Apostolic Faith Church

The Apostolic Faith Church of Portland, Oregon, also

Apostolic Faith Church
known as the Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland,
Oregon, is an international Holiness Pentecostal Classification Protestant
denomination of Christianity, with nationwide reach and Orientation Pentecostal
headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1] It
Theology Holiness
was founded in 1907 by Florence L. Crawford,[2] who
Pentecostal
was affiliated with William J. Seymour and the Azusa
Street Revival of Los Angeles, California. By 1908 Superintendent General Darrel D. Lee
Crawford had independently founded what would become Region 37 countries
the Apostolic Faith Church. Since July 2000, the
Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith Church has Headquarters Portland,
been Darrel Lee. Oregon, U.S.
Founder Florence L.
The Apostolic Faith Church has a presence in the United Crawford
States, Canada and across Africa, Asia, Europe, Central
and South America, and Australia.[3] In 2023, the AFC Origin 1907
had 2,396 churches served by 3,551 clergy across the Portland,
globe.[3] There are thirteen churches in Canada, fifty-nine Oregon
in the United States, over one thousand in Africa, thirty Branched from Azusa Street
throughout the Philippines, Korea, and Japan, fifty-four Revival
across Europe, and over one hundred in the Caribbean.[3]
Separations Apostolic Church
Church-affiliated groups also regularly assemble in other
parts of the world and recently include India. In some (1916)
locations, member churches carry the name Trinity Congregations 715+
Apostolic Faith Church in order to differentiate Members 5,000+
themselves from non-affiliated churches in the same
area.[3] Official website apostolicfaith.org
(https://www.apo
stolicfaith.org/)
History
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 Holiness Pentecostal 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. Crawford's break with Seymour was complete by 1911. 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.[4]

This considerably weakened Seymour's undisputed leadership of the burgeoning Pentecostal 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.[4] The Apostolic Faith title changed to the Light of
Hope and then The Higher Way before reverting back to The Apostolic Faith in 2017, and it is still
published today.[3]

As part of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company received between $150,000 and $350,000 in federally
backed small business loans from Columbia State Bank as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. The
company stated it would allow them to retain an unstated number of jobs.[5]

Doctrine
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; the Apostolic Faith Church teaches conditional
security with respect to salvation. The Apostolic Faith Church affirms the doctrine of outward holiness, in
which modesty in speech and dress is emphasized (including the non-use of jewelry), along with abstinence
from alcohol and tobacco. 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.[6] 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.
Entire 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.

The denomination teaches that speaking in tongues is only acceptable in a human language, but one which
the person speaking has never learned. They do not take a collection during services but have containers
where donations can be deposited. Membership is not by formally joining the church but when one is
"saved" one is considered a member. They are one of the early groups that had bus ministries, ministries to
ships, nursing homes, street meetings, and jail meetings.

Literature is printed in many languages and is free. All literature is prayed over for the recipients to receive
healing and answers to prayers from God. Services include instrumental and vocal music, congregational
singing of hymns, a time for individuals to share personal testimonies, Scripture reading, and an inspired
message based on the Bible. Many of the churches have a choir and orchestra. A prayer meeting is held
before every service, and all meetings end with an altar call, with the altar being benches at the front of the
sanctuary where everyone is invited to come pray together. Ministers are not formally trained but are
chosen by elders who laid hands on the person after it was believed they were called.

References
1. Gillick, Jeremy (July 8, 2008). "Darrel Lee: Portland pastor builds near-term empire, fears
long-term locusts" (https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-9239-darrel-lee.html). Willamette
Week. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
2. Blumhofer, Edith L. (2002). "Apostolic Faith Mission (Portland, OR)". In Stanley M. Burgess
(ed.). The new international dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements (Rev. and
expanded ed.). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House. p. 327. ISBN 0310224810.
3. "apostolicfaith.org"[1] (https://www.apostolicfaith.org/world-report)
4. 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.
5. Syed, Moiz; Willis, Derek. "APOSTOLIC FAITH MISSION OF PORTLAND OR - Coronavirus
Bailouts - ProPublica" (https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/apostolic-fa
ith-mission-of-portland-or-464e55def638ed3ebc150ade99ce4aa0). ProPublica. Retrieved
July 8, 2020. "Columbia State Bank"
6. https://www.apostolicfaith.org/our-faith

External links
Apostolic Faith's Headquarters Website (http://www.apostolicfaith.org)
Apostolic Faith's West and Central Africa Headquarters Website (http://www.apostolicfaithw
eca.org)

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