Chapter 16: every tradition · Christianity
Church of God in Christ
A congregation of the Church of God in Christ, the Holiness-Pentecostal church Bishop Charles Harrison Mason founded out of the 1897 holiness revival and reorganised after Azusa Street in 1907. Worship runs long and full of the Spirit: devotion and testimony led by the deacons and mothers, the choir and the Hammond organ and drums, shouting and holy dancing, a sermon in call and response, and the altar open every service, where seekers tarry for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Three ordinances bind the church: believer's baptism by immersion, the Lord's Supper, and feet washing as the pastor appoints; the sick are anointed and prayer cloths sent. The Jurisdictional Bishop appoints the pastor, who then often serves for life, sometimes succeeded by a son; the property is held in trust for the church. Women may not be pastors, but the Women's Department and the church mothers carry great authority, and the pastor's wife is honoured as First Lady. Saints keep a holy, separated life, give their tithes and walked offerings, raise reports for the district and jurisdiction, and go up to the Holy Convocation each November.
All 80 traditions · its profile in Faiths and traditions, with how to play it; How people feel, what every factor is.
At a glance
| Faith | Christianity |
|---|---|
| Its words | church, church, sanctuary; the pastor leads the service; the sermon; Sunday; the Bible |
| Worship | word focus, charismatic, minimal formality (0.00 of 1); seated on pews |
| Music | gospel organ expected; piano expected; choir expected; band expected; handbells discouraged; chant discouraged; recorded discouraged |
| The room's sound | likes a dry room (the band) |
| Its year | western, black church; pentecostal observance; fasts none |
| Leans | conservative on moral questions, liberal on economic ones |
| Polity | episcopal; leaders come by appointment; property trust |
| Leaders | one leader, full time, trained by apprenticeship; marriage any |
| Belonging | high commitment, pastoral discipline, admitted by clergy |
| Giving | tithing expected; collected by walked, online |
| Way of life | alcohol abstinence, dress modest, sabbath observed |
The week's services
| Day | Time | Service | Led by | People look for it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 11:00 am | Black church worship | the pastor | expected |
| Sunday | 6:00 pm | Praise and worship | the pastor | optional |
| Tuesday | 7:30 pm | Prayer meeting and Bible study | the pastor | expected |
| Friday | 7:30 pm | Praise and worship | the pastor | optional |
- Leader: a pastor. With none (a vacancy, or no one hired), the services are still held, but each costs everyone at it 0.10; on sabbatical a supply pastor stands in ($800 a month) for a little less.
- Communion (monthly), passed among the people: nothing needs to be placed to serve it. People receive from age 7; anyone younger who comes forward is blessed instead.
- Baptism: needs a baptistry or an immersion font, built and installed; until there is one, those wanting baptism wait.
Rites
- Foot Washing (with communion, +0.025 to those there): Following Jesus at the Last Supper, members wash one another's feet in pairs, usually men with men and women with women, as a sign of humility and service before they share communion.
- Tarrying Service (weekly, +0.02 to those there): Seekers wait at the altar praying aloud, often repeating "Jesus" or "Thank you, Jesus," while the saints gather round to pray with them until they receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
- Anointing of the Sick (on request, +0.02 to those there, asked for 0.03 times a year by a household, 20 minutes): A priest or the elders pray over someone who is seriously ill, lay hands on them, and anoint them with oil, following James 5. It is usually done at home or in the hospital, sometimes at a communal service.
- Prayer Cloth (on request, +0.015 to those there, asked for 0.15 times a year by a household, 5 minutes): Elders anoint a small cloth with oil and pray over it, and it is taken to someone who is sick, as an aid to faith (after Acts 19).
- Healing Service (monthly, +0.02 to those there): A service of prayer for healing and wholeness: those who wish come forward for the laying on of hands and anointing with oil, and the congregation prays for the sick.
- Testimony Meeting (monthly, +0.02 to those there): A meeting with no set speakers: after hymns and readings, members rise to share how God has helped or healed them. Christian Scientists hold one on Wednesday evenings; Latter-day Saints bear testimony on fast Sunday.
- Child Dedication (per birth, +0.02 to those there): Parents bring their baby to the front, promise to raise the child in the faith, and the pastor prays a blessing over the family while the congregation promises to support them.
- Revival (yearly, +0.03 to those there): A week of nightly meetings with a guest evangelist, rousing music and an invitation every night, held to renew the church and win new converts.
- Shut-In (yearly, +0.025 to those there): The church shuts itself in for a long night of prayer, fasting, worship and seeking God, often until morning.
