In September 1945, members of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ and the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated met in St. Louis and voted to merge the two organizations, forming the United Pentecostal Church. From September 23–26, members of what is now known as the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) will return to St. Louis to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of that historic event during the organization’s annual General Conference.
The original merger conference was held at Kiel Auditorium, an arena that has since been replaced. General Conference 2025 will take place at America’s Center, less than a mile from where the UPCI was founded. The organization has maintained its World Headquarters in the St. Louis area for its entire history.
“This is a significant milestone in the history of our fellowship, so it is fitting to host this General Conference here at home,” said UPCI General Superintendent Dr. David K. Bernard. “We have many churches in the surrounding area, and we are expecting a strong turnout to help us celebrate what God has done during the past eighty years.”
When the UPCI formed in 1945, it consisted of 521 churches in North America and had a missions presence in nine additional nations. Over the decades, the organization has grown tremendously and today has nearly 6.2 million constituents worshiping in more than 45,000 churches across 203 nations and numerous territories. In the United States and Canada, the UPCI has approximately one million constituents in 5,132 churches. Its current World Headquarters is in Weldon Spring, Missouri, on the western edge of the St. Louis area.
The UPCI’s annual General Conference features passionate worship, inspiring preaching, and practical seminars designed to equip ministers and church leaders. The organization’s annual business meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 24, and Dr. Bernard is scheduled to deliver a keynote address the following evening.
All services will be streamed live on the UPCI’s YouTube channel. A complete schedule of events and services is available at UPCIGC.net/schedule.
In addition to worship and business sessions, the conference also features exhibits from various North American ministries.
Registration for General Conference 2025 is free and is required for entry into all services. Attendees can register online at upcigc.net/registration or in-person at the door.
St. Louis has hosted the UPCI’s General Conference eleven times previously, most recently in 2014. The 2020 conference was scheduled to take place in St. Louis but was moved to an online-only format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next year’s General Conference will be held September 29 to October 2, 2026, in Salt Lake City, Utah. A list of future General Conference dates and locations is available at upcigc.net/conference-dates.
With roots anchored firmly in the Bible and a vision to reach people worldwide, the UPCI continues its mission to carry the whole gospel to the whole world by the whole church. Today, it remains one of the fastest-growing faith communities in the world. To learn more, visit UPCI.org.
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