Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America

The Pentecostal Fellowship of North America was formed by eight Pentecostal denominations in 1948 at Des Moines, Iowa. Before the Des Moines meeting, a rally was held in Washington, D.C., and plans for a constitution were formulated. Two of the leading figures of the Washington meeting were Bishop Joseph A. Synan and Oral Roberts.

The following were charter members of the PFNA:

• Assemblies of God USA
• Church of God (Cleveland)
• International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
• International Pentecostal Holiness Church
• Open Bible Standard Churches

The Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America was formed as part of a unification of charismatic and Pentecostal bodies and a movement toward racial reconciliation. Whereas the PFNA was formed to help bridge doctrinal divisions, the PCCNA set a broader goal of also the racial and cultural gaps. At a meeting in 1994 in Memphis, Tennessee, the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America was dissolved, and the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America was formed.

We are gathered here in Memphis, Tennessee, to return to our roots and to recapture the initiative of the Spirit. This will be a time of repentance for the sins of the past. This will be a time of forgiveness as we rely upon the wonderful grace of our loving Heavenly Father and mirror that grace in our relationships with one another. The time has come for reconciliation! The time has come to recapture our heritage! We gather here as the children of God and heirs of the twentieth century Pentecostal/charismatic renewal of the church. Our Father has called us to unity. - from an address of Bishop B. E. Underwood, Chairman of the PFNA, October, 1994

PURPOSES

1. To relate to one another as members of the body of Christ.
2. To demonstrate the essential unity of Spirit-filled believers in answer to the prayer of Jesus in John 17:21, “That they all may be one.”
3. To foster the evangelization of the world through the preaching of the gospel, with signs and wonders and the demonstration of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, by presenting Jesus Christ as the only Savior, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Coming King. (Mark 16:10-20)
4. To promote and encourage the Pentecostal/Charismatic revival and renewal in North America and throughout the world.
5. To serve as a forum of spiritual unity, dialogue, and fellowship for all Pentecostal and Charismatic believers in North America, crossing all cultural and racial lines based on mutual equality, love, respect, and sound doctrine. (Acts 2:42)
6. To preserve mutual love and respect for each member group, maintaining “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1)