Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
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
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
.
Structure
Unlike traditional denominations that are usually based on top-down organizational structures, ACOP describes itself as a "fellowship." The different term emphasizes that ACOP originated as a "grass-roots organization with a minimal amount of organization." This kind of organizational structure allows local churches to work autonomously, under the umbrella of ACOP's covering but without a head office dictating what each church must do, or the programs it must offer.
Beliefs
Theologically, ACOP is in the
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
tradition of
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, and aligns itself with the
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
movement.
The ACOP considers that the
Biblical inspiration
Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that the human writers and canonizers of the Bible were led by God with the result that their writings may be designated in some sense the word of God. This belief is traditionally ass ...
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 ...
makes it the authoritative and
infallible
Infallibility refers to an inability to be wrong. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. The term has significance in both epistemology and theology, and its meaning and significance in both fi ...
written word of God. It believes that there is one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; in the
virgin birth of Jesus
The virgin birth of Jesus is the Christian doctrine that Jesus was conceived by his mother, Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit and without sexual intercourse. It is mentioned only in and , and the modern scholarly consensus is that t ...
; that Jesus is humanity's only possible savior; in the
total depravity
Total depravity (also called radical corruption or pervasive depravity) is a Protestant theological doctrine derived from the concept of original sin. It teaches that, as a consequence of man's fall, every person born into the world is enslav ...
of humanity; that all of humanity needs to hear the
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
and turn to Christ in
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people ofte ...
for redemption; in the reality of a spiritual realm, which includes God, Heaven, Satan, the personal return of Jesus Christ, and a final judgment; in communion; and in
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 ...
by immersion.
As a Pentecostal fellowship, the ACOP believes in the Pentecostal distinctive of
baptism in the Holy Spirit
In Christian theology, baptism with the Holy Spirit, also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or baptism in the Holy Ghost, has been interpreted by different Christian denominations and traditions in a variety of ways due to differences in the doctr ...
with the evidence of
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 ...
. ACOP teaches that this experience is subsequent to the experience of salvation, and leads to a " Spirit filled life." ACOP believes that the Holy Spirit is the catalyst for sanctification. It believes in the present-day use of other spiritual gifts, such as divine healing.
ACOP view is that marriage is "a life-long exclusive commitment between one man and one woman". In 2006 ACOP signed an official Joint Declaration on Marriage affirming this position with over 40 different religious groups in Canada.
History
Historical precursors (1906-1920)
Like many Pentecostal denominations, the ACOP originates from the modern
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
movement of the early 20th century from the
Azusa street revival
The Azusa Street Revival was a historic series of revival meetings that took place in Los Angeles, California. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher. The revival began on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
As the early Pentecostalism movement expanded into Canada, there was an unsuccessful attempt in 1909 to organize Canadian Pentecostals. In 1918 a decision was made to form the
Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) (french: Les Assemblées de la Pentecôte du Canada) is a Pentecostal Christian denomination and the largest evangelical church in Canada.William Durham's
Finished Work
The Finished Work is a doctrine that locates sanctification at the time of conversion, afterward the converted Christian progressively grows in grace. This is contrary to the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification that locates complete sanctif ...
of Calvary doctrine, to the Oneness doctrine of the Godhead, and to water baptism in Jesus' Name. However, due to disagreement on these issues, the early unity of the PAOC did not last long. Shortly after the charter was granted, a group of ministers and churches withdrew their support because of doctrinal disagreement, especially over the oneness doctrine and baptism in Jesus' name. This group aligned itself with the US organization, the Assemblies of God. By 1920, the PAOC itself merged with the AOG, shifting its theological stance toward a more
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 ...
viewpoint.
Origins of ACOP (1920-1950)
On 1 January 1920 Rev. Frank Small, a member of PAOC, wrote a letter to his organization stating "if you feel that I am unworthy of your further fellowship owing to my doctrinal stand, I shall leave my further fellowship to your judgment as to whether I am recognized as one of you" (the doctrinal differences are later clarified in Small's private correspondence as his belief in the finished work and the oneness doctrine). This letter was not recognized in any formal capacity by the PAOC, but Frank Small's name was removed from the next PAOC ministerial list.
Small then founded a new Pentecostal denomination, called the Apostolic Church of Pentecost, which was granted Dominion charter on 25 October 1921. "With the doctrinal break in fellowship, he founded an organization that for many years endured as the only native Canadian Oneness organization." Small believed strongly that organization should never take precedence over Scripture. A big part of Small's focus was a belief that "God was bypassing the 'old denominations' and restoring the pure apostolic truth and practice to the church in the last days before the return of Christ."
He considered that the oneness of the Godhead was being revealed. He published a paper called Living Waters in which he said that the Trinitarians had given Christ an "inferiority complex in the eyes of the world" by "separating Christ from his fatherhood." He also said that "Any teaching that minimizes the Lord Jesus Christ to second place in the Godhead in authority or power, is to be laid at the door of the enemy."
