Apostolic Pentecostals

★688★

Apostolic Assemblies of Christ, Inc.

26798 Sumter Rd.
Belleville, MI 48111-9629

The Apostolic Assemblies of Christ was formed in 1970 by former members of the Pentecostal Churches of Apostolic Faith led by Bishop G. N. Boone. During the term of presiding bishop Willie Lee, questions of his administrative abilities arose. In the midst of the controversy, he died. In the organizational disaray the church splintered, and one group formed around Bishop Boone and Virgil Oates, the vice-bishop. The new body is congregational in organization and continues in the doctrine of the parent body, since no doctrinal controversy accompanied the split.

Membership: In 1980 the Assemblies had approximately 3,500 members, 23 churches and 70 ministers.

★689★

Apostolic Church of Christ

2044 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Winston-Salem, NC 27107

The Apostolic Church of Christ was founded in 1969 by Bishop Johnnie Draft and Elder Wallace Snow, both ministers in the Church of God (Apostolic). Draft, for many years an overseer in the church and pastor of St. Peter's Church, the denomination's headquarters congregation, expressed no criticism of the Church of God (Apostolic); rather, he stated that the Spirit of the Lord brought him to start his own organization. The church differs from its parent body in its development of a centralized church polity. Authority is vested in the executive board, which owns all the church property. Doctrine follows that of the Church of God (Apostolic). Bishop Draft serves as the church's Chief Apostle.

Membership: In 1992 the Apostolic Church of Christ had six churches, 400 members, nine ministers, six elders, two licensed missionaries, and one bishop.

★690★

Apostolic Church of Christ in God

℅ Bethlehem Apostolic Church
1217 E. 15th St. Winston-Salem, NC 27105

The Apostolic Church of Christ in God was formed by five elders of the Church of God (Apostolic): J. W. Audrey, J. C. Richardson, Jerome Jenkins, W. R. Bryant, and J. M. Williams. At the time of the split, the Church of God (Apostolic) was formally led by Thomas Cox, but, due to his ill health, Eli N. Neal was acting as presiding bishop. The dissenting elders were concerned with the authoritarian manner in which Neal conducted the affairs of the church as well as with some personal problems that Neal was experiencing. Originally, three churches left with the elders, who established headquarters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. J. W. Audrey was elected the new presiding bishop.

The new church prospered and in 1952 Elder Richardson was elected as a second bishop. In 1956 Audrey resigned and Richardson became the new presiding bishop. Under his leadership the Apostolic Church enjoyed its greatest success. He began The Apostolic Gazette(later the Apostolic Journal) which served the church for many years. He also instituted a program to assist ministers in getting an education. However, his efforts were frustrated by several schisms that cut into the church's growth, most prominently the 1971 schism led by former-bishop Audrey.

The church retained the doctrine and congregational polity of the Church of God (Apostolic).

Membership: In 1980 the church had 2,150 members in 13 congregations being served by five bishops and 25 ministers.

★691★

Apostolic Church of Jesus

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Apostolic Church of Jesus was founded by Antonio Sanches, who had been converted in an evangelistic meeting led by Mattie Crawford in Pueblo, Colorado in 1923, and his brother George Sanches. The Sanches brothers began to preach to the Spanish-speaking population of the city and in 1927 organized the first congregation of the Apostolic Church of Jesus. In subsequent years, congregations were established throughout the state and elsewhere and can now be found in Denver, Westminister, Fountain, Walsenbury, and Ft. Garland, Colorado; Palo Alto, California; San Luis, Trinidad; and Velarde, New Mexico. The group, presently under the leadership of Raymond P. Virgil, has a weekly radio ministry.

Membership: Not reported.

Periodicals: Jesus Only News of the Apostolic Faith.

★692★

Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ is a second body that grew out of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World after the death of Garfield Thomas Haywood (1880-1931), who founded the "oneness" work in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Church believes in the indispensability of baptism for salvation.

Membership: Not reported.

Periodicals: The Voice of the Wilderness.

★693★

Apostolic Faith (Hawaii)

1043 Middle St.
Honolulu, HI 96819

The Apostolic Faith Church, known in Honolulu for the lighted sign proclaiming "JESUS COMING SOON" on the rooftop, was founded by the late Pastor Charles Lochbaum, who was called by the Lord to come to Hawaii from California in 1923. He and his wife, Ada Lochbaum, held revival services in a tent to where many came and witnessed preaching of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ, gift of the Holy Spirit, and Divine healing." This early ministry was successful, and within a year a permanent church was erected. The ministry initiated an evangelistic tour of the island, and baptized more than 4,000 converts in four years.

The church is headed by a board of trustees comprising the Pastor and Chairman of the Board William M. Han, Sr., Pastor Emeritus Rodney S. Asano, Sr., Pastor Leonard K. Y. Asano, Sr., Edwin H. Sproat, Sr., Evangeline L. Han, and William M. Han, Jr. It is self-sufficient and independent, and has no affiliation with other national and independent church groups. One of its doctrines admonishes members to "Stand up for the Name of Jesus Christ, not to join up with any other organization, and not to compromise the Gospel Truths found in God's Word, the Bible."

The first branch church was built in the district of Kaimuki, on the island of Oahu, in 1930. Another followed in Kaunakakai, Molaki, in 1944, and the Maui Branch Church was constructed at Lahaina in 1953. A 1,000-seat headquarters temple sanctuary was erected in 1959. That same year current Chief Pastor William Han, Sr. succeeded the late pastors Charles and Ada Lochbaum, and in 1973 the church dedicated a complex consisting of a parsonage, church office, and classrooms added to the headquarters. The following year a seven-story-high prayer tower was completed and dedicated for daily prayer services and weekly tarrying services. Since then, additional branch churches have been established in Hilo, Hawaii, Koloa, Kauai, Cotabato, Mindanao, and the Philippine Islands.

In the 1960s the church began a radio broadcast over KIKI in Honolulu; television broadcast commenced in 1980 (it is the longest-running program in Hawaii), and has since expanded to stations in Seattle, San Diego, Chico/Redding, Palm Springs, Sacramento, Eureka, and El Centro, California; Yuma, Arizona; Eugene, Oregon; and Pago Pago, American Samoa. The Apostolic Faith Church's web address is http://www.jesuscomingsoon.org.

Membership: In 1995 the church reported 144,000 members worldwide; it did not report its membership in 2002.

Periodicals: Kingdom of God Crusader.

★694★

Apostolic Faith Mission Church of God

3344 Pearl Ave.
N Birmingham, AL 36101

Among the people who visited the early Pentecostal revival which occurred in 1906-08 in Los Angeles was Frank W. Williams(d. 1932), a black man from the deep south. He received the baptism of the Holy Spirit under the ministry of William J. Seymour and returned to Mississippi to establish an outpost of the Apostolic Faith Mission. Not having great success, he moved to Mobile, Alabama, where a revival occurred under his ministry. Among those converted was an entire congregation of the Primitive Baptist Church. The members gave him their building as the first meeting house for the new mission parish. The church was organized on July 10, 1906.

In 1915, Bishop Williams became one of the first to adopt the Oneness or non-Trinitarian theology which had been espoused through Pentecostal circles. He broke with Seymour and renamed his church the Apostolic Faith Mission Church of God. He incorporated the new church on October 9, 1915. The church continues to place a strong emphasis upon divine healing, allows women preachers, and practices footwashing with communion. Baptism is in the name of the "Lord Jesus Christ," and without the use of the name, the baptism is considered void. Intoxicants, especially tobacco, alcohol, and drugs are forbidden. Members are admonished to marry only those who have been "saved." The church is headed by the Senior Bishop and a Cabinet of Executive Officers composed of the bishops, overseers, and the general secretary.

Membership: In 1989 the church reported 18 congregations (most of which were in Alabama), 6,200 members, and 32 ministers.

★695★

Apostolic Gospel Church of Jesus Christ

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Apostolic Gospel Church of Jesus Christ was founded in Bell Gardens, California, in 1963 by the Rev. Donald Abernathy. During the next five years, four other congregations, all in the Los Angeles area, were added and a new denomination emerged. In 1968, Abernathy reported a series of visions in which it was revealed to him that the entire West Coast of North America would be destroyed in an earthquake. He reported the vision to the other congregations, and one pastor, the Rev. Robert Theobold, reported a confirming vision. As a result, the five congregations decided to move East. Abernathy took his congregation to Atlanta. The church at Avenal went to Kennett, Missouri; the church at Porterville to Independence, Missouri; the church at Port Hueneme to Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and the Lompoc congregation to Georgia.

The church accepts "oneness" doctrines, identifying Jesus with the Father. It does not approve of the use of medicines, doctors, or hospitals–only divine healing. Footwashing is practiced. Members are pacifists. There is a strict code of dress that prohibits bathing suits, slacks, shorts, tightly fitting or straightcut skirts, dresses with hemlines shorter than halfway between the knee and ankle, jewelry, and short hair for women. Long hair, short sleeves, and tightly fitting pants are prohibited for men.

The church is ruled by bishops (or elders) and deacons, and includes in its structure apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The attempt is to build a perfect church to which Christ will return. The perfect church will manifest both the fruits and gifts of the Spirit.

