International Pentecostal Church of Christ
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The International Pentecostal Church of Christ (or IPCC) is a Pentecostal holiness denomination formed in 1976 by the merger of two Pentecostal organizations.
In 1907, Gaston B. Cashwell, called the Apostle of Pentecost in the South, founded a periodical called The Bridegroom's Messenger, in Atlanta, Georgia. About the same time, Paul and Hattie Barth started a church. The Barths became editors of The Bridegroom's Messenger. In 1918, they began Beulah Heights Bible School in Atlanta, and in 1921 they organized an association that became the International Pentecostal Assemblies.
John Stroup, a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, professed receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost in 1908. He organized the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Flatwoods, Kentucky in 1917. The body originally headquartered in Ashland, Kentucky, and later in London, Ohio.
In 1976, the International Pentecostal Assemblies and the Pentecostal Church of Christ merged to become the International Pentecostal Church of Christ. Headquarters are located in London, Ohio. In 1999, there were approximately 1800 churches (about 70-75 in the U. S.). The church operates the Beulah Heights Bible College in Atlanta, Georgia, two youth camps, and six departments - Education, Global Missions, Home Missions and Evangelism, Christian Education, National Youth, and Women's Ministries. Publications of the church are The Bridegroom's Messenger (considered the oldest Pentecostal periodical in the world) and The Pentecostal Leader, a training magazine.
Doctrines are detailed in an 18 article Statement of Faith ranging from the inspiration of the Scriptures to tithes and offerings. The church holds four ordinances - water baptism by immersion, holy communion, foot washing, and child dedication. The last two are left to the option of each local congregation. The body is Trinitarian, and, like many related bodies, holds that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Its affiliations are with the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America, Pentecostal World Conference, a charter member of the National Association of Evangelicals, and the World Evangelical Fellowship.
External links
- International Pentecostal Church of Christ (http://members.aol.com/hqipcc/) - official Web Site
- Beulah Heights Bible College (http://www.beulah.edu) - official Web Site
- International Pentecostal Church of Christ History (http://www.ashipcc.org/ipccdefined.html)
Reference
- Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood.