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Church of God in Christ (1894 - Present) - Religious Group

Religious Family: Pentecostal
Religious Tradition: Black Protestant
Description: The Church of God in Christ, the largest of the several predominantly black Pentecostal churches, was founded in 1894 by Charles H. Mason. In 1907, Mason took most of the body into Pentecostalism. Those who remained were organized by Elder Charles Prince Jones as the Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A.
Official Site: http://www.cogic.org/

Connections: Church of God in Christ


 
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 Group (Defunct) 
 
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Maps: Church of God in Christ1

Adherence Rate per 1,000 (2020)

Congregations (2020)



Top 5 Church of God in Christ States (2020)1 [View all States]

Rank State Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Tennessee 154 64,054 9.27
2 Mississippi 112 22,268 7.52
3 Louisiana 140 32,116 6.90
4 Arkansas 98 16,790 5.58
5 Alabama 94 25,140 5.00

Top 5 Church of God in Christ Counties (2020)1 [View all Counties]

Rank County Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Emporia city, VA 2 600 104.06
2 Ouachita County, AR 7 1,650 72.85
3 Coahoma County, MS 2 1,260 58.91
4 Gray County, KS 2 328 58.02
5 Camden County, NC 2 600 57.94

Top 5 Church of God in Christ Metro Areas (2020)1 [View all Metro Areas]

Rank Metro Congregations Adherents Adherence Rate
1 Camden, AR Micro Area 7 1,650 60.24
2 Clarksdale, MS Micro Area 2 1,260 58.91
3 Elmira, NY Metro Area 4 3,350 39.81
4 Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area 109 50,036 37.40
5 Greenwood, MS Micro Area 7 1,390 36.26

Church of God in Christ, Members (1933 - 1991)2


Church of God in Christ, Ministers & Churches (1933 - 1991)2


Church of God in Christ, Trends (1933 - 1991)2

YEAR MEMBERS MINISTERS CHURCHES
1933 200,470 1,200
1935 200,470 1,500 1,200
1937 1,200
1944 300,000 2,000
1946 300,000
1947 300,000 3,000
1950 316,705 4,177 3,407
1951 323,305 4,099 3,505
1952 328,304 5,116 3,600
1953 338,304 5,250 3,600
1954 328,304 1,056 3,240
1955 343,928 4,760 3,500
1956 360,428 4,800 3,500
1957 360,428 5,000 3,600
1958 380,428 5,400 3,800
1959 382,679 5,600 3,800
1960 392,635 4,900 3,800
1961 411,466 5,100 4,000
1962 419,466 5,500 4,150
1963 413,000 5,250 4,100
1964 413,000 5,250 4,100
1965 425,000 6,000 4,500
1982 3,709,661 10,425 9,982
1991 5,499,875 33,593 15,300
       

Sources

1 The 2020 data were collected by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) and include data for 372 religious bodies or groups. Of these, the ASARB was able to gather data on congregations and adherents for 217 and on congregations only for 155. [More information on the data sources]

2 All data on clergy, members, and churches are taken from the National Council of Churches’ Historic Archive CD and recent print editions of the Council’s Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. The CD archives all 68 editions of the Yearbook (formerly called Yearbook of the Churches and Yearbook of American Churches) from 1916 to 2000. Read more information on the Historic Archive CD and the Yearbook.

Membership figures are "inclusive." According to the Yearbook, this includes "those who are full communicant or confirmed members plus other members baptized, non-confirmed or non-communicant." Each denomination has its own criteria for membership.

When a denomination listed on the Historic Archive CD was difficult to identify, particularly in early editions of the Yearbook, the ARDA staff consulted numerous sources, including Melton’s Encyclopedia of American Religions and the Handbook of Denominations in the United States. In some cases, ARDA staff consulted the denomination’s website or contacted its offices by phone. When a denomination could not be positively identified, its data were omitted.

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