COGIC Holy Convocation Draws 35,000 to St. Louis for Three-Year Run
More than 35,000 members of the Church of God in Christ gathered in St. Louis on November 3, 2026, for the 118th Holy Convocation, kicking off a three-year commitment to the America's Center. The move from Memphis came after the denomination could not secure adequate hotel and convention space in the Tennessee city.
More than 35,000 members of the Church of God in Christ arrived in St. Louis on November 3, 2026, for the 118th Holy Convocation, launching a three-year run at the America's Center that marks the second time in the denomination's history it has left Memphis for the event.
The week-long gathering runs through November 10. COGIC leaders committed to St. Louis through 2028 after years of friction over hotel availability and convention space in Memphis. The church said it was "unable to secure satisfactory conditions" and that the General Assembly voted against continuing in Memphis beyond 2025.
Bishop Keith Kershaw said that when delegates were polled on where to hold the event, "overwhelmingly the choice was St. Louis."
This is familiar ground for the denomination. COGIC held its annual conferences in St. Louis from 2010 to 2019 before the pandemic forced a virtual gathering in 2021 and a return to Memphis in 2022.
Explore St. Louis estimates the three-year commitment will generate roughly $250 million in economic impact and draw about 180,000 attendees over that span.
The 2024 Holy Convocation, the last held in Memphis, drew more than 30,000 attendees and brought an estimated $35 million to the Memphis economy. Discussions about a possible return to Memphis remain ongoing, though no timeline has been set.
