Since I have many American and Canadian friends within the COG, I’m almost ashamed to say it was my first time in a COG church. I can perhaps redeem myself with the fact that my feet have walked on the holy ground of Cleveland, TN—Lee University and Pentecostal Theological Seminary, both COG schools.

Church of God?

If you’re not familiar with the COG, you may be surprised to learn that this Pentecostal denomination was formed in 1886, well before the 1906 revivals at Azusa Street in Los Angeles and the Hebden Mission in Toronto. Even more surprising, to some, will be the fact that about 130 people spoke in tongues at revival meeting they held in 1896 in North Carolina. The group adopted the name “Church of God” in 1907. Their name usually includes “(Cleveland, TN)” to distinguish them from the non-Pentecostal denomination the Church of God (Anderson, IN).

As a Pentecostal church, the COG holds to the “full gospel” of Jesus as Saviour, Healer, Baptizer (in the Spirit), and Coming King. In addition, as representatives of the “Pentecostal Holiness” tradition, they also emphasize Jesus’s work as “Sanctifier.” Historically, they emphasized that a believer needed to experience sanctification before they could be baptized in the Holy Spirit. A common rationale was that the Holy Spirit couldn’t fill a dirty vessel.

Today the COG (Cleveland) has around 1 million adherents in the USA and about 7 million worldwide (my numbers are a little dated). Many in Canada will not have heard of them, even though they have around 140 churches in Canada, with about half of those churches in Ontario. I hear that many are Caribbean-majority churches.

Sights and Sounds

I appreciated the time of worship at the COG church. We walked through the double-glass doors of the church and immediately heard boisterous sounds coming from the hall to our left. I recognized the sounds as a pre-service prayer meeting—the sanctuary was to our right.

This was no-mega church. The sanctuary has maybe a dozen rows with about a dozen chairs per row. But the church was up-to-date with burgundy padded chairs, contemporary grey carpet, and colored lights shining on the wall at the back of the stage. Unlike the mammoth pulpit I had previously experienced at a United Pentecostal Church (no, the COG are not Oneness), they had a sleek, metal lectern that the preacher could not hide behind.

There were only thirty or forty (if I’m generous) people in the congregation that morning, but the room was still full of life. I was surrounded by mostly black worshippers, with a few Asians and white folk. There was no doubt that we were in church. I may have heard “praise the Lord” and “amen” more frequently than I would hear swearing at a construction site.

Sadly, the drum throne behind the drum set sat empty that morning, so I wondered if they might “need” me to play—not that they would know. Unfortunately for me, perhaps, they had replaced the drummer with the upbeat sounds from a drum module controlled by the keyboard player who also led worship. Accompanying her was only a guitar player, but along with the four additional singers who swayed and shuffled across the front of the stage, the worship music sounded full. The worship leader had the voice of a Grammy-award-winning singer who expressed the soul of someone who had just welcomed home her child who was away studying at college for the past year.

Theology in Worship

It wouldn’t be quite fair to say that we (I do say “we,” because I was one of them) were fully dancing, but we were definitely moving our whole body to the music. This reminded me of the emphasis that I heard on a few occasions in the SPS meeting, that Pentecostals often engage their whole bodies in worship, consistent with their belief that salvation is for the whole person, sometimes including physical healing in this life, if not eventual healing in the future resurrection.

I did not recognize the first few songs but one theme became readily apparent. We reminded one another that even though Satan is “attacking everyday,” we could have joy in our soul, because “God is in control.” The same song declared repeatedly, “this means war, this means war.” And in the next song, we didn’t just testify that “there is power in the name of Jesus,” we also actively prayed/sung repeatedly the simple phrase, “break…chains…break…chains.”

Now take an brief energizing break to get a small taste of what I experienced .

At one point it struck me that the songs and other words spoken from the stage were individualistic. That morning (I make no assumptions about other weeks), I did not hear a concern for any world suffering or an emphasis on how God empowers us for mission. Instead, the emphasis was on my choice to worship Jesus and how he would help me navigate life.

