Different OP Organizations
 

I guess most of us here are currently in the UPC or have been part of the UPC. I don't know how many different OP organizations exist or how large they are but I assume the UPC is the largest. A recent thread talked about the ALJC (Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ) and in it I mentioned a couple of organizations that merged to form the ALJC in 1952 and I mentioned some OP organizations over the years that have split off others and some who have merged with others over the years.

I have never been licensed or ordained with the UPC. I was baptized in Elim Tabernacle (UPC) in Milwaukee, WI on October 27, 1955. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at Bethel Tabernacle (UPC) in Racine Wisconsin on May 20, 1956. I attended the Apostolic Bible Institute (UPC) in St. Paul, MN for the 1956/1957 year. I attended the First Apostolic Church (UPC) in Cincinnati from 1957 until 1963 or 1964 when we left there and started going to an ALJC church. Even though I taught Sunday School at FAC and did some preaching/teaching there and other places for the 6 or 7 years I attended there I was never licensed by the UPC.

Over the years I have been licensed/ordained by the following groups:
Church of Jesus Christ (1959)
Church of Jesus Christ, Pentecostal Faith (early 1960's)
Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ (during the 1970's)
Churches of Jesus Christ International (currently ordained)
Hamilton Dream Center (currently ordained)

The old group known as The Church of Jesus Christ which was chartered by Bishop Mark Lawson in 1927 is still active and operating under that charter. Their headquarters are in Kingsport, TN. There are other groups using various names similar to the Church of Jesus Christ operating in different areas such as the one chaired by Bishop James Trull http://thechurchofjesuschrist-pillowville.com/
and one in Indiana http://www.thechurchofjesuschrist-ac...m/Churches.htm
and others.

I used to have fellowship with some ministers who belonged to a group called AMA (Apostolic Ministerial Alliance) which was organized in 1941 by L.R. Ooton and others but I don't know if this group still exists or not.

In 1954, Bro. W.E. Kidson and some others left the UPC and formed the IMA http://interma.net/index.html which is still in operation.

in 1968 some left the UPC and forme the AMF which is also known as the ACI.

In 1992 some left the UPC and formed Global Network http://interma.net/index.html which still seems to be growing

The PAJC is still active. Some ministers who did not want to merge in 1945 reactivated the PAJC charter. Their HQ is about an hour from where I live. Their web site is http://www.pajc.org/ I get their magazine in the mail every so often

When the UPC voted to allow tv advertising a few years ago a group left and formed the WWPF (World Wide Pentecostal Fellowship)

Two other OP organizations that I am aware of are
ICOF http://www.icof.net/index.php/home
and
AWCF http://awcf.org/component/option,com...ge/Itemid,127/

There may be other OP groups/organizations which are active but this is what I know about right now.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

Most recently (as of four years ago) the WPF was formed.

(me being cheeky)


I believe that there are more than 1000 organizations in the OP movement. The UPCI is by far the largest, but I believe that China and Columbia (if memory serves) both have enough people that they could rival the UPCI in size.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

The group in Ethiopia that used to be part of the UPC is pretty big. They and the UPC mutually disfellowshipped (don't know how to spell that) each other a few years ago. I think they are now part of Bishop Samuel Smith's group or of Bishop Bernie Wade's group.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

Couple years ago our house church had a small 'campmeeting' and some Church of Jesus Christ folks from Tennessee came down. Good people. Oh, there were a contingent of Oneness Pentecostal Baptists that showed up too, from Louisiana, I think.

:nod

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

The True Jesus Church claims about 2.5 million members world wide. They now have several churches in Texas and are building a very large center near Dallas.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

I had forgotten about the True Jesus Church

There is a listing of OP churches at
http://www.apostolic-churches.com/organizations.html

They do not list the Churches of Jesus Christ International with which I am ordained and they only list one Church of Jesus Christ which is a local church in Tennessee, although there are several organizations which use that name.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

that list doesn't have us, but there again, we don't have a Web Site ....

Emmanuel Churches of Christ - Pentecostal, headquarters in Donelson, TN (suburb of Nashville), and churches in TN, KY, AL, and some international fellowships.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

Sam, is the COJCI that you are ordained through one of the COJC groups that refuse to say 'Jesus' without saying 'Christ' as well?

Just wondering, because the brethren I met from Tennessee at our campmeeting held that view. They also believed that baptism should be done 'in the name of Jesus Christ' as opposed to 'Lord Jesus Christ' which they viewed as a compromise with trinitarianism, and as opposed to 'Jesus only' or 'Jesus name' which they viewed as being in error.

