Full Answer
What does COGIC stand for?
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness - Pentecostal Christian denomination, [1] [2] with a predominantly African-American membership. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 6.5 million members in the United States. [3]
What is the global membership of COGIC?
[35] COGIC can be found in more than 100 nations with an international membership estimated between one and three million adherents in more than 13,000 churches, missions, and outreaches. Its combined worldwide membership is estimated to be between six and a half and eight million [36] composing more than 25,000 congregations throughout the world.
What is the Church of God in Christ (COGIC)?
The Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) is a Pentecostal - Holiness Christian denomination with a predominantly African-American membership. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 6.5 million members in the United States. The National Council of Churches ranks it as the fifth largest Christian denomination in the U.S.
What are the best books on the history of COGIC?
Lincoln, Eric and Mamiya, Lawerence. The Black Church in the African-American Experience. Duke University Press: Raleigh, 1990 Official Manual with the Doctrines and Discipline of the Church of God in Christ. Memphis, Tennessee: Church of God in Christ Publishing House, 1973. Owens, Robert R. Never Forget! The Dark Years of COGIC History.
How many members does Cogic have?
In 2020, the denomination had an estimated 8.8 million members. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 5 million members in the United States. The National Council of Churches ranks it as the fifth largest Christian denomination in the U.S. COGIC is a Holiness – Pentecostal Christian denomination, with a predominantly African-American membership. According to a 2015 statistical study by the Pew Research Center, the denomination was estimated to have a United States membership of approximately 84% African-Americans, 5% White Americans, 8% Latino-Americans, and roughly 2% Asian-Americans.
What does the rope on the Cogic signify?
Church of God in Christ. The official seal of the COGIC features a sheaf of wheat representing the members of the COGIC. The rope that holds the shaft together represents Charles Harrison Mason, COGIC's founding father.
What is the Church of God in Christ?
The Church of God in Christ ( COGIC) is a Holiness – Pentecostal Christian denomination . COGIC is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African-American membership in the United States.
How many structures does the Church of God in Christ have?
According to its 1973 Constitution, the church has two structures to govern the church: civil and ecclesiastical. The civil structure of the Church of God in Christ includes a president, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, general secretary, General Treasurer, and the Financial Secretary. All officers are elected by the General Assembly. The general secretary, General Treasurer, and Financial Secretary terms run concurrent with the current presidential administration that is elected every four years.
Where did the Holiness Convention take place?
In June 1896, Jones held a Holiness convention at Mt. Helm Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, attended by Mason and others from several states. Protestant doctrinal debates about Calvinism and Wesleyan Perfectionism affected how even local African-American Baptist pastors responded to new Christian movements at the time. Some of these African-American Baptist pastors in local Southern areas such as Mississippi , Tennessee, and Arkansas considered Jones and Mason to be controversial. The leadership of the Mississippi State Convention of the National Baptist Convention intervened and expelled Jones, Mason, and others who embraced the Wesleyan teaching of Entire Sanctification.
Where did the name Church of God in Christ come from?
H. Mason stated that God had given him such a name for the group, the "Church of God in Christ". He believed that the name, taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:14, was divinely revealed and biblically inspired.
Is the Bible the only infallible written word of God?
We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible written Word of God. We believe that there is One God, eternally existent in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Blessed Hope, which is the rapture of the Church of God, which is in Christ, at His return.
How many structures does the Church of God in Christ have?
The civil structure of the Church of God in Christ includes a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, General Secretary, General Treasurer and Financial Secretary. All officers are elected by the General Assembly. The General Secretary, General Treasurer and Financial Secretary terms run concurrent with the presidential administration, which is elected every four years.
Where is the headquarters of the Church of God in Christ?
The headquarters of COGIC is Mason Temple in Memphis. It is the site of Martin Luther King’s final sermon, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered the day before he was assassinated.
What are the departments of the Church?
These departments include the Women’s Department, the Sunday School Department, the Youth Department (known as Young People Willing Workers, or YPWW), and Missions and Evangelism. As COGIC has continued to grow, new departments, auxiliaries and ministries have been established, including the Music Department, the National Adjutancy, the Men’s Department, COGIC Charities, and Urban Initiatives, to name a few. These auxiliaries are found in nearly every church, district and jurisdiction in COGIC.
Is Cogic a conservative denomination?
COGIC is a conservative denomination. Dress should be modest and business-formal. Touch between the genders should be limited. OTHER. COGIC clergy are allowed to be married. Remarriage is highly discouraged, except in the case of the death of a spouse.
Who was the founder of the Church of God in Christ?
In 1907, Charles Harrison Mason formed the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) after his Baptist church expelled him. Mason was a member of the Holiness movement of the late 19th century. In 1906, he attended the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles.
Is Cogic a Pentecostal church?
As a classical Pentecostal Holiness church, COGIC continues to embrace its holiness heritage, teaching moderation in dress, appearance and participation in secular entertainment as well as prohibitions against profanity, alcohol, substance abuse and immoral behavior. COGIC is a conservative denomination.
What did the COGIC call for?
