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Denominations - Protestant

Short profiles of selected Christian denominations in the U.S.

International Pentecostal Holiness Church

Pentecostal, Evangelical

Date Founded:  1895

Membership: 257,758 Number of Clergy: 2,024 churches as of 2016

Headquarters:  7300 NW 39th Expressway, Bethany, OK 73008

Schools & Seminaries:  Advantage College, Emmanuel College, Holmes Bible College

Publications:   Encourage

Website:  https://iphc.org/

Social Media:  Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn

Core Beliefs:

  • We Prayerfully Value Scripture: The Bible is God’s Word of life to the world. Through the Bible, we discern the voice and actions of God in human history. Through the Bible, we learn who we worship. From the worship of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we learn how to live as citizens of His kingdom on earth.
  • We Prayerfully Value Pentecost: The Holy Spirit has called the IPHC to be a people who live and walk in the Spirit. We believe all the gifts of the Spirit are active today. We believe the Holy Spirit empowers the body of Christ corporately and individually to fulfill the mission of God on the earth.
  • We Prayerfully Value Holiness: Holiness is beautiful. God chose us and set us apart for His glory. Our lifestyles reflect the character of the God who called us to Himself. We believe that He calls us to be holy in order to reveal His grace, mercy, and love to a broken world.
  • We Prayerfully Value Christ’s Kingdom: We know that Christ rules over all creation. Our call is to manifest the reality of His reign. By serving our communities, embracing diversity, and reaching the lost, we embody Christ’s kingdom on earth.
  • We Prayerfully Value All Generations: We celebrate all generations and acknowledge that each is essential in the body of Christ. We honor those who have gone before us and empower those who are following.  The contribution of each generation is welcomed and encouraged as we pursue our God-given destiny.
  • We Prayerfully Value Justice: As a church, we are called to corporately and individually see justice established. We intercede for those who have no voice. We stand with the poor, the weak, and the oppressed. We will not be silent in the face of injustice. We will be a place of hope.
  • We Prayerfully Value Generosity: All of our resources, whether material or spiritual, are gifts from a loving God.  We do not live fearfully based on our lack. We live gratefully based on God’s provision. We commit ourselves to be obedient as tithers, joyful in giving, and generous in heart. As He gave, so shall we give.

Go to https://iphc.org/beliefs/ for more information.

Short History: 

A major development in Christianity since the early 20th century is the appearance of many Pentecostal denominations throughout the world. Beginning in the United States and spreading rapidly to most nations of the world, they now comprise a third force (originating as neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant) in Christendom, the phenomenal growth of which has commanded the attention of the world.

One of the first groups to designate itself officially as a member of the Pentecostal movement was the Pentecostal Holiness Church. With roots in the midwestern and southeastern United States, the Pentecostal Holiness Church has played a significant role within the movement from the beginning.

The character of the church is to be seen in its name, which places it astride two major revival movements: the Holiness revival of the late 19th century, and the Pentecostal revival of the 20th century. As its distinctive contribution to contemporary Christianity, this church has attempted to preserve the Wesleyan tradition while perpetuating the Pentecostal tradition.

The fundamental faith of the church is that God's power to redeem man and society is resident in Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, who sent the Holy Spirit into the world as the agent of salvation. It is this faith--that God's power is directly available to everyone to save, cleanse, empower, and heal--that gave the International Pentecostal Holiness Church its birth.

For more information regarding the history of the IPHC, go to https://iphc.org/history/

Local Churches:

There doesn't appear to be any IPHC congregations in the Louisville area or in Kentucky in general. However, Kentucky and Indiana are in the Ephesians 4 Network "district" that includes Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. See: https://www.e4network.org/