Confusion About United Pentecostal Churches?

The following is a guest post from one of our readers who wishes to remain anonymous, with a some comments added by me. It is a response to a public Facebook post (he has removed the post) by a young man named Westley Ellis, who is the son of Jeremy Ellis (He removed that profile and is now found here), a United Pentecostal Church pastor in Saint Joe, Arkansas. (See the church.)

Westley’s writing will appear in black, with the rebuttal comments in red. My comments will be in green.

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This rebuttal is based on the firsthand experience of a former UPC member (22 years) who served in multiple leadership capacities, paid my tithes faithfully, adhered to all standards, and was viewed as a model “saint” by nearly everyone who knows me. During my 22 years in the UPC, I attended four churches (leaving each one after severe pastoral abuse), and visited many others, where I met many, many people who also suffered abuse at the hands of UPC leadership. This represents the reality experienced by those who chose to leave the UPC. (Rebuttal comments marked by a dash (-).

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There seems to be some confusion about Pentecostal churches, so I figured I should clarify.

People tend to get us mixed up with other churches that are “Pentecostal” only by name. [Note: Many Oneness Pentecostals believe they are the only ones who are saved. Some even go to the extent of claiming that other Pentecostals who speak in tongues don’t really have the Holy Spirit as they believe in the Trinity and haven’t been water baptized only in the name of Jesus. Many OPs believe they are the ‘originals’ going back to the day of Pentecost. Their teachings view the vast majority of Christians as not saved.] Many times friends of mine have invited friends over to church, and they would tell them no because they instantly think of these churches. A lot of these churches spread hatred and negativity and do not exemplify Jesus in any way. [Through the years there have been many Oneness Pentecostal ministers and churches that have spread hatred and negativity.]

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So without further ado, allow me to throw some rumors that go around about real Pentecostal churches out the window:

1. We don’t handle snakes.
– But they do speak in tongues, run, jump, scream, dance, shake, fall down, and wail.

[There are Oneness Pentecostal churches that handle snakes. Allow me to remind people of  ‘Snake Salvation‘ from National Geographic, the TV show which featured a couple of these. Jamie Coots, one of the featured pastors, died after being bitten. At least one book has been written about Oneness Pentecostal snake handling churches.]

2. We don’t kick people out because they don’t dress like us. That’s prejudice, and it’s a sin.
– But most positions on the platform (singing, preaching, etc.) or in church leadership are off-limits to people who don’t adhere to the dress standards.

3. We don’t stop women from engaging in ministry. In fact, there’s been tons of encouragement toward women in the Pentecostal community in recent years.
– But women are commanded to be in submission to men and are not allowed to “usurp” authority.

[In their beginnings, the United Pentecostal Church had a higher percentage of women ministers than they appear to have now. They exclude women from many positions. Women cannot be a District Superintendent, a District Secretary-Treasurer, a District Presbyter or a District Global Missions Director. The chances of a woman ever becoming the General Superintendent are quite slim. Some may be interested in reading Janet Trout’s 2014 dissertation, “A Study of Attitudes toward Women Serving in Any Office if Elected by the Ministerial Constituency of the United Pentecostal Church International” or Cindy Miller’s 2015 dissertation, “What Are United Pentecostal Church International Women Pastors Experiencing: A Qualitative Inquiry.”]

4. We aren’t a cult. We don’t force you to do anything. If you don’t want to pray, that’s fine. If you don’t want to be prayed for, that’s fine.
– But if you go to their churches, you may be strongly pressured to go to the altar. People will likely put their hands on you, scream in your ear, and pressure you to speak in tongues. They don’t believe you can be saved without speaking in tongues, and their #1 goal is to get you to do it.

5. We don’t handle snakes. (did I already say that?)
– See above.

6. We don’t spread rumors or hate about people that decide to leave the church. That is gossip, and that is a sin.
– This is completely, 100% false. Chester Wright, a revered bishop in the UPC, compares those who leave the church to a “bowel movement” in a videotaped sermon. This sentiment is repeated by many UPC pastors and leaders. UPC pastors often launch full-fledged character assassinations against those who leave, calling them bitter, rebellious, mentally unstable, and backslidden. Current members are encouraged to distance themselves from those who left. In addition, when you leave, your former pastor and your new pastor will have a meeting about you before you’re “permitted” to transition to the new church. The purpose of this meeting is for the former pastor to warn the new pastor about the level of threat you pose to the new church. This is standard practice.

7. We don’t baptize babies. You have to be old enough to comprehend the meaning of baptism, and decide in your own free will if you want to be baptized.
– But they will baptize a 3-year-old if the 3-year-old has spoken in tongues.

[I personally witnessed a four-year-old get baptized after supposedly speaking in tongues. Some will also baptize a child without the permission of the parents. This happened to the child of a friend of mine, who was not a member of the UPCI church.]

