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This article centers on the General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America, known also as AGUSA, or AG. A Pentecostal Christian denomination, AGUSA was founded in 1914 during the meeting of Pentecostal ministers at Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The early AG founders were licensed Caucasian ministers within the Church of God in Christ in 1897, now the largest African-American Pentecostal body in the U.S. Their affiliation with the Church of God in Christ was short-lived, thanks to the Jim Crow era racial climate. But, the excitement of that church was infectious, and the white members who wanted to manage a split from the Church of God in Christ, yet retain a fellowship, felt compelled to form a new organization.
AG formation in 1914 at the Hot Springs meeting followed a doctrinal debate (taken from AG official Web site):
"Almost immediately, leaders were faced with a doctrinal dispute - whether to abandon traditional Trinitarian theology in favor of a modal monarchical view of the godhead (also called the "New Issue" or Oneness theology). In 1916 the General Council approved a Statement of Fundamental Truths, which affirmed Trinitarian orthodoxy."
Once that debate was settled, AG could organize to promote unity and doctrinal stability, establish legal standing, coordinate the mission enterprise, and establish a ministerial training school. From the beginning, evangelism and missions were central to the AG identity, and in 2007, AG claimed 2,836,174 adherents in 12,311 churches with 33,622 ministers. The General Council supported 2,691 foreign missionaries and associates working with the broader World Assemblies of God Fellowship, whose adherents numbered more than 57 million.
Currently, the Assemblies of God USA and Assemblies of God organizations around the world comprise the world's largest Pentecostal denomination with some 51 million members and adherents.
The Assemblies of God describes itself as a Protestant fellowship, Trinitarian (God exists in three persons) and evangelical. But, the core belief behind AG churches is its Pentecostal belief, and AG remains true to its original full gospel foundation. This belief includes speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Other accepted manifestations include messages in tongues with interpretations, prophecies, word of knowledge and the "complete offering of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit as indicated in the Bible."
Four goals outside the doctrine are included in the AGUSA mission:
1. Evangelize the lost. 2. Worship God. 3. Disciple believers. 4. Demonstrate God's love through Compassion.
In addition, AG is committed to the following core values:
1. Passionately proclaim, at home and abroad, by word and deed Jesus as Savior, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Soon Coming King. 2. Strategically invest in the next generation 3. Vigorously plant new churches 4. Skillfully resource our Fellowship 5. Fervently pray for God's favor and help as we serve Him with pure hearts and noble purpose
Four core values are emphasized in the Web site, iVALUE, which concentrates on "Salvation, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Divine Healing and the Second Coming of Christ." The site is geared toward AG ministers, leaders and laity who want to learn more about this denomination's core beliefs as Christians.
The national headquarters of the Assemblies of God is located in Springfield, Missouri, and the headquarters include an administration building, the Gospel Publishing House, and the International Distribution Center. The Gospel Publishing House, the printing arm of the church, turns out more than twelve tons of gospel literature each day. The Assemblies of God also has nineteen endorsed Bible colleges, universities, and a seminary in the United States.
ASUGA is a member of four national and international Christian organizations including: National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA), Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF) and World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF).
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