I'm sure a lot of people reading this will probably be thinking 'HUH???' but if you move in COJC circles then you probably know exactly what I am trying to get at.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

Don't forget the Apostolic Assemblies (Asambleas Apostolicas), a large OP (largely Spanish-speaking) denomination.

http://www.apostolicassembly.org/apostolic_who.aspx

That wasn't mutual.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

And here is a list of Sabbitarian Apostolic Churches and Fellowships

http://seventhdayapostolic.org/links/saplinks.html

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

The late Bishop R. C. Lawson(a comrade of Bishop Haywood) left the PAW over divorce & Remarriage & women pastors. He had a large work in Columbus, Oh but went to NYC and built a large congregation and started his own group called "The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ" Refuge Temple is the headquarters church and Bishop Bonner is the preciding bishop.
Out of that group came two prominent preachers that started their own groups:
Bishop S. C. Johnson who built a large church in Phillidelphia, Pa. and had congregations around the world and was on worldwide radio nightly for years. His group was "The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith."
Bishop Smallwood Williams built a large church in Washington D.C. and formed his own group called "The Bibleway Churches of the Lord Jesus Christ."
There are many splits out of all three groups which have their own organizations.
Also the PAW had a split after Bishop Haywood died and the late Bishop Samuel Hancock formed a group called "The Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith."
There are so many Oneness groups maybe in time I will list some more.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

Over in California we have the Apostolic Assemblies (or AA). In fact, if you go to Christian Life College in Stockton, most of the students there are AA. We fellowship a lot with AA because of our location. California has a very high Hispanic population.

Here is their website.

http://www.apostolicassembly.org/index.aspx

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

I loved listening to SC Johnson.

Didn't Gino Jennings come out of that group, too?

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

He sounds like Johnson but really I don't know what group he came out of?

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

I don't know how strong different ministers in the CoJCI are when it comes to always saying "Jesus Christ" instead of "Lord Jesus Christ" or "Lord Jesus" or "Jesus." On the home page of our web site it says:

Welcome to the Churches of Jesus Christ

His name is the only name given among men whereby we must be saved. Though there be many that are called gods, to us, there is but one God and His name is JESUS. Howbeit, every man has not this knowledge.
---------------------------

I know there are ministers who insist that God's name for this dispensation is "Jesus Christ" nothing more and nothing less. Bishop Trull is very strong on this and since he is the one who created that organization I assume all his ministers are that way too. I know some ministers think that if you say "Lord Jesus Christ" you may as well say "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." Some compare it to the American custom of a given name and a family name where we inherit the family name but are given a name at birth. My family name is Ellis. I inherited it. My given name is James. So my full name would be James Ellis. Also some teach that Jesus Christ is God and man in one person, and that He is named Jesus as a human and is named Christ as God. I don't see it that way.

I personally believe God's saving name is Jesus (in English) or Iesous in Greek, or Yeshua or Y'hoshua in Hebrew. It is the same as the English Joshua. It means YHWH-Savior or YHWH is salvation. About 1 in every 5 Jewish males in the first century was named that. in our KJV New Testament, Joshua the successor of Moses is called Jesus in Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8. There is a sorceror named Bar-Jesus in Acts 13:6 and a Christian minister named Jesus and also called Justus in Colossians 4:11. Therefore I prefer to say "Jesus Christ" for clarity although I am sure that if someone speaks out the name "Jesus" God will know who he means and will respond. There can be many named Jesus but only on Jesus who is the Christ/Messiah. I don't really like to say "Lord Jesus Christ" because then you have to use the word "the" in front of it i.e. "in the name of Jesus Christ" vs. "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." However, in my opinion, water baptism would be valid whether or not the titles "Lord" and/or "Christ" were used.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

When you say "that wasn't mutual," what do you mean?
Who disfellowshipped whom first? Is that like a guy and girl who break up and each claims they dropped the other?

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

I have just begun reading a book on the Holiness-Pentecostal movement written by Vinson Synan.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802841031/...2T1_SC_3p_dp_1

There is a lot of history and documentation presented that the present holiness movements, really were begun by John Wesley and the Methodists. It also states that Brigham Young (one of the original Mormon leaders) spoke in tongues.... it is quite an interesting book. Not much mention is made of the UPC, but one small heading in one of the chapters. He interviewed Nathaniel Urshan for this book.

Seems like there are HUNDREDS of Pentecostal movements that have sprung up everywhere.

Re: Different OP Organizations
 

The UPCI passed a resolution stating that they will not give ministerial license to those embracing docetism. Tek and ACE divorced the UPCI BEFORE the UPC could make the first move.