MISSION STATEMENT
The International Pentecostal Church of Christ is committed to fulfilling a threefold mission. Its primary reason for being is:
1. Evangelization of the lost.
2. Worship God.
3. Disciple believers.
Strict adherence to the integrity of the Word of God through orthodox doctrine and a purity of life shall always be presumed along with these values.
Definitions
1. Evangelism – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Evangelism is any method used to share Jesus Christ with the lost. Though often inappropriately confused with revivals, evangelism is a nonnegotiable commandment to every individual believer. Evangelism in the absence of the lost is never evangelism. The most effective way is for Christians to respond to challenging preaching is by touching their family, friends, neighbors, and workmates with Spirit induced witnessing. This is called Lifestyle Evangelism. It is possible that the greatest sin churches do is in neglecting to prepare its members for effective evangelism training and activities.
2. Worship – “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Rom 12:1) We worship God more with our living than with our singing. Our thought habits, our prayer habits, our study habits, our witnessing or lack of it, our behavior patterns, our appearance, our attitudes toward those who behave unseemly, our integrity, our church worship, and our submission to God in large and small things – all affect our worship of a Holy God.
3. Discipleship – “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (Col. 1:10) God’s goal for us is to please Him in each aspect of our lives. If any area of our lives is not pleasing the Lord, then our whole lives become out of alignment. Idolatry is treating anything or person with more respect than God. Discipleship is a lifelong process. Most Christians have not been discipled. Discipleship is letting God be the center of our being, seeking to please Him in all we do and allowing him to influence each area of our lives. Disciples study, pray, and work while growing each day, month and year more toward God and His Will. Where there is no intentional discipleship training, there will unlikely be disciples. Evangelism without true quality discipleship development assimilating converts into the working church may be the second greatest sin of the church. It is to be the goal of every IPCC church to be active in all three reasons-for-being.
VISION STATEMENT
International Pentecostal Church of Christ core values
To know Christ, and to make Him known.
No better and no more succinct description of our task is possible.
The International Pentecostal Church of Christ is committed to developing a church prepared, working and succeeding through winning and discipling, and becoming a reflection of Christ’s true church anticipating His imminent return.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58)
It is imperative that the IPCC be committed to the following nonnegotiable core values:
1. Passionately proclaim on every level, at home and abroad, by word and deed Jesus as Savior, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Soon Coming King.
2. Being Christians foremost and Pentecostals second, we are empowered to do the work of Christ in His Spirit. Pentecostals, absent a focus on Christ, are cultic, Christians unempowered by the Spirit are dead.
3. Honoring our past leaders who rightly heard from God and reclaim the power of the past that worked, discarding all that is neither Biblical, productive, or honors the church with the excitement the Holy Spirit deserves, avoiding spiritual fads that uplift man and distract from God. Spiritual success has nothing to do with elevating men with human created status, but only as it exalts our Lord and Savior.
4. Intentionally invest in the next generation with the concentration on developing new ministers
5. Passionately plant new churches
6. Strategically resource our Fellowship
7. Ceasing to plead upon God to bless what we are doing and fervently pray for God’s favor as we begin doing what He is blessing in all humility and fervency.
Expected Practical Outcomes flowing from these core values:
General Conference Activities
1. To set the vision and spiritual tone for the International Pentecostal Church of Christ.
2. Operate the Ministry Resource Center with the purpose of resourcing districts, churches and ministers to fulfill the core values. If churches and districts are dysfunctional, it is only because the General Conference has not motivated, trained, and equipped them to do so.
3. Maintain our credibility with government agencies and the Pentecostal the Evangelical communities.
4. Maintain ministerial records and oversight in order that IPCC ministers be seen as
qualified both with spiritual readiness, integrity and ministerial skills.
5. Maintain, with full-time personnel, facilities, records, archives and financial accountability functions. Every staff member, regardless of portfolio, is to be a team member with these goals at heart.
6. Scrutinize, credential, and oversee ministers who add to the caliber of the total ministry of the IPCC.
Global Missions Department
1. To set the vision for the missions activities of the International Pentecostal Church of Christ serving the international Great Commission commandment upon the IPCC.
2. To promote the loyalty of IPCC missionaries and national churches to the IPCC as their way of fulfilling God’s will for their nation.
3. To train, prepare, and support all missionaries of the IPCC, acting in the district role for missionaries.
4. To assure that measurable markers are visible in years to come as evidence of the investments of the IPCC.
5. To balance new opportunities with the reality of servicing existing missions activities.
Home Missions Department
1.To serve as the catalyst for church planting, returning to that role from being tapped for other needs and programs.
2. To challenge the districts in the area of church planting through financial incentives and motivational tools.
National Youth Department
1. To set the vision for youth ministries across the Conference with the ultimate goal of the evangelization and discipleship of youth.
2. To train district and local youth leaders
3. The primary objective of the department is to encourage and enable local churches to begin a local youth group and to assure youth activities in every district
4. These activities should be reported on to justify the full-time status of the department.
5. National youth camps and retreats are necessary ingredients to augmenting local and district ministries but are not to be considered the prime activity of the department.
National Christian Education Department
1. To set the vision for Christian Education across the Conference based on the concept that Christian Education apart from evangelism is never Christian.
