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UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH INTERNATIONAL BELIEFS

This section was added to provide the reader with a brief overall knowledge of United Pentecostal Church (UPC / UPCI) doctrines and it was written by Lois E. Gibson. Note that some links will take you to UPC writings which further explain some teachings. Many links are archived pages. (A synopsis of some beliefs can be found in a tract entitled, " The Apostle's Doctrine.) In 2020, the UPCI celebrated their 75th anniversary.

The United Pentecostal Church Manuals & Directories


The Manual gives all the inner workings of the organization, including their beliefs and Articles of Faith, as well as the rules for ministers. It is issued annually, though the majority of its contents will remain the same. In past years I was surprised to find it made available online by individual churches and one District. This was a result of them going digital. The Manual was never something that the organization openly shared with anyone outside of the ministry until early 2018 when they accidentally started selling copies online at their Publishing House for $10.00. By mid April or earlier, they removed it. In contrast, the official website of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church provides free access to their manual for all to see, as does the Nazarene Church. The ALJC, a Oneness Pentecostal group like the UPC, offers their Directory and Constitution free for all to see.


There are PDF files of the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and and 2023 United Pentecostal Church Manuals available, as well as a 2017 Spanish Manual. There are PDF files of the 2011, 2012, mid-year 2012, 2013, mid-year 2014, 2017, and 2019 United Pentecostal Church Directories. These are issued yearly. District Manuals are available for Indiana 2014, 2017, and 2024, Minnesota 2018 and 2024, Colorado 2014, Missouri and Oklahoma 2015, 2019 and 2023. There is also the Manual of an Austin church. District constitutions are available for South Texas and Southern California.


For those wanting a better look at what they teach in their Sunday School classes, several adult manuals are available online through different church websites. Though the links may be discovered on search engines and even cached there, Mark Blackburn, via Mark Damron, of the UPCI's Pentecostal Publishing House has asked us to remove our links to them as these churches violated the copyright by posting them without permission from the UPCI.


History on the United Pentecostal Church, other Apostolics and Pentecostalism may be found here and we have a series of disturbing articles on sexual abuse.

Overview


Many have said, at least in the past, that the UPC is not a denomination. I recall my former pastor saying we were not a denomination. Ads have appeared saying it's not a denomination. However, on the main page for the official web site of the UPCI it is stated: "The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) has been among the fastest growing denominations in North America since it was formed in 1945...." (as of April 2007)


Please note that how some teachings are conveyed and enforced vary from church to church and area to area. Much appears to depend on individual ministers. However, every UPC licensed minister has read and agreed to the Articles of Faith. This is a requirement to be licensed and is attested to in their license application. To see an older version of the Articles of Faith from 1952, click here.


In addition, ministers were required to sign an affirmation every year that they embraced and believed the Fundamental Doctrine of the Articles of Faith. (Click on the link for more detailed information.) This practice was approved in the fall of 1992, implemented in 1993, changed to every two years in 1998, and continued to be required through 2018. At the 2018 General Conference, it was decided that ministers no longer had to sign the affirmation biennually, but that they would affirm this by accepting the renewal of their ministerial credentials. At the time this started there was an uproar and the UPC lost many ministers. For some, it was one thing to agree to the standards in the Articles of Faith, but another to have it mandated that they practice and teach all of them. In 1994 it was reported in the Pentecostal Herald that the UPC experienced a growth in their number of churches in 1993. From statistics I have seen, they only had a net gain of 15 churches in 1993, but the following year in 1994, they had a net loss of 32 churches. In addition, in 1993 they had a net loss of 56 ministers and only a net gain of six ministers the following year. It wasn't until 1995 that they had more ministers than they had in 1992.


