Learn More About Us

History

Pentecostals get their name from the Bible events in Acts chapter two. One hundred and twenty of the Lord’s disciples had gathered after His resurrection in an upper room to pray and wait for the ‘promise of the Father.’ (You can read this story in the Book of Acts, chapters one and two). When the promise came it was on the Jewish holy day called Pentecost. All one hundred and twenty were ‘filled with the Holy Ghost’ and began to ‘speak with other tongues’ in that upper room. When the revelation and restoration of speaking in tongues came back to the modern church around 1900, those who received the Biblical evidence of speaking in tongues began to call themselves Pentecostals.

All Pentecostals, it seems, can trace their recent roots to events in Topeka, Kansas, and the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles, California. The outpouring of the Holy Ghost spread across America like wildfire at the turn of the 20th century as believers responded to the supernatural events surrounding the Day of Pentecost in the Book of Acts. “Tongue-talkers” were once a small minority but now make up the greatest percentage of all Christian believers.

The Sanctuary was born out of the Apostolic-Pentecostal movement that spread through Missouri last century. Apostolics are distinctive from other Pentecostal groups for their belief in One God, tongues as initial evidence of the Holy Ghost, and water baptism by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus.

In 1945, two Apostolic-Pentecostal organizations merged to form the United Pentecostal Church International, which is today the largest Apostolic-Pentecostal organization in the world, with constituents in at least 137 nations. The headquarters (World Evangelism Center) of the United Pentecostal Church International is located in St. Louis, MO, not far from our local church, as is Gateway College of Evangelism, one of seven Bible colleges in North America endorsed by the United Pentecostal Church International. Our pastor is president of the college.

The Sanctuary church family has a great vision for our city, our nation, and our world.

Purpose Statement:
Our motto, “a place to belong...a place to become” reveals our purpose: Turning people to Christ and pointing them to His purposes.

This reflects the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) that not only instructs us to lead people to Christ but to teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Paul told the Roman believers that a good life had two elements, loving God and living according to His purposes. The Sanctuary's theme is lifted from this scriptural idea:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV).

The Sanctuary's purpose is to win people to the Lord and then lead them to continually be searching for and incorporating His purposes in every area of life. Missing the relationship with Christ or missing His purposes for us results in a life that is not working together for good. One can see our purpose emanating from The Sanctuary's governing values & principles.

Governing Values & Principles:
  • We value Personal Devotions, Fasting, & Prayer.
  • We believe in the Apostles’ Doctrine as the plan of salvation (Acts 2:38).
  • We value Holiness as the Believer’s way of life.
  • We believe in continually Teaching and Searching God’s Word for His Purposes.
  • We value a culture of Praise & Worship as a vital door into the Lord’s presence.
  • We believe in personally participating in the Great Commission.
  • We value an atmosphere of Grace and Mercy by loving others as ourselves.
  • We believe Gift-based Ministry helps equip and engage believers into the harvest.
  • We believe in serving the needy, fatherless, widows, & strangers.
  • We believe that strong families are vital to the last day harvest.
  • We value Stewardship and Continuous Improvement in all aspects and ministries

The overall purpose and governing values shape an inspiring vision of The Sanctuary's future and role in the work of the Lord. We are striving to achieve this compelling vision by focusing the individual believer in a coordinated effort with the rest of the Body of Christ.

How The Sanctuary and its members are achieving the Vision
  • Believers as healers serving within our assembly and the community.
  • Apostolic Endeavors: Believers as harvesters evangelizing our city, our nation, & our world through evangelistic cells (Threefold Cord Groups), community service, multi-regional functions, support for local and foreign missions, and apostolic teams.
  • Ministries: Believers as helpers ministering to one another through the development of their gifts and callings by finding their place in a ministry structure that enables continual personal and organizational growth.
  • Relationship: Believers as husbandmen cultivating a maturing relationship with the Lord.

As each believer matures in his role as a healer, harvester, helper, and husbandman, the church can turn people to Christ and point them to His purposes.
Several prophecies and principles have confirmed The Sanctuary's vision and given clarity to this path. We will refresh and feed the work of God for other assemblies and be a source of inspiration and direction for those striving to do the will of God in the harvest. Another vital scripture that directs us is Proverbs 24:27: Prepare thy work without and make it fit for thyself in the field and afterwards build thine house. We have confidence that if we make the harvest our priority that God will help us build a physical complex that supports the vision.

The Sanctuary envisions a day when we are reaching the entire St. Louis Metro area with regional and daughter works that have the same burning passion. We envision a day when thousands of believers call The Sanctuary home. Our campus already serves as a source of strength for the work of God around the world.