Compare Christian Denominations
Pentecostal and Nondenominational and Evangelical compared
God and the Bible
Trinity
Pentecostal
We therefore may speak with propriety of the Lord our God who is One Lord, as a trinity or as one Being of three persons, and still be absolutely scriptural.
Our article: Pentecostal vs Baptist: How They Differ on the Holy Spirit and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
From National Association of Evangelicals, Statement of Faith
Authority
Pentecostal
We understand authority to mean that everything the Bible affirms and teaches is true. As God’s disclosed will and purpose, it is determinative for belief and behavior.
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
From National Association of Evangelicals, Statement of Faith, article 1
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
Revelation today
Pentecostal
The Church needs to recognize and respond to the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit through the gift of prophecy given to the Church today.
From Assemblies of God position paper, Modern-Day Prophecy (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs. Presbyterian Beliefs
Nondenominational and Evangelical
God’s revelation in Christ and in Scripture is unchangeable. Through it the Holy Spirit still speaks today.
From Lausanne Covenant, section 2 (evangelical statement, 1974)
Our article: What is a non-denominational church?
Books of the Bible
Pentecostal
The Bible is often referred to by using the singular “Scripture” to embrace the entire canon of sixty-six books.
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We affirm that the Bible is God’s word written, a divinely inspired, God-breathed collection of writings consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.
From Lausanne Movement, The Seoul Statement (2024), II. The Bible
How the Bible was written
Pentecostal
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.
From Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths, truth 1, The Scriptures Inspired (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
From Lausanne Covenant, section 2 (evangelical statement, 1974)
Our article: What Are Evangelical Church Beliefs?
How the Bible was kept
Pentecostal
The Bible is, in fact, the best-attested book of antiquity and we are assured of a reliable text that is indeed trustworthy. Moreover, it demonstrates God’s providential care in the exacting, painstaking work of faithful scribes and scholars through the centuries.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of Scripture
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
WE AFFIRM that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.
From Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978), Article X
Our article: Preferred Translations: What Bible Do Nondenominational Churches Use?
Bible without error
Pentecostal
Inerrancy is a near synonym to infallibility and has been used more recently to further attest that Scripture as recorded in the original manuscripts, the autographs, is without error.
Our article: Protestant vs Pentecostal: Pentecostals Are Protestants Who Expect the Spirit’s Gifts Today
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God’s acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God’s saving grace in individual lives.
From Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978), Summary Statement 4
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
Creation
Pentecostal
God did not form Adam from some previously existing creature (1 Corinthians 15:39). Any evolutionary theory, including theistic evolution/evolutionary creationism, that claims all forms of life arose from a common ancestry is thereby ruled out.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper The Doctrine of Creation (2010, revised 2014)
Nondenominational and Evangelical
WE AFFIRM that Genesis 1-11 is factual, as is the rest of the book. WE DENY that the teachings of Genesis 1-11 are mythical and that scientific hypotheses about earth history or the origin of humanity may be invoked to overthrow what Scripture teaches about creation.
The Holy Spirit's origin
Pentecostal
Wherefore the Father is the Begetter, the Son is the Begotten, and the Holy Spirit is the one proceeding from the Father and the Son.
From Assemblies of God (USA), Statement of Fundamental Truths 2, The Adorable Godhead (3)
Our article: What Is the Filioque? The Latin Word Added to the Nicene Creed
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We love the Holy Spirit within the unity of the Trinity, along with God the Father and God the Son. He is the missionary Spirit sent by the missionary Father and the missionary Son, breathing life and power into God’s missionary Church.
From Lausanne Movement, The Cape Town Commitment (2010), Part I, 5 We love God the Holy Spirit
Salvation
Salvation
Pentecostal
Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life.
From Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths, truth 5, The Salvation of Man (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ. The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
From Evangelical Alliance (UK) Basis of Faith
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
Losing salvation
Pentecostal
The General Council of the Assemblies of God disapproves of the unconditional security position which holds that it is impossible for a person once saved to be lost.
