Chapter 16: every tradition · Christianity

United Pentecostal Church International

A congregation of the United Pentecostal Church International, the largest Oneness Pentecostal body, whose people often call themselves Apostolic. It teaches one indivisible God, revealed as Father, in the Son, and as the Holy Spirit, with all the fulness of the Godhead in Jesus; and the new birth of Acts 2:38: repentance, baptism by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost with speaking in other tongues. Those baptized with the Trinitarian formula are normally baptized again in Jesus' name, often at once, the night they respond. Worship is long and passionate, on Sunday morning and evening and at midweek, with tongues, shouting, and dancing, and altar services where seekers pray through to the Holy Ghost; foot washing goes with communion. Each church elects its pastor, often for life, owns its building, sets its budget, and decides its membership; the district holds its ministers' credentials but can't take a church's property. Its holiness standards are visible: women with long, uncut hair, in dresses and without make-up; men with short hair; no theaters, dances, or mixed swimming; and no oath-bound societies.

All 80 traditions · its profile in Faiths and traditions, with how to play it; How people feel, what every factor is.

At a glance

Faith	Christianity
Its words	church, church, sanctuary; the pastor leads the service; the sermon; Sunday; the Bible
Worship	word focus, charismatic, minimal formality (0.00 of 1); seated on pews
Music	gospel organ expected; band expected; chant discouraged; recorded discouraged
The room's sound	likes a dry room (the band)
Its year	western; pentecostal observance; fasts none
Leans	conservative on moral questions, conservative on economic ones
Polity	congregational; leaders come by call; property local
Leaders	one leader, full time, trained by college; marriage any
Belonging	high commitment, formal discipline, admitted by clergy; exclusive
Giving	tithing expected; collected by walked, plate
Way of life	alcohol abstinence, dress holiness, sabbath relaxed

The week's services

Day	Time	Service	Led by	People look for it
Sunday	10:30 am	Praise and worship	the pastor	expected
Sunday	6:00 pm	Praise and worship	the pastor	expected
Wednesday	7:30 pm	Prayer meeting and Bible study	the pastor	expected

Leader: a pastor. With none (a vacancy, or no one hired), the services are still held, but each costs everyone at it 0.10; on sabbatical a supply pastor stands in ($800 a month) for a little less.
Communion (2 times a year), passed among the people: nothing needs to be placed to serve it. People receive from age 8; anyone younger who comes forward is blessed instead.
Baptism: needs a baptistry or an immersion font, built and installed; until there is one, those wanting baptism wait.
Foot Washing needs foot-washing basins: without it the rite is missed, and its regulars mind.

Rites

Foot Washing (with communion, +0.025 to those there): Following Jesus at the Last Supper, members wash one another's feet in pairs, usually men with men and women with women, as a sign of humility and service before they share communion.
Child Dedication (per birth, +0.02 to those there): Parents bring their baby to the front, promise to raise the child in the faith, and the pastor prays a blessing over the family while the congregation promises to support them.
Anointing of the Sick (on request, +0.02 to those there, asked for 0.03 times a year by a household, 20 minutes): A priest or the elders pray over someone who is seriously ill, lay hands on them, and anoint them with oil, following James 5. It is usually done at home or in the hospital, sometimes at a communal service.
Healing Service (monthly, +0.02 to those there): A service of prayer for healing and wholeness: those who wish come forward for the laying on of hands and anointing with oil, and the congregation prays for the sick.
Tarrying Service (weekly, +0.02 to those there): Seekers wait at the altar praying aloud, often repeating "Jesus" or "Thank you, Jesus," while the saints gather round to pray with them until they receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Revival (yearly, +0.03 to those there): A week of nightly meetings with a guest evangelist, rousing music and an invitation every night, held to renew the church and win new converts.
Camp Meeting (yearly, +0.03 to those there): Families from churches across the district gather for days of preaching, singing and prayer at a campground, with altar services each night.

Baptism, confirmation, and joining

Baptized elsewhere: it recognizes only a baptism in Jesus' name. Someone so baptized is received at a service after about 4 weeks (a week from another of its churches).
Not baptized (or baptized where it doesn't recognize it): a candidate who is baptized and received at the same service.
Joining age: 12.
The church's children are baptized as believers at about 10, most within a year or two of it.
Kinds of belonging: saints (votes, may hold office); received by the pastor.
What it means: being baptized, confirmed, or received is worth +0.1 to the person, +0.05 to family there, and +0.03 to everyone else at the service. It roots them: a rooted household drifts away only 0.6 times as often, and if it does fall away, it has a 25% chance of coming home each Christmas Eve and Easter for ten years.

Giving, and what goes up

How its people give and what else comes in, as Money explains it for every faith.

How it's given: the tithes and offerings, by an offering walked forward at each main service, and a plate passed at each main service. Walked forward, members give 15% more than into a plate, and a visiting household half as much again as its $5 to $25.
Tithing is expected: people give 15% more.
Fundraisers: only the modest ones (below).
Owed above: Christmas for Christ, a goal of $1,500 a year, to the General Conference (voluntary).
Owed above: Ministers' dues, $900 a year, paid by its clergy, to the District; not kept, it costs the wider body's regard.

