Faith Temple COGIC
Women's Department

Missionary Annie Edge, President

Women's Department

The largest department in the COGIC is the Women's Department. Women in the COGIC have been influential in the leadership and organization of the church since its inception. The church believes that women are gifted and called to ministry; it does not, however, officially ordain women to the office of elder, pastor, or bishop. Under the direction of Bishop Mason, COGIC established a separate and unique ministry to promote the work of women in the church. Historically, women in ministry in the COGIC are known as missionaries and are designated in two categories— Deaconess Missionary and Evangelist Missionary. These women in COGIC are licensed to teach instead of preach the gospel (as the scriptures prescribe) and may be given the oversight of local congregations on a temporal basis as stated within the COGIC doctrine. Each jurisdiction is under the leadership of a jurisditional supervisor who is assisted by a district missionary who oversees the women's ministry of the district that comprises local congregations. Lizzie Woods Robinson (1911–1945) was the first "General Mother/Supervisor" of the church. Her successor, Lillian Brooks Coffey (1945–1964) was the organizer of the 1st International Women's Convention (1951) and was most influential in organizing many of the auxiliaries, bands, and units that exist within the COGIC Women's Department today. In fact, the Women's International Convention has been attended by as many as 20,000 delegates making it the second largest convention within COGIC. Many local congregations, foreign missions and schools were established through the leadership of women in the COGIC. The current General Supervisor of Women is Mother Willie Mae Rivers of Goose Creek, SC.