Membership: There are five congregations.

★696★

Apostolic Ministerial Alliance

1530 E. Arizona
Las Cruses, NM 88001

Apostolic Ministerial Alliance is an association of Apostolic "Jesus Only" Pentecostal churches based in the Hispanic community of those states adjacent to the Mexican border. Congregations are located in Texas, New Mexico, and California. Leadership is provided by Pastor Louis P. Rey, the pastor of the Fountain of Life Apostolic Church in La Cruses, New Mexico.

Membership: In 2002, there were six churches in the alliance.

★697★

Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God

1120 N. 24th St.
Birmingham, AL 35234

History. The Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God was founded by William Thomas Phillips (1893-1973), the son of a Methodist Episcopal Church minister. However, at a tentmeeting service in Birmingham, Alabama, Phillips was converted to the message of pentecost and holiness under the ministry of Frank W. Williams of the Faith Mission Church of God. Williams ordained Phillips in 1913, and three years later Phillips launched his career as an evangelist in Mobile, Alabama. In 1917, he was selected by the people who has responded to his ministry as the bishop of the Ethiopian Overcoming Holy Church of God. The new organization was incorporated in 1920. It adopted its present name in 1941 in realization that the church was for all people, not just Ethiopians, a popular designation for black people in the early twentieth century.

Beliefs. The AOH Church of God follows the Oneness theology. It believes in One God who subsists in the union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The church, however, rejects any hint of tritheism and believes that the One God bears the name of Jesus, a name that can express the fullness of the Godhead. Out of this belief, the church baptizes members in the name of Jesus. Baptism is by immersion and considered necessary for salvation.

The church teaches that God acts in the believer both to baptize in the Spirit (which will be signified by speaking-in-tongues) and progressively over a lifetime to sanctify (make holy). Besides baptism, there are two other ordinances–the Lord's supper and foot washing. The church also teaches divine healing and exhorts members to tithe.

Organization. The AOH Church of God has an episcopal polity though each church manages its own affairs. Churches are grouped into districts presided over by bishops and overseers. A General Assembly, to which all churches send representatives, convenes annually. It is led by the presiding bishop. After serving the church for 57 years, Bishop Phillips was succeeded by Bishop Jasper Roby, the present senior presiding bishop. He is assisted by eight associate bishops. The church's periodicals are published by the church's publishing board. Missions are supported in Haiti and Africa.

Membership: Not reported.

Educational Facilities: Berean Christian Bible College, Birmingham, Alabama.

Periodicals: People's Mouthpiece. • Young Educator.

★698★

Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, Inc.

875 N. White Station Rd.
Memphis, TN 38122

The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ was formed in 1952 by the merger of three "Jesus only" groups which had sprung up around the country–the Assemblies of the Church of Jesus Christ, the Jesus Only Apostolic Church of God, and the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The assemblies closely resembles the United Pentecostal Church in doctrine. The group preaches two experiences–justification and the baptism of the Spirit, emphasizes healing, washes feet, tithes, and forbids participation in secret societies. While holding respect for the civil government, members do not participate in war. Worldly amusements are forbidden, as are school gymnastics and clothes which immodestly expose the body.

The government is congregational in form. There is an annual general conference. A general board oversees the church during the year. The church is divided into state districts which are located in the South, Midwest, and Southwest. The Foreign Mission Committee oversees the mission program in Chile, Mexico, Australia, Nigeria, Russia and New Guinea.

Membership: In 2002 these were 50,000 members in 600 congregations served by 1,000 ministers in the United States and 300 members in 5 churches served by 8 ministers in Canada. These were an addition 10,000 members worldwide.

Periodicals: Apostolic Witness.

★699★

Associated Brotherhood of Christians

PO Box 3256
Hot Springs, AR 71914-3256

Described as an "association of churches and ministers working together for the up-building of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spread of the New Testament Gospel," the Associated Brotherhood of Christians is a "oneness" Pentecostal body. It was formed under the leadership of E. E. Partridge and H. A. Riley to facilitate fellowship among all "blood-bought" people, those who believe Christ atoned for sins through the blood he shed in the crucifixion. Formation of the Associated Brotherhood of Christians was necessary because other Pentecostal churches were refusing fellowship to the ministers who eventually formed this church. The other Pentecostal churches objected to the ministers' divergence from the churches' doctrines. The original meetings to consider forming the Associated Brotherhood of Christians were held in 1933, with the incorporation taking place during World War II. (This facilitated exemption from military duties for ministers.)

While attempting to facilitate wider fellowship, the group has a definite doctrinal perspective. The "oneness" Pentecostalism of this church is of the "two-experiences" variety, focusing on justification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Baptism in Jesus' name is the only ordinance; the church's statement of beliefs includes a specific article on why foot-washing is not practiced. The group accepts the "Bread of life" message. The emphasis of the message is not on the eating of literal elements but on the proper discernment of the body of Christ which is the church. The church is pacifist, and conscientious objection is recommended to members.

Polity is congregational. There is an annual conference. The association is headed by an official board of three members: a chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary-treasurer. State presbyters are appointed by the official board, or elected by State, as the membership choses. Churches are located across the South and Midwest and along the Pacific Coast. Missions are in Mexico, France, India, Jordan, Germany, Israel, China, Bangladesh, Japan, Africa, Cuba, Canada, Philippines, Haiti and Thailand.

Membership: Not reported.

Periodicals: Our Herald. • The Living Bread.

★700★

Bethel Ministerial Association

4350 Lincoln Ave.
Evansville, IN 47715

The Bethel Ministerial Association is a fellowship of ministers founded in 1934 by the Rev. Albert Franklin Varnell as an outgrowth of his desire to offer fellowship to ministers who held similar doctrinal views without the organizational pressures of that day on the local church. Varnell began his ministry as a tent evangelist. In 1933, the church to which he belonged decided that all members should believe that speaking in tongues was the first evidence of the reception of the Holy Spirit. Varnell opposed this teaching. He believed that the new birth and the baptism of the Holy Spirit were the same and that the filling of the believer by the Spirit was a subsequent event which occurred when the born again believer yields to the Spirit. Varnell felt speaking-in-tongues was a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit among those who had been filled with the Spirit.

The association also teaches that God manifests in the flesh as Jesus. Jesus is the name of the One God. It denies the traditional doctrine of the Trinity (God as three persons) but affirms that the One God (Jesus) expresses Himself in the Trinity personalities of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It accepts the Bible as the Word of God. Water baptism is by immersion in the name of Jesus.

Organization. Bethel churches are independent and selfgoverning, and membership in the association is available to ministers only. The association has a publishing house in Evansville, Indiana. An aggressive missionary program supports over 50 missionaries around the world. The association also operates Circle J Ranch, a youth camp facility in southern Indiana, and the Bethel Ministerial Academy, a ministerial training program.

Membership: In 1988, the association had 120 ministers, missionaries, evangelists, and administrators as members. There are approximately 35 associated churches in the United States and more than 120 churches in other lands.

Educational Facilities: International Bible Institute, San Antonio, Texas.

Periodicals: The Bethel Link.

★701★

Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide

1130 New Jersey Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001

The Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide was founded in 1957 by former members of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. Prior to 1957, some leaders of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith decried what they saw as the autocratic leadership of Robert Clarence Lawson, the church's bishop. They had suggested that Lawson consider sharing the leadership and consecrate more bishops for the growing denomination. Lawson refused and thus a number of the leading ministers and their churches left to form the Bible Way Churches of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Among the leaders of the new church were Smallwood E. Williams (1907-1991), John S. Beane, McKinley Williams, Winfield S. Showell, and Joseph Moore. They were consecrated by John S. Holly, a bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. They selected Williams, for many years the general secretary of the parent body, as their presiding bishop. The name of the church derives from the name of the congregation Williams had led in Washington, D.C., since the 1920s.

Williams has been credited with taking the lead among Apostolic Pentecostal groups in the development of a social service and social justice ministry. He led the church to become involved in Washington politics, sponsored the construction of a supermarket near his church, encouraged the development of a housing complex, and worked for more job opportunities within the African American community. His book, Significant Sermons(1970), was largely concerned with a Christian response to social problems. Williams also emphasized education as signaled by his opening and maintaining a Bible school adjacent to the headquarters church in Washington, D.C. In this effort he was greatly aided by Dr. James I. Clark, remembered as the denomination's great pioneer educator.

The church follows the non-Trinitarian Pentecostal doctrine of its parent body which emphasizes the sole divinity of Jesus and thus baptizes in the name of Jesus only.

Membership: In 1988 the church reported approximately 250,000 members in 250 churches.

Educational Facilities: Bible Way Training School, Washington, D.C.

Periodicals: The Bible Way News Voice.

★702★

Bible Way Pentecostal Apostolic Church

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Bible Way Pentecostal Apostolic Church was founded by Curtis P. Jones. Jones began as a pastor in North Carolina in the Church of God (Apostolic), but left that church to join the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith under Robert Clarence Lawson. He became pastor of the St. Paul Apostolic Church in Henry County, Virginia. Jones left during the internal disruption within Bishop Lawson's church in 1957, but did not join with Smallwood E. Williams' Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, in 1960, with two other congregations in Virginia, he founded a new denomination. A fourth church was soon added.

