AG%20History:%201914-1950

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AG History 1914-1950

• The Early Years 1914-1927
• Development 1927-1949

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The Early Years1914-1926
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A Call to Gather

• E.M. Bell called for a special convention in the
  Word and Witness publication
• This call is to all Churches of God in Christ,
  to all Pentecostal or Apostolic Faith Assemblies
  who desire with united purpose to cooperate in
  love and peace to push the interests of the
  kingdom of God everywhere. This is, however, only
  for saints who believe in the baptism with the
  Holy Ghost with signs following. (1913)

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Reasons for the Convention

• The following reasons were published in the Word
  and Witness for the meeting
• Unity among the churches
• Conservation of the work at home and on foreign
  fields
• Better support for missionaries
• Chartering with a legal name
• Bible school training for ministers

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The First General CouncilAugust 1914

• Ministers and Missionaries were half the
  delegates
• First 4 days dedicated to prayer and fellowship
• Mack Pinsons Keynote Sermon The Finished Work
  of Christ
• General Council of the Assemblies of God
• Voluntary Cooperation

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Two Restrictions for Marriage

• Divorce
• Disapproved except for adultery
• Divorced person should remain single
• No credential for anyone with two living spouses
• Women in Ministry
• Ordained only as Evangelists and Missionaries
• Not to be ordained as pastors (until 1935)

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AG First Two Leaders

• E. N. Bell, General Superintendent (1914
  1920-1923)
• Well-educated Baptist background, tall and 22
  years older than Flower. Just began his first
  pastorate in Arkansas. Edited Word and Witness.
  Ideas about women in ministry strong influence.
  Supported tongues as initial evidence. He was a
  shaper of AG doctrine in its formative stages.

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Two Leaders (cont)

• J Roswell Flower, General Secretary (1914 -1916)
  (Executive until 1959)
• Immigrant from Canada. No formal training for
  ministry. Before his call, he read law. Founder
  of the Pentecostal Evangel, along with his wife.
  Strong upholder of AG doctrines.

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General Superintendent

• E. N. Bell 1914 and 1920-1923
• Arch P. Collins 1914-1915
• Baptized in Spirit while pastoring a Baptist
  Church
• John W. Welch 1915
• Protector and Shaper of AG beliefs
• Problems of the nature of the Godhead

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The New Issue1913-1916

• Overemphasis of Jesus Christ as Savior, Healer,
  Baptizer, soon coming King.
• Jesus Only
• Re-baptizing believers in Jesus name only (Acts
  238)
• 1916 General Council statement against the new
  move of God/Oneness
• Split ¼ leave AG

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Tongues

• 1918 General Council issue over Tongues as the
  Initial Physical Evidence of Spirit Baptism
• Reaffirmed that tongues for the AG was our
  distinctive testimony (Aug 1914)

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Expansion

• 1915 General Council officially affirmed the
  evangelization of the heathen by NT methods.
• 1919 Missionary Department established with J
  Roswell Flower-funds to 206 Foreign Missionaries
• John Welch in 1920 The General Council of the
  Assemblies of God was never meant to be an
  institution it is just a missionary agency.
• HQ Findlay, Ohio- St. Louis- Springfield (1918)

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2nd General CouncilNovember 1914

• Meeting at the Stone Church in Chicago
• "As a Council, ... we commit ourselves and the
  Movement to Him for the greatest evangelism that
  the world has ever seen."
• Why? Jesus is coming

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What Grew The Assemblies of God?

• Henry C. Ball Reaching the Spanish-speakers
• Ethel and Marcus Musick- She preached, he
  supported
• Robert and Mary Craig- sobering drunks and
  training leaders
• Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson- The Queen of
  the Evangelists

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Challenges for Missions

• 1914-1927 were the most unstable years for AG
  missions.
• Many early GC missionaries dropped out because of
  difficulties
• Age, illness, poorly trained and prepared,
  hardships on the field and some unable to work
  under man-made guidelines/policy

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AG Missiology

• The Key Evangelizing in Light of Jesus Soon
  Return
• Alice E. Luce, India First significant AG
  missiologist. She wrote New Testament Methods
  influenced by Roland Allens Book Missionary
  Methods St. Pauls or Ours?
• To the 3-Self Formula, Luce added
• Signs and Wonders

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Early Missionary Characteristics

• Aim Establish 3-Self Churches that could
  reproduce themselves
• Lillian Thrasher compassion, courage, and good
  business sense
• Ivan Voronaeff sacrifice
• W.E. Simpson Martyr for China/Tibet
• Victor Plymore Paid with his family

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1900-1921 Summary Decisions that Framed AG
Missions

• April 1914 Reason for Being Missions
• Nov. 1914 Commitment to greatest world
  evangelism
• 1915 New Testament Methods
• 1917 First Missions Committee
• 1919 Foreign Missions Department Formed
• 1920 Survey of the Fields
• 1921 Alice Luce Pauline Methodology

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1900-1921 Lessons Learned

1. Spirit baptism is empowerment to bear witness to
   the ends of the earth.
2. Understanding that not all practices and trends
   are are or equally effective. The guidance of the
   Spirit and Structure.
3. Deep commitment to the Bible. Anything goes in
   the name of the Spirit is not biblical.
4. Balance of the Spirit and the Word.
5. 1921 General Council stated the objective of
   missions was to produce indigenous churches, but
   it took a long time to work out.

