The Christian-Koinonia Support Group

This blog will contain some insight for those who have experienced spiritual abuse and will also hopefully help to educate those who would like to learn about it.

UPC Manual #3

Posted January 11th, 2012 at 07:04 AM by Lois

Again, I am sharing from the 2009 UPCI Manual, Article VII, Section 2. It is the same as appears in the 2005 Manual, with the exception of #7, where the part about preterism was later added. This section covers the requirements for ministerial license or ordination and is shared in its entirety. The organization has three levels of licensing: local, general and ordination. Each has their own requirements, but those listed below are for any of the three.

1. Anyone desiring to be affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International must believe in the Oneness of God as taught in Mark 12:29, John 14:6-11, and I Timothy 3:16; must have the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as in Acts 2:4,10:46, and 19:1-6; must have been baptized by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as in Acts 2:38; must be living a holy and godly life according to the Scriptures as described in the Articles of Faith of the United Pentecostal Church International; and must believe in, teach, and preach the same.

2. The acceptance, deferral, or rejection of any application shall be the prerogative of the District Board.

3. An application must be properly completed, all questions being carefully answered. The same must be endorsed by a majority of the District Board including the District Superintendent.

(a) All applicants who reside and/or labor in unorganized districts shall be examined by the District Superintendent and District Secretary who in turn shall refer their decision to the Executive Board for final decision.

4. All applicants shall be required to appear before their District Board for examination, having made application at least sixty (60) days prior to meeting the Board and must have met any training or seminar requirements set forth by their District Board. The applicants must have the recommendation of their local pastor, having proven themselves faithful to their home church. In the event that they have no local pastor, the matter shall be left to the discretion of the District Board.

5. All applicants shall be willing to submit to questioning and, if necessary, investigation by the District Board relative to their financial stewardship.

6. No minister shall be permitted to hold license or ordination with any other religious organization or association. Exceptions to this rule shall be made in the case of ministers residing where they cannot receive proper governmental recognition without belonging to an organization in that country. In such a case, special permission shall be obtained from the Executive or General Board, in writing, for said ministers to belong to an organization in that country for this purpose only.

7. License or Certificate of Ordination shall not be issued to anyone who teaches the doctrine of unconditional eternal security,...

Lois

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Posted in Questioning

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UPC Manual #2

Posted January 10th, 2012 at 08:00 AM by Lois

Here are some others rules from the UPC Manual. (Again, this is from 2009 and reads the same in 2005, with the exception of the last sentence in number 31. In 2005 number 31 said: "No minister having a television in his or her home, shall be permitted to hold license or credentials with the United Pentecostal Church International. Furthermore, no United Pentecostal Church International minister shall be permitted to advertise or minister on television. This does not preclude unsolicited representatives of the news media covering functions."

For this second post, I just picked out some of the ones people might be more interested in seeing. Number 14 pertains to the affirmation statement that took effect in 1993. It was annual then and they later changed it to every other year. Also, note that for number 18 & 32, the UPC does not just consider licensed ministers as members. It also considers as members the people who are members of local affiliated UPC churches. (Not all UPC churches are affiliated.) I will quote that from the manual at the end of this post. I have even heard licensed ministers proclaim that it is only a ministerial organization. Number 31 and 32 are laughable to me, knowing that a number of ministers indeed have televisions and watch Hollywood films.

Sadly, 35 has been broken too often.

14. All ministers, licensed or ordained, during the same year as the normally scheduled election of the General Superintendent (biennially), shall be required to sign a statement reaffirming their loyalty to the Fundamental Doctrine as stated in the Articles of Faith and the holiness standards as stated in the Articles of Faith of the United Pentecostal Church International. Said statement shall be sent to each minister at least sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of the current fellowship card. Any minister failing to sign and return the statement within this sixty-day period shall be notified that after thirty (30) days the membership fellowship card will be suspended. After this thirty (30) day grace period, a suspended minister must fill out a new application for license or credentials together with a signed statement and appear before the District Board before he or she may be considered for reinstatement.

16. Any minister holding or seeking to hold credentials or a license with us who speaks or writes in opposition to any Articles of Faith shall be called before the District Board who shall decide upon the penalty to be inflicted.

17. No minister, whether licensed or ordained, can be a member of any secret lodge society (exclusive of labor unions) and hold license or credentials with the United Pentecostal Church International.

18. The United Pentecostal Church International requires all of its members to avoid mixed bathing or swimming in public places or any other time when there are those of the...

Lois

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Posted in Questioning

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UPC Manual #1

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 06:57 AM by Lois

I thought since many have never seen or even heard of the UPCI Manual for their licensed ministers, that I would share some of the rules they have. Understand that the manual can change every year.