Membership: In 1980 the church had four congregations, all in Virginia.

★703★

Biblical Apostolic Organization (BOA)

Siloam Springs, AR

Alternate Address: BAO Western Division, 510 E. 17th St.,No. 235, Idaho Falls, ID 83404.

The Biblical Apostolic Organization (BOA) is a Jesus Only Apostolic Pentecostal church founded in 1983 by some Apostolic ministers under the leadership of Rev. Marvin M. Arnold, who felt that many within the older Apostolic churches were drifting morally and doctrinally. They felt that older holiness standards were being compromised and that others were becoming associated too closely with Trinitarian Pentecostals and charismatics and accepting occult phenomena. The BOA does not fellowship with Trinitarian churches or believers.

The BAO adheres to the basic teaching of the Oneness movement found in Acts 2:1-4, 2:38, 19:5; Romans 12:1-21; and Deuteronomy 6:4. The church teaches that the One True God was in Christ and that there is only One Almighty God. The idea of a trinity is unbiblical, having been concocted by superstitious people who lived in the Dark Ages. The idea was forced upon the people of the Roman Empire beginning with the rule of Constantine. The church also affirms a four-part plan of salvation that includes: 1) Faith in Jesus Christ that leads to 2) (death) repentance; 3) (burial) baptism in water by immersion in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins; and 4) (resurrection) the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.

The BAO rejects the celebration of various holidays such as Halloween and Christmas as unbiblical.

The BAO is headed by its president Marvin M. Arnold and its bishop, Clinton D. Willis. The church supports a school that allows its students to study at home by correspondence.

Membership: Not reported.

Educational Facilities: Biblical Apostolic University, Greenbrier, Tennessee.

★704★

Church of God (Apostolic)

3683 Old Lexington Rd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27107-5262

The Church of God (Apostolic) was formed in 1877 by Elder Thomas Cox at Danville, Kentucky, as the Christian Faith Band. It was one of a number of independent holiness associations of the late nineteenth century. In 1915, it voted a name change, and in 1919 became the Church of God (Apostolic). In 1943, Cox was succeeded by M. Gravely and Eli N. Neal as co-presiding bishops. Headquarters were moved to Beckley, West Virginia. Two years later Gravely divorced his wife and remarried. He was disfellowshipped from the church. In 1964 Neal was succeeded by Love Odom who died two years later and was succeeded by David E. Smith. These two bishops did much to put the national church in a firm financial condition. They were suceeded by the present general overseer, Ruben K. Hash.

It is a strict church, opposing worldliness and practicing footwashing with the monthly Lord's Supper. Baptism by immersion is in the name of Jesus. The church is headed by a board of bishops, one of whom is designated the general overseer who serves as the church's executive head. There is a general assembly annually.

Membership: In 1980 the church had 15,000 members, 43 congregations and approximately 75 ministers.

★705★

Church of God in Christ Jesus (Apostolic)

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Church of God in Christ Jesus (Apostolic) was founded in 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland, by Randolph A. Carr and Monroe R. Saunders, both former ministers in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. The doctrine followed that of the parent body.

The church had very strict standards concerning divorce and remarriage which led to complaints by Saunders that the standards were not being uniformly enforced. The controversy led him to break with Carr and take the majority of members to found the United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic). Carr continued to lead the Church of God in Christ Jesus (Apostolic) until his death in 1972.

Membership: Not reported.

★706★

Church of Jesus Christ (Bloomington)

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Church of Jesus Christ (Bloomington) emerged when several churches withdrew from the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport) in the late 1940s. It is similar in belief and practice to its parent body. It is under the leadership of its presiding bishop, Ralph Johnson.

Membership: In the 1980s there were approximately 500 members, twelve ministers, and eight congregations.

★707★

Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport)

5836 Orebank Rd.
Kingsport, TN 37664

The Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport) grew out of the Pentecostal ferment in eastern Tennessee associated with the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee). While tracing its origin to 33 A.D. and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the church appeared as a separate chartered organization in 1927 under the leadership of Bishop M. K. Lawson. Formed at Cleveland, it moved its headquarters to Kingsport, Tennessee, in 1975.

The church differs from the Church of God due to its belief in the one God, Jesus Christ, and its practice of baptizing members in "the name of Jesus Christ" (rather than the trinitarian formula, in the name of "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"). The church is similar to the United Pentecostal Church in its doctrinal stance. It holds to the literally infallible Bible as its creed. It believes that the Bible teaches justification by faith, baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues, and the imminent second coming of Jesus. It practices baptism by immersion, the Lord's Supper, and foot washing in connection with the Lord's Supper. Wine (rather than grape juice) is used at the Lord's Supper. The church believes in divine healing and calls members to holy living. Members refrain from the use of tobacco and alcohol and do not wear jewelry. While generally following the laws of the state, members do not bear arms or take oaths before a magistrate. They do not join secret societies.

Local churches are autonomous, but are organized in fellowship over state bishops and nationally, a presiding bishop. There is an annual state convention, and each August, a national convention. The term "reverend" is not used in connection with "ministers," who are referred to as "elders," "pastors," and "evangelists" (all biblical terms).

Membership: Not reported. In 1974 it reported 37,500 members. The church has a vigorous church education program and many more attend sunday school than appear on the church rolls. Missionary work is supported in Africa, India, Australia, Haiti, Jamaica, Israel, Mexico, Panama, England, and the Dominican Republic.

Periodicals: The Messenger, Dublin, Georgia.

★708★

Church of Jesus Christ Ministerial Alliance

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Church of Jesus Christ Ministerial Alliance was formed in 1962 by members who withdrew from the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport) following the death of the founder and long-time leader, Bishop M. K. Lawson. There are no doctrinal differences between the two groups, their distinctions being solely administrative. In recent years there has been a friendly fellowship between the Church of Jesus Christ Ministerial Alliance and its parent body.

Membership: In 1990 there were 85 congregations, 300 ministers and 6,000 members. Missionary work is supported in Canada, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Bahamas, England, and Australia.

Periodicals: The Church of Jesus Christ Message of Hope.

★709★

Church of Jesus Christ of Georgia

℅ Elder Wilbur Childres
Rte. 1
Ranger, GA 30734

The Church of Jesus Christ of Georgia is a small group which, under the leadership of Elder Wilbur Childres, withdrew from the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport) in the early 1960s. The church is similar to the parent body and still cooperates with its foreign mission program. It differs in its strict policy regarding marriage and divorce. It demands any minister who was divorced and remarried before conversion to the church to either return to their original spouse or live alone.

Membership: Not reported. There are two congregations, both in Georgia.

★710★

Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith

2081 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.
New York, NY 10027

The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith was founded in New York City, in 1919 by Robert Clarence Lawson(d. 1961), who as a pastor in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World had founded churches in Texas and Missouri. At one point in his early life when he was ill he had been taken to the Apostolic Faith Assembly Church, a leading church of the Pentecostal Assemblies, and its pastor, Garfield Thomas Haywood. Healed, Lawson joined the Assemblies and adopted their non-trinitarian theology. However, in 1919 he left Haywood's jurisdiction and, moving to New York City, founded Refuge Church of Christ, the first congregation in his new independent church. Given Lawson's effective leadership, the organization grew quickly. Other congregations were established and a radio ministry, a periodical, a day nursery, and several businesses were initiated. In 1926 he opened a bible school to train pastors.

In the 1930s, Lawson began a series of trips to the West Indies, which led to congregations being formed in Jamaica, Antigua, the Virgin Islands, and Trinidad. His lengthy tenure as bishop of the church was a time of steady growth, broken only by two schisms by Sherrod C. Johnson, (Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, 1930) and Smallwood E. Williams, (Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1957). Lawson was succeeded by Hubert Spencer and by the present presiding apostle, Bishop William Lee Bonner.

Doctrine is like the older Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Footwashing is practiced and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is believed to be necessary for salvation. The church is headed by the presiding apostle, who is assisted by six regional apostles. There is an annual convocation. Affiliated churches can be found in the West Indies, Africa, England, and Germany.

Membership: In 1992, the church reported 30,000 members in 500 churches.

Educational Facilities: Church of Christ Bible Institute, New York, New York.

Periodicals: The Contender for the Faith. Send orders to 2081 7th Ave., New York, NY 10027.

★711★

Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith (Philadelphia)

22nd & Bainbridge Sts.
Philadelphia, PA 19146

The Church of The Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith was founded in 1933 by Bishop Sherrod C. Johnson, formerly of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. Johnson protested what he felt were too liberal regulations espoused by Bishop Robert Clarence Lawson in regard to the appearance of female members. Lawson allowed the wearing of jewelry and makeup. Johnson insisted upon female members wearing cotton stockings, calf-length dresses, unstraightened hair and head coverings. Johnson also opposed the observance of Lent, Easter and Christmas. Upon Bishop Johnson's death in 1961, he was succeeded by S. McDowell Shelton, the "Bishop, Apostle, and Overseer of the Church." This church has been most aggressive and has approached its parent body in members hip.

