United Pentecostal Church International

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The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) is a multicultural United States based religious organization and is headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of Hazelwood, Missouri.^[1] The UPCI was formed in 1945 by a merger of the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. The UPCI states the following about itself:^[2]

• since its formation in 1945, the UPCI has been one of the fastest growing denominations in North America, growing from 617 member churches in 1946 to 4,358 churches in 2007 (which includes 4099 autonomous and 258 daughter works).
• the UPCI in North America has 9,085 ministers.
• the UPCI in North America reports a Sunday School attendance circa 650,000.
• the UPCI has a presence in 175 other nations with 22,881 licensed ministers, 28,351 churches and meeting places, 652 missionaries, and a foreign constituency of over 3 million.
• total worldwide constituency, including North America, is listed at 4,036,945.

[edit] UPCI doctrine

[edit] Theological Overview

The UPCI's doctrinal view derives its central theology of salvation from Acts 2:38. They believe that in order to fulfill the Biblical plan of salvation, a person must be spiritually "born again" by dying to sin through repentance, being buried with Christ in baptism, and being resurrected when receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance. A scholarly work, Our God is One, by Talmadge French, has received a good deal of attention from non-Oneness groups.

[edit] Repentance

The UPCI believes that repentance is essential to salvation, as found in Luke 13:5. Repentance is defined as turning away from sin and turning toward God. According to the UPCI, true repentance requires forgiveness and cleansing of sins found in 1 John 1:9. Members of the UPCI believe that repentance must be accompanied by "Godly sorrow." Repentance is also a prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit. Lastly, the ability to repent is temporary and may only be accomplished while one is alive^[3]]]

[edit] Baptism

Baptism is a second essential component of UPCI doctrine. Members of the UPCI affirm a need for baptism as shown in Matthew 28:19 and point to Matthew 3:13-16 as evidence that even Jesus was baptized. The UPCI mode of baptism is complete immersion in water, completed in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. This method of water baptism is a point at issue between Trinitarians and Oneness Pentecostals. Both sides include Matthew 28:19 to support their claims, with Oneness believers supporting 'Jesus Christ' and Trinitarian believers supporting "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," as it appears in Matthew 28:19. The UPCI believes that the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is 'Jesus', making a distinction that the word name in the scripture is singular, thus all three titles refer to Jesus. Some Oneness Pentecostals, however, believe that Matthew 28:19 was changed to the traditional Triune formula by the Catholic church. They back this claim up by using historical encyclopedias. Furthermore, the UPCI believes that salvation cannot be complete without baptism, specifically without the pronouncement of the name of Jesus Christ over the proceeding. This interpretation originates from Acts 2:38 and is substantiated by Acts 8:16, Acts 10:48, and Acts 19:5 as these are the only scriptures actually showing what was done in the early church as far as baptism is concerned.

[edit] Speaking in tongues

The UPCI embraces the view that speaking in tongues is the immediate, outward, observable, and audible evidence of the initial infilling of the Holy Spirit. The UPCI holds that speaking in tongues (i.e., speaking in languages that one has never learned before) can be given to all, regardless of race, culture, or language. This is interpreted from Acts 2:4, 17, 38-39; 10:46; 19:6; and I Corinthians 12:13. The tongue becomes the vehicle of expression for the Holy Spirit (James 3), and to a member of the UPCI, the Pentecostal person says it symbolizes God's complete control over the believer. According to the UPCI, the "Fruit of the Spirit" as mentioned in Gal. 5:22-23, should not be confused as the initial sign of receiving the Holy Spirit, but as the abiding "sign" of the Holy Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit takes time to develop or cultivate and therefore would not qualify as an immediate, outward and identifiable sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. Speaking in other tongues, on the other hand, does serve as an immediate, outward and identifiable/discernible sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. Tongues in Acts, while the same in essence, is different in operation and purpose than the tongues I Corinthians 12-14. They are not one and the same experience. Tongues in Acts serve as the evidential sign of receiving the Holy Spirit; whereas, the gift of divers (different) kinds of tongues in I Corinthians 12-14, is a subsequent gift of the Spirit that is given to selected believers as the Spirit (God) decides. The UPCI does not recognize 'All who believe on me shall receive eternal life' as the only part of 'receiving Christ'. One receives Christ when they initially receive the Holy Ghost.

