Assembly of God

Assemblies of God

Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Pentecostal
Polity	Presbyterian polity
Geographical area	Worldwide
Origin	1914
Separated from	Church Of God In Christ
Separations	Oneness Pentecostals (separated 1916)
Congregations	312,048
Members	60 million

The World Assemblies of God Fellowship or Assemblies of God (AG) is the world's largest Pentecostal Christian denomination. With over 312,048 churches and outstations in over 110 countries and approximately 57 to 60 million adherents worldwide,^[1][2][3] it is the fourth largest international body of Christians.^[4] It prefers to be referred to as a cooperative fellowship instead of a denomination.^[5]

The Assemblies of God has missions programs that are designed to establish self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing national church bodies in every country. As of late 2006, the Assemblies of God World Missions Research Office reported constituencies in 110 countries and territories, with over 5,000 adherents added per day.^[6] As of 2005, the fellowship operated 859 Bible schools, 1,131 extension programs and 39 seminaries outside of the United States.^[7]

History

Origins

The Assemblies of God has its roots in the Pentecostal revival of the early 20th century. This revival is generally traced to a prayer meeting held under the leadership of Charles Parham, at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas, on January 1, 1901. The “awakening” or “revival” spread rapidly to Missouri, Texas, California and elsewhere. In 1906, a three-year revival meeting under the leadership of William Seymour began at Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles that attracted believers from around the world.

Reports of the revival were carried far and wide by periodicals and other publications that sprang up along with the movement. Independent revivals also began to break out during this time in other parts of the world. The Pentecostal aspects of the revival were not generally welcomed by established churches, and participants in the movement soon found themselves forced outside existing religious bodies. These people sought out their own places of worship and founded hundreds of distinctly Pentecostal congregations.

Assemblies of God church in Apia, Western Samoa

Many of these congregations sought to partner with existing religious movements, such as the Christian and Missionary Alliance, but many Pentecostals left following controversy over the doctrine of the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. These early leaders were licensed as ministers by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ, a predominately African-American denomination. The Church of God in Christ provided initial credentials to the mostly white Pentecostals who would later form the Assemblies of God.^[8] Jim Crow laws of the South and other cultural norms of early 20th century America contributed to the early demise of racial unity between the white Pentecostal leaders and the predominately African-American Church of God in Christ denomination.

By 1914, many ministers and laymen alike began to realize just how far-reaching the spread of the revival and of Pentecostalism had become. Many evangelistic outreaches birthed by the new movement created a number of practical problems—formal recognition of ministers, approval and support of missionaries, doctrinal unity, gospel literature, a permanent Bible training school, and full accounting of funds were all issues that needed to be dealt with.

Formation and development

Concerned leaders felt the desire to protect and preserve the results of the revival - these thousands of newly Spirit-baptized believers - by uniting through cooperative fellowship. In April 1914 about 300 preachers and laymen were invited from 20 states and several foreign countries for a “General Council” in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to discuss and take action on these and other pressing needs. Bishop Mason of the Church of God in Christ attended this first General Council along with his Saints Industrial Singers to giving support to the white leaders in their endeavors.

A cooperative fellowship emerged from the meeting and was incorporated under the name General Council of the Assemblies of God of the United States. In time, self-governing and self-supporting general councils broke off from the original fellowship or were formed independently in several nations throughout the world, originating either from indigenous Pentecostal movements or as a direct result of the indigenous missions strategy of the General Council.^[9]

The Assemblies of God experienced a schism early in their history when they adopted the Statement of Fundamental Truths, affirming their belief in the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity at their Fourth General Council in October 1916 at St. Louis, Missouri. Those that withdrew from the fellowship were known as Oneness or "Jesus Only" Pentecostals because they denied the existence of the Trinity and believed in baptizing "in the name of Jesus Christ" and not "in the name of The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit". This schism caused the loss of approximately one-fourth of recognized AG ministers, including all but one minister in the state of Louisiana.^{[citation needed]}

Prior to 1967, the Assemblies of God, along with the majority of other Pentecostal denominations, officially opposed Christian participation in war and considered itself a peace church.^[10] It continues to give full doctrinal support to members who are lead by religious conscience to pacifism.