- Watch Night (yearly, +0.03 to those there): On New Year's Eve the church gathers to pray, sing and testify, and to see the new year in on their knees at midnight. In Black churches it also remembers Freedom's Eve, December 31, 1862.
- Special Day (quarterly, +0.025 to those there): Women's Day, Men's Day, Youth Day or Usher Day: one group leads the whole service, in matching colors, with a guest preacher and a special tithes and offerings.
Baptism, confirmation, and joining
- Baptized elsewhere: it recognizes a believer's baptism in the name of the Trinity (not one given as a baby). Someone so baptized is received at a service after about 4 weeks (a week from another of its churches).
- Not baptized (or baptized where it doesn't recognize it): a candidate who prepares for 1 months (only months its class can meet count), then is baptized and received at the same service.
- Joining age: 12.
- The church's children are baptized as believers at about 10, most within a year or two of it.
- Kinds of belonging: saints (votes, may hold office); received by the pastor.
- What it means: being baptized, confirmed, or received is worth +0.1 to the person, +0.05 to family there, and +0.03 to everyone else at the service. It roots them: a rooted household drifts away only 0.6 times as often, and if it does fall away, it has a 25% chance of coming home each Christmas Eve and Easter for ten years.
Giving, and what goes up
How its people give and what else comes in, as Money explains it for every faith.
- How it's given: the tithes and offerings, by an offering walked forward at each main service, and giving online. Walked forward, members give 15% more than into a plate, and a visiting household half as much again as its $5 to $25. Those who give online give whether or not they come (8% more a month).
- Tithing is expected: people give 15% more.
- Fundraisers: any it allows (below).
- Owed above: District reports, a goal of $1,200 a year, to the District; not kept, it costs the wider body's regard.
- Owed above: Jurisdictional reports, a goal of $3,000 a year, to the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction; not kept, it costs the wider body's regard.
The pastor, the staff, and who decides
- How the pastor comes: sent by the District, which moves them on; you can't advertise for or dismiss one, but can ask for a move.
- Paid: full time.
- Who they are: trained by apprenticeship (less skilled; they ask 85%); men; most married; the spouse has a recognized part (+0.01 to everyone after each service).
- Tenure: for life (retiring after 35 years); a son or daughter succeeds at once.
- Staff it can hire or name (see Staff and volunteers):
- Bivocational pastor ($22,000–$38,000; cares for 75)
- Pastor ($55,000–$85,000 + $18,000 benefits, full time; cares for 150)
- Associate pastor ($42,000–$62,000 + $15,000 benefits, full time; cares for 100 more)
- Choir director / organist / pianist ($15,000–$35,000; leads the music (up to +0.06))
- Caretaker ($18,000–$30,000; slows the building's wear)
- Church secretary ($20,000–$35,000; runs the office (+50 to the leader's reach, once))
- Youth director ($20,000–$40,000; up to +0.08 for households with young people)
- Its boards: the deacon board (advising, over calls and the spiritual life); the trustees (advising, over the building).
- Renovations: The pastor decides.
- New construction: The District decides.
- Who votes: saints, 16 and over.
Life together
What its Community screen offers it, with the dilemmas only its own faith or family meets; see The congregation in its community.
- Ministries of its own: Choir.
- Ministries every tradition can run that it's offered: Blood drive, Food pantry, Health clinic, Preschool, Youth group.
- Fundraisers of its own: Soup supper.
- Shared fundraisers it may hold: Auction, Bake sale, Car wash, Rummage sale.
- Tenants it can take: A Masonic lodge, A scout troop, Another congregation, Dance classes, Parties and receptions, Polling place and forums.
- Auxiliaries: Usher Board, Women's Department, Young People Willing Workers.
- Outreach: invitation Sunday, a revival, planting a new church (Community → Evangelism).
- Places beyond the congregation: the Holy Convocation.
- Dilemmas of its own faith (besides those every congregation meets): A petition for cushions, The bells, again.
- Dilemmas its code of life brings: A candidates' forum, A Masonic funeral, A raffle for the roof, A recruiter asks for the hall, Champagne at the reception.
What the building needs
- required BaptistryBeliever's baptism by immersion needs a baptistry: a tank large enough for an adult, with plumbing to fill and drain it.
- required Communion tableThe Lord's Supper is served from a communion table, recalling the table of the Last Supper.
- required PulpitPreaching is the center of worship, so the pulpit stands at the center of the platform.
- expected Choir stallsA choir leads the singing and needs a place to stand or sit together.
