Bishka
Veteran Member
This time I remembered to post the link to the website. Sorry about that mods!!! http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/profiles/listalpha.htm
I find this a very helpful quick stop for easy information on faiths.
I find this a very helpful quick stop for easy information on faiths.
- Name: Assemblies of God
- Founder: Eudorus N. Bell
Eudorus N. Bell was born in Lake Butler, Florida (Brugess & McGee, 53) on June 27, 1866, and died on June 15, 1923. In 1903, Bell graduated from the University of Chicago and became a pastor in Texas with the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1907, he became the pastor of a small Pentecostal church in Malvern, Arkansas (Melton, 34). Bell was instrumental in calling together the first General Assembly meeting of Pentecostal leaders. The Assemblies of God evovled from this meeting (Blumhofer, 35).
- Date of Birth: June 27, 1866 - June 15, 1923
- Birth Place: Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Year Founded: 1914
- Sacred or Revered Texts: Holy Bible - specifically Acts 2
- Cult or Sect:
Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.
- Size of Group:
The Assemblies of God are one of the world's largest and fastest growing Protestant Pentecostal denominations. They currently claim over 2.3 million members in the United States and over 30 million worldwide. There are roughly 11,100 established churches in the United States and approximately 117,000 churches worldwide in 120 nations. Church ministers and leaders are educated in over 325 Bible Colleges across the world.
The Assemblies of God maintains an aggressive foreign missions program. Currently, over 1,500 missionaries are spread throughout 120 different countries (Assemblies of God, 1989, 14). Gospel House Publishing, the Assemblies of God printing company, prints 24 tons of church literature and curriculums daily (Assemblies of God, 1989, 15). A radio broadcast entitled Revivaltime is the official radio production of the Assemblies of God. This radio program is broadcasted over 600 times per week. They claim this coverage allows the gospel to reach nearly the entire English-speaking world (Assemblies of God, 1989, 13).
- Organizational Structure:
The General Council is the legislative body which rules over the Assemblies of God. It is composed of every ordained minister within the Assemblies of God churches. Also, one delegate representing each church has a position on the council (Assemblies of God, 1989, 7). The General Council has ordered business meetings every two years. On August 5th - 10th, 1997, they convened for the 47th General Council in Indianapolis, Indiana.
One of the essential features of the Assemblies of God organizational structure is local church autonomy. Each congregation of the Assemblies of God is considered a self-governing "assembly." The General Council is not directly involved in running the local congregations. Every congregation has the right to select its own pastor and elect its own officers. The church also has the power to discipline its members and sanction the pastor. In administering discipline, the church must follow its by-laws and the words of the Holy Scripture. The church is also responsible for its property holdings and its business transactions (Assmblies of God, 1989, 8).
Beyond the individual congregations, the fellowship of the Assemblies of God is divided into 57 districts which are headed by a District Council. Each district has the power to ordain ministers, establish new churches, and provide monetary aid or other resources for the congregations in their district (Assemblies of God, 1989, 7).
The international headquarters of the Assemblies of God is separated into seven divisions. Each of the divisions govern a different aspect of the church's fellowship. The seven divisions are: Division of Christian Education, Division of Church Ministries, Division of Communications, Division of Foreign Missions, Division of Home Missions, Division of Publication, and other Departments (Assemblies of God, 1989, 9 - 15).