Since that time, the organization lost additional churches and ministers when television advertising was approved at the 2007 General Conference (the watching of TV is still not approved). This helped to bring about the formation of another Apostolic organization in 2008 called Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowship (WPF) that is comprised of many of the more conservative ministers, Larry Booker being one of the founders. There was a fair amount of controversy concerning how they started and also contacted their then fellow UPC ministers. They have touted themselves as having a "preferred apostolic future." The UPC does not allow its ministers to be a part of this organization. [Similar to this in 1968, there was another split when under 100 ministers left and formed the Apostolic Ministers' Fellowship (AMF), which also had problematic beginnings.] The UPCI has also lost members due to preterist teachings and lost many in Ethiopia, and a few other places, over the divine flesh teaching. As the years have gone on, they have nailed down more and more who they will allow in their fellowship.


Besides requiring that ministers adhere to the Articles of Faith, it may come as a surprise to some UPC church members that they, too, may also expected to abide by these beliefs. This is specified in the UPC ministerial manual, under the section on local church government that may be used by any church wishing to adopt it for their by-laws. Article II, Section 1:1 states that "Anyone believing in and accepting the Apostolic doctrine as set forth in our Articles of Faith is eligible to become a member."


Continuing in Section 2:1, it lists nine obligations for members of a local assembly. One is to "cleanse one's self from all filthiness of the flesh..." and it is stipulated that "tobacco in any form is considered filthy." They are told to "avoid all ungodly and worldly amusements (all amusements and recreation are not harmful)" and to obtain a letter of membership when moving and to unite with another UPC church as soon as possible. Members are also required to conduct themselves as Christians, manifest brotherly love, not forsake attending services, support the assembly through prayer and financial aid, maintain family and secret devotions, and abide by the By-Laws of the assembly.


Any UPCI church member that wishes to change churches must obtain a letter of transfer before they can become a member in another UPCI church.


It may come as a surprise to many that, unlike the ALJC, licensed ministers are not the only members of the UPCI. The organization also considers as members the people who are members of their affiliated churches. In Article II of the General Constitution it is stated: "Membership in the United Pentecostal Church International shall consist of all ministers and missionaries holding an accredited credential or license, and all members of local assemblies which are affiliated with us..."

Articles of Faith


The United Pentecostal Church teaches many basic Christian doctrines, such as the Bible being the inspired Word of God, the creation and fall of man, repentance, divine healing, communion, foot washing, the second coming of Jesus, the millennium, and final judgment. All of these are covered in the Articles of Faith. However, there are three areas where their doctrine differs greatly with mainstream Christian churches. Additionally, several "standards", or outward ways of living, are included in their beliefs.


The main area where the UPC differs from most is their belief in one God. Though Trinitarians also believe in one God, the UPC opposes the concept of the Trinity. They believe that God manifested, or made himself known, in different ways: as the Father in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Holy Ghost in emanation. They do not view God as three separate but equal persons. Their belief is often referred to as "Oneness" or "Jesus Only." Some books refuting this are found here.


The second area is the UPC stand on baptism. The UPC stipulates that baptism is a requirement for salvation. They teach that a person's sins are washed away in baptism and therefore it is essential that one be properly baptized. Therefore, baptism must be by full water immersion and in the name of Jesus or one's baptism is invalid and they are unsaved.


The third area is their belief concerning the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They teach one must be filled with the Holy Ghost, with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues (a language that is not known by the believer), in order to be saved. In other words, if a believer has not spoken in tongues, God's Spirit is not in them, and they are therefore lost. Besides "initially" speaking in tongues, most ministers teach that one should continue to do so on a regular basis.


Their fundamental doctrine of full salvation is such: "repentance, baptism in water by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the initial sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance." (It is interesting to note that the mention of remission of sins was not part of the original fundamental doctrine statement in 1945, but was added in 1973.)


