Bishop Phillip Aquilla Brooks

First Assistant Presiding Bishop, Church Of God In Christ, Inc.

Bishop P.A. Brooks is first and foremost, a worshipper of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His faith, obedience and commitment to the Word of God is the foundation for his service within the Kingdom of God. These basic characteristics are the driving force behind his love for the Church Of God In Christ and for the community at large.

A devoted family man, Bishop Brooks and his lovely wife, Missionary Doris Brooks have been married since 1952. They are the parents of two children; daughter, Evangelist Faithe Brooks and son, Minister Phillip Brooks II. Bishop and Mrs. Brooks are the proud grandparents of two granddaughters, Candace and Katrina, and one grandson, Phillip III.

Bishop Brooks founded New St. Paul Tabernacle COGIC in 1953. From humble beginnings, the ministry has grown to an impressive record of accomplishments and service to God and community. In the late 1960’s, then Elder P.A. Brooks founded and hosted the March of Faith Radio Broadcast. He proclaimed the Word of God every Sunday morning over the airwaves.

In 1975 he was appointed Jurisdictional Prelate of the Historic First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Michigan, commonly known as, Northeast Michigan Jurisdiction. That same year, he established the March of Faith Television Broadcast. He was the first African American pastor to broadcast on television in Detroit. The broadcast aired on WGPR ch62, the first Black-owned television station in the country. The March of Faith Broadcast Ministry continues today, both on radio and on television.

Bishop Brooks expanded his local ministry into a variety of community outreach programs. He founded the Grandmont-Rosedale Christian Day School, K through 8. He established the New St. Paul Non-Profit Housing Corporation which built Faith Manor Senior Citizens Apartments on the campus of New St. Paul Tabernacle. The New St. Paul Community Development Center is the home of the New St. Paul Tabernacle Headstart Agency which has become the model Headstart Agency in the city of Detroit with 11 affiliated centers.

During his ministerial career, Bishop Brooks has forged a path which distinguishes him as one of the most respected leaders in the Church Of God In Christ. His vision has helped transform the church, while at the same time, upholding COGIC tradition. In 1984 he was elevated to the General Board, the national presidium of the Church Of God In Christ Inc. In that same year, he co-authored and published the best-selling manual, “Understanding Bible Doctrine as Taught By The Church Of God In Christ”, donating all profits to the national COGIC church from 1984-1997.

Realizing the necessity for the Church Of God In Christ to have a nationwide presence in media, Bishop Brooks spearheaded a national drive and raised $15,000.00 for the late Presiding Bishop J.O. Patterson to purchase cameras to go on national television. Bishop Brooks was the producer of the first National COGIC television special. His astute appreciation of modern technology made him the first amongst his peers on the General Board to launch his local church and jurisdiction onto the world-wide web. He was among the first to broadcast his Sunday morning worship services via the internet in a live webcast each week.

Before being elected to the General Board, Bishop Brooks was the very first Chief Adjutant of the Church Of God In Christ, serving the Presiding Bishop and the General Board for 14 years. After being elected to the General Board, he served 16 years as Secretary to the Board, during which time he secured a patent and copyright on Bishop C.H. Mason’s Official Portrait at the Library of Congress.

As Prelate of Northeast Michigan Jurisdiction, Bishop Brooks established Faith Community Mortgage, the first church-owned mortgage company in the country. Faith Community Mortgage has financed homes in Detroit, Orlando, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana, and in Sacramento, California. During tht time, Bishop Brooks was directly or indirectly responsible for financing at least 25 building programs for churches within the jurisdiction.

In 2001, Bishop Brooks spearheaded a drive by the Michigan Council of Bishops, of which he was founder and president, to raise money for victims in New York City who lost their jobs as a result of the 911 World Trade Center attacks. In 2003, Bishop Brooks provided housing in Detroit, Michigan and New Orleans, Louisiana for several families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The Michigan Council of Bishops also raised $100,000 to give to National COGIC Charities for the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina. In 2004, his humanitarianism and civic contributions earned him an honorary doctorate degree from Lewis Business College, Michigan’s only Historically Black college.

As part of his duties on the General Board, Bishop Brooks has been called upon to serve as Interim Bishop in at least 11 different states (Michigan, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Florida, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania). He serves as Dean of the Church Of God In Christ, Inc. Episcopal Academy, teaching classes of newly installed Bishops each October at All Saints College in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 2007, Bishop Brooks was elected Second Assistant Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ, Inc. In 2009, under Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. Bishop Brooks was elevated to First Assistant Presiding Bishop, an office through which he continues to serve the church today.