The first ACOP conference took place in
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
, in 1921, where Frank Small was elected the first moderator. Early in its history, the ACOP focused on three main things: missions work, a small publication called Living Waters (produced by Small), and the need for Bible training. During its early years, ACOP saw tremendous growth, including: "new churches planted, missionaries thrust out into the work of God, Bible Schools established, denominational material published and Camp ministries started."
Merger (1950-1953)
In 1950 an interfellowship meeting was held in
Calgary, Alberta
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, between the ACOP and another Pentecostal denomination called the Evangelical Churches of Pentecost (ECP). At this meeting it was determined that an amalgamation should take place between the two groups. One possible motive for the merger is described by ACOP historian Linda Wegner as "the realization that by blending two structures into one, they could expand their spheres of influence and hopefully, their effectiveness of ministry would increase proportionally." The merger process took some time to work itself out, as a variety of questions had to be answered. Both denominations had their own camps, bible schools, policies on how to support missions, and consequently, much discussion was necessary before the merger could become a reality. Nevertheless, on May 29, 1953, the merger was officially in place. Despite the fact that almost all members of the ECP switched their membership over to the ACOP, the ECP charter was never dissolved, and is currently employed by a group called the Christian Ministers' Association.
Post-Merger Years (1954-Present)
Before the merger with ECP, there were approximately 80 churches in the ACOP. After the merger, the ACOP experienced an increase in churches. In the decade from 1951 to 1961 ACOP had a growth spurt of about 40 new churches (compared to only about 20 in each of the previous three decades). From 1960 to 1980, growth went down but this trend was reversed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since that time there has been positive growth, and there are now about 150 churches a part of ACOP.
After the merger, ACOP's growth prompted a desire to organize various departments to help stimulate further growth. Some of these include: Apostolic Women's Ministries (AWM), Apostolic Youth Ministries (AYM), and the Apostolic Missions Division. More recently, there has been a shift away from providing departmental direction, toward making the departments into "resource centers" designed to empower people in their own churches to serve in individualized contexts. The main ACOP ministries that serve in this way are described in the section below on Divisional Ministries.
Divisional Ministries
Apostolic Women's Ministries
The role of women in ACOP has always been important. Officially, women can hold leadership roles within ACOP, and several have been ordained into the pastorate. There is also a formal organization within ACOP that provides venues for women within ACOP to work together to support each other and work on common projects. This organization is called
Apostolic Women's Ministries
Apostolic Women's Ministries (AWM) is a Canadian ministry under the Apostolic Church of Pentecost (ACOP) designed to help coordinate opportunities for ACOP women to work together to support each other and ACOP's missionaries.
History
Original ...
(AWM).
Apostolic Youth Ministries International
The Apostolic Youth Ministries International (AYMI) ministry was founded to serve the youth of ACOP.
Originally called Apostolic Youth Ministries it was formed at the first ACOP convention after the merger of the ACOP and ECP. At that convention it was decided that Stanley Paulson would direct the ministry of AYM. Stan was a pastor and alumnus of FGBI. One of the earliest activities Stan organized for youth was Bible quizzing, (which is no longer a part of AYMI.) Notably he invented a buzzer system that would go off as the youth jumped from their seats. The same buzzer system is still used by other church organizations which participate in quizzing to this day.
He also planned and organized large youth events that were held once a month and were open to all ACOP youth throughout Canada. This was a great time for youth to connect for wide games and a time of fellowship and testimony and to sit under teaching. It also connected all teens in the fellowship and allowed for teens to hear what was going in other ACOP youth groups throughout Canada. Today, AYMI describes itself as "dedicated to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to the youth of the nation of Canada." AYMI is committed to developing ministries to accomplish this goal. Some of the ministries that AYMI currently oversees are: Street Invaders LifeFORCE (as of 2013 it has not been running)
Both of these programs are designed to train young people to do modern-day street evangelism and other forms of ministry specifically designed to reach young people with the
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
. Street Invaders is a summer program for young people ages 13–20, and runs for approximately three weeks of the summer. Life Force is a longer program, running for about 8 months of the year, and only applicants who are 18 years or over and who have finished high school are eligible.
AYMI publishes a quarterly publication called ''Up'', which can be viewed at: https://web.archive.org/web/20110706164830/http://www.aymi.ca/up/.
Missions Division
The Apostolic Missions Division finds its origins early in ACOP's history, and its stated purpose is "to evangelize people throughout the world with the goal of establishing indigenous local churches, to train national leadership, and to support any aspect of missionary work." Supporting missionaries has been at the heart of ACOP's interests from the fellowship's earliest years. Although it is hard to know for certain how many missionaries have been sent out by ACOP over the years, ACOP historian, Linda Wegner reports that from 1921 to 2001, there were at least 226 missionaries sent out to many different nations. As a result of ACOP's missionary activity "there are 18 national organizations in 16 countries that are affiliated with the Apostolic Church of Pentecost of Canada", and "there are approximately 3000 ACOP churches worldwide."
