Church Planting and Expansion

[Sam]

Recently my brother-in-law was visiting from a neighboring state. I asked him, "How many UPC churches are there in ________ (the name of his city)?" He replied that there was only one. Surprised, I asked him, "Which one?" because I thought there were two, possibly three. He explained what happened.

There was a UPC church there which had been there for years. I had visited it a few times many years ago. Last time I was there was back in the 1970's. It had been pastored by the same man (Bro. A) for many years. The local district officials sent in a minister (I'll call him Bro. B) to "split the church" or "plant a rival UPC church." Bro. B began to visit all the members to build up support. Then he went to Bro. A and asked him to allow them to hold meetings in his building until they could get a building of their own. Bro. A refused. Bro. B took the matter to a secular court and it was decided there that the people who would be making up the new congregation had supported that church for years so they had a right to use the building for their meetings if they wanted to. Bro. A locked the door. Bro. B and his members removed the door to gain access and held meetings there. In time Bro. B and his group were able to get another building and moved. So, for a while there were two competing UPC churches there. Since then, Bro. B has joined the WWPF.

Many years ago (before I visited there) a group had left Bro. A and formed a competing church a few blocks away. The pastor (when I preached several times in the 1960's and 1970's) was with the AMA (Apostolic Ministerial Alliance). The AMA pastor died and now that church is either independent (in fellowship with the AMF) or pastored by an AMF minister.

Meanwhile, Bro. A has died and has been replaced by another UPC minister.

So, the church pastored by Bro. A for all those years is still UPC. The more recent split is no longer UPC but WPF. The older split is no longer AMA (I don't think that organization is still active) but is now AMF. The ALJC church in that town where I have preached back in the 1970's is no longer active. I don't know who is in that building now.

It has always bothered me the way Apostolic Churches have fought and split and refused to fellowship one another.