Central Georgia Department of Evangelism

In February of 1927, Bishop C. H. Mason appointed Elder L. C. Page as leader of the “group of Evangelists in the Church of God in Christ.” By his own admission, Elder Page did not know the first thing to do, so he just preached. Bishop Mason gave Elder Page a second charge in the fall of 1933. He instructed him to organize and supervise the National Evangelist Board. Not long after these instructions, Elder Page began having Evangelist Board meetings in different parts of the country. The first one was in Memphis, Tennessee around 1937.
The early conventions of the Evangelist Board were really crusades led by Evangelist Page and a few mostly Evangelists from across the country. Those in attendance were few and the delegates stayed in private homes. The first year the convention was head-quartered in a hotel was in 1969 in Dallas, Texas. This was the first convention following Elder D.L. Austins’s appointment as the first Convention Chairman in the Board’s history. Bishop Page was a noted soul-winner and these conventions reaped large numbers of converts and people who received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Dr. E. L. Battles was appointed president in 1981 and served as president until his death in December of 1996. At the leadership conference in 1997, Bishop C. D. Owens appointed Evangelist Richard White President of the Evangelist Department. Rev. White sought God in prayer for His direction in leading the Department of Evangelism. After consulting with members of the Department, Evangelist White appointed 10 Regional directors to coordinate various areas of the country. He has emphasized the importance of “Deliverance, Development, and Demonstration.” Once a soul has received deliverance through salvation we must offer training to help them develop and become mature believers and saints.
Dr. Reatha Herndon was appointed the Elect Lady of the Evangelist Department in 1951. She served with Bishop Page, Elder Edward Battles, and Evangelist Richard White. Dr. Herndon was emeritus January 2001, and Evangelist Maria Gardner was appointed Elect Lady by Bishop G. E. Patterson. Bishop Patterson also re-appointed Evangelist Richard White the President of the Evangelist Department, January 2001. Bishop Patterson and the General Board appointed Elder Dennis L. Martin, Sr. President of the Evangelist Department., January 2005.
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