The pastor, the staff, and who decides

How the pastor comes: advertised and called: the members vote.
Paid: full time.
Candidates: three apply; trained at college (a little less skilled; they ask 95%); women among them (about a third); most married; about one married candidate in seven comes as a couple, caring for 75 more.
Tenure: for life (retiring after 35 years).
Ranks: Licensed minister, Ordained minister; a candidate holds one by skill, and rises with the years.
Staff it can hire or name (see Staff and volunteers):
- Bivocational pastor ($22,000–$38,000; cares for 75)
- Pastor ($55,000–$85,000 + $18,000 benefits, full time; cares for 150)
- Associate pastor ($42,000–$62,000 + $15,000 benefits, full time; cares for 100 more)
- Choir director / organist / pianist ($15,000–$35,000; leads the music (up to +0.06))
- Caretaker ($18,000–$30,000; slows the building's wear)
- Church secretary ($20,000–$35,000; runs the office (+50 to the leader's reach, once))
- Youth director ($20,000–$40,000; up to +0.08 for households with young people)
Its boards: the church board (deciding, over everything).
Renovations: The members vote, consulting the pastor.
New construction: The members vote, consulting the pastor.
Calling a leader: The members vote.
Who votes: saints, 16 and over.

Life together

What its Community screen offers it, with the dilemmas only its own faith or family meets; see The congregation in its community.

Ministries of its own: Choir.
Ministries every tradition can run that it's offered: Blood drive, Food pantry, Health clinic, Preschool, Youth group.
Fundraisers of its own: Soup supper.
Shared fundraisers it may hold (only the modest ones): Bake sale, Car wash, Rummage sale.
Tenants it can take: A scout troop, Another congregation, Parties and receptions, Polling place and forums.
Auxiliaries: Sheaves for Christ.
Outreach: invitation Sunday, a revival, a home Bible study, planting a new church (Community → Evangelism).
Dilemmas of its own faith (besides those every congregation meets): A petition for cushions, The bells, again.
Dilemmas its code of life brings: A candidates' forum, A Masonic funeral, A matter of discipline, A raffle for the roof, A recruiter asks for the hall, Champagne at the reception.

What the building needs

required BaptistryBeliever's baptism by immersion needs a baptistry: a tank large enough for an adult, with plumbing to fill and drain it.
required Communion tableThe Lord's Supper is served from a communion table, recalling the table of the Last Supper.
required Foot-washing basinsBasins, towels and warm water for washing one another's feet.
required PulpitPreaching is the center of worship, so the pulpit stands at the center of the platform.
expected Communion traysThe bread and cup are carried to the pews in trays and passed along the rows.
expected Drum kitWorship is led by a band.
expected Hammond organGospel worship is carried by a Hammond organ.
expected Mercy seatEvery service ends with an invitation to come forward and kneel at the mercy seat, the mourner's bench, or the altar rail.
expected Sound systemA band needs a sound system to be heard.
discouraged CrucifixThis tradition uses an empty cross, proclaiming the risen Christ, rather than a crucifix.
discouraged Flaming chaliceThe flaming chalice is another tradition's symbol.
discouraged IconIcons are not part of this tradition's worship.
discouraged Painting of ChristPictures of Christ are not part of this tradition's worship space.
discouraged StatueStatues are not part of this tradition's worship space.

What people here feel

Architectural style: Colonial brick +0.012; Modern synagogue -0.006; Gurdwara -0.012; Japanese temple -0.024; Islamic -0.03; Shinto shrine -0.03; Chinese temple -0.036; Dravidian temple -0.042; Nagara temple -0.042; Thai temple -0.042; Jain marble -0.048; Gothic -0.054.
Building fit: up to ±0.15 for everyone, the average fit of the characterful items in its worship rooms (the table below).
Acoustics: it wants a dry room, about 0.9 seconds of reverberation: carpet, padded seats, a low ceiling. Up to ±0.05.
Seasonal decor: it keeps the church year: paraments and the season's decor are worth up to ±0.000.
The sermon lands by its topic and the tradition's leaning (below); the pastor's preaching adds or costs up to 0.08 more.
Communion: each communion service runs longer; a slow one costs 0.05 for every 10 minutes the service runs over (0.2 at most).

How each sermon lands

The topics its leader can choose from (some are only for one faith or family), and what each is worth.