In 1988, the loose body of cooperative councils joined under the name World Pentecostal Assemblies of God Fellowship as result of an initiative by Dr. J. Philip Hogan, then executive director of the Division of Foreign Missions of the General Council of the Assemblies of God of the United States. The initial purpose was to coordinate evangelism, but soon developed into a more permanent organism of inter-relation. Dr. Hogan was elected the first chairman of the Fellowship and served until 1992 when Rev. David Yonggi Cho was elected chairman. In 1993, the name of the Fellowship was changed to the World Assemblies of God Fellowship.^[11] In 2000, Thomas E. Trask was elected to succeed Cho.^[12] At the 2008 World Congress at Lisbon, Portugal, George O. Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God of the United States, was elected chairman.^[13]

Beliefs

An AG church in Fiji, conveniently located to serve passengers entering the country via Nadi Airport

The Assemblies of God's “Cardinal Doctrines" are salvation through Jesus Christ, baptism in the Holy Spirit, divine healing, and the Second Coming of Christ. These beliefs are considered to have a biblical basis and are thus considered non-negotiable.^[14]

The doctrinal position of the Assemblies of God is framed in a classical Pentecostal and an Evangelical context. It believes both the Old Testament and New Testament are the divinely inspired revelation of God to man and the infallible authoritative rule of faith and conduct. It is Trinitarian, believing that there is only one God, yet three "persons" who are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God created the world and everything in it; however, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward 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.^[14] The AG does not teach eternal security.

The Assemblies of God believes in Christ's virgin birth, his sinless life, his miracles, his substitutionary work on the cross, his bodily resurrection from the dead, and his exaltation to the Right Hand of God as told in the Bible. It also believes the Second Coming of Christ is imminent. The Second Coming of Christ includes the rapture of all who have been saved followed by the visible return of Christ to reign on earth for one thousand years. This millennial reign will bring the salvation of Israel and the establishment of universal peace. It believes in a literal Hell where those who do not receive Christ's salvation will go when they die. It also believes in a literal Heaven and that after the Second Coming there will be new heavens and a new earth.^[14]

As classical Pentecostals, the Assemblies of God believes all Christians are entitled to and should seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The AG teaches that this experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of salvation. With the baptism in the Holy Spirit comes such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit, a deepened reverence for God, an intensified consecration to God and dedication to his work, and a more active love for Christ. It is also important for empowering the believer for Christian life and service. The initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues "as the Spirit of God gives them utterance."^[14]

Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication to God. Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in his death and resurrection, by having faith in that union, and by submitting to the Holy Spirit. The Assemblies of God believes divine healing is an integral part of the gospel and that deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement.^[14]

Baptism by immersion is practiced as an ordinance instituted by Christ for those who have been saved. Baptism is understood as an outward sign of an inward change, the change from being dead in sin to being alive in Christ. As an ordinance, Communion is also practiced. The Assemblies of God also places a strong emphasis on the fulfillment of the Great Commission and believes that this is the main calling of the church.^[14]

Structure

Internationally, the Assemblies of God is represented by the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. At the national level, independent and self governing Assemblies of God jurisdictions manage their own affairs and choose their own leaders. Local churches usually maintain great amounts of freedom from the national body, electing their own pastors and managing their own affairs.

The World Assemblies of God Fellowship is an association of autonomous national jurisdictions where the national jurisdictions join by choice and are not subordinate to the world fellowship. For this reason, the world fellowship is not a governing body but works within a framework of consultation and cooperation.^[11] Led by a chairman, the work of the World Assemblies of God is carried out by the Executive Council which has approximately twenty members representing different regions of the world: Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, and Southern Asia. The World Congress meets every three years, and during this time delegates from the national jurisdictions elect the members of the Executive Council. The World Assemblies of God Relief Agency (WAGRA) directs its humanitarian work.^[12]

Members

The World Assemblies of God Fellowship is structured as a loose alliance of the following independent national fellowships:^[15]

References

External links

• Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (Assemblies of God archives), one of the largest collections of materials documenting the global Pentecostal movement
• Africa Assemblies of God Alliance (source: ag.org [2])
• Europe Region of the Assemblies of God
• Asia Pacific Region of the Assemblies of God
• Assemblies of God Reunion Island
• Brazilian Assemblies of God in Canada
• Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies
• Assemblea di Dio Missionaria - Brazilian Assemblies of God in Italy (not in fellowship with the ADI)
• Evangelical Pentecostal Church in Republic of Croatia
• Evangelical Pentecostal Fellowship of Hungary
• Fellowship of Flemish Pentecostal Churches (Belgium)
• Pentecostal Church in Poland
• Russian Assemblies of God
• The Apostolic Church of Slovakia
• Pentecostal Assemblies of Switzerland
• Pentecostal Church of Austria