The doctrine is a typical "oneness" doctrine, though the church is known for its conservatism. It does demand that baptism must be in the name of the "Lord Jesus" or "Jesus Christ," but not just "Jesus." This exacting formula is to distinguish the Lord Jesus from Bar Jesus (Acts 13:6) and Jesus Justas (Col. 4:11), two other Biblical characters. The church members also believe one must be filled with the Holy Ghost in order to have the new birth. The church's conservatism is most manifest in its rigid behavior code. Prohibited are women preachers and teachers, remarriage after divorce, dressing like the world, and wearing costly apparel.

The church is episcopal. There is a national convention annually at the national headquarters in Philadelphia. Lay people have an unusually high participation level in the national church, holding most of the top administrative positions. There is an active radio ministry, "The Whole Truth," carried on 50 stations. Missions are conducted in Liberia, West Africa, England, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti, Bahamas, Jordan, Portugal, and the Maldives.

Membership: In 1980 there were approximately 100 congregations.

Periodicals: The Whole Truth.

★712★

Churches of Christ in the Apostles Doctrine

9501 SW 175th Ter.
Miami, FL 33157

The Churches of Christ in the Apostles Doctrine is an Apostolic "Jesus Only" Pentecostal body that has a base in the Spanish-speaking community of southern Florida. It was founded in the 1980s by Bishop M. J. Hernandez. The church has found its purpose in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ that includes the calling of everyone to believe in Christ, repent of their sin, be baptized by water (immersed), and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. People who receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit will speak with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance. Those who receive the Holy Spirit with begin a life of spiritual growth to maturity. The church places an emphasis on the oneness of God in a manner similar to the United Pentecostal Church International.

The churches sponsors and annual celebration, Apostolic Day; a ministry on college campuses, the Apostolic Crusaders, and an Internet Bible study course. Much of the work occurs with the Spanish-speaking community.

Membership: Not reported. There are five congregations in Florida, two in New York, and one each in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Periodicals: Apostolic Sun.

★714★

Evangelical Churches of Pentecost

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Evangelical Churches of Pentecost emerged out of the early pentecostal revivals that occurred in Saskatchewan in 1913 as the Oneness nontrinitarian perspective spread through the West. A camp meeting was founded at Trossachs. Some men converted at Trossachs became ministers and founded churches in various communities of the province. These ministers and churches were brought together in 1927 through the efforts of Rev. AlanH. Gillett (1895-1967), pastor at Radville, who secured a charter for the group as the Full Gospel Mission. Churches and ministers credentialed by the mission spread to the neighboring provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and British Columbia.

The Full Gospel Mission evolved into a substantial body by the end of World War II, and in 1946 it incorporated as the Evangelical Churches of Pentecost. In 1953 the Evangelical Churches of Pentecost merged into the other major Oneness church in Canada, the Apostolic Church of Pentecost. At the time of the merger, some of the ministers and churches of the Evangelical Church of Pentecost declined to enter the merged body. They were concerned that some of the affiliated churches would lose their sovereignty. Also, being amillennialists, they rejected the premillennial eschatology of the Apostolic church. Amillennialism is a position that suggests that the millennium talked about in the book of Revelation is a metaphorical time period rather than an actual thousand-year period to be expected to occur in the near future. Those who stayed out of the merger reorganized and continued as the Full Gospel Ministerial Fellowship, but in the 1960s reincorporated and reassumed their earlier name.

Apart from its position on the millennium, the Evangelical Churches of Pentecost is similar to the Apostolic Church of Pentecost and the United Pentecostal Church. It believes in the One God, whose name is Jesus; baptism by immersion in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ; the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by the believer speaking in tongues; the living of a Spirit-filled life of holiness; and divine healing.

The Evangelical Churches of Pentecost is organized as a fellowship of ministers, evangelists and missionaries. Theirs is a strong belief in the autonomy of the local church and the congregations affiliated with the church are independent assemblies who happen to welcome pastors credentialed by the fellowship.

Membership: Not reported. In 1980 the churches reported approximately 50 ministers who served 19 churches in Canada and three in the United States with a combined membership of approximately 3,000. These churches support missionaries in Mexico, South India, and Upper Volta.

★715★

First Church of Jesus Christ

1100 E. Lincoln St.
Tullahoma, TN 37388

The First Church of Jesus Christ is a Pentecostal group chartered in Tullahoma, Tennessee, in 1965 by Bishop H. E. Honea (b.1938), who has served as its chairman for thirty years. Honea grew up in Taft, Tennessee, and was called to ministry as a teenager. He began to preach when he was 16 years old and pastored churches in Alabama, Louisiana, Indiana, and Illinios before becoming pastor of the church in Tullahoma, Tennessee, in 1961. He remains pastor of that church.

The church is composed of those ministers, missionaries, and deacons licsensed by the church and the members of the local congregations affiliated with it. It is their belief that the Church of Jesus Christ is a company of company of baptized believers who adhere to the form of doctrine preached by Jesus and his Apostles, who have associated in the faith and fellowship of Jesus Christ, who are governed by the rules of the New Testament church, and who possess the gifts of ministry (Romans 12:6–8). The church continues the revival begun on the Day of Pentecost, 33 A.D. (Acts2). The Church of Jesus Christ is the name of God's church and the incorporation and charter make no provision for ever changing its name.

The church affirms the One True God. Jesus Christ is the name of the One True God. He reveals himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is not considered the third person of the Godhead, but rather the manifestation of the Spirit of God (the creator) coming to dwell in the hearts and lives of men. This position is generally termed "oneness" or "Jesus only." The church practices the ordinances of the Lord's supper, foot washing, tithing, and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. The church does not allow membership in secret societies and specifically decries the teachings of snake handling, the seed in the serpent doctrine, the spiritualizing of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, the denial of a denial of a physical resurrection, and the denial of marriage. This doctrine is similar to that of other Apostolic pentecostal churches, such as the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport).

The First Church of Jesus Christ is headed by the Chairman, assisted by the Vice-Chairman, Assistant Vice-Chairman, and the state bishops. Together they constitute the board of bishops. The board of bishops holds the property of the church in trust. Missionary work is carried out in Jamaica, Haiti, Philippines, Africa, and India.

Membership: In 2002, the church reported 10,000 members and 250 ministers in the United States and an additional 8,000 members and 175 ministers on the mission field.

Periodicals: Banner of Love.

★717★

Glorious Church of God in Christ Apostolic Faith

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Glorious Church of God in Christ Apostolic Faith was founded in 1921 by C. H. Stokes, its first presiding bishop. He was succeeded in 1928 by S. C. Bass who was to head the church for over a quarter of a century. However, in 1952, after the death of his first wife, Bass remarried a woman who was a divorcee. It had been taught for many years that marrying a divorced person was wrong. Bass' actions split the fifty-congregation church in half. Those who remained loyal to Bishop Bass retained the name, but the founding charter was retained by the other group, which took the name Original Glorious Church of God in Christ Apostolic Faith.

★718★

God's House of Prayer for All Nations

681 E. Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104

God's House of Prayer for All Nations, Inc., was founded in 1964 in Peoria, Illinois, by Bishop Tommie Lawrence, formerly of the Church of God in Christ. The doctrine is "oneness" Pentecostal, identifying Jesus with the Father, and the polity is strongly episcopal. Great stress is placed on healing as one of the signs of the spirit and there is much fellowship with the churches of the Miracle Revival Fellowship founded by the late Asa Alonzo Allen.

Membership: Not reported.

★719★

Highway Christian Church of Christ

436 W St. NW
Washington, DC 20001

The Highway Christian Church of Christ was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1927 by James Thomas Morris, (1892–1959), formerly a minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Morris had been raised a Methodist and was called to the ministry in 1918. He received the Pentecostal gift of the Holy Spirit in 1923 under the ministrations of Bp. Samuel Kelsey, a leader in the Church of God in Christ. He was later baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and affiliated as a minster with the PAW. After the founding of the Highway Church, he remained on cordial terms with his PAW colleagues. After a decade of service to his church, during which time it moved out of a tent and store into its own building, PAW Bp. J. M. Turpin consecrated Morris to the bishopic. Following Morris' death, he was succeeded by his nephew, J. V. Lomax (d. April 2001), formerly a minister of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith under Bp. Robert Clarence Lawson. Bp. Samuel Redden replaced Lomax.

The church is among the most conservative of Pentecostal bodies. Members are encouraged to dress modestly as becoming the holy life and to be baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Holy Spirit as in Acts 2:38. The church will install women as Deaconesses and will accept ordained women from othe denominations, but will neither ordain nor install women as pastors.

Bp. Herman Girwright is the current pastor.

Membership: In 2002 there were 19 congregations and about 2,000 members.

★720★

Holy Temple Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith

2075 Clinton Ave.
Bronx, NY 10457

The Holy Temple Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith is a "Jesus Only" Church under the leadership of Bishop Belton Green who serves as Apostle, Pastor, and General Overseer. The church operates primarily within the African American community and shares a doctrinal perspective with the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, from which the church originated.

The church emphasizes that the New Birth consists of being buried with Jesus by baptism unto death and rising up to walk in newness of this life, and then being filled with the Holy Spirit accompanied with speaking in other tongues. The church identifies the Jesus of the New Testament with Jehovah in the Old Testament.

