The Elim Pentecostal Church is a growing Movement of more than 550 Christian congregations in the UK and Ireland.
Elim was founded in 1915 by George Jeffreys, a young Christian from Maesteg in South Wales. Jeffreys and a group of friends, known as the Elim Evangelistic Band, preached, started churches and witnessed a move of God that was characterised by miraculous healings and an explosion in the number of people becoming Christians.
History
George Jeffreys (1889–1962), a Welshman from Maesteg, founded the Elim Pentecostal Church in Monaghan, Ireland in 1915. Jeffreys was an evangelist with a Welsh Congregational Church background. He became a Christian at age 15 during the Welsh Revival of 1904. Between 1915 and 1934, Jeffreys was extremely active as a revivalist, and preached to large crowds throughout the UK.
The church was brought together, first as the Elim Evangelistic Band, but this was changed to Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance when the Deed Poll was registered in April 1934. The name ‘Elim’ was taken from the account in the Book of Exodus in the Bible, chapter 15, verse 27, where the Israelites, leaving the bondage of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, found an oasis called Elim:
“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.” This represented a place of refreshing and it was thought appropriate for a revival movement at that time.
In a world that can feel like a desert, our 21st-century churches seek to be a place of spiritual resource within their communities.
On the night of June 23, 1978, eight British missionaries and four young children connected with the Elim Mission in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) were killed by guerrilla fighters.
Doctrine
Elim Pentecostal beliefs include: the Bible as divinely inspired; the triune nature of the Godhead; the divinity, virgin birth, humanity, sinless life, substitutionary atonement; bodily resurrection, present intercession, and second coming of Jesus; the universal sinfulness of mankind; the work of the Holy Spirit in conviction, repentance, regeneration and sanctification; the baptism of the Holy Spirit “with signs following”; that salvation is received by faith alone and evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit. The baptism of believers by immersion and Communion are held to be ordinances.
Organisation
Elim has experienced steady growth and now numbers over 500 churches in the UK and almost 9000 worldwide. Kensington Temple of London is the largest church in the denomination and claims to reach over 15,000 people weekly. In addition to its work with churches, the International Mission Board operates hospitals, orphanages, and schools in 35 countries. The church operates Regents Theological College in Malvern, Worcestershire.
The authority of governance of the church is rested in the annual Conference. Guidance of the denomination is placed in the National Leadership Team and the General Superintendent between sessions. Chris Cartwright has served as General Superintendent since 2016. Elim headquarters is in Malvern, alongside its Bible College. Elim became a founding member of the Pentecostal Churches of the United Kingdom in 1998. It has been a member of the Evangelical Alliance for many years.
Though the local congregations are commonly and popularly known as Elim Pentecostal Churches, the legal name of the denomination is still Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance, which is based on the church’s stand for four fundamental truths – “Jesus Christ as the Saviour, Healer, Baptiser in the Holy Spirit, and Coming King.”
