Church of God in Christ
| Church of God In Christ | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Pentecostal |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Leader | Charles E. Blake |
| Region | United States, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Caribbean and South America |
| Founder | Charles Harrison Mason |
| Origin | 1907 Memphis, TN |
| Separations | Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. (separated 1907), Assemblies of God (separated 1914), Church of God in Christ, International (separated 1969) |
| Members | 5,499,875[1] |
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Christian denomination. It is an historically African American Holiness-Pentecostal church. The church has congregations in nearly 60 countries around the world. With a membership of over 5 million in 2007 it is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States and the second largest African-American denomination in the US after the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.[2]
History
Origin
The Church of God in Christ was formed in 1897 by a group of disfellowshipped Baptists, most notably Charles Price Jones (1865–1949) and Charles Harrison Mason (1866–1961). Mason was a licensed Baptist minister in Arkansas in the 1890s who was disfellowshiped by the local Baptist association for preaching the doctrine of Christian perfection also known as Holiness. He became associated with a group of men who would become the early African American leaders of the Holiness Movement in the late 19th century. Charles Price Jones of Jackson, Mississippi, J. A. Jeter of Little Rock, Arkansas and W. S. Pleasant of Hazelhurst, Mississippi were a few of these early Holiness leaders. Many revivals were conducted leading to the establishment in Jackson, Mississippi of a new church when the first convocation was held in 1897. The group was originally known simply as the "Church of God." However, so many new holiness groups were forming and using that name that Mason sought a name to distinguish this Holiness organization from others. Mason believed that the name "Church of God in Christ" taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:14 was divinely revealed and biblically inspired. The church would be reorganized with Jones as General Overseer, Mason as Overseer of Tennessee, and Jeter as Overseer of Arkansas.
Pentecostal body
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 was known as the Azusa Street Revival changed the direction of the newly formed Holiness church. Upon his return to Tennessee from the Azusa Street Revival, Mason began preaching and teaching the Pentecostal Holiness message.
In 1907, Jeter and Jones rejected Mason's teaching on the baptism in the Holy Spirit with "speaking in tongues" as the initial evidence, resulting in a mutual separation. Jones continued to lead his adherents as a Holiness church, changing the name in 1915 to the Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. Mason called a conference in Memphis, Tennessee, known as the Holy Convocation and reorganized the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) as a Pentecostal-Holiness body. The COGIC was the first Pentecostal body to be incorporated and this gave it advantages that other Pentecostal groups did not have.
The early pioneers of this newly formed Pentecostal body in 1907 were E.R. Driver, J. Bowe, R.R. Booker, R. E. Hart, W. Welsh, A.A. Blackwell, E.M. Blackwell, E.M. Page, R.H.I. Clark, D.J. Young, James Brewer, Daniel Spearman, and J.H. Boone. These Elders became the first Pentecostal General Assembly Of The Church Of God in Christ. They unanimously chose Mason as General Overseer and Chief Apostle. Mason was given authority to establish doctrine, organize auxiliaries and appoint bishops.
It was during these formative years that Mason credentialed both whites and African Americans who would subsequently become leaders within other Pentecostal denominations such as the Assemblies of God USA, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, and the United Pentecostal Church International. Because of the COGIC's incorporated status, this gave its credentials a legal recognition that many Pentecostal ministers desired. By the time the Assemblies of God was founded in 1914, there were over 350 white ministers licensed through the COGIC.[3]
From November 25 to December 14, Mason established what is commonly called the COGIC National Holy Convocation of Saints to be held annually in Memphis, Tennessee. The meeting was for worship, preaching, fellowship and to conduct any church business pertaining to the national organization.
The first national tabernacle was built and completed in 1925. This tabernacle was destroyed by fire in 1936. In 1945 Mason dedicated Mason Temple in Memphis as the church's national meeting site. Built in 1940 during World War II, its construction 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 1940s. The historic church auditorium is the location of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's final message to the world. He delivered "I've been to the Mountaintop" speech from the pulpit of Mason Temple on April 3, 1968.
Recent history
The church has experienced phenomenal growth since its inception in 1907 with ten churches. COGIC began originally in the southern states of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. As African Americans migrated north during the Great Migration, converted members spread the church north and west. Mason sent dozens of charismatic preachers and evangelists to major cities and urban areas north and west to spread COGIC including William Roberts (Chicago), O.M. Kelly (New York), O.T. Jones Sr. (Philadelphia), and Samuel Kelsey (Washington, D.C.) From these major cities, COGIC spread throughout the country and at the time of Bishop Mason's death in 1961, COGIC had spread to every state in the Union and many foreign countries with a membership of more than 400,000. In 1973, the church claimed a worldwide membership of nearly three million. Today the COGIC has a worldwide membership estimated to be more than eight million members in more than sixty nations.
In recent years, the COGIC and the Assemblies of God have dedicated themselves to reconciling and healing the two organizations, which separated on racial lines in 1914, by working together in common ministries. Two signs of this reconciliation and healing are the 1994 Memphis Miracle and the School of Urban Missions of Oakland, California operated jointly by both denominations.