While some churches have resisted health department recommendations and local government restrictions, COGIC called for strict adherence after numerous denomination leaders got sick with the coronavirus and at least a dozen bishops died.
How much did the COGIC give in 2016?
He campaigned to increase giving $10 million by 2016 and instituted COGIC’s first-ever financial audit. The audit found an additional $10 million that had not been accounted for, as the denomination’s departments and ministries operated with increasing financial independence.
Overview
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination, with a predominantly African-American membership. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 6.5 million members in the United States. The National Council of Churches ranks it as the fifth largest Christian denomination in the U.S.
Internationally, COGIC can be found in more than 100 nations. Its worldwide membership is esti…
North America
• Belize Jurisdiction – Bishop Alber Oliver Quick
• Nova Scotia Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction – Bishop Talbert W. Swan, II, Assistant General Secretary
• Canada/Michigan Jurisdiction – Bishop Percy W. Henderson
• British Columbia – Bishop Benjamin Stephens III
Caribbean
• Rehoboth Caribbean Jurisdiction – Bishop Robert G. Rudolph, Jr.
• Bahamas Jurisdiction – Bishop Tony L. Hanna
• Barbados/Caribbean Jurisdiction – Bishop Paul L. Fortson
• Barbados First - Bishop Arthur F. Mosley
Africa
• Angola First - Bishop Macano Kamuimba Marcos Pedro
• Congo First Jurisdiction – Bishop Muhangenu H. Ghilain
• Congo Second Jurisdiction - Bishop Matthew L Brown
• Ethiopia Jurisdiction – Bishop Corby Bush
Asia
• Philippines Jurisdiction – Bishop Avel Forto, Sr
• Philippines Second Jurisdiction - Bishop Avel Forto, Jr
• Northern Luzon Philippines Jurisdiction - Bishop Joel F. Balindan, Sr.
• India First Jurisdiction – Bishop Dr. Bevin G. Lawrence
South America
• Argentina Jurisdiction – Bishop Vincent Matthews (Interim)
• Brazil Jurisdiction – Bishop
• Chile Jurisdiction - Bishop Gabriel McCurtis
• Colombia 1st Jurisdiction - Bishop Lester Johnson
• Colombia 2nd Jurisdiction - Bishop Edermin Cortes
Europe
• France Jurisdiction – Bishop Vincent Matthews (Interim)
• Germany Jurisdiction – Bishop Paul L. Watson
• Greece Jurisdiction – Bishop Vincent Matthews (Interim)
• Spain Jurisdiction – Bishop Edwin C. Bass
• United Kingdom Jurisdiction – Bishop Alvin Blake
Oceania
• Indonesia – Bishop Vincent Matthews (Interim)
• Papua New Guinea – Bishop Vincent Matthews (Interim)
• New Zealand – Superintendent Tyrone Scafe, Missions Director
Overview
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African-American membership based within the United States. The international headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee. The current Presidin…
History
After moving to Memphis, Tennessee, Bishop Mason established a local congregation called Temple COGIC. He also established the COGIC national headquarters there. He called for an annual gathering of COGIC members, known as the "International Holy Convocation", to be held in Memphis. Originally, this gathering of the 'Saints' lasted for twenty days, from November 25 to Dece…
Background
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 (1864–1961). In 1895, C. P. Jones and C. H. Mason were licensed Baptist ministers in Mississippi who began teaching and preaching a Wesleyan doctrine of Christian perfection or entire sanctification as a second work of grace to their Baptist congregations. Mason was influenced by the testimony of the African-Ame…
Statistics
In 2020, the denomination had an estimated 8.8 million members. The denomination reports having more than 12,000 churches and over 5 million members in the United States. The National Council of Churches ranks it as the fifth largest Christian denomination in the U.S. COGIC is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, with a predominantly African-American membership. According to a 2015 statistical study by the Pew Research Center, the denominatio…
Theology and beliefs
COGIC is a trinitarian Holiness Pentecostal denomination. The church teaches three separate and distinct works of grace that God performs in the life of believers: salvation, entire sanctification, and the baptism or infilling of the Holy Ghost. The church declares to be evangelical in ministry, fundamental in doctrine and practice and Pentecostal in worship and expression. COGIC theol…
Polity and government
According to its 1973 Constitution, the church has two structures to govern the church: civil and ecclesiastical. The civil structure of the Church of God in Christ includes a president, first vice-president, second vice-president, general secretary, general treasurer, and the financial secretary. All officers are elected by the General Assembly. The general secretary, general treasurer, and financi…
Department ministries
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. These departments include: the Women's Department, the Sunday School Department, the Youth Department known as Y.P.W.W. (Young People Willing Workers), and Missions and Evangelism. As COGIC has continued to grow, ne…
Educational institutions
In 1918, COGIC opened its first institution of higher learning, the Saints Industrial and Literary School in Lexington, Mississippi, for both girls and boys. In keeping with the times, the school had some industrial education and training for its students, so that they could learn practical skills. It also increasingly stressed high academic standards so that its graduates could go to normal school or college, especially to teach other African Americans. Education was considered key t…