Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ

Last updated
Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ
Classification Western Christian
Orientation Pentecostal
Theology Oneness Pentecostalism
Polity Episcopal
Region United States of America Philippines
HeadquartersUSA
Origin1931, Columbus, Ohio
Merger of Apostolic Churches of Jesus Christ and Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
SeparationsUnited Pentecostal Church (UPCI), Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW), International Circle of Faith (ICOF), Apostolic Churches International (ACI), Apostolic Ministerial Fellowship (AMF)
Congregationsest. 50
Membersest. 5,000
Ministers 85

The Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ (PAJC) is an independent association of Oneness Pentecostal churches, primarily located in the United States. Historically they have had members across the U.S. and abroad. They were formally organized in 1931. The original headquarters were located in Columbus, Ohio, later moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and then to Cleveland, Ohio. Today they are in Reesville, Ohio.

Contents

The PAJC consider themselves to be a continuation of the great revival that began on the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem, AD 33. They believe their doctrines to be founded upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being their chief cornerstone. [1]

History

The Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ (PAJC) is one of the oldest active Oneness Pentecostal organizations in the world. Two of the largest Oneness Pentecostal organizations, United Pentecostal Church International and Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, were once part of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ and a third, the International Circle of Faith, traces its roots to the PAJC. All of these groups trace their roots to a revival in 1906 (the Azusa Street Revival) which has become synonymous with the Pentecostal movement. According to Pentecostal historian Morris Golder, in 1931 a unity conference with representatives from four Oneness Pentecostalism organizations met in Columbus, Ohio, in an attempt to bring more Oneness organizations under the same banner. This attempt was partially successful. [2]

The Pentecostal Ministerial Alliance ministers voted to merge with The Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, but the terms of the proposed merger were not accepted by the ministers of The Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ. Ministers from the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World withdrew from their respective organizations and formed a new organization in November 1931. They adopted the name of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ (PAJC). [3]

The PAJC and the Pentecostal Churches Inc. (PCI) merged in 1945, forming what is now called the United Pentecostal Church (UPCI). According to Pentecostal historian Dr. Bernie L. Wade, in August 1946, a group of brethren became dissatisfied with the merger with the United Pentecostal Church, revived the original charter of the PAJC and reorganized the group. There were a number of reasons for the dissatisfaction but historian Morris Golder believes that the primary issues were related to the treatment of the United Pentecostal Church of black (Negro) ministers. [2]

In the spring of 1948 the Churches of the Lord Jesus Christ met with the brethren of the PAJC and proposal a merger. In August, 1948 the merger became complete. At that time a proposal was issued to the new secretary, J. Frank Wilson, to make an amendment that both charters be dropped. This action was never taken and both charters lay idle until the reviving of the charter came about forming the Assemblies of Jesus Christ. [2]

The old charter of the PAJC again lay idle until the year of 1955. Then a group of ministers led by Bishop Carl Angle (Nashville, Tennessee), Bishop Ray Cornell (Pastor of Apostolic Faith Church of God, Cleveland, Ohio) and Bishop C. B. Gillespie (Fairmont, West Virginia) went to the State of Ohio and took out a charter known as the PAJC, Inc. The PAJC, Inc. is still chartered in the state of Ohio. They believe themselves to be Oneness in doctrine and teachings, and believe that they use only the Bible as their guide book. [4] [5]

The new headquarters was established (using the strength of Bishop Ray O. Cornell's 2500 member Apostolic Faith Church of God) in Cleveland, Ohio (established in 1932). Bishop Ray Cornell, Bishop Carl Angle, and Bishop Charles B. Gillespie became the catalysts to the recharter effort. During the 1950s and 1960s the group's headquarters was at 2050 West 55th Street. The group grew through an aggressive recruitment effort spearheaded by national evangelist Carl Angle. [6] It also grew by a number of mergers with other groups who were using the PAJC name. Most notable is the Southeast PAJC with Bishop J. T. Bass and the PAJC of Knoxville, Iowa where the group's printing presses were housed and publications were printed. [7]

Related Research Articles

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.

Church of God is a name used by numerous denominational bodies. The largest denomination with this name is the Church of God

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Pentecostal Church International</span> Christian Pentecostal denomination

The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) is a Oneness Pentecostal denomination headquartered in Weldon Spring, Missouri, United States. The United Pentecostal Church International was formed in 1945 by a merger of the former Pentecostal Church, Inc. and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. The United Pentecostal Church International began with 521 churches and has grown, according to their own figures, to more than 43,000 churches, 43,000 ministers, and a total constituency of over 5.6 million worldwide. The international fellowship of United Pentecostals consists of national organizations that are united as the Global Council of the UPCI, which is chaired by the general superintendent of the UPCI, currently David K. Bernard.

Oneness Pentecostalism is a nontrinitarian religious movement within the Protestant Christian family of churches known as Pentecostalism. It derives its name from its teaching on the Godhead, a form of Modalistic Monarchianism commonly referred to as the Oneness doctrine. The doctrine states that there is one God―a singular divine spirit with no distinction of persons―who manifests himself in many ways, including as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This stands in sharp contrast to the doctrine of three distinct, eternal persons posited by Trinitarian theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assemblies of God</span> Group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches

The World Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is an international Pentecostal denomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Pentecostal Holiness Church</span> Pentecostal denomination

The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) is an international Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations. Historically centered in the Southeastern United States, particularly the Carolinas and Georgia, the Pentecostal Holiness Church now has an international presence. In 2000, the church reported a worldwide membership of over one million—over three million including affiliates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith</span> American Pentecostal church

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus</span> Oneness Pentecostal Denomination

The Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus (AAFCJ) is a Oneness Pentecostal denomination in the United States. It was founded in 1925 and incorporated in California on March 15, 1930, and is currently headquartered in Fontana, California.

