SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. PENTECOST. HOLINESS. CHRIST’S KINGDOM. ALL GENERATIONS. JUSTICE. GENEROSITY. PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. SCRIPTURE. MANU 2017 - 2021 AL & ORLAJNUDLO MINUTES Y 26-28, 2017 , FL ORID A International Pentecostal Holiness Church MANUAL 2017-2021 Editorial Committee Bishop J. Talmadge Gardner, IPHC Corporate Secretary Bob Ely, Chairman, Bylaws Committee Michelle Nisbett and Shirley G. Spencer, Recording Secretaries The Editorial Committee gratefully acknowledges the contributions of General Superintendent A. D. Beacham, Jr.; IPHC Communications Director Janese Bennett; IPHC Chief of Staff W. Terry Fowler; IPHC Chief Financial Officer Brenda Phillips; Lynn Jones; Kathy Beacham; and LifeSprings Resources International Pentecostal Holiness Church Global Ministries Center P. O. Box 12609 Oklahoma City, OK 73157 405-787-7110 www.iphc.org 1 © 2018 by the International Pentecostal Holiness Church All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – for example, electronic, photocopy, recording – without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by the International Pentecostal Holiness Church P.O. Box 12609 Oklahoma City, OK 73157 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS MANUAL 2017-2021 Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………………….4 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………..5 IPHC Vision, Mission, Core Values, Objectives and GMC Vision Statements…………………….7 IPHC History………………………………………………………………………………………………8 Constitution Article I. Name…………………………………………………………………………………..37 Article II. Organizational Form………………………………………………………………...38 Article III. The Apostles’ Creed……………………………………………………………… 39 Article IV. Articles of Faith…………………………………………………….………………..40 Article V. Understanding the Articles of Faith……………………………………………… 42 Article VI. Ordinances………………………………….……………………………………….61 Article VII. Covenant of Commitment…………………………………………………………63 Article VIII. Divorce and Remarriage………………….………………………………………71 Article IX. Church Property and Titles………………….……………………………………..72 Article X. Procedures for Amending the Constitution……………………………………….78 Bylaws Article I. Organizational Structure – General Level………………………………………….81 Article II. Organizational Structure – Conferences…………..……………………………..117 Article III. Organizational Structure – Local Churches……………………………………..138 Article IV. Clergy………………………………………………………………………………..158 Article V. Financial Guidelines……………………………..…………………………………173 Article VI. Dispute Resolution and Disciplinary Procedures…….………………………...184 MINUTES OF THE 28th GENERAL CONFERENCE Members of the Council of Bishops……………………………………………………………………203 State of the Church Reports General Superintendent’s Office…………………………………………………….………..208 Discipleship Ministries……………………………………………….…………………………211 Evangelism USA…………………………………………………………….………………….213 World Missions Ministries ……………………………………………………….…………….216 Minutes of the Twenty-Eighth General Conference………………………………….………………219 Committee Reports Delegate Certification………………………………………………….……………………….238 Decorum…………………………………………………………………………………………240 Memoirs………………………………………………………………………………………….244 Acknowledgements……………………………………………..………………….……………………263 Summary of Funds and Accounts……………………………….………………….………………….264 Index…………………………………………………………………………………….…………………317 3 PREFACE PLACE OF HOPE. PEOPLE OF PROMISE. The 28th General Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) convened in Orlando, Florida, on July 26-28, 2017. Noteworthy events of this General Conference are documented in the Introduction. The year 2017 marked the Centennial of two important historical events in the IPHC. First, one of the most significant leaders of our first fifty years, Bishop Joseph H. King, was elected as the third General Superintendent of the IPHC. Second, the denomination voted to begin a new periodical, The Pentecostal Holiness Advocate, with former General Superintendent George F. Taylor as the first editor. An original copy of the first issue, dated May 3, 1917, was presented to Presiding Bishop Dr. A.D. Beacham, Jr., by Dr. Harold Hunter and Rev. Greg Hearn. A commemorative copy of the first issue was presented to each delegate to the 28th General Conference. In this book, for the first time, you have the Minutes which reflect the polity adopted by the General Conference as well as the revised 2017-2021 IPHC Manual. In previous years these have been separate documents. The combination of these into one book is an important advance for historical documentation. The Manual is divided into two sections. The Constitution contains our Articles of Faith, Covenant of Commitment, and other items that usually remain consistent in the life of the church. They can only be changed through a prescribed process and in most instances, involve a two-thirds vote of the Council of Bishops or the General Conference. The second part is the Bylaws. The Bylaws are usually changed by a majority vote of the General Conference. They are intentionally more flexible, allowing the denomination to respond to our ever-changing world. -The Editorial Committee 44 INTRODUCTION Birthed in 1898, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) is a classical Pentecostal denomination that predates, yet was greatly influenced and ultimately defined by, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Azusa Street Revival at the turn of the 20th century. In April 2006, we joined our Pentecostal brothers and sisters around the globe in celebrating the 100th anniversary of that historic event. The IPHC leadership gathered in the historic Octagon Tabernacle in Falcon, North Carolina, on January 31, 2011, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the organizational formation of our movement as the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Though we were birthed in 1898, it was the 1911 merger of the Pentecostal Holiness Church of North Carolina and the Fire- Baptized Holiness Church that gave us our theological and ecclesiastical foundations. Over the past 100 years our heritage has grown from what the Holy Spirit was doing among us in those years. A significant highlight of the 2011 celebration was the signing of the Centennial Covenant Document by the leaders of the American IPHC. In the following years, the leaders of the IPHC from around the world signed the Centennial Covenant Document. The framed article is currently on display at our denominational offices in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A. IPHC has a rich history of missions and evangelism. Over the years, the church has sought to clarify her mission and alter her course to meet the ever-changing needs of those she serves. As a result, we have become a flexible, innovative, and rapidly growing denomination. At the close of 2016, the IPHC had more than 3.8 million adherents who attend 18,079 churches located around the globe.1 Growth of this magnitude has indeed been a miraculous phenomenon for which we give God all the glory. Global Christianity is approaching the years 2030-2033, the 2000th commemoration of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah of Israel. The IPHC is preparing for this significant period by focusing on Arise 2033. 1 IPHC Churches – 12,437 churches with 1.7 million adherents. International Affiliate Churches – 5,642 churches with 2.1 million adherents 5 5 This is an intentional focus on church growth around the world with an emphasis on measurable goals. In the United States of America, the goals are: • IPHC congregations in 75% of 3,141 counties • 200 traditional congregations that are focused on new immigrant populations • House churches in major U.S. cities Outside the USA, the goal is to have an active IPHC presence in 150 nations, an increase of fifty from 2017. This will require the creative cooperation of the best of the IPHC in the twin Great Commission tasks of evangelism (Mark 16:15) and discipleship (Matthew 28:19, 20). It is the next step in the missional spirit reflected in the goals of Target 2000 and Vision 2020. We are committed to the mission of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in the church today and seek to minister in the power of these Christ-given gifts. Building upon our denominational ministry as relevant, dynamic, and demonstrative, we have heard the Holy Spirit further clarify the direction of Vision 2020. Drawing from Isaiah 54:2, 3, we have discerned that the Holy Spirit is calling the global IPHC to be “A Place of Hope” and “A People of Promise.” We have prayerfully discerned Seven Core Values of our movement as we obey Christ in our generation: Scripture, Pentecost, Holiness, Christ’s Kingdom,