The church is somewhat unique in its disavowal of several common Christian holy days. It discourages the celebration of Christmas and church members do not receive or give gifts on that occasion. The church also discourages the celebration of Lent and Holy Week (Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter). These are considered later Pagan accretions to Christianity. It traces Christmas to Zoroastrianism.

The church also takes a conservative stance on the role of women and does not allow female members to teach, preach, or in any way usurp authority over the male members or the church as a whole. Members are encouraged to pay a tenth of their gross income to the church (a tithe).

The church sponsors a radio broadcast ministry.

Membership: In 2002 there were 20 congregations in the United States and affiliated foreign work in India, the Philippines, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Cayman Islands, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

★721★

International Ministerial Association

9455 Lackland Rd. St.
Louis, MO 63114

The International Ministerial Association, Inc. was formed in 1954 by W. E. Kidson and twenty other pastors formerly with the United Pentecostal Church. It practices baptism by immersion and foot-washing. Tithing is believed to be the financial plan of the church. A strong belief in the Second Coming is taught, and the group believes in a distinct judgment where believers only will be rewarded.

An annual international conference is the place for fellowship of the ministers, who hold credentials through the Association and the members of the autonomous congregations which accept the statement of faith. Herald Publishing House is located in Houston, Texas.

Membership: Not reported. In the early 1970s, there were 440 ministerial members and 117 affiliated congregations.

Periodicals: The Herald of Truth.

★722★

Mount Hebron Apostolic Temple of Our Lord Jesus of the Apostolic Faith

Mt. Hebron Apostolic Temple
27 Vineyard Ave.
Yonkers, NY 10703

The Mount Hebron Apostolic Temple of Our Lord Jesus of the Apostolic Faith was founded in 1963 by George H. Wiley III, pastor of the Yonkers, New York, congregation of the Apostolic Church of Christ in God. As his work progressed, Wiley came to feel that because of his accomplishments for the denomination he should be accorded the office of bishop. He had had particular success in the area of youth work, and his wife, Sister Lucille Wiley, served as president of the Department of Youth Work. However, the board of the Apostolic Church denied his request to become a bishop. He left with his supporters and became bishop of a new Apostolic denomination.

Wiley has placed great emphasis upon youth work and upon radio work, establishing an outreach in New York, one in North Carolina, and another in South Carolina. The temple continues the doctrine and polity of the Apostolic Church of Christ in God and has a cordial relationship with its parent organization.

Membership: In 1980 the temple reported 3,000 members in nine congregations being served by 15 ministers. There are two bishops.

★723★

New Bethel Church of God in Christ (Pentecostal)

Current address not obtained for this edition.

In 1927, the Rev. A. D. Bradley was admonished by the board of bishops of the Church of God in Christ to refrain from preaching the "Jesus only" doctrine. (The Church of God in Christ was the oldest and among the largest of the predominantly-black trinitarian Pentecostal churches.) He refused, and with his wife and Lonnie Bates established the New Bethel Church of God in Christ (Pentecostal). Bradley became the church's presiding bishop. Doctrine is similar to other "Jesus only" groups. The three ordinances of baptism, the Lord's Supper, and foot-washing are observed. The group is pacifist but allows alternative noncombatant positions to be held by law-abiding church members. The group disapproves of secret societies and of school activities which conflict with a student's moral scruples.

The presiding bishop is the executive officer and presides over all meetings of the general body. A board of bishops acts as a judicatory body and a general assembly as the legislative body.

Membership: Not reported.

★724★

Original Glorious Church of God in Christ Apostolic Faith

995 Foster Ave.
Elyria, OH 44035

The Glorious Church of God was founded in 1921. However, in 1952 its presiding bishop, S. C. Bass married a divorced woman. Approximately half of the fifty-congregation church rejected Bass and reorganized under the leadership of W. O. Howard and took the name Original Glorious Church of God in Christ Apostolic Faith. The term "Original" signified their claim to the history of the church, demonstrated by their retention of the founding charter. Howard was succeeded by Bishop I. W. Hamiter, under whose leadership the church has grown spectacularly and developed a mission program in Haiti, Jamaica and India. Hamiter has also led in the purchase of a convention center for the church's annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio.

Membership: In 1980 the church had 55 congregations in the United States, 110 congregations overseas, 200 ministers and approximately 25,000 members worldwide.

★725★

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World

℅ Paul A. Bowers, Bishop
1150 W. Galbraith Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45231

Oldest of the Apostolic or "Jesus Only" Pentecostal churches, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World began as a loosely-organized fellowship of trinitarian pentecostals in Los Angeles in 1906. J. J. Frazee (occasionally incorrectly reported as "Frazier") was elected the first general superintendent. Early membership developed along the West Coast and in the Midwest. From 1913 to 1916, the annual convention was held in Indianapolis, soon to become the center of the organization. Growth in the organization was spurred when it became the first group of pentecostals to accept the "Jesus Only" Apostolic theology, which identified Jesus as the Jehovah of the Old Testament and denied the Trinity. Many ministers from other pentecostal bodies joined the assemblies when the group within which they held credentials rejected Apostolic teachings. In 1918, the General Assemblies of the Apostolic Assemblies, a recently formed Apostolic body, which included such outstanding early movement leaders as D. C. O. Opperman and H. A. Goss, merged into the PAW.

From its beginning the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World was fully integrated racially, though predominantly white in membership. In 1919, following the influx of so many ministers and members, especially the large newly-merged body, the Pentecostal Assemblies reorganized. Four of its 21 field superintendents were black, among whom were Garfield Thomas Haywood (1880-1931), who would later become presiding bishop. In 1924, most of the white members withdrew to form the Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance, now an integral part of the United Pentecostal Church. The remaining members, not totally, but predominantly black, reorganized again, created the office of bishop, and elected Haywood to lead them. He remained presiding bishop until his death in 1931.

Shortly after Haywood's death, the Apostolic Churches of Jesus Christ, a name briefly assumed by the former Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance that was then in a phase of consolidating various Apostolic groups into a single organization, invited the Assemblies to consider merger. The merger attempt failed, but the assemblies again lost individual congregations and members to the Apostolic Churches of Jesus Christ, and a large group who formed a new church, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ, as a prelude to the merger which failed. In the face of the new losses, a third reorganization had to occur in 1932. For several years, the church was led by a small group of bishops, enlarged to seven in 1935. Two years later, Samuel Grimes, a former missionary in Liberia, was elected presiding bishop, a post he retained until his death in 1967. Under his guidance, the Pentecostal Assemblies Church experienced its greatest era of expansion. Contrary to most black Pentecostal bishops, Grimes did not also serve a parish, hence he was able to devote himself full-time to his episcopal duties.

Doctrine of the Assemblies is similar to that of the Assemblies of God except that it does not believe in the Trinity. Holiness is stressed and the group believes that for ultimate salvation, it is necessary to have a life wholly sanctified. Wine is used in the Lord's Supper. Healing is stressed and foot-washing practiced. Members are pacifists, though they feel it is a duty to honor rules. There is a strict dress and behavior code. Divorce and remarriage are allowed under certain circumstances.

There is an annual general assembly which elects the bishops and the general secretary. It also designates the presiding bishop, who heads a board of bishops. The church is divided into 30 districts (dioceses) headed by a bishop. The assemblies are designated joint members of each local board of trustees. A missionary board oversees missions in Nigeria, Jamaica, England, Ghana, and Egypt.

Membership: In 1994 the Assemblies had reported 1,000,000 members/constituents in 1,760 churches served by 4,262 ministers, divided into 43 districts, each headed by a bishop. There are approximately 1,000 churches in the foreign missionary field.

Educational Facilities: Aenon Bible School, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Periodicals: Christian Outlook.

★726★

Pentecostal Church of God

9244 Delmar
Detroit, MI 48211

The Pentecostal Church of God (not to be confused with the Pentecostal Church of God of America headquartered at Joplin, Missouri) is a predominantly black Pentecostal body founded by Apostle Willie James Peterson (1921-1969). Peterson grew up in Florida, and though his family attended the Baptist church there, he was never baptized. The course of his life was interrupted in his early adult years by a dream in which he was in the presence of God and His angels. Peterson began a period of prayer, after which God called him to preach. He became an independent evangelist and had come to believe in the Apostolic or nonTrinitarian position. He began to preach that doctrine in 1955 in Meridian, Mississippi, and to raise up congregations across the South. At the time of his death, Peterson was succeeded by the four bishops of the church, William Duren, J. J. Sears, C. L. Rawls, and E. Rice.

It is the belief of the Pentecostal Church of God that Peterson was an apostle, annointed by God for his task through revelation. The essence of the revelation was an understanding of the Kingdom of God. Peterson taught that conversion meant turning away from worldliness (the kingdom of this world ruled by Satan) to godliness (the kingdom of Heaven). Peterson identified the Roman Catholic Church with Babylon, the Mother of Harlots, spoken of in Revelation 17:3-5. Satanic doctrine was taught in that church and in its daughter churches, Protestantism. To accept the gospel of the kingdom is to turn from the false teachings of the Babylonish churches to God's truths which include repentance as godly sorrow for one's sins; baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ; a rejection of the unbiblical doctrine of the Trinity; an understanding of heaven as the realm of God and his angels and hell as a place of confinement; the nonobservance of holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and New Year's Day; nonparticipation in human government (which includes pacifism, not saluting the flag, and not voting); and holy matrimony performed by a holy minister.

