The Pentecostal Church of God (PCG) is a

Trinitarian The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Fa ...

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

denomination headquartered in

Bedford, Texas Bedford is a city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. The population was 46,979 at the 2010 census. Bedford is part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedf ...

, United States. As of 2010, there were 620,000 members, 6,750 clergy in 4,825 churches worldwide. The PCG is a member of the

National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an association of evangelical denominations, organizations, schools, churches and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than 45,000 local churches ...

, the

Pentecostal World Conference The Pentecostal World Fellowship is a fellowship of Evangelical Pentecostal churches and denominations from across the world. The headquarters is in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its leader is William Wilson (Tulsa, OK). History The Pentecostal World Fello ...

and the

Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America 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 ...

. The church's official publication is ''The Pentecostal Messenger''.

History

First called the Pentecostal Assemblies of USA, the PCG was formed in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1919 by a group of Pentecostal ministers who had chosen not to affiliate with the

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

and several who had left that organization after it adopted a doctrinal statement in 1916. John C. Sinclair, an early Pentecostal pastor in Chicago, and a former Assemblies of God presbyter served as the first moderator. The Pentecostal Assemblies of the USA was dissolved in 1922, and the organization resumed under the name Pentecostal Church of God. In 1927, the denominational headquarters relocated to Ottumwa, Iowa; in 1933, to Kansas City, Missouri; in 1951, to

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

in 1951; and in 2012, to Bedford, Texas. Although the relocation to Bedford, TX followed the

2011 Joplin Tornado A devastating EF5-rated multiple-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on the evening of Sunday, May 22, 2011. Part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak, the tornado touched down just west of Joplin and intensified very quickly, reaching a ...

, the decision to move had started at least three years earlier when the 2009 General Convention voted to explore relocating to a larger metropolitan area. The reason for the move was because of lower income due to declining minister and church membership and Messenger College could no longer support itself.

Beliefs

The Pentecostal Church of God combines

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

and

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

doctrines in its Statement of Faith. *Both the

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

is the inspired word of

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

. *Believes there is one God that exists as a

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

. *Salvation is available through

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

's sacrifice on the cross. *Salvation can be lost if one turns away from God by a human's

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to actio ...

. *Believes in

water baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

according to the Trinitarian formula. *After salvation, a Christian can be baptized with the Holy Spirit, which is evidenced by

speaking in tongues Speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, is a practice in which people utter words or speech-like sounds, often thought by believers to be languages unknown to the speaker. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of sp ...

. *Sanctification is a definite and progressive work of grace. *Heaven and hell are literal places; heaven being for those who have received salvation, and hell for those who have rejected it. *The

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...

is made of all true Christians. *There are two ordinances: water baptism and the

Lord's supper The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

. Water baptism symbolizes identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. The Lord's supper is done in remembrance of Christ's death. *Members practice

tithing A tithing or tything was a historic English legal, administrative or territorial unit, originally ten hides (and hence, one tenth of a hundred). Tithings later came to be seen as subdivisions of a manor or civil parish. The tithing's leader or s ...

. *Believes that Jesus Christ will return and that his return is imminent. His coming will be personal,

pretribulation In Christian eschatology, the Great Tribulation ( grc, θλῖψις μεγάλη, thlîpsis megálē) is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the time of the end. At Revelation 7:14, "the Great Tr ...

premillennial Premillennialism, in Christian eschatology, is the belief that Jesus will physically return to the Earth (the Second Coming) before the Millennium, a literal thousand-year golden age of peace. Premillennialism is based upon a literal interpreta ...

Organization

The church is led by a General

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

(formerly called General Superintendent and before that General Moderator and General Chairman) and a General Convention which meets biennially. It is divided into a number of districts, including four Hispanic districts in the United States. Each district is served by a district bishop, previously district superintendent. District conventions meet annually. In 2002, the General Convention came to a consensus to change the title of their overseer from General Superintendent to Bishop. The change was made because internationally, the term ''bishop'' is more commonly related to religious leaders than the previous title. Prior to 2011, the International headquarters were located in

where a college and a publishing house operated. In 2012 The International Headquarters moved to Bedford, TX and the College,

Messenger College Messenger College is a private Pentecostal college in Bedford, Texas. The institution is accredited through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and its students are eligible for federal student aid programs. Mess ...

, followed and is located in

Euless, Texas Euless ( ) is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. Euless is part of the Mid-Cities region between Dallas and Fort Worth. In 2020 Census, the population of Euless was 61,032. The population of the ...

. As of 2017, the International Headquarters has changed its name to the IMC, International Missions Center. The Messenger College learning center was relocated to the fourth floor of the International Missions Center, classes beginning in the new location at the start of the 2018-19 academic school year. Moderator/Chairman
Rev. A. D. McClure: 1927-1933
Rev. G. F. C. Fons: 1933-1935
General Superintendent
Rev. Marion D. Townsend: 1935-1937
Rev. Harold M. Collins: 1937-1942
Rev. J. W. May: 1942-1947
Rev. H. T. Owens: 1947-1949
Rev. M. F. Coughran: 1949-1953
Rev. R. Dennis Heard: 1953-1975
Rev. Roy M. Chappell: 1975-1987
Dr. James D. Gee: 1987-2001
General Bishop
Rev. Phil L. Redding: 2001-2005
Rev. Charles R. Mosier: 2005–2006
Rev. Charles G. Scott: 2007–2015
Rev. Loyd L. Naten: 2015–2017
Dr. Wayman C. Ming: 2017–current

Notes

References

*''Our Story: The History of the Pentecostal Church of God'' *''We've Come this Far by Faith''

External links