The Pentecostals of Peoria: An Apostolic Pentecostal Church on West Malone Street
The Pentecostals of Peoria is an Apostolic Pentecostal congregation that has anchored the corner of West Malone Street in Peoria, Illinois since 1970, when the men of the church built the present sanctuary by hand. Under Pastor Jeffrey Lashley, the church identifies with the Day of Pentecost experience described in Acts 2 and holds to Apostolic doctrine, gathering for expressive worship, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit. A second campus in North Pekin extends the same family of ministries about thirty miles south.
A Heritage Rooted in Pentecost
The congregation traces its origins to 1966, when Bishop James Lashley moved to Peoria from Greenville, Mississippi and began preaching with twelve members. Over the next four years, the church grew rapidly, and in 1970 Bishop Lashley and the men of the church built the facility that still stands at 3510 W Malone Street. Bishop Lashley served as pastor for forty years and represented the Illinois District of the United Pentecostal Church as a Presbyter before he and his wife Alice moved to California, where he served as Dean of Students at Christian Life College in Stockton from 2008 to 2013. They have since returned to Peoria and serve again on the ministry team.
Pastor Lashley, who grew up in Peoria and is Bishop Lashley's son, served first as Youth Pastor and then as an Elder before taking over the pastorate in 2005. He and his wife Shelly have three daughters. Their ministry is marked, in their own words, by a "gentle spirit combined with an unyielding adherence to the scriptures." Two associate pastors round out the staff. Jonathan Lashley, also raised in Peoria, has served the church full time for more than twenty years, including seventeen years as Principal of New Life Christian Academy; he now oversees the church's business operations and serves as Dean of Purpose Institute - Peoria, a satellite campus of Purpose Institute in Canton, Ohio. Jason Grant serves as Family Life Pastor, premarital counselor, and is also involved in worship alongside his wife Jennifer, the Music Director.
Worship and the Word on West Malone Street
The Peoria campus gathers twice on Sunday for prayer at 7:00 AM and 1:30 PM, followed by Worship and the Word at 2:00 PM. Wednesday nights are set aside for Bible study at 7:00 PM, and the ladies of the church meet for prayer on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 PM. On the first Sunday of every month, the Peoria and North Pekin congregations join together for a combined 2:00 PM service at the Peoria location. Services are livestreamed online, and a sermon archive is kept on the church's YouTube channel.
Worship is Pentecostal in character: the congregation expects the presence and power of God to be manifest in every service, with praise, prayer, and openness to the gifts of the Spirit. Pastor Lashley has stated plainly that he believes the gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12 - tongues, interpretation, prophecy, words of knowledge and wisdom, discernment, faith, miracles, and healing - remain relevant and prevalent for today.
What the Church Believes
The mission of The Pentecostals of Peoria is to "serve people by creating a place of worship where the Presence and Power of God is manifest in every service." The church affirms one God who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and holds to water baptism by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sin. Members believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial sign of speaking in other tongues, as recorded in Acts 2:4, and in the continuing operation of the spiritual gifts. The congregation is endeavoring to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with love, mercy, and compassion, in keeping with the Great Commission.
Kingdom Kids and ALiVE! Student Ministries
Children from ages four through eleven are invited to Kingdom Kids, the church's children's ministry, which meets on Sundays at 2:00 PM and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM during the adult service and Bible study. The Kingdom Kids staff works to provide a Christ-centered environment where children can learn about God and grow spiritually and personally, building on the promise of Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Students ages twelve to seventeen belong to ALiVE! Student Ministries, directed by Nick and Alexis Grant with Student Pastors Nolan and Faith Grant. ALiVE! meets on Wednesday evenings for a teen-focused class that engages today's youth culture and encourages Bible memorization. The group also gathers twice a month on Friday evenings for Christ-centered activities, serves the community through volunteer projects, travels each summer to Bible-based youth camps, and takes yearly trips ranging from one-day outings to three-day overnights.
Care Groups: Every Member a Minister
Pastor Lashley frequently reminds the congregation that "every member is to be a minister," and that mindset gave rise to the Care Groups system. Each family in the church is assigned to a specific Care Minister, and the Care Ministers organize monthly fellowships for their groups and serve as a central point of communication and follow-up. The goal, as the ministry describes it, is to ensure that the needs of the congregation are ministered to and that newcomers can find fellowship and forge lasting relationships. Small Group Pastors include Jason and Kim Adkins, Shawn and Lisa Adkins, Steve and Tonya Carter, Matt and Ann Heinrich, Steven and Amber Kinney, Mike and Iisha Klausing, and Chad and Amie Tysinger. The Statons, Robert and Barb, serve as overall directors.
Men's, Ladies', and Married's Ministries
Three family-focused ministries complement the Care Groups. The Men's Ministry, directed by Jeff Ray, calls God-fearing men to rise above self-centered complacency and lead their families in prayer, worship, devotion, and commitment to God's kingdom - summed up in their slogan "ManUp!" The Ladies Ministry, directed by Shelly Lashley, is dedicated to teaching, training, and reaching women to become "yielded and consumed by God," nurturing a spiritual atmosphere in homes, families, and marriages. The Married's Ministry, led by Pastors Jason and Jennifer Grant, Pastors Jonathan and Carie Lashley, and Elders Robert and Barb Staton, grounds relationships in Ephesians 5 and works to respect, revive, restore, and refresh husbands and wives on a daily basis.
NEXT Community for Young Adults
Unmarried young adults between eighteen and thirty gather under the NEXT Community banner. NEXT exists to provide a sense of belonging, encouragement, and fellowship, and to challenge growth in five areas: spiritual, healthy and active, financial, educational and career, and relational. Directors Keith and Rachel Adkins lead the ministry.
New Life Christian Academy
The church partners with New Life Christian Academy, a K-12 school of which Elder Robert Staton currently serves as Principal. The academy has long been intertwined with the life of the church: graduates have married into the congregation, returned as staff, and raised their own children in the pews of the Pentecostals of Peoria.
Plan a Visit
First-time guests can find seating, service details, and directions through the church's Plan a Visit page. Sunday parking is available on site at the Peoria campus, and the worship center is open well before the 2:00 PM service for those who want to come early and pray alongside the 1:30 PM prayer gathering. Giving is available online through the church's secure portal, with credit, debit, and ACH bank transfers accepted. Anyone wanting to dig deeper before a visit can listen to archived services on the church's YouTube channel or join a livestream from home.