At the same time, no one could accuse this church of falling into what scholars call “moralistic therapeutic deism” (a belief in a god who wants us to be good and happy, but who isn’t all that involved in our lives). Rather, we sung that God would lead us to victory in the cosmic spiritual battle. While there may have been an overemphasis on spiritual warfare imagery, I appreciated the reminder that the world is not spiritually neutral ground.

There was one moment during the worship service when it was clear that the church was not only concerned with how God would help them as individuals, and it came during the announcements. This small congregation had distributed 60 food boxes the day before, and they were preparing to do so again next month.

Continuing to Encounter God

The pastor’s sermon was filled with personal testimonies that illustrated the need for us to pray to God to know his will and the challenges that might come if we disobey. I realized that this congregation didn’t need anyone to convince them that God still speaks today—this was obvious to them.

When the sermon ended, the words “Altar Service” were displayed on the two large-screen TVs that were mounted to the wall on each side of the stage. The pastor invited people to come stand in front of the pulpit if they wanted prayer as they seek to hear and obey God’s will. Before he had finished speaking, two ladies walked to the front—they didn’t need to be coaxed—and three others surrounded them and laid their hands on them. And then the pastor prayed.

This reminded me of another SPS presentation—this one on a theology of preaching—that observed how Pentecostal preaching does not simply aim to inform or even motivate the congregants, but also to facilitate a life-transforming encounter with the Holy Spirit.

I imagine that not every week is the same at this COG church. And I’m sure that my experience that Sunday is not representative of every COG congregation.

How a person worships is not the key marker of their spirituality (see chapter 7 in my book Simply Spirit-Filled). Nevertheless, it is clear to me that many who lifted their hands in praise that morning were not there to simply fulfil a religious ritual. And perhaps more importantly, they expected that they would continue to encounter God during the week after they walked back out the double-glass doors.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Tales of Visiting a Oneness United Pentecostal Church
• 3 Lessons and Questions from my Visit to a Tourist Church
• 3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church
• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author/editor of six books, including Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. He is Professor of Theology at MCS and Horizon College & Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on X.

The post Tales of my First Visit to a Church of God (Cleveland) Pentecostal Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In this video I interview Dr. Josh Samuel from Master’s College & Seminary in Ontario, Canada. A fair amount of our discussion focused on how we can facilitate authentic experiences of the Holy Spirit in corporate worship.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches
• Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology of Worship
• 5 Surprises About “the Anointing” in the New Testament

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Experiencing the Holy Spirit in Corporate Worship Services appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Now you know.

May the peace of Christ fill your heart this Christmas.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• “Happy Holidays” Points to the Meaning of Life
• Advent Candle Readings for Families with Children
• The Significance of the Holy Spirit at Christmas: And What it says about Jesus’ and Our Identity

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post 🎄 Should Churches Meet for Worship when Christmas is on a Sunday? THE Definitive Answer 🎄 appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

If you’re interested in a longer reflection on this topic, you might listen to an hour-long talk I did on this previously, which I have posted here.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• LGBTQ+ (Part 2): Pentecostal Reflections on Gender Identity and Being Transgender
• LGBTQ+ (Part 1): Pentecostal Reflections on Sexual Orientation
• MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying): Pentecostal Perspectives

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post How Should non-Trans Christians Respond to Transgender and Queer People? appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

One might also argue that the Bible talks more about “pastors” than “leaders” or “leadership.” In actual fact, however, in most English translations of the Bible, the word “leader” in its various forms occurs many times, whereas the word “pastor” is only found once (Ephesians 4:11).

Yeah … I know. (If you don’t believe me, click here).

“ In the Bible, the word “leader” occurs many times, whereas the word “pastor” is only found once.

Problems with “Leadership”

Regardless of this inconvenient truth, some ideas of “leadership” probably are anti-Christian. For example, if a “leader” is only concerned with growing an organization (more people, more money) or if leadership equals exercising control over people like Vladimir Putin, then I could see why someone could be concerned about an emphasis on “leadership.” But there is clearly more than one way to lead.

Christian Leadership

Leadership generally (always?) involves power. So when a Christian leads, they must exercise their power following the example of Christ. Given this, many Christians will rightly promote “servant leadership” since Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45, compare Matthew 20:25). And when you follow his leadership example, you “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility [you] value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).

Pastors as Leaders?

But should pastors be concerned with leadership?

