This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 217.40.142.181 (talk) at 19:11, 31 October 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 19:11, 31 October 2006 by 217.40.142.181 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | It has been suggested that this article be merged with Pentecostal Mission. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2006. |
 | The topic of this article may not meet Misplaced Pages's general notability guideline. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. Find sources: "The Pentecostal Mission" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Misplaced Pages. See Misplaced Pages's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The Pentecostal Mission, also known as Ceylon Pentecostal mission is a pentecostal christian denomination.
The mission was founded in Colombo, Sri Lanka by a Hindu convert Ramankutty alias Pastor Paul in the year 1924. Over the years, the church spread to many parts of Sri Lanka and India and later to the Americas, Europe, Africa, Carribean Islands, Middle East, South Asia, Australia and neighbouring islands.
The International head quarters of The Pentecostal Mission is situated in Irumbaliyur, Chennai, India. Pastor T.U. Thomas serves as the Chief Pastor and Pastors Wesley and Wilson as Associate/Deputy Pastors.
History
Conversion of Pastor Paul
He was born in the year 1881 to Hindu parents in the district of Trichur in Kerala, a southern state in India. While in Sri Lanka, at the age of 18, he got to know Jesus Christ personally, and there he became a christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. From then on Ramankutty dedicated himself to praying to and meditating on Jesus Christ without the knowledge of his parents.
Then in the year 1902, at the age of twenty two, he had a personal encounter with Jesus which changed the course of his life. He no more was a hidden christian but he openly confessed about his faith in Jesus and was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Ghost. At baptism he was given the name Paul.
Origin of Ceylon Pentecostal Mission
Later Paul felt a strong call from the Lord for his life and began to preach and share the gospel in various parts of Kerala. In the initial stages he was helping Robert F. Cook, a foreign evenglist in interpreting the gospel in South Indian languages. Later, Paul felt that he had been called for a higher calling and so he obeyed the Lord in doing so according to the revelation that he received from God and founded the Ceylon Pentecostal Mission in 1924. He passed away in the year 1948.
Name Change and Expansion
In the year 1983,due to the LTTE movement in Sri Lanka, issues arose with the name "Ceylon Pentecostal Mission" and therefore had to be changed to The Pentecostal Mission (TPM). Today the church is known by different names in different countries, but all stand under the banner of "The Pentecostal Mission". In the United States the church is known as "New Testament Church" and is head quartered in Newark, New Jersey. It has its annual convention in July at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. In the United Kingdom it is known as "Universal Pentecostal Church". In other parts of the world, the church is known by the following names:
· Pentecostal Church of Malaysia
· Pentecostal Church of Singapore
· The Universal Pentecostal Church - Great Britain
· Eglise de Pentecote Primitive – France
· Grace New Covenant Pentecostal Church – Canada
· New Testament Church – Trinidad & Tobago
· Iglesia Communion Cristiana – Puerto Rico
· Iglesia Communion Cristiana – Dominican Republic
· New Testament Church – Sierra Leone
· New Covenant Pentecostal Church – Australia
· New Testament Church– Papua New Guinea
· New Testament Church – Nepal
· New Testament Church – Fiji
· Iglesia del Nueva Testamento – Mexico
· Iglesia Communion Cristiana – El Salvador
· Iglesia Communion Cristiana – Costa Rica
· New Testament Church - Kenya
· Christliche Gnaden Gemeinde – Switzerland
· Neue Testament Kirche – Germany
Leadership and Ministry
The leadership of this church is very different from other churches. Three elders, namely the Chief Pastor and 2 Associate Pastors are in charge of this worldwide ministry. They ordain Center Pastors in charge of regional churches. Every regional center oversees several local assemblies. Another senior minister is ordained to oversee the work in the Americas and Europe. Candidates choosing to serve in the full time ministry are selected and ordained by laying on of hands by the Chief Pastors, said to be under the direction and anointing of the Holy Spirit. While most of the ministers are celibates, a few married couples answer the call to full time ministry too. In India and other Asian countries the ministers are easily identified by theirwhite attire. In the western countries they adopted a formal western attire.
Doctrines and teachings
The doctrines of the church include: Salvation, Water Baptism, Baptism of Holy Spirit as evidenced by the gift of tongues and other gifts, Seperation, Sanctication, Holiness & Perfection. Divine healing is one of the unique teachings of this church. They teach and practice healing for physical ailments solely by putting their faith in God and not resorting to medicine or human help. Another area of emphasis is Holy Living and an Overcoming Life necessary to be ready for the imminent rapture of the church.
International Conventions
The International convention is held in Tamil Nadu every year and people from all over the world participate in this event. One of the largest pentecostal conventions in India takes place here every March/April, where a crowd of over 100,000 worshipers attend for a single meeting. All the people who come are freely fed three square meals a day and basic accommodations are provided free of cost for 5 days.
Every year in the month of November an International Youth Camp is held in the same place Irumbaliyur , Chennai, India. Young people converge in this place from different parts of the world.
Other Activities
The church has a Magazine ministry where magazines in several languages are printed and distributed to subscribers. The english magazine published from India is called Voice of Pentecost. Pilgrims Journal is another magazine which is published and printed in USA.
Tract Ministry
Tracts of different kinds and various life issues are also published and printed in Chennai , India where the headquarters is situated.These tracts address topics like Peace, questions about life and about healings.
Publications
Other than Voice of Pentecost and Pilgrims Journal there are also a lot of books being published by the church to let them know the truths and belief's of this church. The following are some of the publications:
- Biography of Pastor Paul Ramnkutty(also includes biographies of other Pastor's after Pastor Paul)
- Divine healing
- The Second Comming of Christ
- Baptism of the Holy Spirit
- Annointing of the Holy Spirit
- God,Angels and Man
- Repentance
List of chief Pastors
List of Chief Pastors from Pastor Paul founder of TMP/ NTC
- Pastor Paul Ramankutty (Founder and Chief Pastor)
- Pastor Fradey Paul (Chief Pastor)
- Pastor A .C. Thomas (the embezzler and paedophile)
- Pastor Philip Chandapilla
- Pastor S .B. Earnest
- Pastor Jacob Ratnasingham
- Pastor C .K. Lazarus (Chief Pastor)
- Pastor P .M. Thomas (Chief Pastor)
- Pastor T.U.Thomas ( Present Chief Pastor)
Bibliography
- Biography of Pastor Paul - TPM.
- http://www.apts.edu/ajps/05-1/05-1-RHedlund.pdf
- http://www.missionstudies.org/conference/1papers/fp/Roger_Hedlund_Full_Paper.pdf