ADMINISTRATION

       The administration of the Sons Of God Apostolic Spiritual Baptist Faith is to a large extent centered around the activities within the 19 plus groups which formed the general body of the church. These groups vary in age, numbers, as well as degrees, and are separated into male and female sections with the exception of the Supreme and Grand Councils.

 

      Formed through the insight of Patriarch Dr. Granville Williams, the groups represent a conscious effort to allow each member to exercise himself not only in the activities of the church, but also in the decision-making process.

 

      Yet, each group is an independent body, being governed by a committee which was democratically elected for periods ranging from six months to one year. Reports are received from these groups at weekly or monthly general meetings which are held or alternated between the venues at each branch.

 

       Basically, the groups are part of the support mechanism for the money projects which come on stream and are fundamentally committed to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The responsibilities placed on these cells allow them to use a great deal of initiative in achieving their goals and objectives. Some of these activities include fund-raising in the form of concerts, dinners, fairs, excursions, stalls at national festivals and films shows.

 

       Reflective in the Supreme Council and the Grand Council is the highest decision-making entities, and they form the foundations from which church doctrine and directives are formulated. The Grand Council, the bigger of the two, comprises senior membership with His Excellency as chairman. The membership for the Supreme Council, on the other hand, is drawn from the Grand Council, consisting of Ministers.

 

       The Ministerial Order comprises Patriarch Dr. Archbishop, Bishops, Archdeacon, the Ministers, Deacons and Sub-Deacons, the more senior males; and the females are the Mothers of Sorrow, (Mothers Association) Mother Reverends, Deaconesses, and Teachers. Elders are also placed within this category.

 

       Ordained by His Excellency, the ministers assist with the spiritual development of member, counseling, administering the Word of God, conducting services and performing all ceremonial rites and rituals. Throughout the years, they have been instrumental in holding open-air meetings at various locations.

       In the Spiritual Baptist Church, the women are very active. When not expounding the Word of God, they, within the respective groups, dedicate their all to the spiritual upliftment of the church. They visit the sick, conduct services, in addition to holding open-air services and rallies. They remain a powerful driving force behind the ideas about fund-raising ventures and their execution.
       The Nurse Association, as the name would suggest, are the nurses of the church. They are entrusted to look after the "candidates" on "Mercy Seat" which is a very important aspect of the church's practice.

       The Damsels, Daughters of Salem and the Rose Buds (newly initiated) are of younger girls who are trained to assist in ceremonies. It is a beautiful sight to see them officiating around the temple neatly dressed in their robes and colourful (spiritual) cords. Moreover, the junior (not in age) female section is made of the League of Mary and the Ambassadors.

       There are also the Good Samaritans and the Knights of Jerusalem which are junior male groups, but which function in several areas of church work, including conducting services on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays when scheduled.

       It is at the general meetings that all groups come together to bring the church up to date with planned projects, give progress reports, give information on matters affecting the church, examine outside criticism, discipline members or discuss correspondence, among other things.

       Sometimes these meetings are turned into spiritual sessions in which the word of God and its content is imparted in a knowledge of deeper mysticism.