{"id":16,"date":"2014-07-30T20:47:50","date_gmt":"2014-07-30T20:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2026-05-20T14:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:10:55","slug":"archives","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/archives\/","title":{"rendered":"Archives & Research Center"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to the IPHC Archives and Research Center<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

\"Light is sown for the righteous.\" (Psalm 98:11, NIV)<\/h2>\n

\"Light\" can mean God's wisdom, guidance, knowledge, favor, direction. \"Sown\" means someone went ahead of you and planted.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It's humble work. It's hard work. It is work that does not get a spotlight or receive applause. On this website, you will find some of the history of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. These people of vision cared for you and your future. <\/span>They were the ones in the pulpit and they were the ones in the pews. <\/span>They were the ones who set foot on foreign lands and the ones who faithfully tithed to carry out God's work. Inspired by God, empowered by faith, emboldened by prayer, and ignited by the Holy Spirit, <\/span>they laid the very path you walk upon as are a part of the IPHC family of faith. <\/span><\/p>\n

When we look ahead, our eyes should be on Christ and our feet should be energized by our history. <\/span><\/p>\n

When we ignore our history, we limit our harvest and dim the light. Our past invites us into our future. The Word says: \"You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name \" in Psalm 61:5. Our family is more than those related to us or the friends we have been blessed with; our family is our local church, our conference, our denomination, our international affiliates. Our heritage is evidence of God's hand on our lives. When we lay aside our history, we lay aside the testimonies of His people. <\/span><\/p>\n

But why would we do that? <\/span><\/p>\n

We are a people who have influenced the world. Acts 1:8 says \"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.\u201d Indeed, our heritage stretches all the way back to the Upper Room. The evidence of God's work lies within our books, our sermons, our programs, our conferences, and the testimonies of our people, and we have carefully gathered many of these things in our vaults and are endeavoring to share them with all of you online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I invite you to treasure the archives we protect and to appreciate the vision G. F. Taylor had in 1921 when he understood we had to preserve our history even as it was unfolding in its early years. <\/span><\/p>\n

God has blessed and provided for the IPHC. We must treasure what has been left to us as a witness of the leading of the Good Shepherd, we must study our roots, and we must let our heritage continue to inform how we bring God's light to the lost. We must continue to collect archival treasures for the future, and we must try to remember that everyone in the IPHC is important here. Whether you are new or whether your family goes back a couple of generations, you are valued. You belong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who we are today is just a moment in the middle of a very long future. I invite you to explore this website and to be encouraged by what God has done through His people. <\/span><\/p>\n

I also invite you to share your histories with us. Leave the evidence of you or your family's testimony for those who come after you. Your lives, your sacrifices, your calling inspires others!<\/span><\/p>\n

Malachi 3:16, Psalm 16:6, Joshua 4:1-6<\/p>\n

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Join us for the Archives Breakfast<\/h1>\n

Friday, July 17, 2026 from 7:00-8:30 a.m.<\/h2>\n

Special speaker: Rev. Zach Tomlinson<\/h2>\n

2026 General Conference<\/a><\/h2>\n

Register online, beginning in January 2026: Open now!<\/h2>\n

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Follow us on Facebook<\/a><\/h1>\n

Rev. Cherie McDade, the Archives Administrative Assistant, is the one who posts 99% of our social media. Every week, she goes into the vaults and prays to find something to encourage and to interest you. Please consider joining us online! We have over 1,300 followers.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Visit our Online Library Database<\/a><\/h1>\n

Videos *\u00a0 Recorded Sermons * Sermon Outlines * Full Text Books and Documents * Photos * Historical Items * And More!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking for sermons to read or to hear? Videos? Books to read? Photos? We have well over 2,000 items in our online library, and we are adding to this every week. If you need a book, check here first and see if we have it linked as a pdf. If you are new to using this resource, please watch this <\/span>short video<\/a> to learn how.\u00a0We have over 3,000 items here, and we have linked to Flickr photo albums with several thousands of pictures as well.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Summary of Online Inventory<\/a><\/p>\n

Link to our online inventory as of January 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