Membership: Not reported.

★727★

Pentecostal Churches of Apostolic Faith

14 S. Ashland
Chicago, IL 60607

The Pentecostal Churches of Apostolic Faith was formed in 1957 by former members of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World under the leadership of Bishop Samuel N. Hancock. Hancock was one of the original men selected as a bishop of the Assemblies following its reorganization in 1925. In 1931 he was one of the leaders in the attempt to unite the Assemblies with the predominantly white Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance, and he helped form the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ, a body whose polity was more acceptable to the Alliance. Within a few years, Hancock returned to the Assemblies as an elder and was elected as a bishop for the second time.

However, soon after Hancock's return, it was discovered that he had deviated on traditional Apostolic doctrine in that he taught that Jesus was only the son of God, not that he was God. His position forced the Assemblies to issue a clarifying statement of its position, but Hancock's teachings were tolerated. Hancock also felt that he should have become the presiding bishop. Disappointment at not being elected seems to have fueled the discontent felt throughout the 1950s. Hancock carried two other bishops into the new church formed in 1957, including Willie Lee, pastor of Christ Temple Church, the congregation pastored by Garfield Thomas Haywood, the first presiding bishop of the Assemblies. Lee succeeded Hancock as presiding bishop of the Churches upon the latter's death in 1963. The following year, a major schism occurred when the majority of the Churches rejected the doctrinal position held by Hancock and also taught by Lee. Elzie Young had the charter and claimed the support of the Churches to become the new presiding bishop. The church returned to the traditional Apostolic theology.

The Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith are congregational in polity, and headed by a presiding bishop (Elzie Young) and a council of bishops. Under Young's leadership, the Churches have grown and stablized their original shaky financial condition. A mission program developed, and the Churches support missionaries in Haiti and Liberia, where they have built a school.

Membership: In 1980 the Churches had approximately 25,000 members, 115 churches and 380 ministers.

★728★

Primitive Church of Jesus Christ

℅ Bethel Church of Jesus Christ
Hwy. 19 N.
Inglis, FL 34449

The Primitive Church of Jesus Christ resulted from a split in the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport). The occasion of the split was the decision by the Church to move the location of the Mid-Season Convention from Inglis, Florida, to Homosassa, Florida, a move opposed by many of the Florida members. The church shares doctrine and practice with its parent body, the split being purely administrative. The church holds an annual Bible conference each June. It is headed by Elder John Wilson.

Membership: Not reported.

★729★

Progressive Church of our Lord Jesus Christ

2222 Barhamville Rd.
Columbia, SC 29204-1203

The Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ was founded in 1944 by Bishop Joseph D. Williams (d. 1966), who had been a minister with the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. The founding of the Church was occasioned by the healing of a Sister Helen L. Washington of Colombia, South Carolina, of leukemia through the prayer offered by Williams, then a pastor in Ohio. She later professed faith in Christ and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Williams subsequently moved to South Carolina, the Washington family providing the initial resources. The church's presiding bishop, R. C. Lawson, blessed the new work, which developed independently of, but on friendly relations with the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. Its beliefs are identical with the parent body.

Following Williams death, he was succeeded by an early member, Bishop Joel G. Washington (d. 1987). By this time the church had been established in Columbia, Killian, Mullins, Lugoff, Denmark, Florence, and Bishopville, (all in South Carolina), and missions established in Barnwell, Edgefield, Greenville, and Johnson, South Carolina.

Before he died, Williams appointed Elders Joel G. Washington, Edward Smith, Herman Jackson, Henry J. Breakfield, and Ernest Finkley as the Church's Board of Elders. This board operated until 1973, when the members of the Board were consecrated as Bishops and it was transformed into a Board of Bishops. Bishop Washington served as Presiding Bishop until his death in 1987. He was succeeded by the present Presiding Bishop Edward Smith.

In 1987, Smith established the annual National Unity Conference that brings church members together to consider issues related to maintaining the church's spirit of oneness. This is in addition to the Holy Convocation held annually in Columbia, South Carolina. Smith oversaw the dedication of a new headquarters church complex in 1999.

Membership: Not reported. There are churches in South Carolina (14), North Carolina (2), Virginia (2), Georgia (3), Florida (40), and New York (1).

★730★

Pure Holiness Church of God

St. Timothy's Pure Holiness Church
408 McDonough Blvd.SE
Atlanta, GA 30315

Rev. John Isaac Woodly was an early and outstanding leader of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). Through the 1920s he had become the general evangelist for the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. During these years, the non-Trinitarian beliefs of the Apostolic Pentecostal movement spread through the South, and Woodly and a number of the COGIC leaders associated with him accepted the new perspective in 1927. As a result, Woodly, Mother Lilla Pittman, Mother Mary Rowe, Elder Ed Lee Blackwell, and an Elder Brysen left to found the Pure Holiness Church of God with headquarters in Anniston, Alabama.

In addition to the acceptance of the Apostolic position on the Godhead, the group differed on several other concerns with COGIC. Most importantly, they ordained women, a practice opposed by COGIC founder Charles H. Mason. Pittman and Rowe became prominent ministers in the church. They also structured the church under the leadership of an unmarried presiding bishop and unsalaried pastors. Woodly led the church for the first five years during which time it spread to Florida. He was succeeded by Bishop John Grayhouse who led the church through the difficult years of recovery from the Depression, but then left to the church to return to COGIC. He was succeeded by Bishop Charles White who saw the church spread throughout the South.

Following White's death in 1947, Bishop Ed Lee Blackwell, one of the founders, became the presiding bishop. During his term, women's work expanded. The Women's Missionary Society was founded and Mother Luzole Tigner was selected as its first president. Mother Jessie Simms was appointed as the church's hymnal chairman and she authored 54 hymns which constitutes the church's unique music. Blackwell also moved to develop a more democratic structure and for the first time ministers were permitted to vote in the church's convocations. He also supported the removal of the rule that presiding bishops must be unmarried.

In 1958 Charles Frederick Fears, the church's Sunday school director, succeeded Blackwell as presiding bishop. During his term he promoted the system by which pastors became salaried. He was succeeded by Bennie G. Isem. During his term, in 1964 the church founded both the Pure Holiness School of Theology and a denominational periodical, The Triumph of Truth Newsletter, under the editorship of Sister Wilma Ringer. In 1978 Isem, a widower, married Ringer. He resigned in 1984 and was succeeded by Bishop Edward Ackley.

Membership: In 1990 the Pure Holiness Church of God reported 24 churches in the United States and four congregations in Jamaica.

Educational Facilities: Pure Holiness School of Theology.

Periodicals: The Triumph of Truth Newsletter.

★731★

Redeemed Assembly of Jesus Christ, Apostolic

℅ Bishop James F. Harris
7556 Hudgins Rd.
Richmond, VA 23228

The Redeemed Assembly of Jesus Christ, Apostolic was formed by James Frank Harris and Douglas Williams, two bishops of the Highway Christian Church who rejected the leadership of that church by Bishop J. V. Lomax. They complained of his control, bypassing other bishops and pastors and making decisons in conference with the elders of the congregation he headed in Washington, D.C. The new church is headed by a presiding bishop, assistant presiding bishop, and an executive council consisting of the bishops and all the pastors. There was no doctrinal conflict in the split.

Membership: In 1980 the church had six congregations, one in Richmond, Virginia, one in New York City, and four in the Washington, D.C., area.

★732★

Shiloh Apostolic Temple

1516 W. Master
Philadelphia, PA 19121

The Shiloh Apostolic Temple was founded in 1953 by Elder Robert O. Doub, Jr., of the Apostolic Church of Christ in God. In 1948 Doub had moved to Philadelphia to organize a new congregation for the Apostolic Church of Christ in God. He not only succeeded in building a stable congregation, Shiloh Apostolic Temple, but assisted other congregations throughout the state to organize. In light of his accomplishments, Doub felt that he should be made a bishop and so petitioned the church. He believed that the state overseer was taking all the credit Doub himself deserved. Doub's petition was denied. He left with but a single congregation in 1953 and incorporated separately in 1954.

The energetic work that characterized Doub's years in the Apostolic Church of Christ in God led Shiloh Apostolic Temple to outgrow its parent body. Doub began a periodical and purchased a camp, Shiloh Promised Land Camp, in Montrose, Pennsylvania. He also took over foreign work in England and Trinidad. The doctrine, not at issue in the schism, remains that of the parent Church of God (Apostolic) from which the Apostolic Church of Christ in God came.

Membership: In 1980 the church had 4,500 members of which 500 were in the congregation in Philadelphia. The church reported 23 congregations, of which 8 were in England and 2 in Trinidad.

Periodicals: Shiloh Gospel Wave. Send orders to 1516 W. Master, Philadelphia, PA 19121.

