The Original Church of God or Sanctified Church is an association of holiness

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 ...

churches headquartered in

Nashville 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 the ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. The members and clergy of the churches are predominantly

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

. The official name of the body is The Original Church of God or Sanctified Church, General Body.

History

The church's roots are in the

holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is historically distinguished by its emph ...

. In the 1890s a group of

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 ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

ministers, led by

Charles Price Jones Charles Price Jones Sr. (December 9, 1865 – January 19, 1949) was an American religious leader and hymnist. He was the founder of the Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. Life Jones was born in Floyd County, Georgia. He became a missionary Bapt ...

and

Charles Harrison Mason Bishop Charles Harrison Mason Sr. (September 8, 1866 – November 17, 1961) was an American Holiness–Pentecostal pastor and minister. He was the founder and first Senior Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, based in Memphis, Tennessee. It d ...

, were dismissed by the Baptist Church for preaching

entire sanctification Christian perfection is the name given to theological concepts within some sects of Christianity that purport to describe a process of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by ...

. After a number of unaffiliated revivals, a church was formed in Jackson,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, by Jones, Mason, and others. Originally called the "Church of God", it was soon renamed the "Church of God in Christ" and had affiliated churches in a number of cities. During this time an elder of the church, Charles W. Gray formed a number of Church of God in Christ churches in and around Nashville. The Church of God in Christ split in 1907 over the issue of

pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

, with both factions continuing to use the name "Church of God in Christ" until 1915 when the pentecostal faction, led by Mason, incorporated under that name,

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly Bl ...

. The non-pentecostal faction led by Jones began using the name

Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. is a Holiness body of Christians headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi. In 2010, there were 14,000 members in 154 churches. History The Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. shares a common early history wi ...

, and incorporated under that name in 1920. At the time of the 1907 schism, Gray's churches also split from the Church of God in Christ. Though they were also non-pentecostal and were doctrinally identical to Jones' faction, they were independent from Jones' body and were congregational in organization. Gray's churches were known by the name "Church of God (Sanctified Church)". In 1927 the Church of God (Sanctified Church) incorporated under the name "Church of God, or Sanctified Church" (subsequently changed to "Church of God Sanctified, Incorporated") and created a board of elders as its governing body. The new board approved the ordination of women, which Gray opposed,Dupree, Sherry S.
''African-American Holiness Pentecostal Movement: An Annotated Bibliography'', Routledge, September 13, 2013, p. 254
and in that same year Gray and a group of members broke away to form a new body, the "Original Church of God or Sanctified Church." Both bodies still exist today. Gray remained the leader of the church until his death in 1945, followed by William Crosby until 1952, and T.R. Jeffries.

Churches and membership

The body includes about 63 churches. As of the 1970s it had about 5,000 members.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Site
African-American history in Nashville, Tennessee African-American churches in Tennessee Holiness denominations Historically African-American Christian denominations Christian organizations established in 1927 Christian denominations established in the 20th century Church of God denominations Pentecostal denominations in North America Pentecostalism in the United States

History

Churches and membership

See also

References

External links