If a resolution is passed at the fall General Conference, it will be added to the manual the following year. Sometimes the changes are minor and sometimes they make a much bigger difference, such as excluding from fellowship those who believe certain teachings. For instance, what is shared below is the same as from at least 2005, with the exception of #3 where the second sentence was added in a year between then and 2009.

The latest copy I have is from 2009. (If anyone has one from 2010 and 2011, I would love to have them if you want to part with it.) Below are some of the ministerial rules as found in Article VII, section 7: Obligations and Rules.

1. Ministers should not accept the invitation of a member or members of any assembly to hold a meeting in any church where there is a pastor without first obtaining said pastor's consent. Where there is no pastor, the consent of the church officials in charge must be obtained.

2. Any minister affiliated with us, desiring to hold a meeting in a town or community where there is an affiliated church or pastor shall first consult and obtain the consent of the pastor before conducting a revival or crusade on his or her own or for another assembly that is not in fellowship. He or she may appeal the pastor's decision to the nearest District Presbyter.

3. No minister affiliated with us shall endeavor to start a new work without the written consent of the District Board. Furthermore, any minister wishing to establish a preaching point, begin a daughter work, or start a church in a district other than the one in which he or she resides or holds license, must comply with all policies governing such activities in said district.

4. No minister, or church congregation pastored by one of our ministers, shall relocate or move an existing church into a city or neighborhood where there is another United Pentecostal Church, without written permission from the District Board. All applications for permission to relocate or move an existing church congregation in a city or neighborhood where there is another United Pentecostal Church must be submitted in writing thirty (30) days prior to the Board meeting. The District Secretary shall notify the Sectional Presbyter of the application at least twenty (20) days prior to the Board meeting. The presbyter shall notify the neighboring pastors, if needed and necessary, at least ten (10) days before the Board meeting.

5. Ministers shall not accept the invitation of a member or members, or the pastor of any assembly, to preach in any church that is held in question without first getting the consent of the District Superintendent.

...

Lois

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Posted in Questioning

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Howard Goss- The Winds of God

Posted January 8th, 2012 at 10:57 PM by Lois

Howard Goss was part of the Pentecostal movement since the very early 1900s. He later became the General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Church Incorporated, which merged with another organization to form the UPC. Goss became the first General Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church in 1945.

In the late 1950s, his wife, Ethel Goss, wrote a book with his input, on the early years of the Pentecostal movement from 1901 to 1914. It is called "The Winds of God."

There are so many people involved in Apostolic churches today that are yet unaware how things were different in the earlier days of their movement. There wasn't the same emphasis on outward things and there were differences in beliefs concerning when a person was saved.

In regard to outward standards, below is what Mrs. Goss wrote on page 69:

"We did not wear uniforms. The lady workers dressed in the current fashions of the day...silks...satins...jewels or whatever they happened to possess. They were very smartly turned out, so that they made an impressive appearance on the streets where a large part of our work was conducted in the early years.

"It was not until long after, when former Holiness preachers had become part of us, that strict plainness of dress began to be taught.

"Although Entire Sanctification was preached at the beginning of the Movement, it was from a Wesleyan viewpoint, and had in it very little of the later Holiness Movement characteristics. Nothing was ever said about apparel, for everyone was so taken up with the Lord that mode of dress seemingly never occurred to any of us."

Galatians 2:4 came to mind as I posted this quote. While it may not fully fit, to me it does at least in part: "But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage." (NASB)

Lois

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Posted in Standards

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Is Their Any Biblical Precedence?

Posted January 7th, 2012 at 06:19 AM by Lois

People are often told things and given no biblical support to back them up in unhealthy churches. For instance, I recall being told about either having unconfessed sin in my life or something else (I think it was lack of faith) as to the reason I hadn't spoken in tongues once while 'tarrying' and visiting a nearby church in our organization.

Let's lay aside the basic question of speaking in tongues for this topic and instead simply examine whether the Bible gives support to some things many of us have seen or heard taught.

Do we read Peter or Paul, or anyone else, admonishing people that they didn't speak in tongues because they had unconfessed sin in their life or anything else which gets stated? Do we see people tarrying like is taught at some churches today to tarry for God's Spirit? Do we see other believers crowding around new believers trying to "help" them get God's Spirit? Do we see believers grabbing people's mouths or chins, trying to shake their tongues loose? Do we see them telling people to "hang on" or "let go?" Do we see believers being forced to hold their hands up in the air for long periods of time? Do we see anyone being told to keep saying "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" or "Hallelujah?" I could go on and on in my list.

Here is where many do not stop to fully look into these things. We didn't check the practices with scripture, to see if we found them there or anything similar. Instead, we went by what we saw and were taught and thought it must be the way it should be. Many of us simply repeated what we witnessed others do in services because it was all new to us.

Take some time to really think about all this. Why are people being taught and encouraged to do such things when we can find no similar practices in scripture?

Lois

Administrator

Posted in Questioning, Experiences

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