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Years of Development1928-1947
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Indigenous Churches

• 1914 there were 40 AG missionaries, years of
  instability
• 1920-1924 missionary numbers221
• First indigenous churches and national bodies
  began to appear in the 1930s El Salvador and
  then Burkina Faso (1934)
• Problems with missionaries and old ways and
  resistance from US churches.

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Compassion/ Charitable Work

• 1920 J Roswell Flower, first missions secretary
  wrote about Pentecostal Standard Preaching as
  priority, with no time for schools, hospitals,
  etc. the latter were distractions.
• However, in real life on the field compassion and
  proclamation went together.

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Dislike of Denominationalism

• Pentecostals wanted to be Spirit-led, not
  man-led.
• Distrust of man-made organizations.
• Slow change of attitude and understanding of
  reality.
• Cooperative Fellowship or The Fellowship
  preferred.

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Growth

• Ernest S. Williams elected Superintendent in 1929
  and served 20 years.
• During this period
• The Home Missions and Education Departments were
  created 1937 Busy Bee- Buddy Barrel
• Bible Institutes multiplied
• Gospel Publishing House increased publications
• Evangelicals began to recognize Pentecostals
• Women were ordained as pastors

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War

• Initially, WWII was not a worry Jesus was coming
  soon.
• In 1941, Noel Perkin reported that 104
  missionaries had reached field only 4 failed.
• 1941 Missions Dept offered to pay for
  missionaries in China, Hong Kong and Philippines
  to come home, but too late.
• New Fields opened after the war

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Strategic Planning

• Rapid Changes between 1943 and 1959
• Continued development of Missions Department and
  strengthening of the role of the department not
  appreciated by independent-minded missionaries
• By 1959, AG Missions was well-recognized by other
  agencies.
• 1943 Missions Conference

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Plans

• Develop positions of field secretaries
• Add 500 new missionaries
• Develop an advisory groups of pastors and laymen
• Provide missionaries with better training
• Promote missions better in US
• Raise 5 million for missions.

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AG History 1950s and Beyond

• Passingthe Baton

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Controversies

• New Order of the Latter Rain 1949
• Healing Controversies

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A New Generation for New Era

• Thomas Zimmerman (1912-1991) Elected one of 4
  Assisstant General Superintendents in 1953 and
  General Superintendent in 1959. Let us never get
  the idea tat God has brought us to our present
  plateau to terminate progress His command is,
  Go Forward. (1968)
• Philip Hogan, Executive Director of DFM in 1959

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Decade of Harvest

• G. Raymond Carlson 1990s Decade of Harvest
• Members and Adherents from 16 million to 30
  million
• Bible Schools increased by 43
• Total National Ministers increased 48

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The Charismatic Movement

• May 1960, Episcopal Priest Dennis Bennett
  baptized in the Spirit and spoke with other
  tongues.
• Revival within the Catholic Church. Feb. 1967 at
  Duquesne University 30 students and 2
  theologians. Influence by David Wilkersons Cross
  and the Switchblade.
• David du Plessis (1905-1987) Pentecostal
  Ambassador
• Condemnation of the World Council of Churches

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Key Missionaries

• Melvin Hodges (1909-1988) The Indigenous Church
• J. W. Tucker Assembly of God Martyr

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Missions Developments

• Light For the Lost
• Chaplaincy
• Prison Ministry
• Speed the Light
• BGMC

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Faith Promise

• Local Church Missions Convention
• Establish a regular income for missions
• Getting people committed and involved
• J Philip Hogan I have been selling missions to
  churches on a money-back guarantee for many
  years If they set aside a portion for the lost
  abroad, God will help them in the local church
  (1963).

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Missionary Life Became More Complex

• Promotional duties
• Financial pressures
• Hostility and danger
• Qualifications

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Scandal

• Jim and Tammy Bakker 1987
• Jimmy Swaggart 1988

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Partnership

• 1980s change in the church around the world
  partners in Gods work
• Morris O. Williams, The Indigenous Church and the
  Missionary (1978)

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Missions Leaders

• Loren Tripplett (1989-1997) stressed the
  Spirits supernatural role in calling people to
  enter the last days harvest in expectation of
  Christs return.
• The Fall of the Soviet Union opened up many
  fields previously closed, increasing urgency of
  the task
• AGWM still thinking in terms of geography, not
  people groups.
• John Bueno (1997-2012) Partnership

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Missions CoreOur Four Pillars

• The widest possible evangelism (REACHING)
• Establishment of NT churches (PLANTING)
• Training national beleivers (TEACHING)
• Showing the Compassion of Jesus to the suffering
  (TOUCHING)

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Unreached Peoples

• The ends of the earth Acts 18
• Lack of strategy
• Partnership may have eroded pioneering
• Hostility
• Center for Ministry to Muslims/ Global Initiative
• International Ministry Department and Compassion