- expected Communion traysThe bread and cup are carried to the pews in trays and passed along the rows.
- expected Drum kitWorship is led by a band.
- expected Foot-washing basinsBasins, towels and warm water for washing one another's feet.
- expected Hammond organGospel worship is carried by a Hammond organ.
- expected Mercy seatEvery service ends with an invitation to come forward and kneel at the mercy seat, the mourner's bench, or the altar rail.
- expected Upright pianoThe congregation expects singing led from a piano.
- expected Sound systemA band needs a sound system to be heard.
- discouraged CrucifixThis tradition uses an empty cross, proclaiming the risen Christ, rather than a crucifix.
- discouraged Flaming chaliceThe flaming chalice is another tradition's symbol.
- discouraged IconIcons are not part of this tradition's worship.
- discouraged StatueStatues are not part of this tradition's worship space.
What people here feel
- Architectural style: Colonial brick +0.012; Modern synagogue -0.006; Gurdwara -0.012; Japanese temple -0.024; Islamic -0.03; Shinto shrine -0.03; Chinese temple -0.036; Dravidian temple -0.042; Nagara temple -0.042; Thai temple -0.042; Jain marble -0.048; Gothic -0.054.
- Building fit: up to ±0.15 for everyone, the average fit of the characterful items in its worship rooms (the table below).
- Acoustics: it wants a dry room, about 1.5 seconds of reverberation: carpet, padded seats, a low ceiling. Up to ±0.05.
- Seasonal decor: it keeps the church year: paraments and the season's decor are worth up to ±0.000.
- Solar panels: leaning liberal, it's glad of them (+0.02 at every service).
- The sermon lands by its topic and the tradition's leaning (below); the pastor's preaching adds or costs up to 0.08 more.
- Communion: each communion service runs longer; a slow one costs 0.05 for every 10 minutes the service runs over (0.2 at most).
How each sermon lands
The topics its leader can choose from (some are only for one faith or family), and what each is worth.
- Fire & Brimstone+0.08
- Marriage as God Designed+0.06
- Sanctity of Life+0.06
- Social Justice Call+0.06
- The Last Days+0.06
- Care for Creation+0.04
- Faith & Family+0.04
- Faith of Our Fathers+0.04
- Healing for All+0.04
- Obedience & Discipline+0.04
- Personal Holiness+0.04
- Resisting Temptation+0.04
- Spiritual Warfare+0.04
- The Authority of Scripture+0.04
- The Great Commission+0.04
- Wealth & Poverty+0.04
- Welcome the Stranger+0.04
- Biblical Stories+0.015
- Blessed Are the Peacemakers+0.015
- Called by Name+0.015
- Doubt & Faith+0.015
- Eternal Life & Resurrection+0.015
- Grace & Forgiveness+0.015
- Gratitude+0.015
- Hope & Comfort+0.015
- Joy in All Things+0.015
- Love One Another+0.015
- Sabbath Rest+0.015
- Saints & Witnesses+0.015
- Servant Leadership+0.015
- Songs of the Psalms+0.015
- Stewardship & Generosity+0.015
- The Church Year+0.015
- The Life of Prayer+0.015
- The Parables of Jesus+0.015
- Interfaith Understanding-0.05
- Reading Scripture in Context-0.05
- Swords into Ploughshares-0.05
- The Prophets' Call-0.05
- Women Who Led-0.05
- Racial Justice & Reconciliation-0.075
- Radical Inclusion-0.075
Every item, for this tradition
Fit runs from −1 (jars) to +1 (just right); the building fit is the average over the characterful items in the worship rooms. An item with no character (a table, a toilet) has no fit. A rule applies wherever the item is.