2. Christian Education shall entail Sunday School, Children’s Church, youth ministry, missions education, music education, adult education, discipleship and leadership training, VBS/Kid’s Crusades, and adult ministry.
3. The primary objective of the department is to encourage and enable local churches to develop strong Christian Education programs in their churches and to assure quality Christian Education training events in every district with the goal of each church having systemized leadership development training.
4. The promotion and development of programs such as Leadership 21 and the Church Leadership Conference and quality training activities..
Women’s Ministries Department
1. To set the vision for all women’s activities across the Conference.
2. Women’s Ministries shall entail overseeing WM functions in the districts, fundraising, prayer activities, and evangelism and discipleship training for women and girls, particularly those without Christian mothers.
3. The primary objective of the department is to encourage and enable local churches to develop strong women’s programs in their churches and to assure quality training and fellowship events in every district with the goal of each church having a systemized women’s program or activity.
4. The chief function of the WM Department shall be the evangelism and discipleship of girls and women, providing activities and an atmosphere conducive for the Holy Spirit to call out women for ministry on every level.
Prospective Men’s Ministries Department
1. To set the vision for all men’s activities across the Conference.
2. Men’s Ministries shall entail overseeing MM functions in the districts, fundraising, prayer activities, and evangelism and discipleship training for men and boys, particularly those without Christian fathers.
3. The primary objective of the department is to encourage and enable local churches to develop strong men’s programs in their churches and to assure quality training and fellowship events in every district with the goal of each church having a systemized men’s program or activity.
4. The chief function of the MM Department shall be the evangelism and discipleship of boys and men, providing activities and an atmosphere conducive for the Holy Spirit to call out men for ministry on every level.
King’s Commission
1. 1. To recruit and process applicants for King’s Commission first from IPCC churches, and then from other like-minded churches.
2. To develop the curriculum, and devotional tools and activities to mold young students into true Pentecostal disciples as defined above.
3. To create an environment for students conducive for the Holy Spirit to call out His select for higher levels of ministry.
4. The purpose of King’s Commission is to encourage strong lay leadership within the churches and the crème of IPCC youth to enter the pulpit ministry.
District Activities
1. The prime objective of districts is the recruiting, facilitating, and the development of new churches and ministers. All other activities are subordinate.
2. To give oversight to district churches and ministers, providing credentials screening, inspiration, training, and discipline as needed.
3. To encourage and expect every church to be supportive of Conference programs.
4. To provide moral and financial support to youth, Christian Education, and WM activities within the district.
5. District Overseers shall be required to exemplify the height of Conference loyalty and participation and to require the same of his ministers and churches. This includes attendance at district and national events and conferences, tithing, reporting, and all other aspects of Conference involvement.
Local Church Activities
1. The prime objective of every church is worship, discipleship, and evangelism. The absence of any of these core values nullifies the right for any church to exist.
2. To build a Christ-centered church, understanding that all credible Pentecostal churches are Christ centered rather than manifestations centered; understanding that all Pentecostal manifestations are to enable the church’s success in evangelism and discipleship.
3. Equal with being a true full-gospel church, every church must minister to every generation. Every church must make a fervent effort to create a youth ministry, even where no youth presently exist.
4. To be a cooperative church, understanding that a spirit of independence is sin. The cooperative church tithes, reports, is involved in district and Conference activities, and supports Conference programs.
5. To provide a church that edifies the Spirit of Wisdom, exuding quality at every corner, in its preaching, in every class, and every element exposed to the world.
6. To provide a church that defies the 90% statistic which indicates 90% of young people backslide after high school by sending their youth into the world discipled, with both a spiritual and intellectual basis for their faith, ready to impact their world. Pastors must bolding involve themselves through the spiritual guidance counseling of their youth. 7. To provide a church geared to the times, but anchored to the rock; finding that delicate balance between relevancy and Truth. This creates a church reasonably balanced between relevancy and the uncompromising Word. A compromising church has nothing to offer beyond the temporal. Yet it is impossible to have a Bible church insensitive to ways to connect with the unchurched.
8. To provide a church finished with excuses. If God is willing that none should perish, our methods and procedures must be synchronized with His goals. God is doing His part, the rest is up to us.
Ministerial Activities
1. The prime objective of a minister of the Gospel is to live and preach the whole Word of God with passion and power; seeking always to win the lost from the pulpit, from his workplace, from his home, and in his community; to present God’s vision for His church and people while and always put his people before his own well-being.
2. The Godly preacher is a learner, seeking first a daily regimen of Bible study well beyond what is required for sermon preparation.
3. The Godly preacher will be a man or woman of prayer.
4. The Godly preacher will be a reader and learner in his calling and profession. After Bible reading comes reading which helps the preacher be more creative, allowing the Holy Spirit to draw upon those learnings to make a more efficient minister. Reading helps the preacher bridge from telling truths from Biblical times to translating them into modern day living for his people.
5. The Godly minister is faithful – faithful to his God, faithful to his spouse, faithful to his Conference in support, tithing, reporting, cooperation, and attendance, faithful to his church, and faithful to his community. Unfaithfulness in any of these areas disqualifies him for ministry.
6. The Godly minister is ethical in all his dealings – with his word, with his finances, with his eyes, with his habits, and with his sexual life. He is more defined by what he thinks and does in private than how he is seen by the public.