[edit] Godhead

The UPCI teaches that the one God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah (YHVH in Hebrew), Who revealed Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ. The name of Jesus in Hebrew is "Yeshua" meaning God [YHVH (Lord)] saves, and is the proper name for describing God in the flesh. Thus Jesus Christ was and is God. For the UPCI, Jesus is the one true God manifested in flesh, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily ("St." John 1:1-14; I Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9).

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God and one person, rather than one God in three persons as in the doctrine of the Trinity. The UPCI believes their conception of the Godhead is true to early Christianity's strict monotheism, and views the trinitarian concept of God as scripturally incorrect, compromising the biblical teaching of God as one.

The UPC's understanding of God corresponds to Modalism, although it cannot be exactly characterized as such, and this is thus the most serious difference between it and other Pentecostals and evangelicals, such as the Assemblies of God.

[edit] Holiness

The UPCI holds that salvation is accomplished by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by works (Titus 3:5). The UPCI teaches a code of conduct based upon what it believes to be scriptural teaching, although detractors allege that many of these beliefs are mandated by church officials. Inner holiness such as the demonstration of the fruits of the Spirit in the christian's life are accompanied by outer signs of holiness. This includes beliefs that women should not cut their hair and should wear dresses or skirts, not pants, according to a scriptural mandate to "Not wear that which pertaineth to a man" (Deuteronomy 22:5) and "adorn [yourself] in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety" (1 Timothy 2:8-10). Men and women alike are discouraged from wearing jewelry, scripturally "gold, or pearls, or costly array" (1 Timothy 2:8-10).

[edit] Holiness and modern society

One contested holiness viewpoint in the UPCI involves ownership of a television. However, in a move to expedite the cause of evangelism, the 2007 General Conference of the UPCI saw a majority of ministers vote for a new resolution that allows for the use of television in advertising. This resolution was passed with a difference of only 84 votes and now currently allows for advertising on television. The resolution was reviewed for a year by special committee prior to an up or down vote and was passed with great care. As a result of the passing of Resolution #4, there have been many ministers who have threatened to leave the organization. At least one new organization, the Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowship, has formed in Tulsa, OK.

[edit] Notable Churches within the UPCI

• Calvary Tabernacle in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Capital Community Church in Fredericton, New Brunswick
• Christian Life Center in Stockton, California
• Christian Life Center East in Gaithersburg, Maryland
• Dallas First Church in Dallas, TX
• Eastwood Pentecostal Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana
• East Valley Pentecostal Church in San Jose, California
• Faith Sanctuary in Toronto, Ontario
• First Church of Pearland in Pearland, Texas
• First Church San Jose in San Jose, California
• Landmark Tabernacle in Denver, Colorado
• Life Tabernacle in Houston, Texas
• New Life Tabernacle in New York, New York
• Revival Center in Modesto, California
• The Apostolic Church in Auburn Hills, Michigan
• Woodlawn Church in Columbia, Mississippi

[edit] UPCI-affiliated educational institutions

At the national level, the UPCI supports seven educational institutions:

• Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota
• Christian Life College in Stockton, California
• Gateway College of Evangelism in Florissant, Missouri
• Indiana Bible College in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Northeast Christian College in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
• Texas Bible College in Lufkin, Texas
• Urshan Graduate School of Theology in Hazelwood, Missouri

Many districts and churches also support educational institutions in their cities and states. These efforts are often administered by local churches.

[edit] Notable people within the UPCI

Listed in alphabetical order:

• Rev. Dr. David K. Bernard, author, and president of Urshan Graduate School of Theology.
• Rev. Kenneth Haney, author, and General Superintendent of the UPCI.
• Rev. Jerry Jones, General Secretary-Treasurer of the UPCI.
• Rev. Randy Keyes, pastor, and Assistant General Superintendent of the UPCI.
• Rev. Anthony Mangun, Pastor of The Pentecostals of Alexandria in Louisiana.
• Rev. Paul D. Mooney, pastor, and Assistant General Superintendent of the UPCI.
• Rev. Mark Morgan, Evangelist and Pastor based in San Francisco, CA
• Rev. J.T. Pugh, Author, Honorary General Presbyter Odessa, Texas
• Rev. Lee Stoneking, Evangelist based in New York

[edit] Convocations

General Conference

[edit] External links

• Official website of the UPCI

[edit] Notes and references