| Item | Fit | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Seating | ||
| Box pew | -1 | |
| Choir stalls | 0 | expected A choir leads the singing and needs a place to stand or sit together. |
| Meeting bench | no fit | |
| Oak pew | no fit | |
| Row of chairs | +1 | |
| Liturgical furniture | ||
| Altar | -1 | |
| Baptismal font | -1 | |
| Baptistry | no fit | required Believer's baptism by immersion needs a baptistry: a tank large enough for an adult, with plumbing to fill and drain it. |
| Bishop's chair | -1 | |
| Brass eagle lectern | -1 | |
| Columbarium niches | -1 | |
| Communion rail | -1 | |
| Communion station | no fit | |
| Communion table | no fit | required The Lord's Supper is served from a communion table, recalling the table of the Last Supper. |
| Communion trays | no fit | expected The bread and cup are carried to the pews in trays and passed along the rows. |
| Confessional screen | no fit | |
| Coptic cross | 0 | |
| Epitaphios | -1 | |
| Flaming chalice | -1 | discouraged The flaming chalice is another tradition's symbol. |
| Foot-washing basins | no fit | expected Basins, towels and warm water for washing one another's feet. |
| Haikal screen | -1 | |
| Iconostasis | -1 | |
| Immersion font | -1 | |
| Lectern | no fit | |
| Litany desk | -1 | |
| Mercy seat | no fit | expected Every service ends with an invitation to come forward and kneel at the mercy seat, the mourner's bench, or the altar rail. |
| Octagonal stone font | -1 | |
| Paraments | no fit | |
| Pulpit | no fit | required Preaching is the center of worship, so the pulpit stands at the center of the platform. |
| Readers' desks | no fit | |
| Rood screen | -1 | |
| Sanctuary lamp | -1 | |
| Tabernacle | -1 | |
| Three-bar cross | 0 | |
| Thurible and stand | no fit | |
| Music | ||
| Brass band stands | 0 | |
| Chanter's stand | -1 | |
| Drum kit | +1 | expected Worship is led by a band. |
| Electronic organ | 0 | |
| Grand piano | +1 | |
| Hammond organ | +1 | expected Gospel worship is carried by a Hammond organ. |
| Handbell table | -1 | |
| Pipe organ | -0.5 | |
| Sound system | +1 | expected A band needs a sound system to be heard. |
| Upright piano | +1 | expected The congregation expects singing led from a piano. |
| Decor | ||
| Advent wreath | no fit | |
| Banner | 0 | |
| Christmas Eve candles | no fit | |
| Cross | 0 | |
| Crucifix | -1 | discouraged This tradition uses an empty cross, proclaiming the risen Christ, rather than a crucifix. |
| Easter lilies | no fit | |
| Eternal flame | no fit | |
| Flag of the church | 0 | |
| Great dome | -1 | |
| Icon | -1 | discouraged Icons are not part of this tradition's worship. |
| Memorial plaque | no fit | |
| National flag | 0 | |
| Painting of Christ | 0 | |
| Paschal candle | no fit | |
| Plain spire | no fit | |
| Small dome | no fit | |
| Stained glass window | -1 | |
| Statue | -1 | discouraged Statues are not part of this tradition's worship space. |
| Steeple and bells | -1 | |
| Votive candle stand | no fit | |
| Furnishings | ||
| Alms box | no fit | |
| Coffee pot | no fit | |
| Commercial coffee pot | no fit | |
| Computer | no fit | |
| Crib | no fit | |
| Desk | no fit | |
| Desk chair | no fit | |
| Folding table | no fit | |
| Full-length mirror | no fit | |
| Pillar | -1 | |
| Prie-dieu | -1 | |
| Projection screen | +1 | |
| Vestment cabinet | -1 | |
| Wooden table | no fit | |
| Utility | ||
| A/V rack | no fit | |
| Camera | no fit | |
| Cast-iron boiler | no fit | |
| Central air conditioner | no fit | |
| Commercial HVAC plant | no fit | |
| Commercial stove | no fit | |
| Congregation van | no fit | |
| Ductless heat pump | no fit | |
| Electric wall heater | no fit | |
| Gas furnace | no fit | |
| Hearing loop | no fit | |
| Lift | no fit | |
| Packaged heat pump | no fit | |
| Plumbing stack | no fit | |
| Ramp | no fit | |
| Shuttle bus | no fit | |
| Sink | no fit | |
| Solar panels | no fit | |
| Stairs | no fit | |
| Toilet | no fit | |
| Used school bus | no fit | |
| Wall camera | no fit | |
| Window air conditioner | no fit | |
| Grounds | ||
| Evergreen tree | no fit | |
| Flower bed | no fit | |
| Fountain | no fit | |
| Garden bench | no fit | |
| Hedge | no fit | |
| Lychgate | -1 | |
| Playground | no fit | |
| Shade tree | no fit | |
| Standing cross | no fit | |
Sources
- About Us and Our History (COGIC) (link)
- Statement of Faith and What We Believe (COGIC) (link)
- The General Board (COGIC) (link)
- Church of God in Christ (Wikipedia) (link)
- Church of God in Christ, Inc. v. L.M. Haley Ministries, Inc. (Tenn. 2017), and Tennessee Court of Appeals opinions (2020) (link)
- General Assembly resolution on same-sex marriage (COGIC, November 2014) (link)