Biography of Bishop Charles E. Blake

Bishop Charles E. Blake is known as a man of character, integrity, and wisdom. Born August 5, 1940 in North Little Rock, Arkansas, Bishop Blake is the son of the late Bishop J.A. Blake and Mrs. Lula Champion Blake. Licensed in 1959 and Ordained in 1962, he received his B.A. from California Western University (now known as United States International University), and his Master of Divinity degree from Interdenominational Theological Center in 1965. Bishop Blake obtained his Doctorate of Divinity degree from the California Graduate School of Theology in 1982, and is an Honorary Doctorate recipient of Oral Roberts University.

Because he is a man with a God-given mission for ministering to the whole man; sprit, mind, and body, West Angeles Church of God In Christ, the largest African American church in the western United States, has set a new standard for ministry to the Christian and to the world. As pastor of West Angeles Church for 30 years, Bishop Blake; recipient of the Salvation Army’s William Booth Award, the Greenlining Institutes’ Big Heart Award, and the Los Angeles Urban League’s Whitney M. Young, Jr. award, has overseen West Angeles’ growth from a 50 member church in 1969 to a membership of over 19,000 today, making it one of the fastest growing congregations in the world. With annual revenues over $12 million, West Angeles serves as a significant economic stimulus to the community of South Los Angeles. The church employs over 125 employees, and coordinates a force of over 1000 volunteers to serve the congregation and community through over 80 specialized ministries. Along with his Co-Chairs Magic Johnson and Denzel Washington, Bishop Blake supervises the West Angeles Cathedral Fund, to provide for the West Angeles Cathedral, a 60-million dollar building project estimated to have an economic impact of $100 million on the community of South Los Angeles. West Angeles offers more than 80 specialized ministries, programs, and support groups to assist and empower the community.

Bishop Charles E. Blake is the First Assistant Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, and also a member of the 12-member General Board, the presiding board of the 2.2 million member Church of God in Christ denomination. Since 1985, he has been the Jurisdictional Prelate of the First Jurisdiction of Southern California, which owns and maintains Bonnie Brae House where the Pentecostal Revival later called the Azusa Revival began, and Transition House, the 15-bed substance abuse recovery facility for men. As prelate, he oversees approximately 250 churches that comprise the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Southern California

He is an Advisory Committee Member of the Pentecostal World Conference and the founder and Co-chair of the Los Angeles Ecumenical Congress, an interdenominational coalition of Religious Leaders and Pastors dedicated to the re-establishment of African-American Christian Leadership in the city of Los Angeles. Armed with a spiritual and moral agenda, the LAEC seeks to effectively utilize its collective influence among community and political leadership to benefit Los Angeles residents, and to respond to the challenges and issues that face the Los Angeles community. 

Bishop Blake is married to Mae Lawrence Blake. They are the parents of 3 children and the grandparents of two grandchildren. Bishop Blake is a respected and dynamic preacher, a world class leader, a visionary, and a beloved friend and mentor to many. He is internationally recognized as one of America’s most profound intellectual minds. He is an extraordinary man of God.