What many UPC members may not realize is that the organization in its beginning was not as dogmatic concerning when a person was saved. This is why the fundamental doctrine ended with a statement about not contending for one's view. If you are a reading this and doubt its veracity, I strongly suggest you spend some time reading the earlier material directly from the organization. The first Pentecostal Herald (December 1945) stated this: "Articles on such subjects as "The New Birth," will be accepted, whether they teach that the new birth takes place before baptism in water and Spirit, or that the new birth consists of baptism of water and Spirit. This is indeed the proper attitude toward the most vital subject, as we are all seeking after truth, and are confident that God will lead us into all truth, by His Spirit." You may want to read our series on changes that have been made to the Articles of Faith through the years.


Concerning standards, they believe in Godly living, in which their views on what constitutes such consist of the following:


"We wholeheartedly disapprove of our people indulging in any activities which are not conducive to good Christianity and Godly living, such as theaters, dances, mixed bathing, women cutting their hair, make-up, amusements, and unwholesome radio programs and music. Furthermore, because of the display of all these evils on television, we disapprove of any of our people having television sets in their homes. We admonish all of our people to refrain from any of these practices in the interest of spiritual progress and the soon coming of the Lord for His church."


Under a section entitled 'Public School Activities' it is stated: "We disapprove of school students attending shows, dances, dancing classes, theatres, engaging in school activities against their religious scruples, and wearing gymnasium clothes which immodestly expose the body. We disapprove of school students being forced to take co-educational classes which involve boys and girls being mixed together in swimming, calisthenics, baseball, and other mixed athletics while clothed in ungodly attire which immodestly exposes the body."

Teachings Not Included in the Articles of Faith


Referred to as standards or holiness teachings, there are teachings which are not covered in the Articles of Faith. Some are basically taught in all UPC churches, while others may be added by the individual pastor. Some ministers teach that your salvation is at stake if you do not abide by these rules.


For instance, there is an issue of sleeve length. Most would probably teach that a sleeveless shirt would be wrong to wear, without mandating how long the sleeve should be. Another may mandate sleeves be no shorter than the elbow, with others stipulating they must be to the wrist.


Shorts are normally taught against for both sexes. Some allow culottes on women, while others forbid them. Gauchos and Capri are usually disallowed. My former District Superintendent once referred to gauchos as 'glorified pants.' Pants are not to be worn by women and men should not go shirtless.


Facial hair on men in many churches is discouraged and their hair should be short while a woman is never to cut or trim her hair. Long hair is translated to mean uncut hair in I Corinthians 11. Some teach a woman's spirituality and/or salvation hinges on whether or not she abides by this teaching. Others teach a woman has special power in her long, uncut hair. There are ministers who mandate that women wear their hair up.


Women are to wear dresses or skirts. Some require a set length, while others advise it should be at least to the knee. Pantyhose may or may not be required.


There are ministers who teach against all jewelry, while others will allow a pin, ring or watch. Others claim you'll be lost if you wear a wedding ring. It is interesting that in the very first edition of their official publication, The Pentecostal Herald, they offered a 'Jesus Saves' pin for sale. "Mounted on beautiful white Mother of Pearl! An ideal gift for Christmas, or prize for Sunday School." The price was $1.50, including tax. (My, have prices changed!)


Radio used to be spoken against. However, for years the UPC has been broadcasting a radio program. Movies are not allowed. Televisions should not be owned, however limited use of video was approved. (Yet if you want your license as a minister in the UPC, you are asked if you have a television in your home. If you answer 'yes', even if it is only for video purposes, your application will be denied at General Headquarters in Missouri.) There is a resolution that will be presented to the ministers at the 2013 General Conference in the fall that seeks to remove the mention of television from their manual.


Video use is "strictly limited to those areas in which motion picture cameras and projectors are traditionally permitted to be used; namely, in taking of pictures of family, friends, and church activities, and the viewing of educational, religious, or inspirational films which are consistent with wholesome Christian principles. Be it further resolved that we restate our strong opposition to viewing of all worldly motion pictures and video films as are being shown commercially in theatres and on television for entertainment purposes for the ungodly masses, and the use of them in any form for God's people. Be it further resolved that all video receivers be so altered as to be unable to receive television channels. Be it further resolved that none of our ministers use video in any way except as herein provided."


