Church Of God In Christ
THE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST is a Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in which the word of God is preached, ordinances are administered and the doctrine of sanctification or holiness is emphasized, as being essential to the salvation of mankind.
Our Church is commonly known as being Holiness or Pentecostal in nature because of the importance ascribed to the events which occurred on the Day of Pentecost, the 50th day after the Passover, or Easter as being necessary for all believers in Christ Jesus to experience.
On the Day of Pentecost, the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, Supernatural Manifestations descended in marvelous copiousness and power. The gift of the spirit in the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus to clothe those who would wait in Jerusalem with power from on high, was accompanied by three supernatural extraordinary manifestations.
The sudden appearance of the Holy Ghost appealed first to the ear. The disciples heard a “sound” from heaven which rushed with a mighty force into the house and filled it–even as a storm rushes–but there was no wind. It was the sound that filled the house and not a wind, an invisible cause producing audible effects.
Next, the eye was arrested by the appearance of tongues of fire which rested on each of the gathered COMPANY. Finally, there was the impartation of a new strange power to speak in languages they had never learned “as the Spirit gave them Utterance.”
Our Church is also considered to be a member of the great Protestant body though it did not directly evolve from the European or English Reformation but had its origin within the General Association to the Baptist Church.
Elder Charles Harrison Mason, who later became the founder and organizer of the Church of God in Christ, was born September 8,1864, on the Prior Farm near Memphis, Tennessee. His father and mother, Jerry and Eliza Mason, were members of a Missionary Baptist Church, having been converted during the dark crises of American Slavery.
Founding Scripture: For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus:… 1 Thessalonians 2:14
The Seal of the COGIC Church
The design of the Official Seal of the Church was created in 1973 and adopted in the General Assembly in 1981 (April Session).
The GARNERED WHEAT in the center of the seal represents all of the people of the Church Of God In Christ, Inc. The ROPE of wheat which holds the shaft together represents the Founding Father of the Church, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, who, at the call of the Lord, banded us together as a Brotherhood of Churches in the First Pentecostal General Assembly of the Church, in 1907.
The date in the seal has a two-fold purpose; Firstly, to tell us that Bishop Mason received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in March 1907; and Secondly, to tell us that it was because of this outpouring that Bishop Mason was compelled to call us together in November of 1907, to organize the Church Of God In Christ.
The RAIN in the background represents the Latter Rain or the End-time Revivals which brought about the emergence of our Church along with other Pentecostal Holiness Bodies in the same era. The RAIN also serves as a challenge to the Church to keep Christ in the center of our worship and service, so that He may continue to use the Church Of God In Christ as one of the vehicles of Pentecostal Revival before the return of the Lord.
Founding Father, The Right Reverend Charles Harrison Mason
Presiding Bishop and Chief Apostle, The Most Reverend j. drew sheard, Sr.
The General Board
The General Board of the Church of God in Christ, Inc (COGIC) is responsible for establishing and executing policies for the membership, as well as sustaining and perpetuating spiritual order within the Church. These twelve bishops, chosen from the Board of Bishops, are voted into office by the General Assembly for a term of four years. Executive decisions made by the General Board are final unless revoked or modified by the General Assembly. The General Board convenes three times a year for official meetings in the months of April, November and at the time the presiding bishop deems necessary.
The Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ is Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Sr., pastor of Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church Of God In Christ in Detroit, MI. The board has continued its vision which is based on Titus 1:5, in which the Apostle Paul appointed Titus to lead the people of Crete as an elder. Bishop Jerry W. Macklin, 1st Assistant Presiding Bishop and Bishop Lawrence Wooten, Sr., 2nd Assistant Presiding Bishop serve as Presiding Bishop Sheard’s special aides on the General Board.
As the spiritual leadership of 6.5 million members worldwide, the Church Of God In Christ General Board has a Pentecostal vision to carry out a message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
