The Elim Pentecostal Church is a UK-based Pentecostal Christian denomination. It was founded in Ireland in 1915 by George Jeffreys and is the second largest pentecostal denomination in the UK.
The Elim Pentecostal Church is a UK-based Pentecostal Christian denomination. It was founded in Ireland in 1915 by George Jeffreys and is the second largest pentecostal denomination in the UK.
George Jeffreys (1889–1962), a Welsh, founded the Elim Pentecostal Church in Monaghan, Ireland in 1915. [1] Jeffreys was an evangelist with a Welsh Congregational church background. He was converted at age 15 during the Welsh Revival of 1904. Alexander A. Boddy, Vicar of All Saints, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland invited him to preach at his International Pentecostal Convention in Sunderland in May 1913. Between 1915 and 1934, Jeffreys was extremely active as a revivalist, and preached to large crowds throughout the United Kingdom. The church was brought together, first as the Elim Evangelistic Band, but this was changed to Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance when the Deed Poll was registered in April 1934. The name 'Elim' was taken from the account in the Book of Exodus, chapter 15, verse 27, where the Israelites, leaving the bondage of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, found an oasis called Elim: "Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters." This represented a place of refreshing, and it was thought appropriate for a revival movement at that time. Differences of opinion formed over Jeffreys' espousal of British Israelism and when changes to church governance proposed by Jeffreys were blocked, he resigned from the Elim Pentecostal Church in December 1939. He was persuaded to return but resigned again in 1940 and formed the Bible-Pattern Church Fellowship in Nottingham, [2] which founded other churches throughout England until the 1960s, but that now only continues as a small fellowship. The presidency of Elim then passed to George Kingston, a wealthy businessman who had founded many of the Elim congregations in Essex. [3] On the night of 23 June 1978, eight British missionaries and four young children (including a three-week-old baby) connected with the Elim mission in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) were bayoneted to death by guerrilla fighters in the Vumba massacre. [4] Most of the women were raped. [5] This brutal massacre in the Vumba and the ministry of Elim in Zimbabwe was commemorated in the 2017 book The Axe and the Tree by Stephen Griffiths. [6]
Elim Pentecostal beliefs include: the Bible as divinely inspired; the three in one as the Godhead; the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and his complete humanity and sinless life, substitutionary atonement, bodily resurrection, heavenly intercession, the second coming of Jesus; the universal sinfulness of mankind; the work of the Holy Spirit in conviction, repentance, regeneration and sanctification according to Acts 2:38; the baptism of the Holy Spirit "with signs following"; that salvation is received by faith alone and evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit. The baptism of believers by immersion and Communion are held to be ordinances. [7]
Elim represents a global network of about 650 churches in the UK and Ireland, and over 4000 Elim or Elim affiliated churches overseas, with a weekly attendance of about 50,000 in the UK and more than 300,000 overseas, operating in some 50 countries worldwide. [8] Kensington Temple in London is the largest church in the denomination. [9] Elim missions exist in 35 countries with hospitals, orphanages, and schools. [10] The church operates Regents Theological College in Malvern, Worcestershire, where the movement's headquarters are also based. The authority of governance of the church is rested in the annual conference. Guidance of the denomination is placed in the National Leadership Team and the General Superintendent between sessions. Mark Pugh, Pastor of Rediscover Church in Exeter, is the current General Superintendent of the movement. He took up the role at the 2024 conference from Chris Cartwright his predecessor, who had been in the role since 2016, superseding John Glass. Elim headquarters is in Malvern, alongside its Bible College. Elim became a founding member of the Pentecostal Churches of the United Kingdom in 1998. It has been a member of the Evangelical Alliance for many years. Though the local congregations are commonly and popularly known as Elim Pentecostal Churches, the legal name of the denomination is still Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance, which is based on the church's stand for four fundamental claims – "Jesus Christ as the Saviour, Healer, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and Coming King."
The standard hymnal of the Elim Church was the Redemption Hymnal . Today however, the music and worship is mainly modern and contemporary worship songs with some traditional hymns alongside. Now Elim has its own Worship Department writing songs and training worship teams called "Elim Sound". [11]
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Many Elim Pentecostal Churches carry the Elim name along side their location, however a number of Churches are exceptions to this rule.
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, an event that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.
Pentecost is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day after Easter Day. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. The Catholic Church believes the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary, the mother of Jesus, at the same time, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
Elim Fellowship is a Finished Work Pentecostal denomination of Christianity. It was founded in 1933 in Lima, New York, United States. It is named for a biblical location named in Exodus 15:27, wherein Elim is described as an oasis in the wilderness.
The Foursquare Church is an international Evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1923 by preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California, United States.
The Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA) is an interdenominational fellowship of Pentecostal and charismatic churches and denominations in North America, existing for the purpose of promoting cooperation and understanding. It is a successor to the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America (PFNA). PCCNA headquarters are in Los Angeles, California.
The Latter Rain, also known as the New Order or the New Order of the Latter Rain, was a post-World War II movement within Pentecostal Christianity which remains controversial. The movement saw itself as a continuation of the restorationism of early Pentecostalism. The movement began with major revivals between 1948 and 1952 and became established as a large semi-organized movement by 1952. It continued into the 1960s. The movement had a profound impact on subsequent movements as its participants dispersed throughout the broader charismatic and Pentecostal movements beginning in the 1960s.
The Apostolic Church is an international Christian denomination and Pentecostal movement that emerged from the Welsh Revival of 1904–1905. Although the movement began in the United Kingdom, the largest national Apostolic Church became the Apostolic Church Nigeria. The term "Apostolic" refers to the role of apostles in the denomination's church government, as well as a desire to emulate 1st century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government.
George Jeffreys was a Welsh evangelist who founded the Elim Pentecostal Church, a Pentecostal organisation.
The New Century Hymnal is a comprehensive hymnal and worship book published in 1995 for the United Church of Christ. The hymnal contains a wide-variety of traditional Christian hymns and worship songs, many contemporary hymns and songs, and a substantial selection of "world music" selections origin, a full lectionary-based Psalter, service music selections, and a selection of liturgies from the UCC Book of Worship (1986). Generally speaking, the hymnal is theologically within the mainline Protestant tradition, with a slant toward liturgical forms.
Regents Theological College is a theological college in Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is the training centre of the Elim Pentecostal Church.
Kensington Temple is a Pentecostal Church in the Notting Hill area of London, England. It is the largest church in its denomination, the Elim Pentecostal Church.
The Redemption Hymnal is a red-covered hymnbook containing 800 evangelical hymns, first published by the Elim Publishing House in London, in 1951. The hymnal was compiled by a committee of leaders from the three main Pentecostal denominations in the United Kingdom: Assemblies of God in Great Britain, Elim Pentecostal Church and the Apostolic Church (denomination). It is strongly associated with the emergence of the Pentecostal movement in the United Kingdom.
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The Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches in the Philippines is a denomination of Christian churches all located in Southern Luzon, the Philippines.
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The Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ , also known as PMCC, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination based in the Philippines. It was founded in 1972 by Arsenio T. Ferriol, who would become its executive minister, and registered on August 30, 1973.
Evangelical theology is the teaching and doctrine that relates to spiritual matters in evangelical Christianity and a Christian theology. The main points concern the place of the Bible, the Trinity, worship, salvation, sanctification, charity, evangelism and the end of time.
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