The Pentecostal Consortium<\/a><\/h1>\n

The Advocate * IPHC Manuals * IPHC Minutes * The IPHC Experience * The Fire-Baptized *<\/h3>\n

Holmes Bible College: Life Sketches and Sermons by N. J. Holmes * Altamont Witness (1911-1918)<\/span><\/h3>\n

* Herald of Truth (1928) *<\/span><\/h3>\n

Other Pentecostal Denominations<\/h3>\n

Looking for a copy of an Advocate? For church minutes? Manuals? For the IPHC Experience? Search thousands of pages relevant to our history, and that of the Fire Baptized, on the <\/span>Pentecostal Consortium<\/a>. <\/span>Here's a <\/span>short video<\/a> showing you how to find what you need on this important resource.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Society of Pentecostal Studies Library and Archives Committee created this Webinar on the Pentecostal Consortium<\/a><\/p>\n

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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Can't find it?<\/h1>\n

If you don't see the book you need linked to our online library, you should see if you can get it by interlibrary loan. First, search World Cat<\/a> for books and other items. <\/span>Need help? Please watch this <\/span>short video<\/a> explaining how to get a printed copy of a book you need for study or research using this database. <\/span>If the book is not available by interlibrary loan, please email Dr. Welch with what you need.<\/p>\n

________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Dr. Kristen Welch, Director of Archives and Research<\/h3>\n

Education<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Doctorate in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English (University of Arizona, 2007)<\/p>\n

Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies (Louisiana State University, May 2025)<\/p>\n

Statement of Faith<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Service:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vice-President of the South Carolina Archivists Association<\/a><\/p>\n

Member of the Society of American Archivists<\/a><\/p>\n

Member of the Archivists of Religious Collections, the Archival Educators, and the Accessioning, Acquisitions, and Appraisal Sections through the Society of American Archivists<\/p>\n

Member of the Oklahoma Archivist Association<\/a><\/p>\n

Co-Interest Group Leader for the Society of Pentecostal Studies<\/a> Theological Education Group<\/a><\/p>\n

Chair, Library and Archives Committee, Society of Pentecostal Studies<\/p>\n

Community Service:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spartanburg Junior League of Women<\/p>\n

Daughters of the American Revolution<\/p>\n

Other information:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Books, articles, presentations, workshops, and a description of her family's history in the IPHC are linked here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rev. Cherie McDade, Administrative Assistant, Archives and Research Center<\/h3>\n

Please contact us at:<\/h3>\n

kwelch@iphc.org or archives@iphc.org<\/h3>\n

Call: 405-787-7110 ext. 7157<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Donations: <\/strong>We welcome your donations, even if they are only digital copies. We have a high-speed scanner on site in OKC if you want to bring an item in to be scanned for inclusion in our digital collection. Please fill out this donation form and reach out before making an appointment with us to drop off physical items.\u00a0We seek to add to IPHC history, and we value each and every person who wishes to contribute.<\/p>\n

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

History of the IPHC Archives and Research Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

In May of 1921, the IPHC voted for a former General Superintendent, G. F. Taylor, to create and to oversee an archives. He acquired a fireproof storage area and preserved as many of the early records of the denomination (which date back to 1898) as he could. In 1964, a Commission on Archives and History was appointed consisting of Dr. Vinson Synan, Dorothy Poteat, Rev. James Butler, and Dr. Harold Paul. This group focused on collecting information on IPHC ministers. Dorothy Poteat was designated as the National Archivist for the denomination in 1965. In 1982 Bishop Leon Stewart appointed Dr. Vinson Synan, Dr. Charles E. Jones (Consultant), Mrs. Margaret Muse Oden, and Mrs. LaDonna Scott to discuss and establish an official Archives for the Pentecostal Holiness Church at the International Headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Margaret Muse Oden was appointed Director of Archives in a part-time capacity in 1983. Dr. Harold Hunter was appointed Director of Archives and Research and retired in July 2023. Dr. Kristen Welch has served as the Director of Archives and Research since that time.<\/p>\n

