There are members of the United Pentecostal Church who want to know what can or does happen when a licensed minister is accused of wrongdoing. Can they file a complaint against a minister? What information must be included? Will the minister maintain their license? Will the matter be kept hidden from church members?
Unless one has access to the UPCI Manual, and these are only sold to licensed UPCI ministers, church members may be in the dark as to what to expect since the UPCI does not post their judicial procedure on their website where all may view it. Sometimes there are situations where members believe there is a need to report or investigate
something that a minister has done. Other times, they may be concerned about what may happen when a false accusation is brought against a minister by someone with an axe to grind.
For information on how to file a complaint, it is explained in the Definitions, Types of Actions, & Guidelines section. "A Complaint is a written allegation that a minister has committed ethical, moral, financial, or doctrinal violations that cannot be handled by a District Board Action. This includes alleged conduct unbecoming a minister about which there is a significant factual dispute, and this includes alleged immoral conduct under the General Constitution, Article VII, Section 9. A complaint must be signed by two (2) or three (3) accusers who state they have independent, firsthand knowledge of the alleged misconduct. (See Matthew 18:16; II Corinthians 13:1; I Timothy 5:19.) This requirement may be fulfilled by two witnesses who testify to a violation on the same occasion, or this requirement may also be fulfilled by one witness who testifies to a violation on one occasion and a second witness who testifies to the same type of violation on another occasion."
Anyone may file a complaint against a UPCI minister, both current and former members, as well as anyone never part of the organization. The following information is to be included in a complaint:
(a) Who committed each alleged act
(b) What each alleged act was
(c) Who each alleged act was with or against
(d) Where each alleged act took place
(e) When each alleged act took place
There could be exceptions to their demand for at least two witnesses, though normally this would be required. Be as detailed as possible in the complaint and send it via certified mail, return receipt requested, to the District Board in which the minister is located. This provides proof it was received.
I encourage any of our readers who have personal knowledge of such wrongdoings to learn about the judicial procedure and seriously consider filing an official complaint if the minister yet holds license, no matter how long ago something happened. If a complaint is not filed, you can pretty much be guaranteed that the UPCI will not address the matter. If a complaint is filed, there's a chance that some type of action will be taken, even if it falls below what you would want done. In other words, if you know of wrongdoing by a minister and you choose to not file an official complaint, do not expect to see any action taken against that minister.
Below you will find the judicial procedure that the United Pentecostal Church ministers are to follow in cases where a grievance or complaint is filed against one of them. This information is being provided for informational and educational
purposes and has been updated to reflect the 2024 Manual. (This section used to show what appeared in the 2005 edition. Due to a resolution passed at the 2023 General Conference, it was updated and new procedures were added to handle cases pertaining to the sexual abuse of minors. The judicial procedure is NOT about bypassing the need to report such cases to police. It is their internal procedure for handling complaints against a licensed minister.)
Please note that these are listed in order, so you should start reading with the first and continue in order until the last.
Introduction
Definitions, Types of Actions, & Guidelines
Regional Presiding Officer
Grievance and Appeal
District Board Action and Appeal
Complaint, Investigation, Hearing, Trial, And Appeal
Complaint, Investigation, Hearing, Trial, And Appeal For Cases Involving Sexual Abuse Of A Minor
Actions Involving General Officers
North American Missions Districts & Global Missions Areas
Judicial Procedure Committee
Some may be interested in watching a series of videos from Deanna Jo of Responsible Faith regarding a 2023 judicial procedure against UPCI minister John Grant of Wisconsin, who failed to report numerous cases of child sexual abuse to police and who endorsed a man for licensing who was one of the perpetrators.
As a result, in the summer of 2023, John Wesley Grant was placed on probation for a year, where he was not permitted to preach or teach. Grant was removed from the United Pentecostal Church's Order of the Faith where he had been inducted in 2014. He was also removed as a Wisconsin District Honorary Presbyter as well as an Honorary General Presbyter, which had been granted him for being a District Superintendent for many years.
UPCI Judicial Procedure Part 1/5: My Letter to David Bernard
UPCI Judicial Procedure Part 2/5: Victim Letters I Sent to David Bernard
UPCI Judicial Procedure Part 3/5: My Conversations with David Bernard & Lisa Reddy
UPCI Judicial Procedure Part 4/5: My Conversation with Survivors Debbie & Rebecca
UPCI Judicial Procedure Part 5/5: My Final Thoughts on the Outcome
Page added February 10, 2007 & Updated March 8, 2024