A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

Oneness Pentecostal Organizations
formal association was short-lived (until 1925), it marked
the transition to a definitely trinitarian organization.
Frank Small, one of the founders of the PAOC, felt
betrayed by this change of doctrine and affiliation. In
1921, he led ten Oneness ministers out of the PAOC and
founded the Apostolic Church of Pentecost of Canada
(ACPC) as a Oneness organization. It is unique among
historic Oneness organizations in that it teaches unconditional
eternal security, which Small strongly advocated. In
1953, the ACPC was joined by the Evangelical Churches
of Pentecost, a group that included many who taught “the
triunity of the Godhead” (in distinction to the trinity).
Consequently, there is considerable latitude on the doctrine
of God, but the key points of identity are the
Pentecostal experience, baptism in Jesus’ name, and eternal
security. In 1998, the reported constituency in Canada
was 14,000 and worldwide was 42,000.
Almost all the Pentecostals in the Maritime Provinces
embraced the Oneness message. Most of them joined the
ACPC and then later went to the United Pentecostal
Church, which is now the largest Oneness group in
Canada. A number of Oneness ministers, particularly in
Ontario, stayed in the PAOC until the leadership forced
them out in 1940. Most of them also eventually joined the
United Pentecostal Church.
Racial Division
Back in the United States, the segregation laws of the
South put tremendous pressure on the PAW. Most of the
black ministers resided in the North, and all conferences
had to be held in the North due to segregated accommodations
in the South. Most Southern ministers, however,
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