Has the WPF grown past its original membership?
 

Does anyone here have access to their membership roster?

Churches, licensed ministers?

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Good question.

Don't know but.... it is so secret that ....

If they told us they would have to kill us!

I personally know that some who were WPF have recently went other directions...

Seems like that once they move they have a tendency to keep moving.

Would be interesting if some of the WPFers would comment.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

:lol ya, i'm noticing that, too! Surely they would be trumpeting, if their numbers were increasing.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Actually from friends who are members they tell me they are growing, maybe not as great as they had wished.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Are they growing through evangelism? Or through ministers/churches/members leaving other organisations/independent status and joining them?

Just what is the WPF anyway?

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Ouchie, ouch, ooops,.......

I think it is mainly through the second. Lol

WORLDWIDE PENTECOSTAL FELLOWSHIP.

Headquarters in Tulsa, I believe. Nate wilson is the current statesman.

Got some good men in the fellowship, I personally don't like some of their mode of .... er... evangelism. Around me they don't mind taking a family from anyone they can. Probably not indicitive of the fellowship as a whole but the ones immediately around here are pretty..... aggressive. Lost is anybody who is not in their congregation so save them, by hook or crook get them to THIS church.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Can I join?

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

This might be old though.

http://jesus-messiah.com/html/wpf-analysis.html

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Oh wow!

A real expert.

Good grief.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

So he didn't pick up Murray Burr's mantle?

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Don't get me started :icecream

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Wow!

So Burr Was Reckhearts pastor?

That explains a lot!

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Brother Burr did not believe what Reckheart teaches...that I know...Brother Burr was a typical UPC pastor until he came out of it but nothing in his doctrine changed...Knew him well.

While Brother Burr did not really believe in women preachers Sister Holmes preached him a revival! That was even mentioned at Sister Holmes funeral.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

I too spoke years ago at his church... (Brother Burr)

He was not the "mean guy" people try to make him be...actually he was very kind to us when we were first married and made my husband feel at home in a strange land.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

The WPF has a website that might can give you some idea of the info you are looking for. I just glanced at it and it shows all the churches that are associated, including pastor's names, addresses, phone numbers, and websites. www.worldwidepf.com

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

There are more than what is on the website.....the list is growing every year. It may not be huge numbers but it is growing steadily. I actually respect the fact that they are NOT out trying to embellish their numbers to make themselves look bigger/more succesful than they are.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

The Peak youth convention moved to a larger venue about 3 years ago. Went for a max capacity of 1000 to one that will hold about 5000. I would say that attendance has more than doubled since they left Spirit Arena and went to Mabee.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

He may have personally not been mean but his sermons and writings were certainly were from the little i have seen / heard. I am sure he considered it "rightous indignation" though.

This guy is talking about watching the AFL.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

They are big on missions, from what I understand...

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

They are big on helping national missionaries NOT American missionaries. The UPCI has a better program for American missionaries. (This is my opinion) I have many friends that are WPF and UPCI...and other groups....

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

I appreciate whatever help we get from them and whoever however their vision is different from the UPCI. So guess it is a matter of opinion.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Yes the WPF model is to "Find & Facilitate" this means they find ministries (both home and foreign) that are already doing the work of ministry but may be lacking some components of support (i.e. Sunday School/educational material, training, and in some cases financial) In this manner, instead of sending in someone who may or may not be committed to the long haul, they find people who are already committed and currently working in their field of labor.

Another thing that I really appreciate with the WPF is that one does not have to belong to receive support from them. I have seen them give monies to every home or foriegn missionary at a meeting regardless of affiliation & with no strings attached. Something no other group does as far as I know.

They are not perfect and have areas that some may not agree with, but over all they are trying to help the cause of worldwide evangelism.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

I agree! :nod
For sure, no organization is perfect, and no matter what banner we fly,
as long as we are obeying and doing what God asked us to do, is all
that really matters! :thumbsup

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Thank God for those who support missions in any way...

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

My mother, uncle, and one of my brothers visited a WPF church this weekend. This same uncle used to attend on a regular basis. He felt loved there and said, "That church is different from any other church I have ever attended."

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

One observation I would make as one who has been gone from the UPC for 30+ years but has friends and relatives that are pastors and saints in that organization so I am still pretty close to the group, is that I actually hear very little to nothing about the WWPF.

This leads me to believe that things are going pretty well and that there is not a lot of acrimony between the two groups as could have been. That is a good thing.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

CC - I fellowship both groups and have helped on a national level with some youth events for the WPF.
I would say that the "split" has actually made both groups stronger.
By stronger, I mean that both groups are reaching more of the unsaved with the gospel, than was happening before.
And you are right, there is very little acrimony between the groups.
Which is a great thing.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Isn't any division of the body of Christ carnal?

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

It is nothing like the UPC and AMF split that was so acrimonious. But the WPF leaders were determined not to do that.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

How do we explain Paul and Barnabas? Which one was right or wrong? Be careful before you make a broad assumption. I have to believe that God did have a plan for John Mark as well as Paul. And Paul had a valid reason to question John Marks sincerity the second time around.
Many of our early 20th century pioneers could and have been lumped with those who have sown discord. And they even wrestle with the characterization in some of their early writing. As far as the WPF, UPC, aljc, etc. are concerned, I'm not a member of any of these "fellowships". I do have strong connections to many of them. And I do pray for God to use each group to reach who they can reach. I also pray for all of us to really catch a glimpse of what Paul meant when he declared the necessity of coming to the unity of the faith. My humble opinion is that we spend too much time contending for the uniformity of the faith instead. Just my 2 cents. Stay blessed

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Where is that page? I can't find anything on their website identifying any churches. They have some 'regions' listed but there is nothing being shown???

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Oranges to apples comparison. Two ministers that disagree is not the same as dividing the body of Christ.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

I think that bodes well for their long term success.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Great post. I concur that both groups are probably stronger as there is less infighting. The very conservative no longer have to worry about that they see as liberalism and moderate OP's don't have to worry about the very conservative boycotting events and criticizing what they do. Ultimately both groups are still very conservative in the great scheme of things even if the WWPF folks don't think so!

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

It is a different day. Back in those days the DS of Tx. & La. Held such power. They were determined to win those men who opposed them were determined. The court cases made the differences. But those men succeeded in breaking the affiliation stronghold at great expense to themselves. But they came out successful in their churches. Both DSs said in their later years they wished they had handled it differently. But it changed the landscape of Pentecost forever.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

I don't claim to know all that happend but from what I have read and heard over the years there was a lot of bitterness, ego, and stubbornness on both sides.

By the time I was a teenager in the 70's I think most of the rancor was gone from the UPC side but there was still plenty of it from the AMF! I never heard any UPC preachers talk about the AMF but I heard plenty about AMF guys obsessed with dogging the UPC and condemming it to hell.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Some of that may be so. However UPC men risked being called before district boards and chastised if not defrocked for preaching for AMF men. Several were taken to court all prevailed with the exception of one. They should have moved on but the division was so great it made for unhealthy situations. The majority of those churches flourished though the group did not. They were not very group minded after the formation.

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

So a group founded on the idea of the autonomy of the local church was not very group minded? LOL!! I imagine it was like herding cats.:happydance

Re: Has the WPF grown past its original membership
 

Yep. Anything that remotely resembled the UPC was immediately fought. Elder Bean once said some of you guys are so anti UPC it is a wonder you don't reject Jesus Name baptism.:heeheehee