Fire & Brimstone+0.08
Marriage as God Designed+0.06
Sanctity of Life+0.06
The Last Days+0.06
Faith & Family+0.04
Faith of Our Fathers+0.04
Obedience & Discipline+0.04
Personal Holiness+0.04
Resisting Temptation+0.04
Spiritual Warfare+0.04
The Authority of Scripture+0.04
The Great Commission+0.04
Biblical Stories+0.015
Blessed Are the Peacemakers+0.015
Called by Name+0.015
Doubt & Faith+0.015
Eternal Life & Resurrection+0.015
Grace & Forgiveness+0.015
Gratitude+0.015
Hope & Comfort+0.015
Joy in All Things+0.015
Love One Another+0.015
Sabbath Rest+0.015
Saints & Witnesses+0.015
Servant Leadership+0.015
Songs of the Psalms+0.015
Stewardship & Generosity+0.015
The Church Year+0.015
The Life of Prayer+0.015
The Parables of Jesus+0.015
Care for Creation-0.05
Healing for All-0.05
Interfaith Understanding-0.05
Reading Scripture in Context-0.05
Swords into Ploughshares-0.05
The Prophets' Call-0.05
Wealth & Poverty-0.05
Welcome the Stranger-0.05
Women Who Led-0.05
Racial Justice & Reconciliation-0.075
Radical Inclusion-0.075
Social Justice Call-0.075

Every item, for this tradition

Fit runs from −1 (jars) to +1 (just right); the building fit is the average over the characterful items in the worship rooms. An item with no character (a table, a toilet) has no fit. A rule applies wherever the item is.

Item	Fit	Rule
Seating
Box pew	-1
Choir stalls	-0.5
Meeting bench	no fit
Oak pew	no fit
Row of chairs	+1
Liturgical furniture
Altar	-1
Baptismal font	-1
Baptistry	no fit	required Believer's baptism by immersion needs a baptistry: a tank large enough for an adult, with plumbing to fill and drain it.
Bishop's chair	-1
Brass eagle lectern	-1
Columbarium niches	-1
Communion rail	-1
Communion station	no fit
Communion table	no fit	required The Lord's Supper is served from a communion table, recalling the table of the Last Supper.
Communion trays	no fit	expected The bread and cup are carried to the pews in trays and passed along the rows.
Confessional screen	no fit
Coptic cross	0
Epitaphios	-1
Flaming chalice	-1	discouraged The flaming chalice is another tradition's symbol.
Foot-washing basins	no fit	required Basins, towels and warm water for washing one another's feet.
Haikal screen	-1
Iconostasis	-1
Immersion font	-1
Lectern	no fit
Litany desk	-1
Mercy seat	no fit	expected Every service ends with an invitation to come forward and kneel at the mercy seat, the mourner's bench, or the altar rail.
Octagonal stone font	-1
Paraments	no fit
Pulpit	no fit	required Preaching is the center of worship, so the pulpit stands at the center of the platform.
Readers' desks	no fit
Rood screen	-1
Sanctuary lamp	-1
Tabernacle	-1
Three-bar cross	0
Thurible and stand	no fit
Music
Brass band stands	0
Chanter's stand	-1
Drum kit	+1	expected Worship is led by a band.
Electronic organ	0
Grand piano	0
Hammond organ	+1	expected Gospel worship is carried by a Hammond organ.
Handbell table	0
Pipe organ	-0.5
Sound system	+1	expected A band needs a sound system to be heard.
Upright piano	0
Decor
Advent wreath	no fit
Banner	0
Christmas Eve candles	no fit
Cross	0
Crucifix	-1	discouraged This tradition uses an empty cross, proclaiming the risen Christ, rather than a crucifix.
Easter lilies	no fit
Eternal flame	no fit
Flag of the church	0
Great dome	-1
Icon	-1	discouraged Icons are not part of this tradition's worship.
Memorial plaque	no fit
National flag	0
Painting of Christ	-1	discouraged Pictures of Christ are not part of this tradition's worship space.
Paschal candle	no fit
Plain spire	no fit
Small dome	no fit
Stained glass window	-1
Statue	-1	discouraged Statues are not part of this tradition's worship space.
Steeple and bells	-1
Votive candle stand	no fit
Furnishings
Alms box	no fit
Coffee pot	no fit
Commercial coffee pot	no fit
Computer	no fit
Crib	no fit
Desk	no fit
Desk chair	no fit
Folding table	no fit
Full-length mirror	no fit
Pillar	-1
Prie-dieu	-1
Projection screen	+1
Vestment cabinet	-1
Wooden table	no fit
Utility
A/V rack	no fit
Camera	no fit
Cast-iron boiler	no fit
Central air conditioner	no fit
Commercial HVAC plant	no fit
Commercial stove	no fit
Congregation van	no fit
Ductless heat pump	no fit
Electric wall heater	no fit
Gas furnace	no fit
Hearing loop	no fit
Lift	no fit
Packaged heat pump	no fit
Plumbing stack	no fit
Ramp	no fit
Shuttle bus	no fit
Sink	no fit
Solar panels	no fit
Stairs	no fit
Toilet	no fit
Used school bus	no fit
Wall camera	no fit
Window air conditioner	no fit
Grounds
Evergreen tree	no fit
Flower bed	no fit
Fountain	no fit
Garden bench	no fit
Hedge	no fit
Lychgate	-1
Playground	no fit
Shade tree	no fit
Standing cross	no fit

Sources

2023 UPCI Articles of Faith (link)
UPCI position paper: Church Government (General Board, 2019) (link)
UPCI position paper: Gender Distinction (General Board, 2014) (link)
UPCI position paper: Media Technology (General Conference, 2013) (link)
UPCI: About the UPCI (link)
Christmas for Christ (Pentecostal Publishing House blog, 2021) (link)
UPCI clergywomen (Liberty University doctoral dissertation, 2015) (link)