
Email us at: Women Department
Missionary Annie Edge, President
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.
Women's Department Job Description......... |
District Missionary | Director of Missions | Planning Committee | Public Relations | Secretarial Staff | National Evangelist | Evangelist Missionary | Usher Board | Mother's Board | Missionary Pledge Prayer and Bible Band | Hospitality | Board of Examiners | Sewing Circle Deaconess Missionary YWCC | CWC | Nurses Unit | Minister's Wives