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The Fire-Baptized Holiness Church was a Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination in North America. Originating in 1895, most of the African American members withdrew forming the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas in 1908. In 1911, the church merged with the Pentecostal Holiness Church, forming a new denomination of the same name. This new church would later be known as the International Pentecostal Holiness Church.

History

It was founded in Iowa by Benjamin H. Irwin, and by 1898 the denomination had churches in eight states in the U.S. and in two Canadian provinces.^[1]

In 1900, the organization almost ceased to exist when Irwin lost his faith and left the church.^[1] Joseph H. King succeeded him as General Overseer. The early Pentecostal movement was not racially segregated, and King’s Assistant General Overseer was William E. Fuller, Sr., an African American.

After 1908, the denomination split on racial lines when Fuller left and started what would become the Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas. In 1911, the church merged with the Pentecostal Holiness Church and took the latter organization’s name even though the Fire-Baptized church was larger.^[1] The body resulting from the merger would be renamed the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1975.

Theological distinctives

The church was part of the Holiness movement and Irwin taught of a third blessing that came after salvation and sanctification. This third blessing would later be taught in the Azusa Street Revival as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, so that when Gaston B. Cashwell returned from Azusa Street back to the East Coast Holiness churches the Fire-Baptized Holiness had no need to change their theology.

Structure

At the First General Council in Anderson, South Carolina, the church was organized with authority centralized in the General Overseer who held office for life. The General Overseer appointed Ruling Elders to oversee the churches in each state, and he could also make pastoral appointments. ^[2]

References