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2.4 How ACOP Came into Existence
Of the original purposes listed for the formation of the ACOP, which stands out to you as the most interesting, and why?
- To establish and carry on a church for the worship of God to be known as "Apostolic Church of Pentecost" and for this purpose to develop the work of such Church in all its branches in Canada;
- (For such purposes) to buy, acquire, hold, sell or lease real estate or personal property, and to build upon, improve or otherwise develop real property;
- To sell or otherwise dispose of the property of the Corporation, or any part thereof, as the Corporation may think fit;
- To carry on home and foreign missionary work for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ;
- To engage in philanthropic work of any kind;
- To print, publish, distribute and sell and buy Christian literature, periodicals, pamphlets, booklets, books and other writings for the furtherance of the work of the Corporation;
- To solicit, collect and accept moneys or funds, or other subscriptions of money or goods for carrying on the work of the Corporation and any other Christian or benevolent purpose
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31 Replies
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The most interesting purpose to me is number Four “To carry on home and foreign missionary work for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This stands out because it highlights the ACOP’s commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission, spreading the message of Jesus Christ, and serving communities both locally and globally. This purpose reflects the organization’s passion for evangelism, discipleship, and serving humanity, which is at the heart of its mission and identity.
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Number 4 stands out to me because it is the only one that explicitly states an evangelistic/gospel-centered focus for the ACOP. Of course, all the pragmatic reasons for the founding of ACOP can be seen as a way of mobilizing funds and resources to further God’s Kingdom, however, the explicit reference to evangelism and mission here is important (I would even say necessary). Without this distinctive, I’m not sure there would be much in ACOP’s purposes that would set it apart from other charitable organizations.
I will add that the emphasis on printing and distributing written material is interesting. I can’t decide if it was reactionary to the Trinitarian theology of PAOC, or if they saw it as a means of evangelism/education for their churches and ministries (or perhaps as a way to generate more income). -
I do find it interesting that being able to buy and sell land was a huge component of why they wanted to form the ACOP. I understand the desire to build Churches expand that way, but it is interesting to me that having Church buildings was a priority. This is maybe just different for me as I know of many in ACOP circles now that really like the idea of house Church movements in a way to go back to how the earliest Churches grew in the Bible.
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The first purpose is the one that stands out to me as in previous videos in the Vision and Culture Course, Wes spoke a lot about the ACOP as a fellowship not a denomination. It’s interesting to me to consider whether Franklin Small or any of the signatories had this view of a fellowship in mind, or if they were as Wes hinted at, perhaps a bit more reactionary to the PAOC. Given the latitude for difference in the current statement of faith the narrative commentary, and both of their recognitions of different orders of truths or positions, I wonder what Franklin Small would make of that today, and how he would have navigated the self governing nature of the ACOP churches today, and if that was what they had in mind.
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