSE Institute (Institute for Public Leadership and Social Equity), 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. [5] He officially retired on March 19, 2021, and was succeeded by Bishop J. Pentecostals have been criticized because of their noticeable absence from the official record of activism that has been largely overshadowed by black ministers of other denominations such as Baptists and Methodists; however, there is evidence to verify and document the role and response of COGIC ministers and other Pentecostal denominations to the cause and struggle for Civil Rights in the United States during the 20th Century. He believed that the name, taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:14, was divinely revealed and biblically inspired. Coffey also began the use of the title "Jurisdictional Supervisor" for state mothers as more jurisdictions were forming in each state.[59]. Mason as General Overseer and Chief Apostle. The racial climate in the post WWI years, when there was high competition for jobs and housing and violent unrest in many cities in 1919, would not sustain this relationship. In 2000 at the Ninety-Third International Holy Convocation, the COGIC General Assembly elected Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson to replace Owens as Presiding Bishop. Between 2009 and 2011, in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, Blake founded and was the first president of the Pan African Children's Fund (PACF). She led its expansion and emphasized high academic standards, disciplined behavior, and prayer. The Five Presiding Bishops of the Church Of God In Christ Jonathan DesVerney Gospel Channel 349K subscribers 740 65K views 5 years ago I created this video a long time ago, this is just the. Vice President of COGIC World Missions-Bishop Glenn Plummer. It teaches that sanctification should precede the baptism with the Holy Spirit. According to the press release, The COGIC General Assembly, the legislat Blake, Sr. and the late Evangelist Lula M. Blake. Chairman of AIM Bishop Linwood Dillard. These offices are found in every local, district, and jurisdiction to support development and growth of the Sunday School. 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. 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. As the church continued to grow, she created women auxiliaries including the Purity Class and the Sunshine Band. It is a separate and distinct work of grace that occurs in the lives of believers after conversion. In 1997, Bishop Chandler D. Owens appointed Evangelist Richard "Mr. Clean" White as president of the Department of Evangelism. In 1933, he set apart five overseers to the Office of Bishop in the church, the first five bishops of COGIC. Rev. Patterson established protocols of worship, policy and practices. In keeping with the times, the school had some industrial education and training for its students, so that they could learn practical skills. His testimony "literally went viral, and brought upon him criticism and sardonicism. Divorce is considered inconsistent with biblical teachings and is highly discouraged as well, but exceptions are made for special circumstances. Welcome to the Official Church Of God In Christ, Inc Online Store Dismiss. Bishop Carlis Moody immediately began to reorganize the Missions Department, giving new guidelines. 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. Jurisdictions are set up similar to the national church in terms of composition, polity, and procedure. A. Blake, Jr., who is also a bishop and pastor in the COGIC denomination in San Diego, California. [6], In June 1896, Jones held a Holiness convention at Mt. The school and college remain closed at present.[29]. COGIC also teaches that all the spiritual gifts are for believers today. 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 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. In her brief tenure, she encouraged the women to stay focused and supportive to the leadership of the church. The Church of God in Christ is the fifth largest Protestant religious denomination in the United States, the largest Pentecostal church in the country and the second largest Pentecostal organization in the world with churches in 60 countries worldwide and an estimated membership of nearly 6.5 million members. It also increasingly stressed high academic standards so that its graduates could go to normal school or college, especially to teach other African Americans. Today COGIC has more than 12,000 churches, and several schools, missions, and medical clinics in more than eighty nations, including every inhabited continent. In 1951, the first separate National Sunday School Convention convened in Kansas City, Missouri. She organized the sewing circle and after meeting Elder Searcy, she encouraged the women to support mission work through the Home and Foreign Mission bands. 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. YPWW became a distinctive trademark for COGIC and the principle training institute usually meeting on Sunday night prior to evening worship services. Dr. Mattie McGlothen (19751994) the fourth General Supervisor, was a tremendous organizer with great impact on the development of the Women's Department. Their pastor was then elder Gilbert Earl Patterson, who also became a COGIC Presiding Bishop, at Holy Temple COGIC in Memphis, Tennessee. [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. Throughout the dispute, Elder Carter made allegations against Bishop Blake for impropriety, sexual misconduct, and abuse of power as presiding bishop. He led a group of students to participate in the March on Selma. [17][16] The organizers of the meeting in Hot Springs had sent invitations only to white ministers to discuss a new movement. In 1927, the call was made for workers to go to serve the Lord in foreign lands. Jurisdictions range in size between 30 and 100 churches. During the tenure of Bishop G.E. [5] He officially retired on March 19, 2021, and was succeeded by Bishop J. By. Drew Sheard. [29], Bishop Louis Henry Ford of Chicago, Illinois, was elected after the death of J.O. Driver, who was the overseer of California and pastor of the Saints Home COGIC led an interracial congregation made up of many Blacks, Whites, and Latinos, for many years. COGIC teaches that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the world. ", Elder Carter said that such public rebuke and condemnation were unwarranted, as he was not given a chance to say why he had made such statements. 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. 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. 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. [48] COGIC clergy are also encouraged to have a certain degree of training in marriage counseling as well. B. McEwen made conflicting administrative and executive decisions. Remarriage is usually highly discouraged, except in the case of the death of a spouse or former spouse. 