The Apostolic Faith Church (AFC), formerly the Apostolic Faith Mission, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination with headquarters in Portland, Oregon, United States. The Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland was founded in 1906 by Florence L. Crawford, who was affiliated at that time with William J. Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival of Los Angeles, California. By 1908, Crawford and Seymour had severed ties, and Crawford founded what would become the Apostolic Faith Church. Since July 2000, the President and Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith Church has been Darrel D. Lee, who also pastors the headquarters church.

The Apostolic Faith Church has a presence in the United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, and Europe.^[1] In 1997, the AFC had 2,013 members in 115 local churches served by 188 clergy in the United States.^[2] There are ten churches in Canada, several hundred in Africa (six-hundred in Nigeria alone), twenty throughout the Philippines and Korea, nine in Europe (centrally Romania), and over sixty in West Indies.^{[citation needed]} Church-affiliated groups also regularly assemble in other parts of the world and recently include India. In some locations, member churches carry instead the name Trinity Apostolic Faith Church in order to differentiate themselves from non-affiliated churches in the same area.^[1]

History[link]

The founder of the Apostolic Faith Church was Florence L. Crawford. Crawford was a participant in the Azusa Street Revival. This revival began in 1906 at the Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles. The Azusa Street Mission, as it was called, quickly became the center of the Apostolic Faith movement mainly through the publication of The Apostolic Faith newspaper. Seymour appointed Crawford as the state director of the Pacific Coast Apostolic Faith movement where she would help other missions and churches join the movement. While the exact date of Crawford's break with Seymour is disputed, it was complete by 1908. She began an independent work in Portland, Oregon, with the same name as Seymour's mission and most of the churches under her supervision followed her.^[3]

This considerably weakened Seymour's undisputed leadership of the Apostolic Faith movement as most of the churches which had fed the movement chose alignment with Crawford. According to Crawford, the separation was necessitated by rumors that Seymour had abandoned the Wesleyan position that entire sanctification was a second work of grace after conversion. Crawford's mission gained further influence when Clara Lum, editor of The Apostolic Faith, transferred the paper, under controversial circumstances, to the Portland mission in mid-1908.^[3] The Apostolic Faith would become the Higher Way at a later date and is still published.^[4]

Doctrine[link]

Through the years, the Apostolic Faith Church's leaders have maintained the doctrines outlined in Seymour's editions of the Apostolic Faith papers printed in 1906 through 1908. As a Trinitarian and fundamental church, their doctrinal position centers on a born-again experience, supports the Wesleyan teaching of holiness (Christian perfection), and stresses the need of sanctified believers to receive the Pentecostal experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Their teachings are in direct conflict with Calvinistic beliefs regarding sin, predestination, and eternal security.

The doctrinal statement of the Apostolic Faith Church can be found on the headquarters' website.^[5] The text of the page is reprinted below:

