| International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Theology | Pentecostal |
| Governance | Cooperative body of congregations, organized into geographic districts with district overseers, and a collective annual convention and business meeting |
| Associations | National Association of Evangelicals andPentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America |
| Full communion | Assemblies of God in Italy Canadian Assemblies of God Christian Congregation |
| Region | United States, affiliates worldwide |
| Founder | Louis Francescon |
| Origin | 1927 (with heritage dating to 1901)[1] Niagara Falls,New York |
| Congregations | Over 3,000 worldwide[2] |
| Members | Over 210,000 worldwide[3] |
| Official website | www.ifcaministry.org |
TheInternational Fellowship of Christian Assemblies (IFCA), formerly known as theChristian Church of North America (CCNA), is a North AmericanPentecostal denomination with roots in theItalian-American community, but is now a multicultural denomination. Central offices are located inTransfer,Pennsylvania.[4] Ministries of the church include Benevolence, Home Missions, FOCUS, Foreign Missions, Education, Lay Ministries, and Public Relations. A convention is held annually,[5] and their official publication isVista, a quarterly magazine.[6] Membership in 2000 was about 7,200 in 96 churches in the United States. They also have thousands of affiliated congregations internationally in Africa, Australia,[7] Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia with a strong presence in India with over 100,000 members in over 1,000 churches.[8] Brother Rick George is the general overseer of the denomination.[9]
The International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies is part of the largerPentecostal movement that began in the United States during the first part of the 20th century and is rooted in a revival movement among the ethnic Italians inChicago. ReverendLouis Francescon organized the first Italian-American Pentecostal church there in 1907 after hearing Pentecostal preacherWilliam Howard Durham and having experienced theBaptism of the Holy Spirit. William Durham had prophesied that Francescon had been divinely appointed to bring the Pentecostal message to the Italian people.[10] The IFCA remains committed to evangelism to people and communities with Italian roots, but is now a multicultural denomination and holds strongly to the mission of theGreat Commission.[11] Francescon, Pietro Ottolini, and several other early Italian-immigrant Pentecostals soon traveled to Brazil and Italy in order to evangelize toItalian communities outside of the United States. Reverend Francesco Emma (1875–1948) started the first church inNew York City for Italianimmigrants. News outlets at the time reported that his funeral lasted five days as seven thousand people visited from various parts of the world. The Rev. Joseph Giordano (1890-1955), continued with an Italian and later English ministry in Jersey City, New Jersey from 1927 through the 1950s. Following his passing, the Rev Biagio Parisi (1914-1992) continued the Jersey City ministry. The Rev. Joseph De Mola (1912–1987), who had come out of the Rev Joseph Giordano's ministry, continued with an Italian and English ministry inStaten Island during the 1950s and 1960s. The first convention of theItalian Pentecostal Movement was called inNiagara Falls, New York, in 1927, where the group adopted articles of faith and organized into a cooperative fellowship known as theUnorganized Italian Christian Churches of the United States. This helped build the movement into a cohesive whole. Later, the fellowship slightly modified its name to theItalian Christian Churches of North America. By the 1940s, "Italian" was dropped, in order to convey the message that its message was not just restricted to Italians. In 1948, the movement wasincorporated inPennsylvania asThe Missionary Society of the Christian Church of North America. In 1963, the body was restructured as theGeneral Council of the Christian Church of North America. In 2006, it adopted its current name.[1][12][13]
The IFCA is conservative and Pentecostal in their beliefs and practices. They stress order in their congregations when it comes to manifestations of the Holy Spirit among the congregants. Explaining their desire for order, the IFCA says that they "frankly abhor the excesses tolerated or practiced among the churches using the same name [of Pentecostalism]."[14] The denomination's first General Council in 1927 had a mural which read, "Let all things be done decently and in order," a quotation from I Corinthians 14:40.[15] The IFCA deems themselves a "Full Gospel Church", but this should not be confused with thefour-fold Full Gospel concept found in some other Pentecostal denominations. They explain the Full Gospel as meaning that they "embrace every doctrine of the New Testament."[14]
The beliefs of the IFCA are set forth in their 13-point "Articles of Faith" which was originally set forth in 1927, but its wording and focus has been modified over the years.[14] These articles are deemed "binding upon all members" who are affiliated with the IFCA. Below is a summary of these articles:
Despite the IFCA descending fromFinished Work Pentecostalism ofWilliam Durham instead ofWesleyan Holiness, they put an emphasis onBiblical Holiness. The IFCA believes "in the necessity of living a consistent life marked by obedience of God's Word, holiness, and evidencing godly spiritual fruit" and they give specific definitions for what they see as Biblical Marriage and Sexuality, speaking out against homosexuality, transgenderism, and gay marriage.[16] Sister denominations such as theChristian Congregation in Brazil also focus on outward Holiness in dress and lack of beards, but the IFCA generally lacks this focus, instead detailing the avoidance of "sinful pleasures, practices and associations." In earlier editions of their Articles of Faith, it contained a rare statement which is a belief to "abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, and from things strangled,"[17] citing theCouncil of Jerusalem inActs 15. It remains on some websites affiliated with the IFCA. This statement dates to early debates in the denomination's history where different leaders discussed whether or not the Council of Jerusalem regulations were currently binding to Christians. TheChristian Congregation Movement andAssemblies of God in Italy, also founded by Louis Francescon and Italian-ancestry Pentecostals, likewise contain articles of faith related to the Jerusalem Council.[18][19]
The IFCA is a Cooperative Fellowship of member congregations and ministries unified under their Articles of Faith and mutual cooperation. As a whole the IFCA operates under apresbyterian polity with an executive board composed of 13 offices and a general overseer. On the local level, churches hold a high level of autonomy (Congregationalist polity) and are "free to adopt administrative rules and regulations."[14] In the United States, IFCA churches are assigned to geographical districts, each with a district overseer. As of 2000, there were approximately 7,200 congregants in 96 member churches. By 2020, despite growth overseas, the number of member churches in the United States had dropped to 69 congregations.[20] Presently there are 7 districts:[21]
While the majority of district members are physical church congregations, district fellowship members also include ministries focused on overseas activities which are headquartered from the United States. These include ministries which operate orphanages, Bible schools, and hospitals in other countries.[23] The IFCA also operates a Bible college and seminary inRichmond Heights, Ohio, which offers bachelor's and master's degrees in partnership with the SUM Bible College.[24]
While based out of the United States, the IFCA is in fellowship/affiliation with ministries and groups internationally. This global structure includes churches, orphanages, Bible colleges, schools, and food programs. These fellowship members are geared towards a common goal, which includes the Great Commission of evangelism, and are united in certain doctrinal points.[25] Below are some of the global statistics per region according to the IFCA's global missions department:
While not in official fellowship, the IFCA has strong cooperative ties with other Pentecostal groups also founded by Louis Francescon such as theAssemblies of God in Italy and theChristian Congregation in Brazil.[28]
The IFCA holds to interdenominationalecumenism with Christian groups of "like precious faith".[14] They are members of theNational Association of Evangelicals and thePentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America.[29]
41°19′7″N80°24′44″W / 41.31861°N 80.41222°W /41.31861; -80.41222