One might think the role of the pastor is simply to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). Indeed, back in the day, many Pentecostals referred to their pastor as “the preacher,” probably even more often than as “the pastor.”

One might also think the primary role of the pastor is caring for the souls of the congregation. Indeed, the Greek word translated “pastor” literally means “shepherd”—it is the exact same Greek word as the “shepherds” that went to see Jesus when he was born. Shepherds do have a responsibility to care.

But shepherds also have a responsibility to lead. After all, it’s impossible to shepherd souls if you aren’t constantly shepherding them (that is, leading them) back to Jesus.

“ It’s impossible to shepherd souls if you aren’t leading them back to Jesus.

The Pastor Should Lead Toward…

I’m not leadership guru (of course, by definition “gurus” are not Christian…bwa ha ha), but I know that leadership involved influencing others toward a particular goal. It involves helping people focus on a mission or aim and clarifying a vision of what that aim looks like and why it is better than the current situation. It also involves planning and setting strategy for how to reach that aim, and then carrying out the plan and evaluating if the plan is achieving the desired results.

When it comes to pastoral ministry, let’s suppose—hypothetically speaking—that the mission of the church is found in Jesus’ so-called great commission to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), or simply to “disciple” people (the word “disciple” in this verse is actually a verb in Greek, not a noun). If this is the case, then surely a pastor should ensure that discipleship is happening among those they pastor. This involves leadership.

Alternatively, let’s suppose—hypothetically speaking—that the mission of the church is summed up in 5 purposes: evangelism, ministry, discipleship, worship, and fellowship (taken from The Purpose Driven Church). If this is the case, then surely a pastor is responsible to ensure that their church is engaged in these activities.

All of this involves leadership. For example, a pastor would need to clarify what it means for Christians to be discipled. This is clarifying the vision. Then the pastor would need to determine why, how, or if that vision isn’t fully a reality, and make plans for how to take the church in the necessary direction—perhaps through teaching, motivating people, training people, making spending decisions, making programming decisions, etc. This is setting a strategy. This is leadership.

But Not Just Pastors

To be clear, the health and mission of the church is not solely the responsibility of the pastor(s) or other paid staff. Churches needs many leaders.

Churches need worship leaders who will not only guide people through singing songs, but truly lead others to worship the King of kings. And churches need people in youth and children’s ministry who will not only entertain and teach kids Bible stories, but will also lead children and youth toward experiencing a vital relationship with Jesus.

Pastors Aren’t Just Leaders

Does the Church need Pastors or “Leaders”? The question is not fair—it sets up a false dichotomy. Churches need both.

Pastors are not just leaders. And a good leader, isn’t necessarily a good pastor (let us not forget that!).

At the same time, if churches are to stay faithful to the mission God has given them, they need pastors who will lead.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• The Holy Spirit and Leadership: 7 Biblical and Theological Observations
• Missional Vitality and the Future of the PAOC
• Pentecostal Women in Ministry: Ambiguity and Affirmation in the PAOC

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Does the Church need Pastors or “Leaders”? appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

If you happen to be in the Oklahoma area, you might want to check out the Convergence Conference coming up in September at Bridgeway Church. Join Sam Storms, Christine Caine, Matt Chandler, Jack Deere, Andrew Wilson, and Michael Brown as they explore the theme “The God Who Heals.”

Now, for the interview…

I also recently did my own interview where I answered some of the same questions, particularly from the bottom of page 2 – page 3 of the interview.

“ Being open doesn’t get you anywhere. … You’ve got to want it real bad. —DR. SAM STORMS

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Myth #3: “Spiritual Gifts are Dramatic and Miraculous”
• There is No Such Thing as Spiritual Gifts (Kind of)
• Is Speaking in Tongues Only for a Few? Only for the Gifted?

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Encouraging Spiritual Gifts in Your Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

First Impressions

As we turned into the church driveway, I thought that this could be just about any well-to-do evangelical Church in America. There was a large steeple in the middle of the sloped roof, the driveway was paved, and the brick building looked relatively new.

But when we walked up to the door, I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

I was greeted at the door with a handshake and a “Praise the Lord!” rather than the normal “good morning” that I was used to at my home church.

