Pentecostal Women in Ministry: Ambiguity and Affirmation in the PAOC

Pentecostal Preaching Woman

Some Pentecostals are proud to say that Pentecostals affirm women in ministry. They might point to the leadership of the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles (one of the most influential centers of early North American Pentecostalism), where about half of the leaders were women. As Pentecostal denominations formed, some churches continued to give prominent place to women leaders. Most, however, placed restrictions on women’s ministry and leadership in some form […]

The Changing of the PAOC’s Statement of Faith … Again [with Video]

History of the PAOC Statement of Faith SOFET

The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) is in a process of again refreshing its Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths (SOFET). The denomination has a long history of refreshing its statement of faith, even with minor revisions as recent as 2014. This time the PAOC’s Theological Study Commission has begun steps toward refreshing the whole […]

Shaking and “Slain” in the Spirit: Historical Reflections

One might think that the experiences of being slain in the Spirit (or “falling under the power of God”) or trembling in the presence of God have only happened in the last hundred years during the contemporary pentecostal-charismatic movement. However, there is a long history of such experiences and they are no stranger to the […]