Our article: Baptist vs Assembly of God: Same Gospel, Different Teaching on the Holy Spirit
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Solely through trusting in Christ alone, we are united with Christ through the Holy Spirit and are counted righteous in Christ before God. Being justified by faith we have peace with God and no longer face condemnation.
From Cape Town Commitment (Lausanne Movement, 2010), Part I, section 1 (C)
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
God's choosing
Pentecostal
The position most typically held in the Assemblies of God is called Arminianism, after Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609).
From Assemblies of God position paper, Reformed Theology (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs. Presbyterian Beliefs
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We affirm our belief in the one eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of his will.
Who is saved
Pentecostal
The Assemblies of God does not believe that someone will go to hell because they were born in the wrong country or the wrong century.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper The Final Judgment, section 2
Our article: Do Catholics Believe in Predestination? What Each Church Teaches
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Jesus Christ, being himself the only God-Man, who gave himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people. There is no other name by which we must be saved.
From Lausanne Covenant, section 3 (evangelical statement, 1974)
Our article: What Are Evangelical Church Beliefs?
Original sin
Pentecostal
Man was created good and upright; for God said, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness." However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God.
From Assemblies of God (USA), Statement of Fundamental Truths 4, The Fall of Man
Our article: Original Sin: What Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants Each Teach
Nondenominational and Evangelical
The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
From Evangelical Alliance (UK), Basis of Faith
Our article: Original Sin: What Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants Each Teach
Human nature
Pentecostal
Every call to repentance in Scripture is an indication that God has given to humankind a free will which can choose right or wrong.
Our article: Original Sin: What Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants Each Teach
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We acknowledge that sin affects the degree to which human beings can fully reflect the image of God. Sin corrupts our inherent human nature and capacities, our relationships with others, and our human vocation in the world.
From Lausanne Movement, The Seoul Statement (2024), IV. The Human Person
Our article: Original Sin: What Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants Each Teach
Holiness in this life
Pentecostal
Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by the faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit.
From Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths, truth 9, Sanctification (Wayback copy)
Our article: Assemblies of God vs Pentecostal: The Assemblies of God Is a Pentecostal Church
Nondenominational and Evangelical
However, like seed planted in good soil, the good news does not bring the fullness of transformation or bear the fruit of transformation all at once. Rather, this transformation takes place gradually over the course of a lifetime in which the increase of holiness and love demonstrates the reality of the gospel’s transforming power.
From Lausanne Movement, The Seoul Statement (2024), V. Discipleship: Our Calling to Holiness and Mission
Old Testament law
Pentecostal
The Christian church has historically understood that although the ceremonial provisions of the Old Testament law were no longer in effect after the atoning death of Christ, the New Testament interpretation and restatement of its moral law continues in effect.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Homosexuality, Marriage, and Sexual Identity (2014)
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The office and ministry of priests, prophets and kings, the divinely instituted ritual and sacrificial offerings, and the patterns of redemptive action in Old Testament history, all had typical significance as foreshadowings of Jesus.
Baptism and Communion
Baptism
Pentecostal
All who repent and believe on Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life.
Our article: Pentecostal vs. Methodist Beliefs
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Water baptism is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual's life, and is a testimony to all that the person belongs now to Jesus.
From Gateway Church (a large nondenominational church in Texas), What We Believe: Water Baptism
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
How baptism is done
Pentecostal
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures.
Our article: Apostolic vs Pentecostal: What Oneness Pentecostals Believe
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We believe that the Lord, Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church: the full-immersion water baptism of believers and the Lord’s Supper
Our article: What Are Evangelical Church Beliefs?
Receiving the Spirit
Pentecostal
At conversion, the Spirit baptizes into Christ/the body of Christ; in a subsequent and distinct experience, Christ will baptize in the Holy Spirit.
From Assemblies of God position paper, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs Baptist: How They Differ on the Holy Spirit and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
From National Association of Evangelicals, Statement of Faith, article 5
Our article: Pentecostal vs Charismatic vs Evangelical: How They Differ
Baptism for the dead
Pentecostal
Pentecostal has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized.
