Church of God in Christ

The Church of God in Christ, Incorporated is a Pentecostal body, the largest Pentecostal Christian church in the United States (Assemblies of God is the largest worldwide).

History

The Church of God in Christ, also known as COGIC, was formed in 1897 by Charles Harrison Mason (1866-1961), who was expelled from his Baptist church in the late 19th century.

Mason was licensed to preach by Mt. Gale Missionary Baptist Church of Preston, Arkansas. He entered Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock in 1893, but soon became dissatisfied and withdrew.

He became connected with Charles Price Jones of Jackson, Mississippi, J. A. Jeter, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and W. S. Pleasant of Hazelhurst, Mississippi during the Holiness movement of the late 19th century. As the result of one of these holiness revivals breaking out in Jackson, Mississippi, a new church, eventually called the Church of God, was formed. The first convocation called by these Holiness individuals was held in 1897 at the Mt. Helm Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson.

Subsequently, around 1906, while seeking a name to distinguish this Holiness body from others of the same title, Mason came to believe that the name Church of God in Christ was divinely revealed and biblically supported in I Thessalonians 2:14.

In 1906, Mason, Jeter, and D. J. Young were appointed as a committee by Jones to investigate reports of a revival in Los Angeles, conducted by the itinerant preacher, William J. Seymour. Mason's visit to what is today called The Azusa Street Revival changed the direction of his newly formed Holiness COGIC church. Upon his return to Tennessee from the Azusa Street Revival, Mason began teaching the Pentecostal message he experienced.

Jeter and Jones rejected Mason's teaching, resulting in a mutual separation of these Holiness men. Jones continued to lead his COGIC adherents as a Holiness church, changing the name in 1915 to the Church of Christ, Holiness (USA). Mason, however, called a conference in Memphis, Tennessee and reorganized the Church of God in Christ as a Holiness Pentecostal body.

Theology

The Church of God in Christ doctrinal emphasis is the inspired, infallible authority of Scripture, trinitarian, conversion, repentance, salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, regeneration, justification, sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The church believes that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is given to all Christian believers who ask for it. Divine healing is practiced, not to the exclusion of medical supervision. Holiness of life and practice are emphasized. The ordinances of the church, as act of obedience to Faith, are water baptism (immersion), the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion) and the Ordinance of Humility (foot washing).

Growth

The church experienced phenomenal growth since its inception, and is generally acknowledged to be the largest African-American and Pentecostal body in the United States, with 5,499,875 members^[1]. Worldwide membership is estimated to be 7 million in 15,300 churches.

Leadership

The Church of God in Christ organization is overseen by a 12-person general board. These are bishops chosen to oversee the national and international work of the church.

The late Bishop Dr. Gilbert Earl Patterson, the founding pastor of the Memphis, Tennessee Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ, served as the chief apostle and presiding bishop of COGIC until his death in March 2007. Bishop Charles E. Blake, pastor of the largest local church within COGIC, the Los-Angeles-based West Angeles Church of God in Christ, is the first administrative assistant to the presiding bishop, and a member of the 12-person general board. Bishop J. N. Haynes, the second administrative assistant to the presiding bishop, is a member of the 12-person general board and pastor of the Dallas-based Saintsville Church of God in Christ.

National officers of the church are chosen at a general assembly every four years. COGIC has a general assembly consisting of men and women who are ordained/credentialed pastors, elders, evangelists, missionaries, chaplains, and jurisdictional/auxiliary bishops. In addition to a 12-person general board, there is a board of bishops, a national trustee board, district superintendents, council of elders, and departmental presidents. Some departments are music, youth, Sunday School, and evangelism and mission departments under the umbrella of what is now called Auxiliaries in Ministry (AIM).

Headquarters

The COGIC identifies its world headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, commonly known as the "Holy Mecca of the Saints of God." The World Headquarters of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. is the historic Mason Temple 938 Mason Street ~ Memphis, Tennessee. Mason Temple built during WWII in 1940 was a benchmark effort by a group of African-Americans during that period. It became the largest, Black-owned church auditorium in America during the 1940's. The historic church auditorium is the location of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's final message to the world; the "I've been to the Mountain Top" speech was delivered from the pulpit of Mason Temple.

Organization

Women's Department

Of particular note is the International Women's Department. Women in the COGIC have been the most influential in the leadership and organization of the church since its inception. Lizzie Woods Robinson (1911-1945) was the first "General Mother/Supervisor" of the church. Her successor, Lillian Brooks Coffey (1945-1964)was the organizer of the 1st International Women's Convention (1951) and was most influential in organizing many of the departments that exist within COGIC today. Foreign missions and schools were established through the leadership of women in the COGIC.

Mother Willie Mae Rivers is the general supervisor of the COGIC Women's Department and president of the Women's International Convention of the COGIC. She serves the COGIC through the leadership of the Presiding Bishop. Some of her areas of oversight are:

• District Missionaries, National Evangelists, Public Relations, Secretarial Staff, Usher Board, Mothers' Board, Prayer & Bible Band, Hospitality, Board of Examiners, Sewing Circle,
• Deaconess Missionary, Minister's Wives Circle, Young Women's Christian Council (YWCC),
• Sunshine Band and Purity Class. Although women within COGIC have not yet been given full status of ordination, COGIC women are serving as pastors of local COGIC churches, chaplains in the United States Armed Forces, college/university, hospital, hospice, correctional, prison chaplains and other institutions requiring religious endorsements.

Missionary Organization

The COGIC have missionaries and churches in South Africa, Nigeria, Latin America, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Haiti, India, Liberia, Jamaica, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bahamas, Brazil, Botswana, Great Britain. COGIC operates schools of higher learning such as the C. H. Mason Bible College and the C. H. Mason Theological Seminary, an Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredited institution which is part of a consortium of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

References

1. ^ Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches reports on record number of national church bodies, 2007 http://www.ncccusa.org/news/070305yearbook2007.html

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