The UPC passed position papers against organized sports and the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The King James Version is accepted as the "most accurate translation of the Scriptures to be used in our churches and among our people." The UPC also has a judicial procedure that is supposed to be followed when there is an accusation of wrongdoing against a minister or if one minister has a grievance with another minister.

Apostolic Identity & We Declare


Since David Bernard became General Superintendent in 2010, there has been a continual push for "Apostolic Identity" in reinforcing UPC positions on holiness. He had begun stressing this in the South Texas District while he was the District Superintendent. In a 2009 issue of Forward Magazine, their official ministerial publication, there was an article about speaking against the manual, as well as an article by Bernard on the necessity of women having uncut hair.


Around the same time, ten of the more conservative UPC ministers decided to take a stand to uphold the holiness standards, calling on fellow ministers to "entirely reflect" the organization's beliefs and created the WeDeclare.org website. The Conroe United Pentecostal Church in Texas, pastored by R. Kent Smith, registered the domain on September 3, 2009 and it went away three years later as the domain was only registered through September 3, 2012. Some in this movement also started blogs and Facebook pages. Believing the United Pentecostal Church to be the "flagship organization of the modern Oneness Movement," they felt the organization was "at a critical juncture where there is a battle being waged for the soul of the Apostolic movement" and they, "the faithful," were taking a stand to "oppose the idea of a co-existence" with their fellow ministers who didn't see eye to eye with them on certain teachings.


These teachings included:

1. The complete infallibility and full sufficiency of Scripture both Old and New Testaments.

2. The Oneness of God having always been expressed by the Apostles.

3. The essentiality of the New Birth as defined by John 3:3-5 and Acts 2:38, et al.

4. Deuteronomy 22:5, when the principle of this passage is properly applied, women should wear dresses and men should wear pants. (edited 9/28/09 WeDeclare.org) [It originally read: "4. Deuteronomy 22:5, properly interpreted, is a forbiddance of pants or other bifurcated garments on women and skirts on men."]

5. 1 Corinthians 11 teaches that men are to keep their hair cut short, and that the hair of our ladies is to be kept uncut.

6. Biblical modesty precludes (prohibits) excessive jewelry, painting of the face, coloring of the hair, short skirts, mini skirts, shorts, sleeveless dresses or shirts, and low necklines.


It was stated, on one of their blogs, to be for UPC "ministers to declare they believe and will endeavor to teach/preach this baseline of holiness." They claimed that the ministers within the organization seeking to make changes were a "very noisy minority." Some felt that pastors had to protect people by building fences because they were being "eaten by wolves or falling off cliffs." Yet others felt the people behind this movement had "declared their intention to identify, isolate and run off anyone not holding their standards" and that "the spirit of the petition is actually the antithesis of that of the founding fathers of the UPC." Obviously the affirmation requirement from more than a decade before was not enough for these ministers.


On this post you will see a long quote of what appeared on the website, as well as a screen shot of some who allegedly signed. As of early July 2010, only 532 of their more than 9,000 ministers had signed. However, some whose names appeared were questionable as they were ministers no longer licensed by the UPCI. In addition, one point of the declaration was changed after people had signed and they were not individually notifying them. One man's thoughts on this group, which includes a quote from the site, are here.

A Little More About The UPC


The headquarters of the United Pentecostal Church, called World Evangelism Center, was located at 8855 Dunn Road in Hazelwood, Missouri. [In 2016 they moved (they removed this website) about 24 miles away to (36 Research Park Court, Weldon Spring). The 81,125 square foot building situated on 8.13 acres was purchased March 1, 2016 for $7,870,000 and has an estimated tax value of $2.78 million.] The official monthly publication is The Pentecostal Herald (in 2018 the name changed to Pentecostal Life). Books and other resources are published by the Pentecostal Publishing House, though much is being outsourced due to financial issues. A store is located at their headquarters. Harvestime was the official radio show, but the name was changed in 2005 to My Hope Radio.


