Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God

Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God
Classification	Spiritual Church Movement
Orientation	Pentecostal Holiness
Polity	Hierarchical , Church conference
Region	United States, locations in 15 states and other foreign nations
Founder	James F. Jones
Origin	September 24, 1944 Detroit, Michigan
Separated from	Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ
Congregations	35
Members	< 20000

The Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God is a predominantly African American Pentecostal holiness spiritual church. It began as a break away congregation of the Detroit branch of the southern based, nationwide Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ in the 1940s.It was founded by James F. Jones, often known as Prophet Jones.

Universal Triumph, Dominion of God positions itself theologically as the 'fulfillment' of and the true successor to 'the mission' of its former Mother Church. Its self-designation is not as a Christian 'Holiness' Church but as a Christian 'Holiness' Kingdom or a literal 'Dominion of God' into which members, known as 'citizens', have to 'register' not 'join'.

Once registered into the Dominion, citizens are admonished to strictly abide by the 'Dominion rules',i.e. no smoking, alcoholic drinks, coffee, tea, drugs or games of any kind as specified in the 'Dominion constitution' as set up by the 'Dominion Ruler'. The Dominion Ruler is the Head of the Dominion or Kingdom.

Objectives and purposes

The Dominion was founded, it states, by direct message to its founder by God to disseminate the "whole truth of God throughout the world". Thus divine messages of guidance and revelation through the Dominion founder are the underscoring foundation of Universal Triumph Dominion of God. Its sacred text is the Christian Bible.

Dominion publications that interpret and explain the Bible in light of the divine revelations of the Dominion founder, Prophet Jones, are 'The Mind Awakener' and 'The Message'. The procedure to properly conduct weekly Dominion services are in 'The ritual'. Further instructions for citizens and auxiliaries and other components that make up the Dominion of God are in 'The Dominion Constitution'. The Dominion consists of numerous 'churches' called "Thankful Centers" around the United States and abroad.

Hierarchy

The Dominion is led by the Dominion Ruler. The founding Dominion Ruler, James F. Jones, is known to the citizens of the Dominion of God as 'God's only Holy Prophet'. The Dominion Ruler is assisted in his duties by The First Dominion Lady and the Dominion Chief Secretary known as the Universal Dominion Executor. The Universal Dominion Executor presides over the Diocean Administers. The Diocean Administers preside over the various districts, or Diocese, that compose the Dominion. Several Thankful Centers make up a Dominion district. The local Thankful Center is led by a Dominion minister called the Local Administrator. The Local Administrator oversees weekly Dominion services as well as the local activities of the Dominion auxiliary clubs.

General Assembly

An annual international Dominion conference called the 'General Assembly' is convened by the Dominion hierarchy, the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees of the Dominion, to oversee the world activities of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. The activities and duties of the General Assembly when convened are to review the efforts of the Dominion workers to establish Thankful Centers, Dominion schools and seminaries throughout the world, to ordain and appoint missionaries and evangelists to head up the work and to appoint and ordain all dignitaries and officials of the Dominion under the direct direction and leadership of the Universal Dominion Ruler.

Clergy and auxiliary leaders

The Dominion clergy, workers and auxiliary leaders make up the dignitaries and officials of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. Both men and women citizens in the Dominion are eligible to serve as auxiliary club and/or laity leaders as well as members of the clergy. Leaders in the work of the Dominion earn and are given royal titles such as sir, prince, princess, lord, and lady by designation from the Dominion Ruler.

Dominion auxiliary clubs

The auxiliary clubs of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God are the Universal Missionary Society, the Universal Praise Bands, the Universal Rescue Workers and the Universal Young Peoples Union. The Universal Missionary Society's duties include establishing thankful centers, Universal Triumph, Dominion of God schools and seminaries throughout the world. The Universal Rescue Workers Union's duties are "to provide for the widows and orphans, the poor and the needy". The Universal Young Peoples Union is the youth auxiliary of the Dominion.

Founding prophet, teachings and celebrations

Prophet Jones preaching in November 1944

The Dominion was organized and founded in Detroit, Michigan between 1938 and its formation in 1944 by a former Pastor & missionary for Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ, James F. Jones.^[1]^[2] Jones, known as "Prophet Jones", claimed to be a faith healing minister, and ran a fundamentalist Christian, radio and television ministry. Jones further claimed that he was the second coming of Christ with the divine power to heal, forecast, bless and curse.

Jones, as Dominion founder, was the Dominion Ruler from 1944 till his death in 1971. His successor as Dominion Ruler was James Schaffer.

The Universal Triumph Dominion of God's teachings revolve around heralding the incoming millennial rule of 'perfect bliss' under the 'universal triumph' of the 'kingdom of God', in which the wicked, and death itself, will be destroyed but the Dominion faithful will live forever in incorruptible physical bodies right here on Earth. Those in the Dominion that are faithful now, it teaches, can and do have heaven right here on earth by recognizing the 'divine' calling of the Dominion ruler and by strictly obeying his 'divine' wisdom and rules. When this stage of understanding is adhered too the Dominion declares "All Is well": which is the Dominion's signature phrase.

The Dominion of God holds its founder and first Dominion Ruler, Jones, in the highest esteem. It annually celebrates the week of his birth, beginning November 24, his birthday, called Philamethyu and ending December 1, called Hushdomcalama. For the Dominion this is the sacred time of the year and the celebrations take the place of Christmas as practiced in much of Christianity.