★733★

True Jesus Church

11236 Dale St.
Garden Grove, CA 92841

The True Jesus Church was established in 1917 in Beijing, China, after three of the early workers, Paul Wei, Ling-Shen Chang, and Barnabas Chang, once affiliated with other denominations, had received the Holy Spirit and the revelation of the perfect Truth concerning salvation. The True Jesus Church spread through missionaries who were commissioned and by gospel newsletters published and distributed to various provinces throughout China. The church spread to Taiwan and through Southeast Asia in 1926 and 1927 respectively, and in 1926, the headquarters of the church was established in Nanjing, China, and relocated to Shanghai the following year. The first workers reached the United States– Hawaii– in 1930.

Like other churches, the True Jesus Church suffered following the Communist takeover of China in 1949, but survived and prospered after moving its headquarters to Taiwan. The growth led to the formation of the International Assembly of the True Jesus Church by delegates at the World Conference in Taiwan in 1975. In 1985, the principal office of the international assembly was relocated from Taiwan to Los Angeles, California. Subsequently, under the jurisdiction of the international assembly, four evangelical centers were established: the America Evangelical Center (AEC), the Europe Evangelical Center (EEC), the North-East Asia Evangelical Center (NEAEC), and the South-East Asia Evangelical Center (SEAEC).

The True Jesus Church considers itself the restored Apostolic Church of the End Time. The church has received what it believes to be the divine revelation of the Truth through the Holy Spirit, which has been confirmed through signs and miracles. Its name, "True Jesus Church" also has a spiritual significance. The word "True" denotes that God is true (John 3:33, 17:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9) and that Jesus referred to Himself as the Truth (John 14:6), or the true Vine (John 15:1), just as He was regarded as the true Light (John 1:9).

Since church founders believed that God called and established the church (Acts 15:14-18), they also believed that the church bears His name. The Holy Bible indicates that God's name was Jesus (Matthew 1:21; John 17:11, 26). The church exalts the name of God (Jesus). The church is the body of Christ, and the church rightly has "Jesus" as her name.

Doctrinally, the church is aligned with that of the nontrinitarian Apostolic or "Jesus Only" movement which practices baptism in "Jesus' Name." Baptism is by full immersion in living water, but unlike most pentecostal churches, infants are baptized. The church practices foot washing (as a third sacrament beside baptism and the Lord's Supper) and worships on the Sabbath.

It is believed that the reception of the Holy Spirit is necessary for entering the kingdom of God, and that speaking in tongues is the sign of that reception.

Membership: As of 1997 the church reported approximately 79,000 members in the free world, found in some 20 different countries on five major continents. In 1995, reliable sources indicated that the membership in the People's Republic of China had grown to approximately 1,000,000 members.

★734★

True Vine Pentecostal Churches of Jesus

931 Bethel Ln.
Martinsville, VA 24112

Dr. Robert L. Hairston had been a pastor in several trinitarian Pentecostal groups and had been a co-founder with William Monroe Johnson of the True Vine Pentecostal Holiness Church. However, in 1961 Hairston accepted the Apostolic "Jesus Only" teachings. He left the church he had founded and formed the True Vine Penetcostal Churches of Jesus. Also causal factors in the formation of the new denomination were differences between Hairston and Johnson over church polity and Hairston's marital situation. Hairston rejected the idea of local congregations being assessed to pay for the annual convocation of the church. Also, he had divorced his first wife and remarried, an action frowned upon in many Pentecostal circles.

The Church follows standard Apostolic teachings. Women are welcome in the ministry. Growth of the group was spurred in 1976 by the addition of several congregations headed by Bishop Thomas C. Williams.

Membership: In 1980 the church reported 10 churches and missions, two bishops, 14 ministers and approximately 900 members.

★735★

United Apostolic Church International

PO Box 1452
Aberdeen, WA 98520

The United Apostolic Church International was formed at the end of the 1990s by former members of various Apostolic and Pentecostal churches who felt that the Pentecostal movement had during the hundred years of its existence never completely left behind a variety of the false teachings of the denominational churches, the traditions of men, and even Roman Catholicism.

The church continues the Apostolic Jesus Only theology of the Oneness Movement. It identifies Jehovah in the Old Testament with Jesus of the New Testament and demands that baptism be by immersion in the name of Jesus only. The church has a liberal tolerant view on many doctrines not considered essential to salvation, such as eschatology; however; it sharply disagrees over the ordination of females (which most Apostolic churches do).

From its understanding of the scriptures, the church teaches that modest dress should prevail; that males should wear their hair short and that females should wear their hair long. It has no opinion on related issues not touched on in scripture such as beards or women wearing their hair up or down, etc.

The most important new truth leading to the founding of the United Apostolic church is its understanding of church policy. It believes that both the episcopal and congregational forms of church government are unbiblical and that leadership is through a college of elders (similar to the presbyterian systems but without the sharp distinction between teaching elders and ruling elders). In this regard, the church also disapproves of the use of titles for the clergy such as Rev. or Bishop, which would imply a hierarchy within the church. The board of elders selects a general secretary and a general superintendent. Work in the United States is divided into six districts, each led by a district superintendent.

The church seeks an educated ministry to lead it, but has come to feel that a college or seminary may not be the best method to create such a ministry. They feel that many who might be qualified may not receive an education from lack of financial resources. In place of the seminary, the local assembly should be the environment in which leadership is developed.

Membership: In 2002 there were 32 ministers serving churches across the United States. There is also related work in Germany.

Periodicals: UACI Newsletter, 5632 Pioneer Dr., Baltimore, MD 21214.

★736★

United Church of Jesus Christ

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The United Church of Jesus Christ withdrew from the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport) in 1948. The occasion for the split was a controversy over baptism. The United Church believes that not only should baptism be in the name of Jesus Christ, but that the words should be said over the candidate while the person is under the water. In referring to ministers, the word "bishop" is not used, but the term "reverend" is employed. Also, the church mixes water and wine (not grape juice) in the Lord's Supper. Otherwise, the church follows the belief and practice of the parent body. The church is under the leadership of a chairman, currently W. C. Gibson, elected at their annual convention.

Membership: Not reported. In the 1980s there were approximately 1,250 members, 100 ministers, and 25 congregations. There is no foreign mission work.

★737★

United Church of Jesus Christ Apostolic

2226 Park Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21217

The United Church of Jesus Christ Apostolic was founded in 1963 by Bishop James B. Thornton, formerly a minister of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith. During the early 1960s the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ went through a significant period of turmoil due to the death of its founder and long-time leader Robert Clarence Lawson. Lawson was succeeded in Hubert Spencer who served during a two-years transition period prior to the election of William Lee Bonner. Bishop Thornton rejected the post-Lawson leadership.

The church follows the non-Trinitarian Jesus Only perspective of the parent body, as there was no doctrinal conflict involved in the break. It teaches the concept of the One God whose name is Jesus and baptizes members in the name of Jesus only rather than with the traditional baptismal formula of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Membership: In 1990 there were five congregations and approximately 1,000 members.

★738★

United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic)

606 2nd St.
Martinsville, VA 24112

The United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic) traces its history to 1945 when Randolph A. Carr an Overseer in the Church of God in Christ, withdrew because of doctrinal differences, and formed the Church of God in Christ (Apostolic). Carr had come to believe in the Apostolic doctrine concerning the Oneness of the Godhead (as opposed to the Church of God in Christ's adherence to the doctrine of the Trinity).

In 1965, Monroe R. Saunders, Sr., then the General Secretary and a member of the Board of Bishops of the church, expressed serious difficulties with some contradictions between belief and action by the church's leadership, specifically as related to the teaching on marriage and divorce and the actions of Bishop Carr. His actions had become a matter of concern throughout the church. Carr forced Saunders out of the church. Many of the members and leaders left with Saunders and joined him in the formation of the United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic).

Saunders carefully and prayerfully put together a Book of Church Order and Disciple to guide the administration of the church. The church is operated by a board of bishops, one of which is the presiding bishop or president, and one the vicebishop or vice-president. The Church observes the ordinances of baptism, holy communion, and foot washing.

Saunders has served as president since the church's founding in 1965. One of the more educated leaders in the Apostolic Movement, Saunders completed his post-graduate studies and has led in the cause of an educated ministry. He formed the Center for a More Abundant Life, which serves as an umbrella for a variety of social and educational services, such as the Center for Creative Learning, an early childhood educational facility; the Monroe R. Saunders School for elementary school children; and two high rise houses for the elderly and handicapped.

Membership: The church reports 80 congregations, 100,000 members, and 150 ministers in the United States and Canada, and it has missions in England, Africa, and the West Indies.

Educational Facilities: Institute of Biblical Studies, Baltimore, Maryland.

★739★

United Churches of Jesus, Apostolic

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The United Churches of Jesus, Apostolic was formed by several bishops of the Apostolic Church of Christ in God who rejected the leadership of presiding bishop J. C. Richardson, Sr. Richardson had married a divorced woman. The church is headed by a general bishop, J. W. Audrey (one of the founders of the Apostle Church) and a board of bishops. Doctrine is like the parent body.

Membership: In 1980 the United Churches had 2,000 members, 20 churches, 30 ministers and six bishops.

★740★

United Pentecostal Church International

8855 Dunn Rd.
Hazelwood, MO 63042

History. The United Pentecostal Church International was formed in 1945 by a merger of the Pentecostal Church, Inc. and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. Both organizations dated to a 1924 schism of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. During the early 1920s, ministers within the Assemblies had become convinced that, due in part to various laws in the South about the mixing of blacks and whites, its interracial makeup was hindering its functions. Members who left eventually formed three separate organizations.