In 2007, the church celebrated its 100th Holy Convocation, an important milestone that was celebrated by the church[4] and even marked by a leading African-American hair gel company.[5] An estimated 70,000 "saints" convened in Memphis to celebrate the centennial celebration.
Beliefs
The COGIC is a Pentecostal holiness church and believes the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. COGIC doctrine is trinitarian, stressing repentance, regeneration, justification and sanctification. The church teaches that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience subsequent to salvation and is given to all Christian believers who ask for it. Holiness of life and practice are emphasized. The ordinances of the church are water baptism by immersion, the Lord's Supper and foot washing (the ordinance of humility).The church believes in divine healing, however, it does not advocate the exclusion of medical supervision.
Structure
The Church of God in Christ has an episcopal form of government where churches are organized in dioceses called jurisdictions each under the authority of a bishop. The administrative and legislative authority of the church is vested in a General Assembly. The General Assembly is composed of ordained and/or credentialed pastors, elders, evangelists, missionaries, chaplains, and jurisdictional/auxiliary bishops.
The General Assembly elects a 12-person General Board (Presidium) from the college of bishops who serve functionally as apostles. The Presidium oversees the operation of the international church when the General Assembly is not in session. The Presidium includes a separately elected International Presiding Bishop who serves a term of four years and two appointed assistant presiding bishops. The current Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle is Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. National officers of the church are chosen at a General Assembly every four years unless special elections are warranted.
In addition to the General Board, there is a Board of Bishops, a National Trustee Board, Judiciary Board, Council of Pastors and Elders, and various departments and auxiliaries united collectively under an umbrella organization known as Auxiliaries in Ministry (AIM).
World headquarters are in Memphis, Tennessee, commonly referred to by members as the following: "Holy City of the Saints of God", "Jerusalem" or "the Holy Mecca of the Saints of God". The headquarters are housed at the Mason Temple. Each year, more than 50,000 (registered) representatives from COGIC churches meet in Memphis called the COGIC Holy Convocation. However, the first holy convocation to be held outside of Memphis will be the church's 103rd annual gathering in St. Louis, MO in the year 2010.
Departments and auxiliaries
During the formative stages of the COGIC, Bishop Mason organized four departments to further support the work of the church as it continued to grow and expand. These auxiliaries included the Women's Department, the Sunday School, the Youth Department known as Y.P.W.W. (Young People Willing Workers), and Missions.
Women's Department
The largest department in the COGIC is the Women's Department. Women in the COGIC have been influential in the leadership and organization of the church since its inception. 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. Under the direction of Bishop Mason, COGIC established a separate and unique ministry to promote the work of women in the church. Historically, women in ministry in the COGIC are known as missionaries and are designated in two categories— Deaconess Missionary and Evangelist Missionary. These women in COGIC are licensed to teach and preach the gospel and may be given the oversight of local congregations. Each jurisdiction is under the leadership of a jurisditional supervisor who is assisted by a district missionary who oversees the women's ministry of the district that comprises local congregations. 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 auxiliaries, bands, and units that exist within the COGIC Women's Department today. In fact, the Women's International Convention has been attended by as many as 20,000 delegates making it the second largest convention within COGIC. Many local congregations, foreign missions and schools were established through the leadership of women in the COGIC. The current General Supervisor of Women is Mother Willie Mae Rivers of Goose Creek, SC.
Auxiliaries in Ministry (AIM)
Under the leadership of Bishop J.O. Patterson Sr., the five major departments of the COGIC were united under a umbrella arrangement known as UNAC-5 (United National Auxiliary Conference). This format was revised under the administration of Bishop C.D. Owens and became known as AIM (Auxiliaries in Ministry). This convention brings all the major departments including Sunday School, Missions, Evangelism, Music, and Youth together in July and meets in various cities around the U.S.
Department of Missions
Missions work in the COGIC originally began in the country of Haiti and Caribbean. Eventually, missionaries were sent to Africa, Asia, and other places throughout the world. Today the COGIC has churches, schools, missions, and medical clinics in nearly sixty nations on five continents including Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, United Kingdom, South Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Germany, Pakistan, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. The COGIC operates schools of higher learning including the All Saints Bible College, Memphis,TN, the C. H. Mason Bible College, and the C. H. Mason Theological Seminary, an institution accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and part of a consortium of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
See also
References
- ^ Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches reports on record number of national church bodies, 2007 http://www.ncccusa.org/news/070305yearbook2007.html
- ^ http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/north-america/united-states-of-america/national-baptist-convention-usa-inc.html
- ^ Robeck Jr., Cecil M. (May 2005). "THE PAST: Historical Roots of Racial Unity and Division in American Pentecostalism". Cyberjournal for Pentecostal-Charismatic Research. Pentecostal-Charismatic Theological Inquiry International. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- ^ Memphis Commercial Appeal, "A Week of Celebration"
- ^ "Ampro making plans to join the 5.5-million-member Church of God in Christ (COGIC) in the denomination’s 100-year anniversary celebration"