"Making and releasing disciples, planting churches, and sending missionaries"

 

WELCOME
  Open Bible Churches is an association of autonomous, evangelical Pentecostal/Charismatic churches called to be a vital organ in the Body of Christ.  Jesus is blowing a fresh breeze of repentance, prayer, fasting, and evangelistic fervor into our movement.  Our mandate includes the development of healthy, loving relationships that produce support and accountability among our ministers and churches.  God is giving us ever clearer vision, vibrant leadership, and comprehensive strategic planning that He might cause Open Bible to fulfill His purposes in this generation.  Thank you for you interest in discovering if God's will for your life, or the life of your church, might include affiliation with our worldwide family.  May the Father, who has a dream in His heart for you, direct your every step into the perfect will of God.

 

AFFILIATIONS
  Open Bible Churches is a charter member of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America, and the Pentecostal World Conference.  Open Bible is active in the Mission America movement.

 

OUR HISTORY
  Open Bible Churches originated from two revival movements:  Bible Standard Conference, founded in Eugene, Oregon, in 1919, and Open Bible Evangelistic Association, founded in Des Moines, Iowa in 1932.  Similar in doctrine and structure, the two groups amalgamated in 1935 as "Open Bible Standard Churches" with the national office located in Des Moines. 
  Roots of the parent groups reach back to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1906 at Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, and to the full gospel movement in the Midwest.  Both were organized under the impetus of Pentecostal revival.  Simple faith, emphasis on prayer, evangelism, international missions, and free fellowship with other groups were characteristics of the growing organization.

 

OUR MISSION
  Open Bible is an international family of Spirit-empowered churches committed to glorifying God and fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ by making and releasing disciples, planting churches, and sending missionaries.

 

RELATIONSHIP
  A unique Open Bible quality is relationship, as affirmed in our distinctive:  "A balance of affiliation and freedom, providing accountability without undue control."  We exist to serve churches and pastors, to equip and empower them to fulfill their calling and purpose in the communities in which God has placed them.  This relational commitment is finding growing favor with Spirit-filled churches and ministers looking for a covering and a fellowship home.

 

GOVERNANCE
  The membership of Open Bible Churches is the highest governing body.  Their convention meets biennially and consists of credentialed ministers in good standing, national directors, and on voting delegate per 100 members from each officially affiliated church.  A national board of directors, composed of national directors and regional representatives, is delegated to conduct the business of the association.

 

COMMUNICATIONS
  The regional web site may be visited at www.openbible.org.  Open Bible's official publication is the award-winning Message of the Open Bible.  Heritage and Horizons is the official history book.  Open Bible's international missions' history is published in Heritage and Harvests.