The United Pentecostal Church International saw an increase of 341 ministers in 2022, pushing the total number of credentialed ministers in North America to 11,267, the highest total in the organization’s history.
This 3.1 percent increase in the number of credentialed ministers is the largest since 2002, when the UPCI grew by 355 ministers, a 4.1 percent increase over the previous year.
“In a time when many churches are declining and many young adults are turning away from Christianity, the increase in ministers demonstrates that the UPCI is alive and well,” said General Superintendent Dr. David K. Bernard. “Having more ministers also helps us be more effective in reaching our world and in planting new churches.”
The UPCI had a total of 1,838 ministers when it was formed from a merger of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ and the Pentecostal Church Incorporated in 1945. That number has increased steadily over the years and eclipsed 10,000 ministers in 2016.
The demographic makeup of the UPCI’s ministerial constituency has become increasingly diverse. Almost 20 percent of UPCI pastors identify as Hispanic, African American or Black, Asian, or Native American. That number is expected to continue climbing as members of the UPCI’s increasingly diverse constituent base respond to God’s call to enter the ministry. At present, nearly 40 percent of UPCI constituents in North America are nonwhite. Globally, the UPCI is predominantly nonwhite.
At the close of 2022, the UPCI had 4,176 self-governing churches in North America, as well as 450 daughter works (new churches that operate under the direction of an established congregation) and 227 preaching points (a regularly scheduled service or meeting intended to be the first step toward establishing a daughter work).
Globally, the UPCI has 39,948 ministers serving 42,522 churches in 238 nations and territories.
UPCI Research and Development is responsible for compiling all minister and church statistics. For additional information, visit UPCI.org/stats.
English 
Español de México 
Français 