The IPHC Archives and Research Center has a display room, a large reading room, and three large, walk-in vaults, roughly 640 square feet each. We have about 3,560 square feet of space in total. We have a partnership with the Consortium of Pentecostal Archives<\/a> and have around 6,500 items available in digital form, which include 3,056 copies of the primary magazine of the IPHC, The Advocate<\/em> (published from May 3, 1917 to 1996), 28 issues of Church Manuals (1911-2017), 28 issues of Church Minutes (1911-2017), 99 issues of another IPHC magazine, The Experience<\/em> (2004-2013), 49 issues of the Holiness Advocate <\/em>(1901-1907), 4 issues of the Pentecostal Holiness Church Discipline (1897, 1901, 1902, 1908), 19 issues of Pentecostal Truths<\/em> (published in Hong Kong and translated from Chinese; includes the years 1908-1917), 41 issues of the Apostolic Evangel <\/em>(from the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church; includes the years 1907-1924, 2 issues of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church Constitution and Rules (1905 and 1908), 14 issues of Live Coals<\/em> (official paper of the Fire-Baptized; includes the years 1904-1907, 1 issue of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Association of America Constitution and General Rules (1900), and 21 issues of Live Coals of Fire, <\/em>(official paper of the Fire-Baptized Holiness Association of America (1899-1900).<\/p>\n

The three vaults contain items from donors sharing artifacts from the founders, General Superintendents (Bishops), missionaries, ministers, and laypeople. We house artifacts and minutes from the regional conferences, the Advocate Press, our educational institutions, and our administration. We have a collection of books that we are in the process of digitizing, and Yearbooks of conference minutes compiled into one volume that span the years 1930-1975. We house copies of dissertations, course syllabi, Sunday School publications and records, Bibles, concordances, photographs, albums, films, and hundreds of VHS tapes and cassette tapes. We have a great deal of our documents on microfilm. We opened a searchable database in July of 2023 and have catalogued 3,003 books, sermons, videos, and photographs as of May 2026. This database<\/a> grows continuously. Several items on our database have as many as ten links per item. Our total of items available, often in audio, video, full text, or online, is around 3,500 or more.<\/p>\n

We house an extensive E-Archives database, created and organized by LaDonna Scott, which contains important records associated with each part of IPHC governance: Discipleship Ministries (Children\u2019s Ministries, Church Institutions, Adults\u2014Family, Men\u2019s Ministries, Senior Adult Ministries, Singles Ministries, and Women\u2019s Ministries, Students, Disaster Relief USA, etc.), the Loan Fund, Evangelism USA (Acts2Day, Chaplains Ministries, Hispanic Ministries, M25 Ministry, etc.), the General Superintendent\u2019s Office (Communications, Conference Information\u2014Broken down into Regional Conferences, Stewardship Ministries, etc.), Governance (Council of Bishops, General Ministry Cabinet, Global Assemblies, Strategic Advisory Committee, etc.), the IPH Foundation, World Missions Ministries (Awakening, Coffee House, Missionary Care, People to People, Regions and Directors, etc.), the Finance Committee, Legal, and Media and Publications (Encourage, Experience, Videos, etc.). This database is updated annually with the help of directors and administrative assistants, in coordination with the Archives and Research Department. It houses thousands of files.<\/p>\n

Our collection is extensive. We have about 3,916 books and binders (including institutional yearbooks and conference minutes), 80 cabinet drawers full of books or files or other artifacts, 495 small to medium boxes, 17 surveys and about 50 large format posters and pictures, 280 microfilm reels, and 882 regular (12 inch wide, 16 inch long, 10 inch deep) boxes.<\/p>\n

We are asked for help with research, information, or with locating various artifacts, and from roughly July of 2023 to May of 2026, we have fielded in the neighborhood of over 200 emails and had about forty or so visitors. We have received and processed many donations, adding to the already rich collection. We are tasked with collecting conference minutes for 29 different conferences, and we receive many emails regarding these. We have several hundred books, sermons, and around forty or so videos digitized or scanned. We opened a Flickr account to take care of the 3,882 pictures we have been able to upload so far.<\/p>\n