We found our way into the dimly lit sanctuary. It looked like a typical Pentecostal sanctuary, except that they hadn’t replaced the large wooden pulpit with a Plexiglas lectern or a flat, round, black table that one might find in a more “contemporary” church.

Though the service wasn’t going to officially begin for 5 or 10 more minutes, the room was already fairly full of people, and a full-on prayer meeting was in progress. The leader on the stage prayed into a microphone as most people in the room were also standing with their hands raised, praying fervently.

Sunday Dress

Once the lights came up, and the worship service started, I noticed that I was the only one in the room wearing jeans. There was not a hipster in sight. And every adult male had a tie on. I figured I was okay though, since they might think I was a heathen who had come in off the streets to get saved.

I was not surprised to see that every white woman—and little girl—I saw had a long skirt or dress on and had their hair pulled up in a bun—traditionally, they don’t cut their hair. I was surprised to see, however, that many of the black women (about 80% of the congregation was black) didn’t have their hair up. Perhaps this is a difference in Oneness subcultures.

Given the high emphasis on holiness in the Oneness tradition (some would argue, legalism), I was also very surprised to see that one of the worship leaders had a tattoo on her arm. After the service I learned that she came to faith later in life and that her tattoo was a reminder of her salvation out of the sins of California.

Praise Jesus!

When the music started, the place was alive!

As one would expect at a Oneness church, the songs were very Jesus-focused. This is, in part, because Oneness Pentecostals deny the historic doctrine of the Trinity—that God exists eternally as three distinct persons. Technically, they affirm the doctrine of the economic Trinity, but deny the immanent Trinity. Or, to use their own words, the Oneness emphasize that “there is One God, and Jesus is his name.”

Personally, I appreciated the focus on Jesus. At least then I knew who I was singing to or singing about. By contrast, some worship songs I’m used to singing are so vague that I can’t be sure if I’m singing about God or my dog when I sing, “You have been so, so, good to me . . . . . . yeah.”

“ Some worship songs are so vague that I can’t be sure if I’m singing about God or my dog when I sing, “You have been so, so, good to me . . . . . . yeah.”

The second song spoke of “the name of Jesus Christ my King.” I immediately recognized it as “What a Beautiful Name,” by Hillsong.” I didn’t recognize the first song, but the lyrics proclaimed, “In the name of Jesus, enemy is defeated.” I looked it up later and learned that this was another song by Hillsong called “In Jesus’ Name.”

I bet you didn’t even know that Hillsong Church is Oneness Pentecostal.

Active Worship

During the first song, one man walked back and forth at the altar as he danced. And he pushed his arms out in front of him as we sang of how “God is…pushing back the darkness.”

Another slightly older lady, danced alongside him, with her one hand raised and the other holding someone else’s baby. She smiled as she told us she was teaching the baby how to praise the Lord. And pretty much everyone else in the congregation was dancing and clapping or jumping up and down.

The congregation remained boisterous throughout the service. They were even shouting “Amen” and “Praise the Lord!” during the announcement that parents needed to look after their children during and after the service.

Tongues, Tongues, Tongues

Throughout the morning I heard a lot more speaking in tongues than I am used to hearing in a worship service. Some people would say that this should not happen because they think that no one should hear you speaking in tongues, unless it is followed by an interpretation. But I disagree.

“ Some people think that no one should hear you speaking in tongues, unless it is followed by an interpretation. #disagree

Yes, if a person is giving a message in tongues loudly with the intent that the whole congregation hears them, it should be followed by an interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:27). But if a person is speaking in tongues simply as a way of personally praying to God or praising God (verse 28), then I think it is actually good discipleship to let others hear you…at least a bit.

The problem is, if people never hear others speaking in tongues in church, they will likely think that no one in the church speaks in tongues, and this might lead them to conclude that they shouldn’t speak in tongues either. The first-century believers obviously heard each other speak in tongues at times or we wouldn’t find reports of hearing speaking in tongues in the book of Acts—and without any interpretation at that.

Baptized in Jesus Name

The sermon was about an hour long, but they did have a guest preacher that morning. I didn’t notice anything unusual, except for a reference to one key Oneness biblical text—Acts 2:38, where Peter proclaims the need to repent, be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ,” and the reception of the Holy Spirit.

