About Us
About Us
Our Beliefs
Christ Gospel Church is a fundamentalist, Pentecostal group. Like many Christian denominations, it espouses a set of doctrines known as the Apostles’ Creed:
“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; I believe in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”
Like most Pentecostal groups, the church believes in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
Neither Christ Gospel Churches, its’ leaders, nor its’ affiliated churches believe that they are the only ones going to heaven. In fact, they maintain that Christians everywhere should rejoice whenever the name of Christ is upheld.
Christ Gospel Churches believe that their ministry is to help Christians discover a closer walk with God. Like other major religions of the world, Christ Gospel Churches believe that the ultimate experience for human beings is to achieve total oneness with the Divine. Consequently, the churches’ teachings involve helping Christians grow spiritually, until Christ totally fills their lives.
Because they strive for a perfect union with Christ, church members may renounce some activities that distract ones’ mind from God. These renunciations follow the standards of old fashioned holiness. The women do not wear makeup nor cut their hair. Both men and women dress modestly. Their goal is to live full, complete lives, while keeping Christ at the center of their thoughts and activities.
The church however, teaches that there different levels of commitment to God, which are a matter of individual conscience. Although the church has a strong sense of spiritual commitment, there are no rigid requirements of conformity for membership. People are encouraged to devote their lives to God, and to walk in the light of truth that God has given them personally.
While Christ Gospel Church members may attend church services, Bible studies, and prayer groups several times a week, they believe in living full, wholesome lives and striving for excellence in all aspects of life; enjoying good, clean fun, obtaining an education, developing careers, marrying, rearing families, buying homes, and being responsible, moral citizens.
Our Worship
Christ Gospel services are exuberant celebrations. People sing, shout, dance, clap and run, as they worship and praise God with their entire beings. Yet at times the services are quiet and still, as members study the Bible attentively.
Christ Gospel Churches believe that worshipping God embraces all types of instruments, and includes various styles of music. At Christ Gospel Church in Dayton, Virginia, as well as the home church in Jeffersonville, Indiana, one will hear contemporary instruments, such as drums, guitars, and saxophones, as well as more traditional instruments, accompanying traditional hymns, black and country gospel music, contemporary worship music, and more
Our Organization
Christ Gospel Churches International, Inc. began over fifty years ago as a small missions group in Louisville, Kentucky, led by Berniece R. Hicks, who had no ambitions or plans for ministry, but had a gift for studying, understanding, and explaining the Bible.
The headquarters and main church is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana and the work has grown toover sixty churches in the U.S.
There are also churches in approximately thirty two foreign countries, as well as missions and orphan’s homes.
All churches are independent legal entities with their own boards of trustees or boards of directors. They are organized under the laws of their respective states or countries. They are theologically affiliated with Christ Gospel Churches International, Inc. and subscribe to the doctrines and ecclesiastical authority of the international organization.
Our Founder and President
Rev. Hicks' teachings are unique in the way that spiritual themes and Biblical principles are tied together. Hebrew is used to bring out the hidden meanings of words in the Scripture.
The core of her teachings is founded on the principle that the Old Testament tabernacle was laid out in the form of a cross and serves as a picture (a metaphor) of the Christian spiritual experience of growing to maturity in Christ. Christ is the head over all things (Eph.1:22), all things work together for good for those that love the Lord (Rom. 8:28); and if one seeks the kingdom of God first, all other things will be added (Matt.6:33).
Rev. Hicks has written and published over 110 books, which include studies on the Old Testament tabernacle, the threefold nature of man, evolution and creation, overcoming depression, and many spiritual exegeses of various books of the Bible. The church holds copyright to these materials, and the author receives no royalties from them.
Although now ninety three years old, she still preaches an average of two services each week at the Jeffersonville church, continues writing books and Christian training materials, and answers hundreds of letters each week. Annually, Rev. Hicks preaches four to six major conventions, three in Jeffersonville to a packed church, and two in Mexico; one in Tampico to a filled 15,000 seat stadium, and a minister's training convention in Mexico City. She also travels extensively for her age and holds meetings in various churches.
"Every detail of God's Word is important and gives us understanding of what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future. It is a serious offense to disregard the details of God's Word, counting them insignificant, because small details are God's big keys which open the doors to God's treasure house of truth, where our understanding is enlightened to see whole new worlds found in God's Word."
B R Hicks