Church of God in Christ

The Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal body which is the sixth largest Christian Church in the United States and perhaps the nation's largest African American denomination. It was formed in 1897 by C. H. Mason, who severed ties with Baptists. The current Presiding Bishop is Dr. Gilbert E. Patterson, who is the founding pastor of the Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ. Other bishops include Charles E. Blake, the Pastor of The West Angeles Cathedral, and J. N. Haynes, the Pastor of The Gospel Temple Church of God in Christ.