During the sermon I did notice a few little waves in the baptismal tank. It was full and ready to be used in case a heathen in jeans walked in that morning and decided he was ready to convert.

Baptism is very important in the Oneness tradition. While I’m not sure of the theology of everyone in that church, it would not be unusual to find a Oneness Pentecostal Christian who would say that you are not born again if you have not been baptized in water “in Jesus name only” . . . and if you have not spoken in tongues (John 3:5).

I also noticed that there was no American flag on display in the sanctuary. I wondered if the UPCI is less patriotic than most American churches I have visited—perhaps because they were an officially pacifist denomination until 2012. But I asked a pastor after the service and learned that they had moved the flag out when they recently replaced the carpet and that it just hadn’t been brought back in yet.

More Spiritual?

We had such a rockin’ (no ‘g’ needed) good time that morning, that I was tempted to think that this Oneness Pentecostal Church is more spiritual than the Trinitarian Pentecostal churches I often find myself in.

But I had to remind myself of what I wrote in Simply Spirit-Filled—“Although the Spirit inspires worship, our spirituality isn’t dependent on how we worship—whether we prefer to be quiet and still, or loud and animated. …Being Spirit-filled ultimately means we become like Jesus by showing love toward God and others.”

P.S. Hillsong Church isn’t really Oneness.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong
• 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
• Pentecostal Women in Ministry: Ambiguity and Affirmation in the PAOC

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor and VP of Academics at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Tales of Visiting a Oneness United Pentecostal Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

In today’s video, I interview theologian Dr. Mark Cartledge from Regent University (Virginia). I ask him about what makes Pentecostal and Charismatic theology of worship unique and what implications this has for worship leaders.

“ Check out this video on Theology of Worship in Pentecostal-Charismatic theology.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• What’s Wrong with Songs that Worship the Holy Spirit?
• Pentecostals and Altar Calls: An Evaluation
• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology of Worship [video] appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

My family and I were from “nearby,” even though we sat in our minivan for about 7 hours as we drove down the highway to get there. There were others seated in the pews that morning who were visiting from the UK, Taiwan, South Korea, and from states as far away as Texas.

1. Guiding Visitors

The pastor of the church did a great job of making everyone feel welcome, and he even invited visitors to share their prayer requests. At the beginning of the service, he also let everyone know how the service was structured—he informed us of how we would know when to stand, when to repeat or respond, and so forth. This helped me feel fairly comfortable, which I can say isn’t always the case when I visit a church and don’t know what to expect.

So, my question is…

Question 1: What can you and your church do to help visitors feel less awkward when they attend your church?

Most of our churches could probably improve in this area. And yet, I don’t think every church has to greet visitors the same way. For example, I wouldn’t recommend to most churches that they start their services by openly asking where all the visitors are from, like they did at the tourist church. But it worked well for their setting.

2. Offering isn’t just About Money

When the offering was collected at the church, I was struck by how this part of the service wasn’t just about giving money. The bulletin clearly indicated this. It stated: “The Offering of our Time, Talents, Trust, and Treasure to God.” And as we passed the offering plate, we sang,“We are an Offering,” where we proclaimed to God, “We lift our voices. We lift our hands. We lift our lives up to you. We are an offering.”

I thought, this is awesome! What a great opportunity for a church to regularly and consistently remind one another that they are not their own—that not only their money, but their whole lives belong to God. Regularly making that confession to God in a service would be a powerful spiritual practice.

So, my question is…

Question 2: How can members of your church regularly remind one another and confess that their whole lives belong to God?

“ How can members of your church regularly remind one another and confess that their whole lives belong to God?

3. Responding After the Sermon

At the tourist church, the service continued for another 30 minutes after the pastor finished his 20 minute sermon (Yes, it was that short. I timed it, as I often do when I visit churches ). This meant that we were all given plenty of opportunity to respond to what we had been challenged to consider in the sermon and through the Scripture reading. We responded with prayer, singing, thinking, and receiving the pastor’s blessing.

I had a very different experience at the church I had visited the previous week. When the sermon ended at that church (I’m not sure how long the sermon was, but it seemed longer ), the pastor said a short prayer and then said (and I quote), “You are now dismissed.” I was floored. I was literally given no chance to respond.