We have an active Facebook<\/a> page with 1,375 followers as of May 2026. For example, in the May 2026, we reached 2,601 people and 883 engaged with our posts. Our website<\/a> has several pages, and we are working to organize it better and make our information more accessible. On the website, we have timelines, inventory lists, and information on smaller archives in the IPHC. Each year, we have a table at the Society for Pentecostal Studies, which is a gathering of Pentecostal historians, scholars, professors, graduate students, and ministers, and we offer information on our resources.<\/p>\n

As the Director, I engage in outreach efforts that include making presentations, such as at the Chaplain\u2019s Retreat in OKC in July 2024, and in gathering interviews, such as the one conducted in Greenville, South Carolina with retired missionary to India, Rev. Howard. I established a partnership<\/a> with the Oklahoma History Center with 72 items related to Oklahoma history, and I created a partnership with Holmes Bible College and the Pentecostal Consortium.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The IPHC Archives and Research Center is making our information accessible to as many people as possible through our efforts, particularly in the design of our website, the digitization of our materials, and the cataloging of our materials in an online, library database that can house Dropbox links to directly connect users to digitized materials.<\/p>\n

Coming next: Our new Omeka site will display the King House Collection.<\/p>\n

Vision statement:<\/strong> To educate the people affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pentecostal scholars, and the public on the history of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. To share the rich resources in Spirit-led teaching, preaching, worship, art, and education that we have accumulated over the years. We endeavor to make theological, historical, biographical, and autobiographical books available to the IPHC as well as any individual interested in our denomination. We hope that our stories can be shared in order to inspire others to see how the lives and efforts of hard-working, Spirit-filled people have made a significant difference in our communities, our country, and the world.<\/p>\n

Mission statement:<\/strong> We seek to collect items related to the International Pentecostal Holiness denomination and its people and to make them accessible to all through education, displays, a reading room and research center, and free online access.<\/p>\n

How to Start a Church Archives<\/a><\/h3>\n

Please contribute<\/a> to the Anthology of IPHC Women Preachers<\/h3>\n

IPHC Archives and Research Center Awards<\/a><\/h3>\n

Give Financial Resources to Archives<\/a><\/h3>\n

What's Happening Right Now in the Archives<\/a><\/h3>\n

Our Collections<\/a><\/h3>\n

Visiting the IPHC Archives<\/a><\/h3>\n

Global Ministry Center: Instructions for E-Archives<\/a><\/h3>\n

Using Our Materials for Publication<\/a><\/h3>\n

Timelines<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

History of the IPHC<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

How our Theology has Been Shaped Over the Years<\/a><\/h3>\n

The IPHC on the Oklahoma History Center Website<\/a><\/h3>\n

Significant Locations in IPHC History<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Educational Institutions<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

Holmes Bible College<\/a><\/h3>\n

Chaplains and the Military<\/a><\/h3>\n

Orphanages and Hospitals<\/a><\/h3>\n

Conferences and Locations<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

A Prophetic Word, 1991<\/a><\/h3>\n

Affiliations and Memberships<\/a><\/h3>\n

General Conferences<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

General Superintendents or Bishops of the IPHC<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

Minutes<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

The Advocate<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

Manuals<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

Advocate Press\/LifeSprings<\/a><\/h3>\n

Global Ministry Center: 50th Anniversary 2025<\/a><\/h3>\n

IPHC Scholars<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

IPHC Authors<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

Regional IPHC Archives<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

The IPHC in Oklahoma History<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

Research Guide<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n

Strategic Plan for the IPHC Archives<\/a><\/h3>\n

Quilt Project<\/a><\/h3>\n

The 2021 IPHC Archives Centennial<\/a><\/h3>\n

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News from the Archives<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tWomen Who Preach: An IPHC Anthology\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tArchives and Research Center Awards: Nominations Are Open!\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tConsortium of Pentecostal Archives Website Launched Press Release\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tIPHC Archives Celebrates Centennial in 2021\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tPentecost Breaks Barriers\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tUnity Made Visible\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tJ.H. King and the International Pentecostal Council\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tAzusa St. Centennial 2006\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\tEarly IPHC and Classical Pentecostalism in \u2018Oklahoma\u2019\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-16","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/Pb62Bx-g","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}