Seven Bible colleges are endorsed, none of which are operated by those outside the group. (It used to be eight, but Great Lakes University in Michigan folded and Gateway was acquired by UGST.) All stress UPC beliefs and Stockton CLC was granted regional accreditation by by the WASC Senior College and University Commission on July 12, 2019. (Some thoughts about one of their colleges may be found here.) In addition, they sponsor the Urshan Graduate School of Theology and Urshan College (Urshan University as of May 2024). The former had been reported to have a low enrollment and been losing money since its inception in August of 2001, until possibly more recently. (They announced a record enrollment of 81 students for the fall of 2012, but ATS shows only 63. There were 56 in 2013, 48 in 2014, 60 in 2015, 73 in 2016, 82 in 2017, 85 in 2018, 71 in 2021, 85 in 2022 and 88 in 2023.) In 2010 they became accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, but they did not have regional accreditation. (The ATS welcomes all forms of Christianity and Judaism, which is why they could receive accreditation since they deny the Trinity.) On June 25, 2020, both UGST and Urshan College were granted initial accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission. In July 2018 UGST and Urshan College (formerly Gateway College of Evangelism in Missouri, acquired by UGST in July of 2012) were granted the status of Candidate for Accreditation. The college moved from Florissant to Wentzville in 2019, in part as the accreditation board required a change that was not affordable at their former location. It was claimed that when they purchased the Howdershell property from a Catholic church, that some ministers in the Missouri District were smashing statues and images. David Bernard reported on September 12, 2012: "Due to new rules and interpretations by our accrediting association, we are now authorized to treat degrees from UPCI Bible colleges as 'educationally equivalent' to accredited bachelor's degrees. This means there is now no limit on the number of Bible college graduates we can accept for our master's programs. It is also the first time for the UPCI to obtain an official ruling that recognizes the bachelor's degrees of our Bible colleges in this way." From inception through 2013, they had 66 graduates. I know of at least three UGST graduates who are no longer Apostolic. A much greater number who have attended their Bible colleges are no longer Apostolic, including some who were teachers.


There are also separate, yet affiliated, UPCI organizations outside of the USA and Canada. There is the United Pentecostal Church of Australia - UPCA, the United Pentecostal Church of Great Britain and Ireland, the All Nations United Pentecostal Church Cayman Islands, the United Pentecostal Church of Columbia, the United Pentecostal Church of Trinidad & Tobago, United Pentecostal Church of Jamaica and the United Pentecostal Church of France to name a few.


The United Pentecostal Church of Mexico had a falling out with them and the UPC fired Thomas Wynn Drost as the Superintendent in 2012. That became public when Drost released a video and Bruce Howell and David Bernard sent letters to ministers. They lost the Ethiopian church around 2001 when there was a falling away with Teklemariam Gezahagne over the divine flesh doctrine.


Besides the WPF [they changed their domain in November 2022 from the one started in November 2007] and AMF, some former ministers joined the Global Network of Christian Ministries. (Which is no longer in operation as in 2019 they merged with Destiny Ministries.)


"Forward" is the quarterly magazine for UPC ministers. There are also publications for the youth and ladies.


They endorse a ministry for boys called Lighthouse Ranch For Boys, a drug & alcohol counseling ministry called Spirit of Freedom Ministries (now called Reflections of Freedom) and Tupelo Children's Mansion Ministries, a home for orphans in Mississippi. Also endorsed is Life In Focus Education, formerly ACTS: Alcohol and Chemical Treatment Series, which is "a charity-based community assistance program that offers training and course studies in Drug Education, Anger Management, Finance Management, Grant Writing, and Employment Development." The Jesus Message is a blog and podcast site run by Dannie Hood. Compassion Services International is a "Christian relief and development service provider dedicated to providing emergency relief during, or in the aftermath, of disasters."