Orphan Care
Orphan Care is a partnership between ACOP and its affiliated churches in Africa. The goal of the partnership is to care for orphans who have lost their parents due to the AIDS/HIV crises. Since there are "many Christian families in Africa who are willing to take orphans into their homes but are prevented from doing so because they are financially unable" ACOP is trying to find donors who will provide the funds necessary for these families to care for orphans in their own homes. The cost for the program is "between $1.00 and $1.50 per day" which provides "food, clothing, education and basic medical care in a Christian home for an orphan in Africa." Every donor receives a picture of one of the African children being cared for in this program as a prayer reminder.
One of the reasons the program is set up this way is because the philosophy behind Orphan Care is "that Christian homes provide a more stable and favorable atmosphere than orphanages."
Currently, the program is in operation in both
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
and
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...
, and approval has been granted to extend the program into
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
as well.
Global Harvest Fund
In 1997, ACOP's dream of creating a professionally managed fund to support missionaries became a reality. The fund was specifically designed to help new missionaries get established, but is also intended "to assist missionaries who are supported through the ACOP office to help cover costs such as vehicles for the field, upgrades to computer equipment, airfare, conference fees, etc."
The fund is called the Global Harvest Fund (GHF), and it has two main components: an Endowment Fund and an Operating Fund. All donations to the GHF are divided equally between these two components. All returns on investment in the Endowment Fund are channeled into the Operating Fund.
2020 Vision
The 2020 Vision is the name of ACOP's church planting initiative to launch 50 new churches in Canada by 2020, ACOP's
centennial
{{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation)
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at ...
year. In order to accomplish this goal, in 2008 ACOP established an
endowment fund
A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...
called the "Daniel and Helen Breen Memorial Church Planting Endowment Fund" of 2 million dollars. The first million was raised by ACOP churches, districts, and individual members, and the second million was a matching gift from Canadian entrepreneur
Jim Pattison
James Allen Pattison (born October 1, 1928) is a Canadian business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he holds the position of chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pa ...
.
Associated Ministries
Organizations
* Bridges of Hope, http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/
*
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC; french: Alliance évangélique du Canada) is a national evangelical alliance, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. Its affiliates comprise 43 evangelical Christian denominations, 66 Christian org ...
, http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/
* Free Bible Study-Lessons, https://web.archive.org/web/20110318230343/http://www.free-bible-study-lessons.com/free-newsletter.html
* God is Able Ministries, https://web.archive.org/web/20110301010119/http://godisableministries.com/
* Gospel Mission, http://www.gospelmission.net/
* House of the Risen Son
* Linda Wegner (Words of Worth), http://www.wordsofworth.ca/
* King's Heart Ministries, http://www.shoutlife.com/kingsheart
* Oasis Retreats Canada, https://web.archive.org/web/20110228191451/http://www.oasisretreatscanada.com/whatisoasis.php
* House of Judah, http://www.houseofjudah.com/
* The Dwelling Place, http://thedwellingplace.faithweb.com/
*
World Relief
World Relief (officially, World Relief Corporation of National Association of Evangelicals) is an Evangelical Christian humanitarian nongovernmental organization, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals and a leading refug ...
The following are national groups affiliated with ACOP Canada:
* Full Gospel Praise Centres Malta, https://web.archive.org/web/20110509032104/http://www.fullgospel.eu/home.php
* Apostolic Church of Pentecost of Brazil, http://www.acopbrasil.com.br/
* Apostolic Church of Pentecost of India, http://www.acopindia.com/
Publications
* ''FellowshipFOCUS'', internet newsletter, discontinued May 2009. Archives available from https://web.archive.org/web/20110210094156/http://www.acop.ca/general/fellowshipfocus.asp.
* ''This Week In ACOP'', a weekly communication from the Apostolic Church of Pentecost of Canada, recapping prayer requests, current events and news items of specific interest to ACOP members & churches. Available from http://www.acop.ca/.
Moderators/Presidents
ACOP originally called the head of the fellowship its "moderator." Recently, this was changed to reflect the more modern term "president."
* Rev. Franklin Small (1921–1952)
* Rev. G. A. Batke (1952–1960)
* Rev. G. S. Mclean (1960–1961)
* Rev. G. A. Batke (1961–1964)
* Rev. E. L. McRae (1964–1968)
* Rev. Lorne Pritchard (1968–1969)
* Rev. Dan Breen (1969–1984)
* Rev. Wes Schindel (1984–1990)
* Rev. G. O. B. Killam (1990–2004)
* Rev. Wes Mills (2004-)
Eston
Eston is a Village in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The ward covering the area (as well as Lackenby, Lazenby and Wilton) had a population of 7,005 at the 2011 census. It is part of Greater Eston, which includ ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
, http://www.estoncollege.ca
References
Further reading
* Article on the original purpose of ACOP and its place in society today.