Dr. Stephen Houston preaching in the United States.

Early Life History: Houston was born in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland in 1953. He was brought up in Belfast Northern Ireland and educated at Inchmarlo Preparatory School and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (RBAI). Classically trained in three instruments, he became organist and choir master of Belfast's Castlereagh Presbyterian Church and second oboist in the Studio Symphony Orchestra, at the age of sixteen, under the conductor Dr. Havelock Nelson (Conductor of the then existent BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra and the Studio Symphony Orchestra). He also joined a relatively successful Northern Irish contemporary progressive rock group called 'Fruupp' and in that group he toured Europe and was involved in the recording of three LP's.

After conversion to Christianity on the 3rd. of November 1974., he joined a Texan musical missionary group called 'Liberation Suite' and toured with them throughout Europe.  He had opportunity of playing the pipe organ in the Royal Albert Hall London during a concert with Liberation Suite, something Houston had always wanted to do from his time as a teenaged pipe organ student. In that same year he felt the call to study for the Christian ministry in the more traditional sense and so he decided to go to Theological College. After initially attending Stevens School of the Bible, Lenox, Massachusetts. (now Maryland Bible College and Seminary), 1975-1979.

Houston returned to Northern Ireland, transferring all study credits to the then Evangelical Methodist Church of Ulster, headed up by the Revd. Joseph Wilson. The Evangelical Methodist Church of Ulster, its congregations and some of its buildings were absorbed into the Independent Methodist Church in Northern Ireland, at some point in the mid to late 1980's.

Ministerial History: Dr. Houston was ordained on the 28th. October 1978 in the Chapel on the campus of Stevens School of the Bible, Lenox Massachusetts, and his theological training and ordination was endorsed by the then Evangelical Methodist Church of Ulster 1981. Houston was also put on to the President of "the" Conference of the Methodist Church in Ireland's list of supply. The President of the Methodist Church in Ireland at that time was Revd. Sydney Callaghan and the secretary was Revd. Charles Eyre, a man who personally encouraged Houston to enter the main Methodist Church in Ireland and its ministry. Houston started his ministry as pastor of four little Methodist Churches in the Republic of Ireland; Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Ballydehob and Lissacaha 1979-1981, all churches being under the Midlands and Southern district of the Methodist Church in Ireland: Revd. Dudley Levistone Cooney chairman of the district and  Revd. Jim Williamson superintendent. 

After this, Dr. Houston then took the pastorate of an Evangelical Methodist Church of Ulster Church in Portadown, Northern Ireland, a church which Houston had a major part in planting.

Houston was also a regularly invited preacher throughout many Church of Scotland churches between 1983-1987, the principle invitation coming from the Revd. Albert Bogle of St. Andrews, Boness and the Revd. Gilbert Simm in the Shetland Islands.

Being a musician Houston had also been involved in the Christian Music scene, playing the UK Christian arts festival 'Greenbelt' main stage in 1975, 1977 and 1984, and producing an LP with Myrrh Records UK., a division of Word Records entitled "The Power and The Preacher".  

In September 1987 he moved to England, to become one of the invited ministers to regularly conduct worship on the Chippenham and Brinkworth circuit of the English Methodist Church's conference, at the invitation of Revd. David Sexton, superintendent of the circuit and minister of the then Monkton Hill, Methodist Church, Chippenham now Central Methodist Church, Chippenham and Revd. Sally Shaw, then minister of Sheldon Road Methodist Church, Chippenham. Houston also was invited to preach in many Church of England Churches, United Reformed Churches and Baptist Churches throughout Britain and Ireland.

From September 1987 to September 1989, Revd. Houston was the Battalion Chaplain for the Boys Brigade in Wiltshire. This meant that Houston officiated as the invited minister to all of the Churches in Wiltshire that had a Boys Brigade Company and especially on those individual BB Companies annual Church parade. During those years the Battalion in Wiltshire was sizeable and as Houston had been a member of the BB 8th Belfast Company with some 135 members excluding Officers, Houston relished the opportunity to be involved in promoting the Boys Brigade in Wiltshire.

In August 1989 Stephen Houston was Baptized into the Holy Spirit. He had been a pastor within "Methodism" in Ireland and England for eleven years. Houston then founded two independent churches in England, called Free Churches. UK Charity Numbers; 1056922 and 1047948. One was planted in Chippenham Wiltshire, conducting its services in the old Labour Party hall, London Road, Chippenham, then Chippenham Town Hall and Ivy Lane Primary School Hall, Chippenham and Houston's Free Church permanent church office and meeting hall was in Union Road, Chippenham. The other Free Church planted by Houston was in Bristol and it was held at the Filton Folk Centre, Bristol. He was the pastor of both these independent "Free Churches" for twelve years.

As an invited speaker, he has spoken throughout most of the mainline historic denominational churches and universities in the UK, as well as many of the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches.

Dr. Houston was appointed media-spokesperson for CAN (UK Churches Advertising Network) 1998-2001 through employing John Lloyd as a personal press officer. Lloyd at that time was also press officer to the Bible Society and Cirencester Polo Club.  John Lloyd is  presently press officer to the Bishop of Bristol and the Scottish Bible Society.  As media representative for CAN, Houston appeared on British television's Channel 4 'Right to Reply' and "The Paul Ross Show", with his viewpoint on moral, political, social and religious issues.

