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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.[note 1] |
| Merger of | Several Pentecostal groups |
| Separations | General Assembly of the Apostolic Churches, The Foursquare Church |
| Congregations | 12,749 (2022)[3] |
| Members | 2,928,143 adherents* (2022)[3] 1,726,939 members (2022)[3] |
| Ministers | 37,773 (2022)[3] |
| Aid organization | Convoy of Hope |
| Official website | ag |
| *persons of all ages who identify with an AG church[4] | |
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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 and the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal body. The AG reported 2.9 million adherents in 2022.[3] In 2011, it was the ninth largest Christian denomination and the second largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States.[5] The Assemblies of God is a Finished Work denomination,[note 2] and it 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.
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.[6] The national headquarters are in Springfield, Missouri, where the administrative and executive offices and Gospel Publishing House are located. Convoy of Hope serves as the AG's aid organization.[7] The AG's college ministry is Chi Alpha, which has been involved in multiple controversies over sexual abuse since 2022.[8][9] 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.
The denomination was founded in 1914 during a meeting of white Pentecostal ministers at Hot Springs, Arkansas. These ministers came from several different Pentecostal movements. Some were loosely affiliated with the historically black Church of God in Christ. In 1916, the General Council condemned Oneness Pentecostalism, causing a split within the young denomination and the adoption of the Statement of Fundamental Truths, which endorses the Trinity. Established during the Jim Crow era, the AG forbade the ordination of black ministers from 1939 until 1962. However, African Americans could still be issued local licenses to preach. Black Pentecostals seeking ordination were referred to the Church of God in Christ. Women were allowed to become pastors in 1935, but prior to that women had served as evangelists, preachers, and missionaries.
The denomination identified itself with the broader American evangelical movement in the 1940s. The charismatic movement of the 1960s and 1970s influenced the AG as well. Standards on behavior and dress became more relaxed over time, and the denomination dropped pacifism as an official teaching. In the 1990s and 2000s, AG churches have experienced revivals that have drawn comparisons to early Pentecostalism, the most famous being the Brownsville Revival.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Trends Continue in Church Membership Growth or Decline, Reports 2011 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches". National Council of Churches. February 14, 2011. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011.
- ^ Poloma 1989, p. 9
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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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