From Assemblies of God (USA), Statement of Fundamental Truths 6, Baptism in Water
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Christian baptism is a sign and seal of God’s grace, a public declaration of our new allegiance to Christ and our new identification with his church.
From Lausanne Movement, The Seoul Statement (2024), III. The Church
Communion
Pentecostal
The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements –bread and the fruit of the vine– is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Communion (or the Lord's Supper) is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again.
From Gateway Church (a large nondenominational church in Texas), What We Believe: Communion
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
Who takes Communion
Pentecostal
Paul explained the meaning of the bread and the cup with reference to the Lord’s body and blood (11:24,25) and taught that it was an open proclamation of “the Lord’s death until he comes” (11:26). He called for regular and reverent participation by all believers, after careful self-examination (11:27-32).
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Worship in the Bible, The Lord’s Supper
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We found no official statement from Nondenominational and Evangelical on who may take Communion.
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
Communion bread and wine
Pentecostal
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements—bread and the fruit of the vine—is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26); and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26); and is enjoined on all believers “till He come!”
From Assemblies of God (USA), Statement of Fundamental Truths 6, Holy Communion (PDF edition)
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We found no official statement from Nondenominational and Evangelical on the bread and wine of Communion.
Our article: What is a non-denominational church?
Sacraments
Pentecostal
Pentecostal has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures.
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
The Lord Jesus summons his church to gather together regularly to worship God the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit. By these gatherings, he invites us to grow in our intimacy and knowledge of him as the Scriptures are read and proclaimed, and to see, feel and taste his grace, in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42).
From Lausanne Movement, The Seoul Statement (2024), III. The Church
Church and worship
Leadership
Pentecostal
The General Council of the Assemblies of God is a cooperative fellowship based upon mutual agreements voluntarily entered into by its membership, and shall be known as a fellowship of churches and credentialed ministers.
From Assemblies of God Constitution and Bylaws (2023), Article II, Nature
Our article: Assemblies of God vs Pentecostal: The Assemblies of God Is a Pentecostal Church
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We found no official statement from Nondenominational and Evangelical on how the church is led.
Our article: Lutheran vs. Non-Denominational: A Faith Comparison
Who may be ordained
Pentecostal
Ordination is the term used for the highest level of ministerial classification the Assemblies of God recognizes, a classification available to both men and women.
From Assemblies of God position paper, Ordination: The Recognition of a Call to Ministry (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers — given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
From Evangelical Alliance (UK) Basis of Faith
Our article: Lutheran vs. Non-Denominational: A Faith Comparison
Women ministers
Pentecostal
The Assemblies of God recognizes the spiritual gifting of women in all aspects and levels of church ministry as revealed in the Scriptures.
From Assemblies of God position paper, Women in Ministerial Leadership (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We recognize that there are different views sincerely held by those who seek to be faithful and obedient to Scripture. Some interpret apostolic teaching to imply that women should not teach or preach, or that they may do so but not in sole authority over men. Others interpret the spiritual equality of women, the exercise of the edifying gift of prophecy by women in the New Testament church, and their hosting of churches in their homes, as implying that the spiritual gifts of leading and teaching may be received and exercised in ministry by both women and men.
Confession
Pentecostal
Nowhere does God’s Word tell us to confess our sins to a clergyman or human mediator in order to receive God’s forgiveness. Instead this is to be done from the repentant heart of the sinner directly to the Savior–Jesus Christ.
From Assemblies of God (USA), topics page Confession of Sins (archived 2017)
Our article: Confession: Which Churches Confess to a Priest?
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
True and lasting reconciliation requires acknowledgment of past and present sin, repentance before God, confession to the injured one, and the seeking and receiving of forgiveness.
From Lausanne Movement, The Cape Town Commitment (2010), Part II, IIB.1 The peace that Christ made
Day of worship
Pentecostal
While we are not commanded to observe Sunday as the specific day of rest and worship, the principle of the Sabbath is that one day in seven should be set aside for physical and spiritual renewal.
