What Is the IPHC Experience?

January 2004, for the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) marked its 87th year in the publishing business. To celebrate this milestone, we launched a new magazine, the IPHC Experience.1 This new publication will be the combined effort of the various outreach ministries of the church to produce an engaging piece of literature that will relate the story of the movement around the world.

To make a smooth transition from IssacharFile2 to the IPHC Experience, the executive editor sat down with Bishop James D. Leggett, General Superintendent and chairman of the Board of Publications, and posed some of the questions likely to be raised by many of our readers.

E: Bishop Leggett, IssacharFile enjoyed seven years of success as a publication for church leaders. Why was it discontinued and a new magazine launched?

Leggett: Though IssacharFile did fill an important place for our leaders, it was limited in size and scope. It did not reach the laity, many of whom felt they were losing touch with the rest of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Many of our leaders and members have voiced a desire to have a magazine that would tell the story of what God is doing in and through the IPHC around the world.

E: Why not publish two magazines, one for church leaders and one for the persons in the pews?

Leggett: We would love to be able to do that, but at the present time, it would be fiscally unfeasible. Publishing of any description is expensive. Our goal is to consolidate our resources and provide a first-class magazine that will be attractive and interesting for both leaders and laity.

E: Experience. That's an unusual name for a church publication. Who chose this name and why?

Leggett: The Board of Publications spent a great amount of time searching for a name. When Experience was mentioned, there was general agreement. The General Executive Board concurred. Almost everyone I have mentioned the name to has responded favorably. The title is an invitation for people to experience the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Or it can be seen from another angle - we want to record the experience of the church by telling what God is doing in and through the denomination.

E: Will the magazine address critical issues facing the church today? If so, how?

Leggett: Yes. In addition to telling the story of God's work in the church, Experience will address issues of the day with biblical answers. It's important for the church to speak clearly and forcefully on moral issues, especially in a day when God, the Bible, and the church are being excluded from the public domain. One example is the attack on marriage in the media and in the courts. We have the opportunity to present the biblical truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

E: How do you see the magazine's impact on individuals as well as the church?

Leggett: Individuals will be influenced by the personal stories of God's
intervention in the lives of others. The magazine also will serve as an aid for discipleship through the inspiration and information in its articles. Anything that advances the discipleship of individuals has an impact in the local church. I believe we will see churches being challenged by the stories of what God is doing around the world.

E: Some denominational magazines are compartmentalized according to ministry. What kind of content will the IPHC Experience include? Will it also be compartmentalized by ministry?

Leggett: The IPHC Experience will cover all the ministries of the church, but it will not report the news by department. Each ministry (World Missions, Evangelism USA, Church Education Ministries, Stewardship, Women's Ministries, Men's Ministries, World Intercession Network, and others) will contribute stories of the work of God. The editor has the responsibility of seeing that the articles are arranged in such a way as to create a unified presentation.

E: Will the issues be thematic in nature?

Leggett: As with IssacharFile, each issue will be developed around a specific theme. The themes will be selected by the executive editor and an editorial committee that includes representatives from each of the contributing ministries.

E: How will it be distributed, and who will receive it?

Leggett: We want Experience to be received in as many IPHC homes as possible. LifeSprings Resources is developing a mailing list of about 20,000 names from all the various ministry lists. The subscription list will include all ministers, most of the ministry leaders of the local church, and a good representation of laity. In time, we hope to permeate the church with this new magazine. Subscriptions will be provided free of charge. LifeSprings Resources and the IPHC ministries will underwrite the cost of the magazine.

E: What do you see this new publication accomplishing?

Leggett: Experience will serve to focus the denomination on the vision and mission of the IPHC. Each region of the church will have an understanding of what God is doing across the denomination. The magazine will serve to unify the church around our common themes and mission. Its statement of purpose flows out of the church's mission statement:

"The mission of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church is to multiply and mature believers and churches in worship, fellowship, and evangelism as we walk in obedience to the Great Commission in cooperation with the whole body of Christ." IPHC Experience magazine facilitates this mission through articles that emphasize holiness-Pentecostal teachings, focus on the work of Jesus Christ in the lives of Pentecostal Holiness people around the world, as well as features that speak to contemporary issues, give biblical instruction, and relate news pertaining to the global Christian community.

As a boy, I remember going to my grandfather's house to read the Pentecostal Holiness Advocate.3 I kept up with the church across the nation and overseas by reading the magazine. I became acquainted with many of the churches and conference leaders as well as missionaries and mission fields. The Advocate allowed me to see the move of God in His church. It challenged me to dream for the church and for my place in its future ministry. Our prayer is that this new magazine will help 21st-century church members experience what God is doing today.

 

1. IPHC Experience, a 24-page magazine, will be published 10 times a year.
2. IssacharFile, an 8- to 16-page publication for church leaders, was in print from January 1997 through December 2003. The name was based on 1 Chronicles 12:32: "The children of Issachar ... were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do."
3. The International Pentecostal Holiness Advocate began publication in May 1917. It was discontinued with the December 1996 issue.