A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

A History of Christian Doctrine
In summary, the Oneness Pentecostals as a group
denounced racial prejudice and tried harder and longer
than any other group to overcome the social pressures of
racism. The reasons for the whites leaving in 1924 and
the blacks leaving in 1938 were not trivial and should not
simply be dismissed as prejudice. Nevertheless, it is
unfortunate that a better solution could not have been
found—one that would have confronted the culture with
the radical claims of the gospel. The PAW and later the
PAJC were perhaps the most integrated bodies in America
at the time, and perhaps American history itself could
have been affected had the ministers been able to elevate
their vision beyond the difficulties of the time to see the
plan of God for racial reconciliation.
The United Pentecostal Church International
In short, by 1938 there were two sizeable white
Oneness organizations that were almost identical in structure,
doctrine, and practice: the Pentecostal Church
Incorporated (PCI) and the Pentecostal Assemblies of
Jesus Christ (PAJC). After some unsuccessful attempts, in
1945 they merged to form the United Pentecostal Church,
which immediately became the largest Oneness
Pentecostal organization in the world. The general superintendent
of the PCI, Howard Goss, became the first general
superintendent of the new organization. The general
superintendent of the PAJC, W. T. Witherspoon, became
the assistant general superintendent. At the time of the
merger, there were approximately 400 churches. (The first
directory, in 1947, listed 617 churches, and the annual
increase in the 1940s was around 100 churches per
year. 95 )
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