Charles H. Ellis III (born July 8, 1958) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Apostolic Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

preacher and the former Presiding Bishop of the

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. (P.A.W.) is one of the world's largest Oneness Pentecostal denominations, and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. While it began in 1906 with Trinitarian beliefs, it was re-organized in 1916 as ...

. He is the pastor of the Greater Grace Temple, a

megachurch A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, succeeding his father, Bishop David L. Ellis, Sr.

Career

Ellis graduated from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

in 1983. In 1996, Ellis assumed leadership of Greater Grace Temple upon the death of his father, David L. Ellis. In 2002, the church moved to its new building, “The City of David,” a 19-acre complex first envisioned by his father. Ellis used the new building's

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

floors for productions, including the funerals of

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...

Emanuel Steward Emanuel "Manny" Steward (July 7, 1944 – October 25, 2012) was an American boxer, trainer, and commentator for HBO Boxing. He was also called the Godfather of Detroit Boxing. Steward trained 41 world champion fighters throughout his care ...

Levi Stubbs Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, who released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He h ...

, and

Ron Banks The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their late ...

. Under Ellis, the Greater Grace Temple has also become known for its illustrated sermons, which dramatize the gospel. At presentations of “The Whip, Hammer & Cross” and “To Hell and Back” as many as 5,000 people attend the congregation. In 2010, Ellis was elected as the 10th Presiding Bishop of the

. In 2015, Ellis was featured in

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

's series ''Preachers of Detroit,'' a spin-off of its ''Preachers of L.A''. series.

Prayer Day for Auto Workers

In 2008 Bishop Ellis and Greater Grace Temple called for a "Prayer Day for Auto Workers" because of the ongoing automotive industry crisis. He prayed for the autoworkers at an altar surrounded by three SUVs and told them that God would not fail them. He told ''The New York Times'', “We have never seen as midnight an hour as we face this coming week,” Bishop Ellis said, referring to the possibility that Congress would soon vote on a deal to give the carmakers enough money to stay afloat into next year. I don't know what's going to happen, but we need prayer,” he said. “When it’s all said and done, we’re all in this thing together.”

Ariana Grande

Bishop Ellis was accused of groping singer

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

while hugging her from the side, holding her high above the waist with his hand around the side of her chest, while he thanked her at the televised funeral of

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

. Ellis released an apology following coverage of the incident in the press, saying that it was not his intention and that he had hugged all the performers. In the statement, Ellis also apologized for joking that he thought Ariana Grande's name was a

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...

product.

References

External links

Greater Grace Temple profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Charles H. III 1958 births Living people Clergy of historically African-American Christian denominations American Pentecostal pastors Clergy from Detroit American television evangelists 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people