WHAT IS A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH?

Pentecostal churches are distinct in two areas, their doctrine and their practice.

In doctrine:

* Like all Christian churches we believe that God exists in three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We believe that God the Son became man in the person of Jesus Christ, that He was born of the virgin, Mary, that He lived a sinless life, and that He suffered and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, to make atonement for our sins, and that He rose on the third day and after 40 days ascended back to heaven. We believe that He sent the Holy Spirit to be with His people on earth, and that in the fullness of time He will return in glory. We believe in a literal heaven and a literal hell. These beliefs are expressed in the major doctrinal statements of the Christian Church, such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.

* Like all Evangelical churches we believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and the sole rule of faith and practice, and that it stands above all tradition and teachings of man. We believe that Jesus death provided complete atonement for sin, and that no further works on our part are necessary to obtain salvation. We believe that we are saved by grace alone, through faith, and that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are born again into God's kingdom. We believe that being saved will produce in us works of righteousness which we in ourselves could not produce. We believe that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and intercessor, and that, whilst we can pray for each other here on earth, we do not have to seek the intervention of any other heavenly being on our behalf.

* In addition to the above, we believe that the Holy Spirit is active in the church today. We believe that there is a further experience to salvation, sometimes called the Baptism in the Spirit or the Infilling of the Spirit, through which the Holy Spirit empowers His people for work and service. Many Pentecostal churches believe that this experience must be accompanied by "speaking in tongues", i.e. speaking in a language which has never been learned by the speaker. We believe that this and all the manifestation gifts of the Spirit, listed in 1 Corinthians 12, are for today. Most Pentecostal churches believe that water baptism should be only for those who have repented of their sins and professed faith in Jesus Christ, and that it should be by full immersion.

In Practice:

Because of our belief that the gifts of the Spirit are for today, in a Pentecostal church you may hear people speaking in tongues or prophesying. You may see people receiving prayer for healing. The preacher may speak forth "words of knowledge", i.e. a revelation about someone in the congregation which he could not know other than from the Lord. You may also hear of deliverance, people being set free from demonic spirits.

Most Pentecostal churches use modern choruses rather than traditional hymns (though some of us still like the old hymns, too) and many are upbeat or even loud in their worship (some of us prefer it quieter!) Often people raise their hands, and sometimes dancing is also part of the worship. Many Pentecostal preachers are more animated than those of traditional churches, and most Pentecostal services go longer than traditional services.

These are just very general observances. Under the Pentecostal "umbrella" there is a very wide range of emphases and styles.