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. In 1982 he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in . We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross provides healing for the human body in answer to believing prayer. Owens and became known as AIM (Auxiliaries in Ministry). [23][24] After Mason's death, in accordance with the 1952 church constitution, the control of the church reverted to the COGIC Board of Bishops. Vice Chairman of the Board of Bishops Bishop Roger L. Jones. There are more than 200 ecclesiastical jurisdictions around the world, with 170 in the United States. All rights reserved. Then in 1946, the YPWW Department was combined with the Sunday School Department for joint conventions until 1951 when they were separated once again. [31], Bishop Ford also renovated several COGIC structures in Memphis, including Mason Temple. However, the General Assembly vested authority in the executive board composed of the seven bishops selected by Bishop Mason before his death. To be consistent with progressive measures and modernization, in the Nineties, the international church along with many local COGIC churches began to use the term "youth department" instead of "YPWW. " He re-ignited the church to be a flagship Pentecostal denomination. Page in 1927. After the death of Mother McGlothen, Mother Emma F. Crouch (19941997) of Dallas, Texas, served as the fifth General Supervisor. B. McEwen, Bishop J. S. Bailey, and Bishop O. M. Kelly as his assistants. Elder Carter called for a Church trial before the COGIC General Assembly and Judicial Board according to the Constitution of the COGIC. The church declares to be evangelical in ministry, fundamental in doctrine and practice and Pentecostal in worship and expression. Bishop Jerry W. Macklin First Assistant Presiding Bishop (2021present) and board member (2004present). [27], Bishop James Oglethorpe Patterson Sr. was elected in November 1968 as the first presiding bishop of the church by the General Assembly at the Sixty-First Holy Convocation of the 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. 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. He served on the trustee board for 12 years and has served on the general board for eight years. She established a high school and gained accreditation for it, and then for the junior college which she founded on campus. The current president of the Missions Department is Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr. of South Africa. At the time, because many churches disagreed with what they considered its eccentric worship styles and expressions of Pentecostalism, such as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues and the laying on of hands, many churches distanced themselves from the COGIC for many years. The current General Supervisor of Women is Dr. Barbara McCoo Lewis of Los Angeles, California. In 1982, Patterson led COGIC in its Diamond Jubilee, in a celebration of the International Holy Convocation. World headquarters are in Memphis, Tennessee at Mason Temple. President Moody also added these ministries to the Missions Department:[62]. Sin originated in eternity when Satan committed open rebellion against God in heaven. 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. Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten Second Assistant Presiding Bishop (2021present) and board member (2012present). Drew Sheard is a former public-school teacher. They have two children, Kierra Kelly and John Drew Sheard, II, one son-in-love, Jordan Kelly, and two grandchildren. In 1982, he was selected by Ebony magazine as one of the 15 "Greatest Preachers in America". Timothy Wright, Myrna Summers, Rev. He was elected four times uncontested as presiding bishop. Although headquartered in Memphis, COGIC's leaders . Vice Chairman of the General Assembly Bishop Jerry W. Maynard. According to Alex Haley, "He and his wife then received bomb threats at home and at church." Bishop Charles E. Blake, as the Presiding Bishop of the COGIC from the late 2000s up to the 2010s, was also dedicated to increasing and maintaining stable ecumenical relationships from the COGIC with other diverse Christian denominations, most notably Pentecostal/Charismatic churches, Baptist churches, African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Churches, and A.M.E. Zion churches, and even some non-denominational Christian ministries for the purposes of ministry efforts and collaborating on addressing social issues that affect Christians and specifically the Black Church in America, most notably through his Urban Initiatives program. 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. 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. [11] In 2016, Bishop Blake was appointed as the Co-Chairperson to the leadership council of the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America. 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 . Christ is the Head of the church, and He is the only mediator between God and humanity, and there is no salvation in any other. A Jeter and D. J. In 1945, Mason dedicated Mason Temple in Memphis as the church's national meeting site. 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. Each state in the US consists of at least one jurisdiction, and several states have more than one jurisdiction. She was the Jurisdictional Supervisor of Women for Texas Southwest Jurisdiction under the late Bishop T. D. Iglehart. Mother Willie Mae Rivers (19972017) of Goose Creek, South Carolina, succeeded Mother Crouch. Under her leadership, the Women's International Convention added the term "and Crusade" to highlight and promote the evangelistic approach of the convention. Other leaders of the Youth Department who leader became influential leaders of the church included: Bishop F.D. National officers of the church are chosen at the general assembly every four years unless special elections are warranted. During his administration, Battles organized Regions to oversee evangelistic ministry in various regional areas across the country. In addition to the general board, there is a board of bishops that is composed of all jurisdictional and auxiliary bishops, a national trustee board that is composed of 15 members who are elected for a term of four years, the General Council of Pastors and Elders, which is open to any officially recognized pastor and current credentialed ordained elder in the church. After the death of Mother Coffey in 1964, Dr. Annie L. Bailey (19641975), became the third General Supervisor. 2nd Assistant Presiding Bishop Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten. White. By that time, it was known as Saints Academy and Junior College. Desiring to learn more about the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, C. H. Mason, J. [20], The first national tabernacle was built and completed in 1925. 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. Second Vice Chairman of the National Board of Trustees Attorney Amos Smith. C. P. Jones was elected the General Overseer, C. H. Mason was selected as Overseer of Tennessee, and J. Ford, as Saints' Academy, a private co-educational grade school. Among those who died after reportedly contracting the virus were: First Assistant Presiding Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, a preacher, and leader from Detroit who was No. COGIC licensed female evangelists may also serve as chaplains in military, federal, state, and local institutions requiring chaplains. He also served as the Presiding Prelate of the New Jersey Garden State Jurisdiction and the Central Georgia Jurisdiction.