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| Assemblies of God USA | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Pentecostal |
| Theology | Finished Work Pentecostal |
| Polity | Mixed Presbyterian and Congregational polity |
| Leader | Doug E. Clay |
| Associations | National Association of Evangelicals Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America |
| Region | United States |
| Headquarters | Springfield, Missouri |
| Origin | 1914 Hot Springs, Arkansas |
| Separated from | Church of God in Christ, Christian and Missionary Alliance, and various other denominations, including those of Reformed and Baptist traditions.[3] |
| Merger of | Several Pentecostal groups |
| Separations | General Assembly of the Apostolic Churches, The Foursquare Church |
| Congregations | 12,749 (2022)[4] |
| Members | 2,928,143 adherents* (2022)[4] 1,726,939 members (2022)[4] |
| Ministers | 37,773 (2022)[4] |
| Aid organization | Convoy of Hope |
| Official website | ag |
| *persons of all ages who identify with an AG church[5] | |
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The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially The General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States founded in 1914 during a meeting of Pentecostal ministers at Hot Springs, Arkansas, who came from a variety of independent churches and networks of churches. The Assemblies of God is a Finished Work Pentecostal denomination and is the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal body.[6] With a constituency of 2,928,143 in 2022, the Assemblies of God was the ninth largest Christian denomination and the second largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States.[4]
The Assemblies of God holds to a conservative, evangelical and classical Arminian theology as expressed in the Statement of Fundamental Truths and position papers, which emphasize such core Pentecostal doctrines as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, divine healing and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It defines for itself a fourfold mission to evangelize others, worship God, disciple believers, and show compassion.[7] The fellowship's polity is a hybrid of presbyterian and congregational models. This tension between local independence and national authority is seen in the AG's historical reluctance to refer to itself as a denomination, preferring the terms fellowship and movement.[8] The national headquarters are in Springfield, Missouri, where the administrative and executive offices and Gospel Publishing House are located.
Founded in 1914 by white Pentecostal ministers who had been loosely affiliated with the historically black Church of God in Christ—the only incorporated Pentecostal denomination at the time,[9][10][11][12] and separating in disagreement with this arrangement and theological differences, the Assemblies of God was established; while Bishop CH Mason attended the gathering which founded the denomination, invitations were only sent to white ministers.[13] Incorporated during the Jim Crow era, the AG forbade the ordination of black ministers from 1939 until 1962.[14][15] Black people seeking ordination were referred to the Church of God in Christ.
The Assemblies of God maintains relationships with other Pentecostal groups at both regional and national levels through the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America and the Pentecostal World Fellowship. It is also a member of the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium and the National Association of Evangelicals. It is also the sponsor of Chi Alpha[16] and the compassion partner of Convoy of Hope.[17] Since the 21st century, its Chi Alpha student organization has been subjected to multiple controversies involving the LGBT community, and sexual and psychological abuse.[18][19][20][21]
- ^ Assemblies of God USA, Affiliations Archived 2011-08-17 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed August 4, 2011.
- ^ Participating Denominations in the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium, accessed February 4, 2012.
- ^ James Leo Garrett, Systematic Theology, Volume 2, Second Edition, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2014, p. 395; "those branches which derived from Baptist or Reformed roots have taught positional and progressive sanctification as distinguishable from baptism in or with the Spirit (e.g., Assemblies of God, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel)."
- ^ a b c d e "Statistics on the Assemblies of God (USA)".
- ^ "An Overview of the Assemblies of God" Archived 2010-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed September 17, 2010.
- ^ Levinson, David (1996). Religion: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-87436-865-9.
The Finished Work Pentecostals believed that conversion and sanctification were a single act of grace. The Assemblies of God, created in 1914, became the first Finished Work denomination.
- ^ Assemblies of God USA, Our Mission and Core Values Archived 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 10, 2011.
- ^ Poloma 1989, p. 9
- ^ Vinson Synan, The Holiness–Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), pages 153–155, ISBN 978-0-8028-4103-2.
- ^ "Church Of God In Christ (1907- )". BlackPast. 2009-03-28. Archived from the original on 6 Feb 2023. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
- ^ "Opinion | Washing away the color line". Arkansas Online. 2021-07-11. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
Most of the founders who gathered carried credentials with the Church of God in Christ, as it was the only incorporated Pentecostal denomination at that time in the U.S. A large group of white Pentecostal ministers became dissatisfied with this arrangement, and the Assemblies of God denomination was born.
- ^ Randal Rust. "Mason, Charles Harrison". Tennessee Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 7 Oct 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
Mason dreamed of an integrated church and believed that all races were entitled to equal rights and authority. From COGIC's inception, Mason ordained and allowed whites to join his denomination. From 1907 to 1914, Mason ordained hundreds of white ministers. In 1914, a group of whites left COGIC and established the Assemblies of God. Throughout his tenure, Mason continued to integrate COGIC. A white COGIC pastor named Leonard P. Adams pastored Grace and Truth in Memphis, and COGIC's first general secretary was a white man named William B. Holt. Mason also conducted integrated funerals, baptisms, and worship services. At the height of Jim Crow, Mason allowed blacks and whites to sit next to each other in church. In the 1930s, Edward Hull "Boss" Crump told Mason he could not continue to allow blacks and whites to sit together. However, Boss Crump did not stop Mason from holding integrated meetings. Mason used COGIC as a platform to fight against segregation and encouraged blacks and whites to embrace racial unity.
- ^ COGIC Discipleship Bible, 2007, p. A12
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PneumaAzusa2Memphiswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
racialreconciliationwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Our Story". Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. Archived from the original on 6 Feb 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ^ Blake, Jessica (July 6, 2020). "Convoy of Hope Delivers More Than 40 Million Meals". AG News. No. 07. Assemblies of God. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Swenson, Madelyn. "Student allegations spark controversy". The Winonan. Archived from the original on 6 Feb 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ "SA drafts formal complaint against Chi Alpha after discrimination accusations". The Rice Thresher. Archived from the original on 6 Feb 2023. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
- ^ "Pastor arrested on allegations of continuous sexual assault of a minor". KRIS 6 News Corpus Christi. 2022-07-11. Archived from the original on 6 Feb 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ Shellnutt, Kate. "Registered Sex Offender Continued to Minister to Chi Alpha Students". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
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