The Apostolic Assemblies of Christ, Inc., Incorporated (AAofC), is a Christian Church in the Oneness Pentecostal tradition. The Church is episcopal in governance. The Apostolic Assemblies of Christ was founded as an ecclesiastical corporation under the statutes of the non-profit corporation laws of the United States. The purpose of the founding of the corporation was to provide an ecclesiastical body where all churches could feel free to worship God and where all churches would have representations on all levels. The founder and presiding bishop (emeritus) G. M. Boone started with 7 churches and currently there are 259 churches worldwide. From the beginning, the Apostolic Assemblies of Christ had a set goal and purpose to its very existence in order to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. The organization's headquarters is located in Detroit, Michigan.

Pilgrim Holiness Church (PHC) or International Apostolic Holiness Church (IAHC) is a Christian denomination associated with the holiness movement that split from the Methodist Episcopal Church through the efforts of Martin Wells Knapp in 1897. It was first organized in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the International Holiness Union and Prayer League (IHU/IAHC). Knapp, founder of the IAHC, ordained and his Worldwide Missions Board sent Charles and Lettie Cowman who had attended God's Bible School to Japan in December 1900. By the International Apostolic Holiness Churches Foreign Missionary Board and the co-board of the Revivalist the Cowmans had been appointed the General Superintendents and the Kilbournes the vice-General Superintendent for Korea, Japan and China December 29, 1905. The organization later became the Pilgrim Holiness Church in 1922, the majority of which merged with the Wesleyan Methodists in 1968 to form the Wesleyan Church.

The Indian Pentecostal Church of God (IPC) is one of the largest Pentecostal Christian Denomination in India, with over 10,000 congregations worldwide. Its organisational headquarters located in Kumbanad, Kerala, India. IPC has similarities with the Kerala Brethren denomination in terms of its beliefs on orthodoxy and eschatology, as a large portion of IPC's founders and early members were from the Kerala Brethren. IPC tends to shy away from ecumenism, and some of its leaders reject high church liturgy as a method of worship, instead opting for low church congregational worship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assemblies of God USA</span> Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially the General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States. The Assemblies of God is the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal body. With a constituency of 3,041,957 in 2011, the Assemblies of God was the ninth largest Christian denomination and the second largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States, growing to 3,295,923 in 2019. Since then, its adherents have declined to 2,928,143 in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Delano Ellis</span> American pastor

Jesse Delano Ellis, II, commonly known as J. Delano Ellis, was an American Protestant religious leader and progenitor of unity among African American Pentecostals with Trinitarian and nontrinitarian affinities.

Bernie L. Wade, born on June 29, 1963, in Lakewood, Ohio, is an American minister, entrepreneur, and author. He has served in a variety of roles, including senior pastor and chief operations officer of the Christian Brotherhood. He also served as president of CWN, and vice-president of Spread the Spirit of Love.

The Christian Ministers' Association (CMA) is a Canadian Pentecostal group of over 450 members. The CMA originates from the Pentecostal movement of the early 20th century. It is not a traditional Christian denomination, but "a relational networking of friends and colleagues." As a Pentecostal fellowship, CMA believes in the Pentecostal distinctive of baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

The Apostolic Church of Pentecost (ACOP) is a Pentecostal Christian denomination with origins in the Pentecostal revival of the early 20th century. Although multi-national, ACOP has its strongest membership in Canada. In 2002 ACOP reported "approximately 24,000 members in Canada, with 450 ministers and 153 churches." There are ACOP churches in all the provinces of Canada. ACOP's headquarters is in Calgary, Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentecostal Churches of Christ</span>

The Pentecostal Churches of Christ (PCC) is a Protestant Christian denomination in the Oneness Pentecostal and Holiness-Pentecostal traditions. The Pentecostal Churches of Christ self-identify as "Anglican-Apostolic". The Pentecostal Churches of Christ was founded and initially led by Bishop J. Delano Ellis, and its national cathedral is in Cleveland, Ohio, United States while the seat of its primate is currently Memphis, Tennessee.

Howard Archibald Goss (1883–1964) was a North American Oneness Pentecostal pastor and evangelist. He became the first superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church International, after it was formed from the merger of two Oneness Pentecostal organizations. Previously, he had been an original member of the Assemblies of God, until he left it after it strongly affirmed the Trinitarian position.

References

  1. ↑ Constitution of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. Preamble. 1955. http://www.pajc.org Archived 2008-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 3 Morris Golder, The History of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, 1976.
  3. ↑ History of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. Truth Liberty and Freedom Press (TLFP). Dr. Bernie L. Wade, Copyright 2001, pg. 2.
  4. ↑ Outlook. Official organ of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. August. 1961.
  5. ↑ http://www.pajc.org Archived 2008-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Dialogue with a Pentecostal Giant (Bishop Carl Angle). 1983.
  7. ↑ Outlook magazine. March 1971. Volume 24. Issue 3
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.