United Pentecostal Church International Annual Conference Returns to Salt Lake City, Utah, Drawing Thousands

The United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) announced that its General Conference would be held from September 29 to October 2 in Salt Lake City, Utah. According to pre-event coverage from Yahoo and KSL.com, the four-day conference was scheduled for the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

Organizers described a program of worship services, inspirational preaching, practical teaching and networking opportunities for ministers and lay church leaders from across North America. Dr. David K. Bernard, the UPCI’s general superintendent, encouraged all ministers and constituents to attend, according to KSL.com.

KSL.com reported that the event expected between 8,000 and 10,000 attendees. Hoodline, citing KSL.com, reported that the conference was returning to Salt Lake City for the first time since 2004 and that Utah had previously hosted the event six times.

Coverage of the conference itself gives differing accounts of the venue. A Deseret News report described the 80th annual UPCI General Conference as drawing thousands of attendees from around the world, and said it was held at the Delta Center, with exhibits at the Salt Palace. Earlier announcements had placed the conference at the Salt Palace. The Deseret report did not provide a verified attendance figure.

Separately, a WBIW report on a 2026 State of the Church address gave the church’s own estimates of its global reach. According to that report, the UPCI operates in 203 of the world’s 210 nations, along with many territories. The church estimates more than 45,000 churches worldwide, more than 45,000 credentialed ministers and a total constituency of about 6.2 million. The address also reported that 250,000 to 350,000 people are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ each year, with a similar number receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and that about 1 million people have received the Holy Ghost through UPCI ministry over the last three years. These figures are the church’s estimates as reported by WBIW.