From Assemblies of God (USA), topics page Observing the Sabbath (archived 2017)
Our article: Which Christians Keep the Sabbath on Saturday?
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The Scripture tell us to “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” Our nation historically has observed the Lord’s Day as a day of worship and rest.
From National Association of Evangelicals, Sunday Observance (1970 resolution, archived)
Worship music
Pentecostal
The convictions of certain denominations against musical instruments notwithstanding, the New Testament does not prohibit any kind of musical instrument.
From Assemblies of God position paper, Worship in the Bible (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs. Methodist Beliefs
Nondenominational and Evangelical
We found no official statement from Nondenominational and Evangelical on music in worship.
Our article: What Are Evangelical Church Beliefs?
Icons and images
Pentecostal
No statement from Pentecostal on icons and statues yet.
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Art in its many forms is an integral part of what we do as humans and can reflect something of the beauty and truth of God. Artists at their best are truth-tellers and so the arts constitute one important way in which we can speak the truth of the gospel.
From Lausanne Movement, The Cape Town Commitment (2010), Part II, IIA.5 Truth and the arts in mission
Speaking in tongues
Pentecostal
The baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance.
Our article: Pentecostal vs Baptist: How They Differ on the Holy Spirit and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We believe in the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the instructions given to us (I Corinthians 12-14)
Our article: What Are Evangelical Church Beliefs?
Spiritual gifts today
Pentecostal
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.
Our article: Assemblies of God vs Pentecostal: The Assemblies of God Is a Pentecostal Church
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We therefore call upon all Christians to pray for such a visitation of the sovereign Spirit of God that all his fruit may appear in all his people and that all his gifts may enrich the body of Christ.
From Lausanne Covenant, section 14 (evangelical statement, 1974)
Our article: What Is A Non-Denominational Church?
Demons and exorcism
Pentecostal
While believers will engage in spiritual warfare and will be oppressed, they cannot be possessed by the demonic forces.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Spiritual Warfare and the Believer
Our article: Demons and Exorcism: What Each Church Teaches
Nondenominational and Evangelical
While affirming that being in Christ means the Christian belongs to Christ and that our nature is transformed, just as with sin and our need to deal with sin in our body, mind, emotions, and will, we wonder if the demonic, while no longer able to claim ownership of Christians, may continue to afflict them in body, mind, and emotions, unless dealt with.
From Lausanne Movement, Deliver Us From Evil consultation statement (Nairobi 2000), Areas of Tension
Our article: Demons and Exorcism: What Each Church Teaches
Head coverings
Pentecostal
Pentecostal has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Modesty, however, is not a single set of rules for every culture and time. It is a pattern of behavior that does not call attention to itself through inappropriate display of one’s body.
From Assemblies of God (USA), topics page Modesty in Physical Appearance (archived 2017)
Nondenominational and Evangelical
No statement from Nondenominational and Evangelical on head coverings yet.
Mary and the saints
Mary
Pentecostal
Pentecostal has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare: His virgin birth
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
From Evangelical Alliance (UK) Basis of Faith
Our article: Baptist vs Nondenominational: Baptism, Communion and Who Leads
Was Mary sinless
Pentecostal
We found no official statement from Pentecostal on whether Mary was without sin.
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Evangelicals confess the sinlessness of Christ but not the sinlessness of Mary. Hebrews 7:26 refers to Jesus as our High Priest. He alone was perfectly holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners.
Praying to saints
Pentecostal
We found no official statement from Pentecostal on praying to the saints.
Our article: Pentecostal vs Catholic: Authority, Sacraments and Tongues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Jesus Christ, being himself the only God-Man, who gave himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people.
From Lausanne Covenant (1974), 3 The Uniqueness and Universality of Christ
Death and the end
After death
Pentecostal
Jesus characterized the intermediate state of the wicked after death (hell, Hades) as one of fire (Luke 16:23,24), but this is to be distinguished from the eternal fire. Jesus’ words in Luke 16 show us that the wicked remain conscious and are aware of their state and of what they have missed.