These two contrasting experiences got me thinking that unless we think of church only with a consumeristic mindset (“I’m here to receive—to consume”), then people really need a chance to participate and respond to what they hear in a sermon.

“ People need a chance to participate and respond to what they hear in a sermon.

In the “olden days” Pentecostals used to have regular altar calls to respond. Obviously, there are other ways people can respond, as we did at the tourist church. But, either way I don’t feel like the pastor praying a short prayer on my behalf at the end of the sermon is really giving the congregation much of a chance to respond by engaging God.

One could argue that our true response to God happens with how we live our lives after we leave the church building. True enough. But I still think starting with an immediate response to God, and in communion with other believers, is an important part of worship. Otherwise, why not just stay home and listen to a sermon on TV?

So, my question is…

Question 3. How does your church give you a chance to respond to what you hear from the Scripture and in the sermon?

You might also be interested in these posts:

• 3 Lessons from My Visit to a Pentecostal Church
• Bring the “Testimonies” back to Church!
• 4 Lessons from Worship in Liturgical Churches

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post 3 Lessons and Questions from my Visit to a Tourist Church appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

The Leadership of the Azusa Street Revival

Some Pentecostals are proud to say that Pentecostals affirm women in ministry. They might point to the leadership of the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles (one of the most influential centers of early North American Pentecostalism), where about half of the leaders were women.

As Pentecostal denominations formed, some churches continued to give prominent place to women leaders. The Pentecostal Holiness Church and the Open Standard Bible Churches have always given women full clergy rights. The same is true of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, started by Ammie Semple McPherson, and today around 40% of their credential holders are women.

Institutional Restrictions 

Most Pentecostal denominations, however, placed restrictions on women’s ministry and leadership in some form.

The Assemblies of God (USA), which began in 1914, has ordained women since 1935. The Church of God (Cleveland, TN), in contrast, still does not grant women their highest level of clergy credentials (they call it “ordained bishop”). As a result, women are restricted from the highest leadership roles in that denomination.

Canada

My friend, Carmen Kampman, at her recent ordination ceremony

In my own Pentecostal denomination, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC), in 1984, after a full decade of discussion and debate, we finally voted to ordain women. Nevertheless, as of 1986, only 25% percent of ministers thought that women should be elected to leadership roles (as Presbyters, to be specific).

As a result, it wasn’t until General Conference in 1998 that the PAOC finally removed all restrictions to women in leadership. At that event we voted to “provide for gender inclusivity in all matters relating to the credentialing process and qualifications of candidates for the elected offices of District and General Executives” (1998 Conference Minutes, page 16).

Current Ambiguity

My own research shows that even now only 83% percent of PAOC clergy consistently affirm women in leadership (again, specifically in the role of presbyter), with another 8% undecided regarding the issue. Furthermore, less than 6% of lead pastors in the PAOC are women, even though about 27% of all credential holders are women (PAOC Fellowship Stats, 2017)

“ Less than 6% of lead pastors in the PAOC are women, even though about 27% of all credential holders are women.

Women ministers still face obstacles. Patti Miller, lead pastor of a large Pentecostal church in Montreal, pointed out to me that young women, especially staff pastors, often get questioned by people in their church about their leadership roles as women. These questions sometimes even come from their colleagues. Furthermore, some male pastors have stated that in this metoo# environment, they are afraid to hire female pastors onto their staff.

Recent Developments  

At the PAOC’s General Conference in May 2018, the General Superintendent, Dave Wells, reminded those in attendance that we affirm women in ministry because Acts reminds us that Jesus pours out the Spirit on both the sons and the daughters.

Patti Miller then presented a summary of the new “PAOC Statement of Affirmation Regarding Gender Equality in Leadership.” Rather than only affirming women in ministry, the statement ends with a number of commitments to intentional action.

This document was prepared by a committee of female and male PAOC leaders over the last 9 months. Going forward the committee hopes to guide churches and leaders in how they can further integrate women into leadership roles in the Church.

Click here to read the “PAOC Statement of Affirmation Regarding Gender Equality in Leadership.”

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Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

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