One of their later endorsed ministries is New Beginnings-Children's and Family Services, "providing maternity care center services (at no charge to birth mothers whose plan is adoption), domestic and international adoption services for adoptive parents and placement services for special needs children (older than four years) from Tupelo Children's Mansion and Blue Mountain Children's Home." They are also endorsed by the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ.


To obtain a ministerial license, no formal training is needed, including their own Bible colleges. Requirements include a list of reading material as well as preaching engagements. There are three levels of licenses: local, general, and ordained. There is training material for ministers and training videos made by Jack Yonts for those aspiring to be a minister. The Michigan District has steps to follow as does Minnesota. January 1, 2017 saw new requirements for licensing, including charging $350 for ten required videos. In 2023, it increased to $400. In 2011, the UPC revised the applications, and again made a 2014 revision, to reflect changes in the Manual and to weed out those who may have certain beliefs not in line with the organization. They were updated again in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. You can learn how to complete the applications here and here. Starting in early 2023, they want applicants to complete the forms online but they must first be initiated by a licensed minister. View the 2022 local, general and ordained applications. In 2024, ministers have the option to obtain a digital or physical membership card. See our detailed series on licensing and the rules for ministers here.


The UPC is run by a board of General Presbyters, with the late Nathaniel A. Urshan having been the General Superintendent for many years. In the fall of 2001, Kenneth Haney became General Superintendent. In 2010, David Bernard succeeded him. There are also Regional Executive Presbyters and District General Presbyters, along with Honorary General Presbyters.


The United States is broken into districts, each district being overseen by a District Superintendent and Presbyters, none of whom may be a woman. Some states are large enough to be a district in themselves, while others such as Delaware and a portion of New Jersey are combined as one district. There are also many churches outside of the United States as they have a very active Global Missions Division. (In late 2011, the Foreign Missions Division changed its name to Global Missions. The Home Missions Division name was changed to North American Missions.)


They hold an annual General Conference, which is declared a religious holiday for members, as well as annual District Conferences and camps. At more recent General Conferences, the UPC has taken stands against divine flesh doctrine as well as preterist teachings. Starting in 2007, the organization charged $25.00 ($35 at the door) to register to attend as they lost a great deal of money (reportedly $500,000) on the prior conference. Since that time, the cost has risen. In 2011, a person spent at least $50.00 with early registration and up to $75 to attend the several day event (one night is free). It remained the same price through 2016. 2017 was the last year they charged admission and in 2020 it was only held online due to the pandemic.

Finances


Out of all the Oneness (also known as Apostolic) churches, the United Pentecostal Church has been considered the largest. In past years they had been struggling financially, but David Bernard and others worked hard to reverse that trend and they are now on solid ground financially. Their 2011 annual report (this is lengthy) is here. A 2013-2014 financial report on their United Pentecostal Foundation, which is part of their Stewardship Group, is here. A 2013-2014 financial report on their Loan Fund is here as well as 2021-2023 here . Financial reports for the Indiana District are available for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Financial reports for the Illinois District are available for 2013-2014.

Growth Statistics


In the organization's report on growth statistics from 1945 through 1999, it is interesting that the UPCI compared its statistics with the Assembly of God instead of with with other Oneness churches. How does their growth compare to the PAW or ALJC? Below are some details of the report. On March 18, 2024, the UPCI claimed an estimate of one million constituents for the first time, a questionable figure based only upon a Fall 2023 survey from 549 senior pastors. At the same time, combined attendance from all churches is estimated at only 475,000 for regular weekly attendance, with a typical weekly attendance of just 67. For years I have pointed out that they never reached one million members in North America and I still stand by this today. Again, they compared themselves to the AoG.