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Evangelicals affirm that the Church is the Body of Christ extended throughout time as well as space. The bonds among those who are in Christ are not severed by death, and the struggling Church on earth shares one faith and one hope with the noble company of the apostles, martyrs, and all the saints in glory, including Mary.
Purgatory
Pentecostal
Pentecostal has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The Bible offers no possibility of repentance after death nor a lessening of the torment of separation from God (Luke 16:23–26).
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper The Final Judgment
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Solely through trusting in Christ alone, we are united with Christ through the Holy Spirit and are counted righteous in Christ before God. Being justified by faith we have peace with God and no longer face condemnation.
From Lausanne Movement, The Cape Town Commitment (2010), Part I, 8 We love the gospel of God
Hell
Pentecostal
Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to the everlasting punishment in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
From Assemblies of God (USA), Statement of Fundamental Truths 15, The Final Judgment
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Yet those who reject Christ repudiate the joy of salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God.
From Lausanne Covenant (1974), 3 The Uniqueness and Universality of Christ
The rapture
Pentecostal
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the church.
From Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths, truth 13, The Blessed Hope (Wayback copy)
Our article: Pentecostal vs. Methodist Beliefs
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate his salvation and his judgment.
The Tribulation
Pentecostal
Although God’s people may endure severe trials before the Lord comes, the Church will be raptured before the period called the Great Tribulation.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper The Rapture of the Church (1979)
Our article: What Is the Tribulation? What Different Churches Believe
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We believe that the interim period between Christ’s ascension and return is to be filled with the mission of the people of God, who have no liberty to stop before the end. We also remember his warning that false Christs and false prophets will arise as precursors of the final Antichrist.
The thousand years
Pentecostal
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years.
Our article: Pentecostal vs. Methodist Beliefs
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is His personal, visible return to Earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless separation of the wicked
Our article: What is a non-denominational church?
Dispensations
Pentecostal
Pentecostal has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Fundamental Truth 14 also affirms that Jesus’ coming includes a future for Israel. Drawing from Paul’s promise that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26–27), it notes that the reign of Christ will mean the “salvation of national Israel.”
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Premillennial Eschatology
Our article: What Is Dispensationalism? Which Churches Hold It or Reject It
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth
Our article: What is a non-denominational church?
Marriage and family
Marriage
Pentecostal
Marriage between one man and one woman for a lifetime is the historic Christian standard based on the full witness of Scripture.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Divorce and Remarriage (2024), summary
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Marriage as a lifetime covenantal relationship between one man and one woman is a normative biblical symbol of God’s relationship with his people (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20, 31:32; Ephesians 5:23, 31–32).
Sex outside marriage
Pentecostal
The Assemblies of God believes that sexual acts outside of marriage are prohibited as sinful.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Homosexuality, Marriage, and Sexual Identity (2014)
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Disordered sexuality of all kinds, in any practice of sexual intimacy before or outside marriage as biblically defined, is out of line with God’s will and blessing in creation and redemption.
Divorce
Pentecostal
We positively disapprove of Christians getting divorces for any cause except fornication and adultery (Matthew 19:9) or the abandonment of the believer by the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:10–15) or in the case of domestic violence by a spouse to a spouse or child (Matthew 18:6; Ephesians 5:28–33; Colossians 3:19).
From Assemblies of God (USA), Constitution and Bylaws (2023), Bylaws Article IX.B, Section 5b
Our article: Divorce and Remarriage: What Each Church Allows
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
Christians should model healthy marriages in which a man and woman honor their vows to lifelong sacrificial service to each other and loving nurture of any children that God brings into the family.
Remarriage
Pentecostal
Where we recognize the right to divorce, we recognize the freedom to remarry. Even when those exceptions do not exist, divorced and remarried Christians belong to the people of God and should be treated as members of the body of Christ.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Divorce and Remarriage (2024), summary
Our article: Divorce and Remarriage: What Each Church Allows
Nondenominational and Evangelical
No statement from Nondenominational and Evangelical on remarriage after divorce yet.
