The History of
“To aid or assist” — more appropriately, “to keep on helping.” The servant-ministry Bishop Ellis gave to the Church.
The Adjutancy, as it is known today in Pentecostal churches, was formed in 1970 by the late Bishop J. Delano Ellis II. Bishop Ellis’s desire to blend order and ardor within the Black Pentecostal church created a “corps of servants” to the leadership in the Church of God in Christ. It is therefore impossible to discuss adjutancy in the Black Pentecostal church without mentioning its founding father.
Having received much of his education and exposure in the Episcopal and Anglican communities, Bishop Ellis inspired the Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ to adopt a similar tonsorial (dress or vestment) style, and many African-American Pentecostal communions followed their example. As the churches found greater exposure in the broader community of organized believers, so grew the need for those who would assist leaders in serving the Lord’s church — and so the Adjutancy was born.
The Word Itself
The word “Adjutant” comes from the Latin adiutare, meaning “to aid or assist,” or, more appropriately stated, “to keep on helping.” The latter definition, as used in the military, means “a staff officer who assists the Commanding Officer; the officer-in-charge of administrative affairs for the Commanding Officer.”
In the ecclesial sense, an Adjutant is “a servant who assists and advises a bishop on liturgical, ceremonial, and protocol matters, and administratively organizes and executes ceremonies, services, and the directives of the bishop.” The Adjutancy, among us, is the group of men and women charged with the task of standardizing and enacting the fundamentals of our ceremonial, liturgical, and protocol traditions.
The Mission
The mission of the Adjutancy is widespread, but can be characterized as a twofold purpose: “to sanctify the leader in the eyes of the people, and to lend great support and service to Elijah.” In large part, this message is seen in the Adjutant’s Coat of Arms.
Through dignified and reverent ceremonial decorum, we unveil the beauty of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ and the sacredness of the office of the bishops and subordinate prelatures. We labor to produce an atmosphere of reverence and holiness that is conducive to the full expression, manifestation, and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The Adjutancy endeavors to arrange a divine encounter between God and His people by preserving the sacred mysteries and holy things that are the rich traditions of our faith. We further strive to serve the successors of Christ’s apostolic ministry in the faithful execution of their ministry.
It was with great pleasure that our founder and organizer of the Adjutancy within 20th- and 21st-century Pentecost extended a formal invitation to all adjutants, armor bearers, and those who desire to grow in this servant-ministry. That invitation is carried on today.