:''Disambiguation: This wikipage is about a group of churches holding

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 ...

beliefs. For the Oneness Pentecostal movement called United Pentecostal Church or United Pentecostal Church International or UPCI, see

United Pentecostal Church International 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 C ...

.'' United Pentecostal Churches of Christ was a name used from 1992 until at least 2004 as the name of a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

denomination in the United States of America.

History

The organization was formed during 1992 as a result of a meeting convened by Bishop (now Archbishop) J. Delano Ellis. The offices were at Cleveland, Ohio.Bishop Ellis was (and, as at 2014, still is) Pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ at Cleveland, Ohio. He led the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ until June 2004. (Source: reports published on July 9th 2004 by Associated Press and World Religious News). Currently (2014), Bishop Ellis leads

Pentecostal Churches of Christ The Pentecostal Churches of Christ 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 Chri ...

. He is archbishop metropolitan of the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops. (Source: www.collegeofbishops.org) See also: *

, an organization based at Cleveland, Ohio, and led (as at 2014) by Bishop Ellis. (Please note omission of the initial word "United")."Pentecostal Churches of Christ" in Linder, Eileen W. (ed) ''Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches 2012''. National Council of Churches of Christ in USA (2012) * United Covenant Churches of Christ, an organization now (2014) based at Brooklyn, New York, and led (as at 2014) by Bishop Eric Daniel Garnes.Bishop Garnes is senior pastor at Tabernacle of Praise (Cathedral), East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. He was installed as general overseer and presiding prelate of United Covenant Churches of Christ on October 30th 2009. Bishop Ellis was the chief installer. A congregation of 2,500 was present. Source: www.loveexpressonline.com/ericgarnes.html

Distinguishing characteristics

A notable characteristic of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ is that they have sought to combine

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Holiness teaching and practice with an

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church (congregation), Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its ecclesiastical polity, polity, its Church discipline, discipline, its escha ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

that is at once

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 ...

pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

, sacramental,

ceremonial A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular ...

and celebratory. There are similarities with the Convergence Movement and with aspects of the

independent sacramental movement The independent sacramental movement (ISM) refers to a loose collection of individuals and Christian denominations which are not part of the historic sacramental Christian denominations embodying catholicity (such as the Catholic Church, Eastern Ort ...

. A specific and notable feature of the approach adopted by United Pentecostal Churches of Christ has been a desire to honor the ancient apostolic succession through the laying-on of a

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 c ...

's hands during

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

Notes

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History

Distinguishing characteristics

Notes

References

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