In 1945 the UPC had 521 churches and as of 1999 they had 3892. From 1998 to 1999 they added 31 churches, which was an .8% growth. (This is the net amount after subtracting the churches which closed or left the organization from the new ones which started.) This is certainly not an indicator of the 'enormous' growth some members claim. The truth is that in 2008, 2009 and 2010 they actually had losses. According to their records, on the average 147 new churches are added each year and 101 churches close or leave the UPCI. According to the official web site of the UPCI, they now have 3876 churches (down from 1999 figures), with an estimated constituency of 600,000. (These are all North America figures.) In a 1978 mention in The Oregonian newspaper, it stated the UPC had about 350,000 members in 2550 churches.


[Note: As of the beginning of July 2010, their website claims 4358 churches, 9085 ministers and a Sunday School attendance of 646,304. Sunday School attendances are not an accurate indication of the regular attendance as that would be significantly smaller as there are often large drives to bring in or bus children to Sunday morning services. A Sunday evening attendance would be a more accurate reflection of members and constituents. As of December 2011, their website claims 4,305 churches -down since 2010- (including daughter works and preaching points- these two started to be added around 2006, thus inflating their numbers) and 9,193 ministers. David Bernard shared in October 2011 that, "After three years of small declines, this year we experienced a net growth in the U.S. and Canada of 1.5% in number of churches (including daughter works and preaching points)." Click here for his letter. (link no longer works) For 2012, the increase was 1.7%.]


On September 12, 2012, David Bernard announced the following statistics: "...the UPCI now has about 45,000 churches and preaching points in 198 nations. In the U.S. and Canada, we have almost 4,400 works and over 9,200 ministers. This represents an increase in the number of churches for the second consecutive year and an increase in the number of ministers for the third consecutive year. We have a record number of ministers with local license." The probable reason for the increase in local licensing is that in 2011 they started a push to recruit new ministers in an effort to grow as they don't even have enough churches to reach .5% of the population of North America. The exact figure for ministers is 9234 and for churches it is 4404. The report is indicative of little growth in two years; a 46 church increase, with no mention as to church size, and a little over 149 ministers. They have more than double the amount of ministers as churches.


In late 2014 on their website they claimed, "the UPCI in the United States and Canada grew to 4,459 churches (including daughter works and preaching points) and 9,413 ministers in 2013. In the same year it reported works in 201 nations outside the U.S. and Canada with 34,491 churches and preaching points, 21,485 licensed ministers, 886 missionaries, and a constituency of 2.4 million. For 2015, as reported Feb. 2, 2016 on their Facebook page, they had 4,602 churches (including daughter works and preaching points) and 9,746 ministers in North America. The international fellowship consists of national organizations that are united as the Global Council of the UPCI, which is chaired by the general superintendent of the UPCI. Total constituency is estimated at 3 million." Take note that awhile back they started including "preaching points," something they did not previously include in their statistics. A preaching point could consist solely or mostly of those who already attend another UPCI church. It was that way when my former church had a preaching point nearby.


In 1945 the UPC had 1838 ministers and as of 1999 they had 8372. From 1998 to 1999 they added 153 ministers, which was a 1.86% growth. They had, as of 1999, 4480 more licensed ministers than they had churches. In 2010, this difference grew to 4727 more licensed ministers than churches, and in 2011, there were 4888 more. In 1986 they gained 165 churches and lost 92; in 1987 they gained 175 and lost 97; in 1988 they gained 144 and lost 85; in 1989 they gained 172 and lost 111; in 1990 they gained 137 and lost 122; in 1991 they gained 147 and lost 91; in 1992 they gained 145 and lost 91; in 1993 they gained 136 and lost 177 (This was when the yearly affirmation took effect.); in 1994 they gained 146 and lost 98; in 1995 they gained 154 and lost 93; in 1996 they gained 130 and lost 78; and in 1997 they gained 123 and lost 78. From 1986 through 1997 the UPC did not average a net of more than 47 new churches per year in a 12 year period.


Updated May 12, 2024 & links checked January 2024