Dominion rulers

The Dominion Ruler in the Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God is the head religious leader, pastor, and overseer of the church and movement. The Dominion Ruler (the Head of the Dominion, or colloquially, the Kingdom) is understood by the Dominion citizens to be the Universal Divine Ruler similar to a divine king who is in direct contact with God.

Duties

The Dominion Ruler serves as top leader, chief teacher, top trustee and final judge as the 'divine ruler' in the Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. He oversees the international Dominion conference called the General Assembly convened by the Dominion hierarchy, the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees.He also awards high level and active leaders in the Dominion with royal titles such as sir, prince, princess, lord and lady.

Honorary titles

His Holiness
The Right Reverend
Reverend Lord, Lord comes from how Prophet Jones blessed his inner circle with royal and noble titles, such as "Sir," "Prince" and "Princess," "Lord" and "Lady" and other majestic appellations.

List of Dominion rulers

Image	Name	Lifetime	Reign	End Reason	Notes	Length
	James F. Jones (minister)	1907–1971	1944–1971	Death	The founder of the Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God, first dominion ruler of the Church of Universal Triumph	27 years
	James Schaffer (pastor)	1910–2014	1971–2014	Death	Rev.Lord Shaffer succeeded Prophet Jones as Dominion Ruler in 1971. He died March 9, 2014.^[3]	41 years

References

↑ Simmons, Zena (September 1997). "Detroit's Flamboyant Prophet Jones". Detroit News. Retrieved 13 January 2012. Check date values in: |year=, |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
↑ "Black Holiness". Novelguide. 2002-03-19. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
↑ "Current News". Universal Triumph, Dominion of God. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.

4.http://utdog.org/mission.html

Simmons, Zena (13 September 1997). "Detroit's Flamboyant Prophet Jones". The Detroit News. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
Walton, Johnathan (2009). Watch This!: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism. NYU Press. pp. 70–74. ISBN 978-0-8147-9417-3.

US black church denominations and leaders
General	Religion in Black America Historically African-American Christian denominations Clergy
Methodist	African Methodist Episcopal Church (John Adams Sr. Richard Allen Sarah Allen Benjamin W. Arnett George Lincoln Blackwell Morris Brown Jamal Harrison Bryant John Richard Bryant Richard H. Cain Archibald Carey Jr. Daniel Coker James H. Cone James Levert Davis Jordan Winston Early Orishatukeh Faduma Floyd H. Flake Carolyn Tyler Guidry Sarah E. Gorham William H. Heard Reginald Jackson Henrietta Phelps Jeffries Absalom Jones Ben Kinchlow Vashti Murphy McKenzie Biddy Mason Lena Doolin Mason Robert Meacham Lyman S. Parks Daniel Payne Charles H. Pearce Clementa C. Pinckney William Paul Quinn Reverdy Cassius Ransom Richard Henry Singleton Charles Spencer Smith Theophilus Gould Steward Henry McNeal Turner William Tecumseh Vernon D. Ormonde Walker Lewis Woodson) African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (Julia A. J. Foote James Walker Hood Thomas James John Kinard Jermain Wesley Loguen William Henry Singleton John Bryan Small Jeffery Tribble James Varick Alexander Walters) A.U.M.P. Church (Peter Spencer) Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (William Yancy Bell William H. Miles)
Baptist	Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (Vernon Johns) First African Baptist Church (Richmond, Virginia) (Lucy Goode Brooks) First African Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia) (David George) First Baptist Church (Petersburg, Virginia) Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship (Paul S. Morton) Fundamental Baptist Fellowship Association Joint National Baptist Convention Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention (Clinton Caldwell Boone * Lott Cary) National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (Stewart Cleveland Cureton Joseph H. Jackson T. J. Jemison Henry Lyons Benjamin Mays W. J. Simmons) National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. (R. H. Boyd) National Missionary Baptist Convention of America (S. M. Lockridge) National Primitive Baptist Convention of the U.S.A. Progressive National Baptist Convention (Ralph Abernathy William Augustus Jones Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gardner C. Taylor) Silver Bluff Baptist Church United American Free Will Baptist Church (Benjamin Randall) United American Free Will Baptist Conference
Pentecostal	Apostolic Assemblies of Christ Apostolic Faith Church (William J. Seymour) Church of God in Christ (Charles Edward Blake, Sr. Andraé Crouch Sandra Crouch J. Delano Ellis Robert Michael Franklin Jr. Samuel Green Jr. Edwin Hawkins O. T. Jones Sr. John P. Kee Charles Harrison Mason Chandler David Owens Sr Gilbert E. Patterson J. O. Patterson Jr. Wayne Perryman Ted Thomas Sr. F. D. Washington Dickerson Wells Timothy Wright Lennox Yearwood) Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith (Robert C. Lawson) Church of Universal Triumph, Dominion of God (James F. Jones) Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas Mount Sinai Holy Church of America (Ida B. Robinson) Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (Charles H. Ellis III) Reformed Zion Union Apostolic Church United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God, Incorporated United Holy Church of America United Sabbath-Day Adventist Church
Other	African Orthodox Church (George Alexander McGuire) Church of Christ (Holiness) U.S.A. (Charles Price Jones) Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America City of Refuge UCC (Yvette Flunder) Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation (George Augustus Stallings Jr.) Interdenominational Theological Center Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge Love Center Church (Walter Hawkins) Original Church of God or Sanctified Church Spencer Churches (Peter Spencer) Trinity United Church of Christ (Otis Moss III) United House of Prayer for All People (Marcelino Manuel da Graca)

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