The Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God is a predominantly

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 ...

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

spiritual church. It began as a breakaway congregation of the Detroit branch of the southern based, nationwide Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ in the 1940s. It was founded by James F. Jones, often known as Prophet Jones. Universal Triumph, Dominion of God positions itself theologically as the 'fulfillment' of and the true successor to 'the mission' of its former Mother Church. Its self-designation is not as a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

'Holiness'

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

but as a Christian 'Holiness' Kingdom or a literal 'Dominion of God' into which members, known as '

citizens Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

', have to 'register' not 'join'. Once registered into the Dominion, citizens are admonished to strictly abide by the 'Dominion rules', i.e. no smoking, alcoholic drinks, coffee, tea, drugs or games of any kind as specified in the 'Dominion constitution' as set up by the 'Dominion Ruler'. The Dominion Ruler is the Head of the Dominion or Kingdom.

Objectives and purposes

The Dominion was founded, it states, by direct message to its founder by God to disseminate the "whole truth of God throughout the world". Thus divine messages of guidance and revelation through the Dominion founder are the underscoring foundation of Universal Triumph Dominion of God. Its sacred text is the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

. Dominion publications that interpret and explain the Bible in light of the

divine revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

s of the Dominion founder, Prophet Jones, are 'The Mind Awakener' and 'The Message'. The procedure to properly conduct weekly Dominion services are in 'The ritual'. Further instructions for citizens and auxiliaries and other components that make up the Dominion of God are in 'The Dominion Constitution'. The Dominion consists of numerous 'churches' called "Thankful Centers" around the United States and abroad.

Hierarchy

The Dominion is led by the Dominion Ruler. The founding Dominion Ruler, James F. Jones, is known to the citizens of the Dominion of God as 'God's only Holy Prophet'. The Dominion Ruler is assisted in his duties by The First Dominion Lady and the Dominion Chief Secretary known as the Universal Dominion Executor. The Universal Dominion Executor presides over the Diocean Administers. The Diocean Administers preside over the various districts, or Diocese, that compose the Dominion. Several Thankful Centers make up a Dominion district. The local Thankful Center is led by a Dominion minister called the Local Administrator. The Local Administrator oversees weekly Dominion services as well as the local activities of the Dominion auxiliary clubs.

General Assembly

An annual international Dominion conference called the 'General Assembly' is convened by the Dominion hierarchy, the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

and the

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit org ...

of the Dominion, to oversee the world activities of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. The activities and duties of the General Assembly when convened are to review the efforts of the Dominion workers to establish Thankful Centers, Dominion schools and seminaries throughout the world, to ordain and appoint missionaries and evangelists to head up the work and to appoint and ordain all dignitaries and officials of the Dominion under the direct direction and leadership of the Universal Dominion Ruler.

Clergy and auxiliary leaders

The Dominion clergy, workers and auxiliary leaders make up the dignitaries and officials of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. Both men and women citizens in the Dominion are eligible to serve as auxiliary club and/or laity leaders as well as members of the clergy. Leaders in the work of the Dominion earn and are given

royal titles Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duk ...

such as sir, prince, princess, lord, and lady by designation from the Dominion Ruler.

Dominion auxiliary clubs

The auxiliary clubs of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God are the Universal Missionary Society, the Universal Praise Bands, the Universal Rescue Workers and the Universal Young Peoples Union. The Universal Missionary Society's duties include establishing thankful centers, Universal Triumph, Dominion of God schools and seminaries throughout the world. The Universal Rescue Workers Union's duties are "to provide for the widows and orphans, the poor and the needy". The Universal Young Peoples Union is the youth auxiliary of the Dominion.

Founding prophet, teachings and celebrations

The Dominion was organized and founded in

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 t ...

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 t ...

in 1944 by a former Pastor & missionary for Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ, James F. Jones. Jones, known as "Prophet Jones", claimed to be a

faith healing Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healin ...

minister, and ran a

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...

, radio and television ministry. Jones further claimed that he was the

second coming of Christ The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messia ...

with the divine power to heal, forecast, bless and curse. Jones, as Dominion founder, was the Dominion Ruler from 1944 till his death in 1971. His successor as Dominion Ruler was James Schaffer. The Universal Triumph Dominion of God's teachings revolve around heralding the incoming

millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western world, Western demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as start ...

rule of 'perfect bliss' under the 'universal triumph' of the 'kingdom of God', in which the wicked, and death itself, will be destroyed but the Dominion faithful will live forever in incorruptible physical bodies right here on Earth. Those in the Dominion that are faithful now, it teaches, can and do have heaven right here on earth by recognizing the 'divine' calling of the Dominion ruler and by strictly obeying his 'divine' wisdom and rules. When this stage of understanding is adhered to the Dominion declares "All Is well": which is the Dominion's signature phrase. The Dominion of God holds its founder and first Dominion Ruler, Jones, in the highest esteem. It annually celebrates the week of his birth, beginning November 24, his birthday, called Philamethyu and ending December 1, called Hushdomcalama. For the Dominion this is the sacred time of the year and the celebrations take the place of Christmas as practiced in much of Christianity.

Dominion rulers

The Dominion Ruler in the Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God is the head

religious leader Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, and

overseer Overseer may refer to: Professions * Supervisor or superintendent; one who keeps watch over and directs the work of others *Plantation overseer, often in the context of forced labor or slavery *Overseer of the poor, an official who administered r ...

of the church and movement. The Dominion Ruler (the Head of the Dominion, or colloquially, the Kingdom) is understood by the Dominion citizens to be the Universal Divine Ruler similar to a divine king who is in direct contact with God.

Duties

The Dominion Ruler serves as top leader, chief teacher, top trustee and final judge as the 'divine ruler' in the Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. He oversees the international Dominion conference called the General Assembly convened by the Dominion hierarchy, the

and the

. He also awards high-level and active leaders in the Dominion with

such as sir, prince, princess, lord and lady.

Honorary titles

His Holiness The title His Holiness (and the associated form of address Your Holiness) is an official title or style referring to the pope; this use can be traced back several hundred years. It is also an official title for Oriental Orthodox patriarchs or ...

The Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that '' The ...

Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage ...

, ''Lord'' comes from how ''Prophet Jones'' blessed his inner circle with royal and noble titles, such as "Sir," "Prince" and "Princess," "Lord" and "Lady" and other majestic appellations.

List of Dominion rulers

References

Sources

* * {{black church Spiritual organizations Pentecostal denominations Christian denominations established in the 20th century Christian organizations established in 1944 Historically African-American Christian denominations Churches in Detroit Holiness denominations