Pulpit and Politics: Clergy in American Politics at the Advent of the Millennium

20. Church of God in Christ

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is the youngest and most theologically orthodox of all the historically black Christian denominations , and it is quickly becoming the largest of the black Protestant church groups. The denomination differs from the black Baptists and AME blacks both historically and theologically; it was not created out of racial differences or conflicts, but was generated as a result of theological differences. The COGIC stresses sanctification, with the gift of speaking in tongues as a symbol of sanctification. The denomination is a prime example of the growth of Pentecostalism in the United States. The Pentecostal movement originated in the United States in the early part of the twentieth century, and it has not only grown rapidly over the last century on American soil but has gained a large number of adherents in the Third World. The COGIC played an important role in this growth and in the establishment of Pentecostalism in the United States, and today it constitutes the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country (Lincoln and Mamiya 1990; Mead 1995). 259 Chapter 20 Church of God in Christ Eric McDaniel HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Church of God in Christ is the youngest, but largest, of the seven major black denominations in the United States and is associated with the Pentecostal movement that emerged during the early twentieth century . The founder and organizer of the COGIC was Elder Charles H. Mason, a black man who received his early training in the Missionary Baptist Church. In 1898, Mason was called to the ministry; he received his license from a local Arkansas Missionary Baptist Church but soon thereafter found his own beliefs to be at variance with those of the church in which he was ordained. Mason sought to establish a church with stronger appeal and greater encouragement for all Christian believers , one that would emphasize the doctrine of entire sanctification through the outpourings of the Holy Spirit. As a result, the COGIC was organized in 1895, with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. After twelve years, the denomination consisted of ten congregations. The turning point for the denomination came in 1907, when Mason journeyed to Los Angeles, California, to attend a great Pentecostal revival led by William Seymour. During his visit, Mason received the gift of tongues, and upon his return to Memphis, he began to proclaim speaking in tongues as a New Testament doctrine. Between 1907 and 1914, the COGIC was the only denomination that ordained Pentecostal ministers. As a result, many white, independent Pentecostal churches became associated with the denomination through Mason’s ordination of white Pentecostal pastors as COGIC ministers. Whether these black and white churches worshipped together has not been clearly established, but many of the churches that later formed the Assemblies of God denomination had, at one time, been churches within the COGIC (Lincoln and Mamiya 1990; Sanders 1996). By 1924, the noteworthy—though brief—period of interracial worship and mission among black and white Pentecostals had ended (Lincoln and Mamiya 1990). Bishop Mason led the COGIC until his death in 1961; due to his longevity as the leader of the denomination, its history is closely tied to Mason’s life and actions. Under his direction, the church grew from ten congregations in 1907 to become the second largest Pentecostal denomination in America by 1961. A portion of this expansion can be attributed to the appeal of Pentecostalism among many African Americans, but certainly much of this growth was related to Bishop Mason’s ability to cultivate leadership and delegate responsibility. Mason 260 Church of God in Christ Eric McDaniel 261 charged the bishops of the church with supervision of the districts to which they were assigned, but also gave them the responsibility of establishing new jurisdictions. He sent ministers to accompany African Americans moving to the North during the Great Migration of the early twentieth century, which resulted in newly planted churches and expanded membership. As a result of these efforts, the COGIC was transformed from a primarily rural denomination to a mainly urban one. Following Mason’s death, the denomination became more institutionalized as it drafted a formal constitution specifying offices and the authority possessed by the individuals holding those positions (Lincoln and Mamiya 1990). The denomination is currently organized into various ecclesiastical jurisdictions, each presided over by a bishop (in 1984, there were 116 such jurisdictions). These ecclesiastical areas of administration , in turn, are subdivided into district units, with...