Mary Magdalena Lewis Tate ("Mother Tate") (January 3, 1871 – December 28, 1930) was an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

evangelist. She was the first American woman to serve as a Bishop in a nationally recognized denomination. She founded a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

denomination, The Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, in 1903. Its first convocation was held in June 1903 in

Greenville, Alabama Greenville is a city and the county seat of Butler County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,374. Greenville is known as the Camellia City, wherein originated the movement to change the official Alabama state flow ...

. The church was the first Pentecostal Holiness church in America founded by a woman, and spread to at least twenty states. At least seven denominations currently trace their history back to her church.

Early life and education

Mary Lena Street was born in

Vanleer, Tennessee Vanleer is a town in Dickson County, Tennessee, Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was estimated to be 422 in 2019, up from 395 at the 2010 census. The town is approximately 49 miles northwest of Nashville and is located withi ...

, on January 5, 1871. She was one of four sisters born to Belfield Street and Nancy (Hall) Street, and part of a larger extended family of nine children, including five half-brothers and half-sisters. In 1889, at age nineteen, Mary Street married her first husband, David Lewis. They had two sons, Walter Curtis Lewis and Felix Earley Lewis. She is reported to have married and divorced twice more.

Church of the Living God

Mary Lewis began traveling and preaching in Steel Springs, Tennessee, and

Paducah, Kentucky Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky. The largest city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers, halfway between St. Louis, Miss ...

. She was known as Saint Mary Magdalena. She gathered people into informal "Do Rights" bands in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. She preached to both white and black audiences. In 1903, Lewis led her followers in creating the Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth in

. The name was taken from I Timothy, 3:15. Following a period of illness, Lewis experienced a miraculous healing and the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Spirit,

speaking in tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...

. From June 25 to July 5, 1908, she held a ten-day General Assembly there, a Pentecostal revival at which she formally incorporated the denomination. As the Overseer and Chief Leader of the Church, she presided as bishop, ordained ministers, and baptized converts in the "indwelling" of the Holy Ghost. The church spread rapidly, in response to the work of Lewis and her sons. By 1911, presiding elders were appointed. In 1914, Street married Robert Tate, a deacon in the church. In June 1914, State Bishops were ordained for four states at the 1914 General Assembly, held in

Quitman, Georgia Quitman is a city in and the county seat of Brooks County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,850 at the 2010 census. The Quitman Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Quitman was a home of James P ...

. Two of the bishops were Tate's sons. At the same assembly, the church adopted Tate's first ''Decree Book'', written to summarize the doctrines, rules, rituals and governance of the denomination, for use in its churches. A later edition of 1923 was titled the ''Constitution, Government, and General Decree Book''. By 1916, the group had spread to twenty states. In 1923, its headquarters were moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. There Tate established the New and Living Way Publishing Company to print religious literature and music. She is credited with writing many of the hymns used by the denomination. In 1929, Tate identified Bishop Archibald Henry White as her successor in the Church. He was later elected Senior Bishop of all churches in Pennsylvania, incorporated under the name “House of God, Which is the Church of the Living God, Pillar and Ground of the Truth”. Tate died on December 28, 1930, in

Philadelphia General Hospital The Blockley Almshouse, later known as Philadelphia General Hospital, was a charity hospital and poorhouse located in West Philadelphia. It originally opened in 1732/33 in a different part of the city as the Philadelphia Almshouse (not to be conf ...

while on a visit to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Her death resulted from

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the ha ...

and gangrene in one of her feet, possibly complications of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. Her body was originally buried in a family plot in

Dickson, Tennessee Dickson is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Located in Dickson County. it is part of the Nashville metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, Dickson's population was 16,058. History Dickson was named for Congressman William Dickson, as w ...

, but was moved in 1963 to Greenwood Cemetery in

. Following Tate's death, three major branches were created under the leadership of various relatives of Mother Tate. These are currently known as the Keith Dominion, the Lewis Dominion, and the Jewell Dominion (previously the McLeod Dominion). At least seven denominations can trace their history back to Tate's establishment of Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth.

Teachings

Tate was a strong exponent of women's leadership, who intentionally used generic language and mentored women for leadership positions. Hundreds of women served in The Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth as evangelists, ministers, and bishops. Tate propounded an approach to living that emphasized "cleanness", as a principle underlying all aspects of life, including food, marriage, family life, and community activity. Her dogma of "The Cleanliness of the Word" was based on St. John 15:3.

Bibliography

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References

External links

The House of God, Which is the Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth Without Controversy, Inc., Keith DominionChurch of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tate, Mary Magdalena Lewis 1871 births 1930 deaths People from Dickson County, Tennessee American evangelists Women evangelists American Pentecostals 19th-century American women 20th-century American women