Also, back in 1993 he produced his own weekly television show 'The Power of Love', which aired Sunday mornings in the UK on the Vision Channel on all the cable stations, in Australia on Channel 7, and in the United States on Daystar.

Dr. Houston has also been a trustee board member of Vision Channel Broadcasting 1997- 2006, and an ITC (now offcom) Satellite and Cable Television Broadcasting license holder for The Gospel Channel.

     

Revd. Stephen Houston DD, (left) of the Independent Methodist Church, at Revd., Scott's ordination service held at the former Causeway Methodist Church in Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK,  26th. September 2007.

In October 2001 Houston moved to the United States for reasons other than ministry or personal. As a consequence, he was able to establish his ministry in Dallas-Ft. Worth. Houston had already established his ministry in America, when he was visiting the United States in 1992. He had travelled to the United States many times during the nineteen nineties to speak, as he had a weekly TV show there (KMPX 29 Daystar Network), and in Australia (Channel 7), and on all UK cable stations (Vision Channel). So, in 2001 he was immediately invited as a guest speaker to many large churches and conferences. These included conferences attended by most of the American Televangelists etc., and some of the largest Churches and movements in the United States. By 2004 he had a weekly television show airing in eleven states, (God's Learning Channel, based in Midland Texas reaching four states, Victory Television Network, Little Rock Arkansas, reaching three states, KSCB South Dakota reaching four states).

While residing in America between 2001 and October 2005, Houston was also invited to speak in Churches all across that nation. He twice addressed the closed session of the trustee board of the International Charismatic Bible Ministries Conference ICBM held at Oral Roberts University, Tulsa Oklahoma, C Peter Wagner's Apostolic Conference 2004, the Federation of Churches and Ministries FCMI Conferences and meetings 2003-2005, Camp meeting 2004 in Little Rock, Arkansas with Revds. Jesse Duplantis and Jerry Savelle and the International Convention of Faith Ministries ICFM 2004. Also, on the invitation or the American Marine Corp League, he was invited twice to give the prayer from the podium at the Veteran's Day Parade.

Dr. Houston continues to minister in the United States, through speaking engagements and television. On the 17th October 2006, Dr. Houston also started Bethel Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in what was formerly Causeway Methodist Church, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. This has been a absolute joy for Houston, as it is a Church building where he had preached many times during the nineteen eighties. Also he found joyous, the fact that in the first service a member was found from every major denomination in England, in those who attended. Also Houston opened a new Full Gospel Pentecostal Church in Bristol, England. This church met every Wednesday evening in St. Michael and All Angels Parish Church, Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol

Dr. Houston also founded a Bible Institute programme in Chippenham, in connection with the ministry of World Conference of the Independent Methodist Church, which has now become a local Church's Bible Institute programme. He then set about the establishment of The Jacobus Arminius Centre for Theological Studies in Europe which is an outreach study centre for the Independent Methodist Theological Seminary.

Although Dr. Houston has, and will retain, his license and ordination by the Pentecostal denomination the Assemblies of God (International Fellowship), in 2006 he founded a new branch within the Pentecostal denomination call The Pentecostal Holiness Church of Great Britain and Ireland. This Pentecostal Holiness Church was founded in order to provide a church for the many Christians who want clear fundamental Biblical directives given in matters of faith and practice. Unfortunately, some of its member clergy wanted to join with a more radically contentious version of Pentecostal Holiness presentation, with a protagonist stand in image, presentation and demeanour, a position that Dr. Houston could not agree with. And so, after much prayer and agonising, Houston disbanded The Pentecostal Holiness Church of Great Britain and Ireland in February 2010, leaving those clergy free to gravitate to another then already established Pentecostal Holiness group. And so, in March he established a newly named denomination The International Full Gospel Pentecostal Church, with offices in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. In early December after another very successful speaking tour in the United States and the growing interest of disaffected spirit filled Episcopalians and Methodists because of their respective denomination's slide into liberalism, the Full Gospel Pentecostal Church changed its name to the Independent Methodist Church. Many Pentecostals were also uneasy about many new "so-called spiritual manifestations" witnessed in the excesses of the Charismatic movement and they also desired re-branding.  Taking Apostolic from the Welsh revival church and Methodist from its original revivalist purpose and amalgamating the two into the name for a new Independent Methodist Church was acknowledged as appropriate.

Education:

Dr. Stephen Houston holds a Doctor of Divinity degree from Kingsway Christian College and Theological Seminary, Des Moines Iowa.

Click here to view the Seminary website:

Kingsway Christian College and Theological Seminary, Des Moines, Iowa. This is a Pentecostal Seminary connected with Kingsway Cathedral Des Moines Iowa.

Click here to view listings of Christian Colleges and Universities

Christian Colleges and Universities. This is a list of Colleges and Universities which claim a Christian affiliation netministries.org/college.htm -

                                 Kingsway Cathedral, Des Moines, Iowa

For all details and information about Dr. Houston's public ministry, 

E-Mail dr@stephenhouston.org