Members who left the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World met in a separate hall before leaving the 1924 Chicago, Illinois, conference at which the split occurred to lay plans for a new organization. That organization was chartered the next year as the Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance. It continued to function under that name until 1932, when it became the Pentecostal Church, Inc.

Some who had participated in the formation of the Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance were upset over the final organization as it provided only for the ministers and not for the members of the congregations. Meeting in Texas in October 1925, they formed Emmanuel's Church in Jesus Christ. A third group gathered in St. Louis and formed the Pentecostal Churches of Jesus Christ. In 1927, these two groups merged to become the Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ.

In 1931, the Pentecostal Church of Jesus Christ voted to merge with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, the body from which it had orginally derived. The newly merged interracial body was called the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. However, as the decade proceeded, racial tensions again arose. For example, many Southerners (who constituted a significant part of the group) were concerned that the church's conferences could never be in the South because of racial laws. Beginning around 1936, black ministers and predominantly black congregations began to resign and return to the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, eventually leaving the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ an all-white body. As such it entered the 1945 merger.

The distinctive doctrines of water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and the oneness of God were taught in 1913-14 by early Pentecostal leaders such as Frank J. Ewart, Robert McAleister, Glenn A. Cook, and Garfield Thomas Haywood. Many of these men became members of the Assemblies of God but left that organization in 1916 when differences arose over these doctrines.

Beliefs. According to the statement of faith issued by the church, its basic and fundamental doctrine is "repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance." The statement also affirms belief in the one true God who manifested Himself in the flesh as Jesus Christ and who also manifests Himself as the Holy Spirit. The church practices footwashing and healing and follows a holiness code which includes disapproval of secret societies, mixed bathing, women cutting their hair, worldly amusements, home television sets, and immodest dress. While strongly affirming loyalty to the government, the church is against bearing arms or taking human life.

Organization. Government of the church is basically congregational with presbyterial elements. A general conference meets annually. A general superintendent, two assistants, and a secretary treasurer are members of a general board consisting of district superintendents, executive presbyters, and division heads. A foreign missions division oversees missions around the world in about 125 countries. Under the name Word Aflame Press, the Pentecostal Publishing House in Hazelwood, Missouri, publishes books, Sunday school material, and a wide variety of religious literature. The church is divided into 50 districts that include churches in every state and all Canadian provinces and territories. The church supports nine Bible colleges, the Tupelo, Mississippi, Children's Mansion, the Lighthouse Ranch for Boys, the Spirit of Freedom Ministries, and Compassion Services.

Membership: Not reported.

Educational Facilities: Apostolic Bible Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Apostolic Missionary Institute, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Christian Life College, Stockton, California.
Gateway College of Evangelism, Florissant, Missouri.
Indiana Bible College, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Jackson College of Ministries, Jackson, Mississippi.
Kent Christian College, Dover, Delaware.
Texas Bible College, Houston, Texas.
United Pentecostal Bible Institute, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Periodicals: The Pentecostal Herald. • The Global Witness.

★741★

United Way of the Cross Churches of Christ of the Apostolic Faith

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The United Way of the Cross Churches of Christ of the Apostolic Faith was founded by Bishop Joseph Adams of the Way of the Cross Church of Christ and Elder Harrison J. Twyman of the Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide. The new church was formed when the two founders, both pastors of congregations in North Carolina, discovered that God had given each a similar vision to form a new church. Also, Adams, a bishop in North Carolina for the Way of the Cross Church of Christ, had developed some concerns with the administrative procedures of the church. The church grew, in part, from the addition of pastors and their congregations who had previously left other Apostolic bodies.

Membership: In 1980 the United Way of the Cross Churches had 1,100 members in 14 churches. There were 30 ministers and four bishops.

★742★

Universal Church of Jesus Christ

Current address not obtained for this edition.

The Universal Church of Jesus Christ was founded in the 1950s by the withdrawal of some members of the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport). The immediate occasion of the split concerned the Lord's Supper. The withdrawing members argued that communion was spiritual and that there was no mandate to continue the Lord's Supper, or the accompanying practice of washing feet, as an outward ceremony. They also dropped several beliefs considered important by the Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport) including the rapture of the saints and the imminent second coming of Jesus. It also does not believe in Sunday school programs.

There is no fellowship between the Universal Church of Jesus Christ and the other Apostolic churches.

Membership: Not reported.

★743★

Way of the Cross Church of Christ

600 E. 43rd St.
Baltimore, MD 21212

The Way of the Cross Church of Christ was founded in 1927 by Henry C. Brooks, an independent black Pentecostal minister. Brooks had founded a small congregation in Washington, D.C. which became part of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith founded by Robert Clarence Lawson. At that time there was another small congregation under Bishop Lawson in Washington headed by Smallwood E. Williams, and Lawson wanted Brooks' congregation to join Williams'. Brooks rejected the plan, left Lawson's jurisdiction and founded a separate organization. A second congregation in Henderson, North Carolina, became the first of several along the East Coast. Brooks pastored the mother church for forty years and built a membership of over 3,000.

The Way of the Cross Church is headed by a presiding bishop. John L. Brooks, the son of the founder, succeeded to that post. He is assisted by twelve other bishops. Missions are supported in Ghana and Liberia.

Membership: In 2002 the Way of the Cross Church of Christ had 48 affiliated congregations and approximately 50,000 members.

★744★

Worldwide Pentecostal Church of Christ

292 Vanduzer St.
Staten Island, NY 10304

Alternate Address: Philippine headquarters: 104 Malaya St., Caloocan City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

The Worldwide Pentecostal Church of Christ is an independent Pentecostal body that originated in the Philippines. It was founded in 1984 by a small group of ministers under the leadership of John E. Ayudtud. The previous year, Ayudtud had visited the United States and had already decided to move there. In 1985, he left the Philippine work in the hands of Assistant Chairman Bishop Cesar de la Cruz and settled in America. He spent the next four years traveling the country and evangelizing before settling in New Jersey in 1989. At that time he founded the first American congregation of the Worldwide Pentecostal Church of Christ.

Worldwide Pentecostal Church of Christ is an Apostolic Pentecostal body that accepts the "Jesus Only" non-Trinitarian theology and baptism in the name of Jesus only. It meets conventionally at the international headquarters in the Philippines. An office for missions and church growth is located in San Jose, California. Ayudtud remains the bishop in charge of the work.

Membership: Not reported. In 2002 there were congregations in Alaska, Seattle, Washington, and Alameda and San Jose, California. There are also congregations in Japan, Australia, and Jerusalem, and there are 57 congregations in the Philippines.

Educational Facilities: WPCC Short Term Ministerial Studies, Caloocan City, Philippines.

Apostolic Pentecostals

Apostolic Assemblies of Christ, Inc.

Apostolic Church of Christ

Apostolic Church of Christ in God

Apostolic Church of Jesus

Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ

Apostolic Faith (Hawaii)

Sources:

Apostolic Faith Mission Church of God

Apostolic Gospel Church of Jesus Christ

Apostolic Ministerial Alliance

Sources:

Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God

Sources:

Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, Inc.

Associated Brotherhood of Christians

Bethel Ministerial Association

Sources:

Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide

Sources:

Bible Way Pentecostal Apostolic Church

Biblical Apostolic Organization (BOA)

Sources:

Church of God (Apostolic)

Church of God in Christ Jesus (Apostolic)

Sources:

Church of Jesus Christ (Bloomington)

Church of Jesus Christ (Kingsport)

Church of Jesus Christ Ministerial Alliance

Church of Jesus Christ of Georgia

Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith

Sources:

Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith (Philadelphia)

Churches of Christ in the Apostles Doctrine

Sources:

Churches of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith

Sources:

Evangelical Churches of Pentecost

Sources:

First Church of Jesus Christ

Sources:

Free Gospel Church of the Apostle's Doctrine

Sources:

Glorious Church of God in Christ Apostolic Faith

God's House of Prayer for All Nations

Highway Christian Church of Christ

Holy Temple Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith

Sources:

International Ministerial Association

Mount Hebron Apostolic Temple of Our Lord Jesus of the Apostolic Faith

New Bethel Church of God in Christ (Pentecostal)

Original Glorious Church of God in Christ Apostolic Faith

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World

Sources:

Pentecostal Church of God

Sources:

Pentecostal Churches of Apostolic Faith

Primitive Church of Jesus Christ

Progressive Church of our Lord Jesus Christ

Sources:

Pure Holiness Church of God

Redeemed Assembly of Jesus Christ, Apostolic

Shiloh Apostolic Temple

True Jesus Church

Sources:

True Vine Pentecostal Churches of Jesus

United Apostolic Church International

Sources:

United Church of Jesus Christ

United Church of Jesus Christ Apostolic

Sources:

United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic)

Sources:

United Churches of Jesus, Apostolic

United Pentecostal Church International

Sources:

United Way of the Cross Churches of Christ of the Apostolic Faith

Universal Church of Jesus Christ

Way of the Cross Church of Christ

Worldwide Pentecostal Church of Christ