Contraception
Pentecostal
The Assemblies of God, finding no clear scriptural mandate, does not take an official stand on the appropriateness of contraception within a heterosexual marriage for purposes of regulating the number of children, determining the time of their birth, or safeguarding the health of the mother.
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Where couples are not willing to accept the responsibilities of parenting, they should educate themselves about ethical methods of family planning. The Church is understandably reluctant to recommend contraception for unmarried sexual partners, given that it cannot condone extramarital sex.
From National Association of Evangelicals, Abortion resolution (2010)
Abortion
Pentecostal
The Assemblies of God views the practice of abortion as an evil that has been inflicted upon millions of innocent babies and that will threaten millions more in the years to come.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Sanctity of Human Life: Abortion and Reproductive Issues
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Because God created human beings in his image, every human life from conception to death bears the image of God and has inestimable worth (Genesis 1:27).
Life and conscience
Blood transfusions
Pentecostal
Pentecostal has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
The use of modern medicine by Christians is legitimate but must never be a substitute for trusting God.
From Assemblies of God (USA), topics page Modern Medicine and the A/G (archived 2017)
Nondenominational and Evangelical
Nondenominational and Evangelical has no teaching on this exact question. The closest is:
God has blessed us with the capacity for scientific inquiry. Christians should support medical research such as biotechnology, neuroscience and nanotechnology that can ease suffering and cure disease as long as it does not undermine human dignity.
Alcohol
Pentecostal
From its inception, the Assemblies of God has been unequivocally committed to abstinence from alcoholic beverages, a conviction firmly rooted in what the Bible teaches about the abuse of wine, the consumption of strong drink, and also in its cardinal ethical principle of love for God and others.
From Assemblies of God (USA), position paper Abstinence from Alcohol (2016)
Our article: Can Christians Drink Alcohol? What the Churches Teach
Nondenominational and Evangelical
In keeping with our historic stance, we also called on our churches to take seriously the national problem of alcohol use, educating their members to its dangers and encouraging them to practice abstinence.
From National Association of Evangelicals, Alcohol Abuse (1989 resolution, archived)
Our article: Can Christians Drink Alcohol? What the Churches Teach
War and military service
Pentecostal
As a Movement we affirm our loyalty to the government of the United States in war or peace. We shall continue to insist, as we have historically, on the right of each member to choose whether to declare their position as a combatant, a noncombatant, or a conscientious objector.
From Assemblies of God (USA), Constitution and Bylaws (2023), Bylaws Article XVII, Military Service
Nondenominational and Evangelical
While Christians recognize that God does not call us to bring his kingdom by force, we agree that governments should protect and restore just and peaceful social orders. Believers have long differed on what that should look like in practice — when governments may use force, and whether Christians ought to participate in government-authorized force to defend their homelands, rescue others from attack or liberate other people from oppression.
Your comparison is on its way
Look for it in your inbox in the next few minutes.
Each answer is quoted word for word from the church’s own documents, with a link to the page it came from. Where we found no official statement, the cell says so.
TopAbout this comparison
What this shows
23 Christian churches and traditions set side by side on 55 questions, each answer quoted from the church’s own statement of what it teaches, with a link to the page it came from.
Use it in church or class
Free to use in your church or class. Print the chart, project it or copy from it without asking. If you publish it, please credit Christian Pure. A plain-text credit is enough.
Our own summaries, and the list of which document answers which question, are released by Christian Pure under CC BY 4.0. You may link to us or not, and any link may carry nofollow. The quoted words belong to the churches that wrote them and are not part of that release, so the spreadsheet lists each source and leaves the quotations out.
Cite this page
Christian Pure. "Compare Christian Denominations." Updated November 9, 2026. https://christianpure.com/compare-denominations/.
Made by the Christian Pure editorial team. Last updated . Found a mistake? Tell us, and see the corrections log.