• The Divine Trinity consists of three Persons: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Ghost, perfectly united as one. Matthew 3:16-17; 1 John 5:7.
• Repentance is a godly sorrow for sin with a renunciation of sin. Isaiah 55:7; Matthew 4:17.
• Salvation is the act of God's grace whereby we receive forgiveness for sins and stand before God as though we had never sinned. Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17.
• Sanctification or Holiness, the act of God's grace whereby we are made holy, is the second definite work and is subsequent to justification. John 17:15-21; Hebrews 13:12.
• The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is the enduement of power from on high upon the clean, sanctified life, and is evidenced by speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5-8; 2:1-4.
• Divine Healing of sickness is provided through the atonement. James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24.
• The Second Coming of Jesus will be just as literal and visible as His going away. Acts 1:9-11. There will be two appearances under one coming: First, to catch away His waiting Bride. Matthew 24:40-44; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; second, to execute judgment upon the ungodly. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Jude 14-15.
• The Great Tribulation will occur between Christ's coming for His Bride and His return in judgment. Isaiah 26:20-21; Revelation 9 and 16.
• Christ's Millennial Reign is the literal 1000 years of peaceful reign by Jesus on earth. Isaiah 11 and 35.
• The Great White Throne Judgment is the final judgment when all the wicked dead will stand before God. Revelation 20:11-15.
• The New Heaven and The New Earth will replace the present heaven and earth, which will be destroyed after the Great White Throne Judgment. 2 Peter 3:12-13; Revelation 21:1-3.
• Eternal Heaven and Eternal Hell are literal places of final destiny, each as eternal as the other. Matthew 25:41-46; Luke 16:22-28.
• Marriage is for Life, a holy institution that is binding before God, giving neither partner liberty to marry again as long as the first companion lives. Mark 10:6-12; Romans 7:1-3.
• Restitution is subsequent to salvation, wherein wrongs against our fellowmen are made right in order to have a clear conscience before God and man. Ezekiel 33:15; Matthew 5:23-24.
• Water Baptism is by one immersion "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," as Jesus commanded. Matthew 3:16; 28:19.
• The Lord's Supper is an institution ordained by Jesus so that we might remember His death until He returns. Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23,26.
• Washing the Disciples' Feet is practiced according to the example and commandment Jesus gave. John 13:14-15.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} http://apostolicfaith.org/OurChurches/ChurchLocations.aspx, Retrieved April 23, 2012.
2. ^ The Association of Religious Data Archives profile on the Apostolic Faith Mission
3. ^ ^{a b} Robeck, Cecil M. (2006). The Azusa Street Mission and Revival: The Birth of the Global Pentecostal Movement. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.. pp. 297–310. ISBN 978-1-4185-0624-7. 
4. ^ http://apostolicfaith.org/OurFaith.aspx, Retrieved April 23, 2012.
5. ^ http://apostolicfaith.org/OurFaith/Doctrines.aspx, Retrieved April 23, 2012.

External links[link]

• Apostolic Faith's Headquarters Website
• Apostolic Faith's Africa Headquarters Website

Faith Church is a major Pentecostal church in Hungary. The community is one of Europe's largest pentecostal-evangelical Christian churches, and the country's fourth most supported church (based on the 1% tax designation to churches). It kept its official church status after the Orbán government's 2011 reduction^[1] of the number of churches.

Faith Church accepts the results and spiritual, moral values of both early Christianity and the Reformation, as well as other revival movements serving the progress of the Christian faith. Faith Church is a strong advocate of Christian Zionism, and well known for its commitment to support the State of Israel. ^[2]

History[link]

Faith Church was founded in 1979 by a group of seven Hungarian believers, led by Pastor Sándor Németh, who leads the church until today. The independent Pentecostal-Charismatic church could only conduct its worship services illegally during the years of the Communist regime. Its activities and leaders were monitored by the Communist secret service. By 1989, membership reached 2000 people. In 1989, the Hungarian State declared Faith Church a recognized denomination based on the 1895. XLIII. Act.

Today more than 60,000 believers regularly attend worship services. The weekly Sunday service of the Church is regularly broadcasted in live television. Based on the 1% tax designation to churches, Faith Church is the seventh^[3] most supported church in Hungary. However, according to the last census in Hungary ^[4] Faith Church was not among the four biggest churches.

Faith Church follows the biblical model of the self-supporting church. It does not receive any other financial support from the state, aside from the 1% tax designations for churches and the normatives available to schools.

There are about three hundred local church branches of Faith Church functioning all around the country and beyond the borders of Hungary. All neighboring countries, Germany and the U.S. have local Faith Churches as well. The majority of local churches hold worship services on privately owned property. The largest is Faith Hall located in Budapest, with a capacity of approximately ten thousand people. Local churches in Pécs, Debrecen, Nyíregyháza and Salgótarján are also housed in buildings that can accommodate more than a thousand people.

Faith Church maintains elementary schools in Budapest, Pécs, Nyíregyháza and Salgótarján and a kindergarten in Kecskemét. The state-accredited theological college, Saint Paul’s Academy functions in Budapest.

The Faith and Morals Cultural Foundation performs social services, provides aid to families, cares for the elderly and also pursues teaching, training, information distribution and cultural services.

References[link]

1. ^ Megvan a törvény: egyelőre 14 egyház a listán
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ http://www.apeh.hu/szja1_1/kimutat/2010_rend_egyh_kiem.html
4. ^ http://www.nepszamlalas2001.hu/hun/kotetek/05/diagram.html

External links[link]

• CBN: Pastor Moves on Atheistic Hungary
• Charisma Magazine: Breakthrough in Budapest
• Official site of Faith Church
• Faith Church TV Presentation