About Us

Pastor's Biography

BISHOP LEONARD C. CLARKE (T.T. Cert., Cert. Ed.M, M.Ed., D.P.M., EdS.)

Bishop Leonard Clarke began his walk with the Lord in 1972 when he became a member of the New Testament Church of God in Jamaica. He served in various capacities, including Sunday School Teacher, Youth Leader, Secretary for various auxiliaries, and member of the Pastor’s Council. He migrated to the United States in 1998, became a member of the Greenfield Church of God of Prophecy, and thereafter, began work on his ministerial credentials; which were obtained in 2004. After four years as lay Minister at Greenfield, he was appointed Pastor of the River Rouge Church of God of Prophecy. In 2010 he received his Bishop’s licensure, and currently serves on the Ministerial Review Board (M.R.B.) in the Great Lakes Region. Clarke is a graduate of Mico Teachers’ Training College (Jamaica), The University of the West Indies (Mona), Ashland Theological Seminary and Wayne State University (Detroit). A retired Math Teacher of forty years, he is married to his wife Deserene for over forty years and has two adult children, Nichole (Duran) and Shane (Kayan), who support him in the Ministry.

First Lady's Biography

DESERENE E. CLARKE (T.T. Cert., DP.Ed., M.Ed.)

Deserene “grew up” in the New Testament Church of God, in Jamaica, under the nurturing of a Christian mother who was always guided by the tenets of Proverbs 22:6; in raising her – Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. She accepted the Lord as her personal savior at an early age and served the church in various capacities. These include Youth Leader, Sunday School Teacher/Superintendent, Usher, Ladies’ Ministry Director and V.B.S. Coordinator. She is a graduate of Mico Teachers’ Training College (Jamaica), G.C. Foster College of Physical Education (Jamaica), University of the West Indies (Mona, Jamaica) and Wayne State University (Detroit). After teaching both regular and Special Needs students for forty years, she is now retired and enjoying the fruits of her labor. Daughter, Nichole has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Wayne State University. While son Shane, has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Her hobbies include; listening to gospel music, crocheting and playing scrabble.

Our History

The Church of God of Prophecy is a vibrant, worldwide body of believers, united in worship, working hand-in-hand to share God’s love and a message of hope to the brokenhearted. The Church of God of Prophecy has over one-and-a-half million members, worshiping in over 10,000 churches our missions in 125 nations of the world. Nearly 90% of our global membership is outside of North America. The Church of God movement began over one hundred years ago in the humble hearts of earnest believers in the rural mountains of Cherokee County, North Carolina. Following a miracle-filled revival that took place in a schoolhouse near Camp Creek in 1886, a small congregation formed a Christian Union to pray and study the scriptures. Soon led by an energetic young pastor from Indiana named A.J. Tomlinson, the group was more formally organized in 1903 into the Church of God and relocated its headquarters to neighboring Cleveland, Tennessee the following year. From Appalachia to the World, the century that followed saw great growth in all the branches of this movement. From the beginning, these spiritual pioneers traced their roots to the New Testament church and considered themselves a continuation of the Spirit-filled Christianity exhibited in the book of Acts. This desired connection with early Christian expression continues today with a mandate that all church decisions be committed to prayer and based on scripture. In contemporary theological terms, the Church of God of Prophecy is a Protestant, Evangelical, Wesleyan holiness, Pentecostal movement that believes in man’s freewill regarding salvation. -Courtesy of Church Of God Of Prophecy Headquarters

What We Believe

Frequently Asked Questions