8. We don’t look you in the eye and call you a sinner. In fact, it’s common sense to NOT name names, or point fingers when preaching because that’s just plain rude.
– Also 100% false. Sure, the polite UPC members may not say it directly to your face, but preachers will remind you of your sinful state repeatedly from the pulpit in their sermons. Make no mistake: if you are not UPC and adhering to all standards, you ARE a sinner in their opinion.

[My former UPCI pastor did indeed name names during sermons.]

9. You don’t have to practice speaking in tongues before you get baptized… Speaking in tongues is something that just happens, you can’t really learn it.
– But they will encourage you to mimic others who are speaking in tongues, say “hallelujah” or “Jesus” over and over until you’re tongue-tied, and they may touch or jiggle your chin to try to “help” you.

10. This isn’t based off emotion. This one is up to you to decide. I can tell you it’s not, and you don’t have to believe me. But I guarantee you once you’ve been in a Pentecostal service and felt the love of Jesus sweep over you, it’s a feeling like no other. While there most definitely is emotion involved, there’s a whole lot more to it. A whole lot more…
– The emotional highs experienced in UPC services can be experienced in secular ball games and concerts, or even concerts by non-UPC Christian artists, who the UPC believes are unsaved.

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Alright, now I’m going to tell you some things that we do and stand for so that you have a reference:

1. We love everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, gay or straight, drug addict or clean, drunk or sober. We will welcome you into church with open arms. God loves everyone, and wants everyone to be set free.
– Yes, you will be welcomed into the church with open arms (and love bombing). But if you’re gay, the UPC does not believe you can remain gay and be saved. They claim to accept you as you are, but what they don’t tell you is that they will expect you to drastically change in order to earn their version of salvation. If you’re a woman, you will have to stop cutting your hair, stop coloring your hair (Westley removed this post),  stop wearing makeup, stop wearing jewelry, stop wearing nail polish, stop wearing pants or shorts (dresses and skirts only), and stop wearing sleeveless or low-cut tops. If you’re a man, you will have to stop wearing shorts and shave your beard. Both sexes will have to stop drinking, smoking, going to movies, and a long list of other activities. [For some of these, see this.]

[To see how some Oneness Pentecostals are toward homosexuals, see this article. As to racism, the UPCI used to have a separate section in their yearly Directories where they listed ‘colored’ ministers. Even in recent years, they have had problems with racism among their ministers and churches. See this article.]

2. Salvation is for EVERYONE! Nobody is predestined to hell, I don’t care what some people tell you. Everyone has to opportunity to be saved, and we believe the Acts 2:38 message is the way to get it.
– But only if you obey the Acts 2:38 message will you go to heaven (according to the UPC). No one else will go.

[The United Pentecostal Church believes that unless one repents, is water baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus, and speaks in tongues, which they claim is the ‘initial evidence’ of receiving God’s Spirit, you are not and will not be saved. You are also to reject the Trinity belief and believe in the Oneness of God. Read what Westley himself says about people who leave.]

3. Come as you are. You don’t have to dress like a Pentecostal to come to a Pentecostal church. We won’t look down on you at all. You can come wearing whatever you’re comfortable in.
– Yes, you can come as you are, but you will be pressured not to stay that way. See #1.

4. You get to choose. We aren’t going to force our beliefs on you, or shove anything down your throat. You get to make the decision on your own. Free will is one of God’s most beautiful creations.
– But you will be told repeatedly that there is no other way to salvation besides the UPC plan of salvation.

5. We’re always praying for you. Whether you’ve left the church, or are curious about it, we’re always praying for you. We want you to experience the joy of Christ. We want you experience the Holy Ghost. It’s a liberating and beautiful experience.
– If you leave, they will never, ever accept that you’ve found salvation or peace any other way. They will continue to pressure you to return, and when dramatic events happen in the news, they will send you tearful messages about how they’re concerned for your soul because the return of Jesus is imminent. If you don’t respond to their pressure, after some time passes, you won’t hear from them at all, except for the occasional “I have a burden for you” fear mongering. Lasting, true friendship with most people in the UPC is contingent upon you remaining in the UPC.

I hope this cleared up some confusion about Pentecostal churches. If you’re curious about this Pentecost thing, and want to know more, I highly recommend checking out a Pentecostal church service. It’s completely up to you, but I guarantee you won’t regret it!

If you don’t know where to find a real Pentecostal church, I highly recommend you use this tool here: upci . org/resources/locate-a-church
(the spaces are there because people were having trouble sharing)

All you have to do is type in your city, and it will locate a church nearby!

Remember, Jesus loves you. Have a blessed day/night/whenever you’re reading this. God bless!

[Some current United Pentecostal Church members might want to venture outside of their approved books and literature and seek out material that shows aspects of their history they often leave out or don’t openly share, as well as what thousands of former members have shared about their experiences. It’s not the bed of roses that some would have you believe. Here’s just a handful who have shared how they have been harmed. There’s also our series on sexual abuse and the United Pentecostal Church.]