World’s Largest Pentecostal Denomination Celebrates 100th Anniversary in US
Worldwide members of the Assemblies of God (AG), one of the fastest-growing international protestant denominations, will join together in the U.S. this fall to celebrate the AG’s 100th anniversary year, the unity they have shared for the past century and the remarkable growth of the denomination globally.
Established as an outgrowth of the 1906 Azusa Street Revival among Pentecostals in the U.S., the General Council of the Assemblies of God was formed in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in April 1914 as a broad coalition of ministers who desired to work together to fulfill common objectives, such as sending missionaries around the world and providing fellowship and accountability.
“This centennial event will be a moment of revival, a moment of celebration and a moment of focusing on our mission, to complete the great unfinished task of ensuring every person has a chance to hear of Jesus’ love for them,” said Dr. George O. Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God. “This 100th anniversary gives us the opportunity to focus on what God still has for us to do as we look with joy to our past history, give thanks for the present and look forward to what we still have to accomplish in the future.”
Following its formation in 1914, the Assemblies of God quickly took root in other countries and formed indigenous national organizations. The Assemblies of God throughout the world now exceeds 67.5 million adherents, including more than 3.1 million members in the U.S. The denomination has experienced 24 years of consecutive growth, bucking the trend among most other U.S. denominations in recent years.
The Centennial Celebration will be a truly international event, with guest speakers from AG churches all over the world. In addition to Dr. Wood, keynote addresses will be delivered by Yong Mok Cho of South Korea, Juan Carlos Escobar of Spain, Edward A. Grabovenko of Russia, Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, Barnabas Mtokambali of Tanzania, Ivan Satyavrata of India, José Wellington of Brazil and Max Schläpfer of Switzerland. Other U.S. speakers include Hal Donaldson, John Lindell, Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús, Nam Soo Kim, Jason Frenn (who ministers in Latin America) and Raegan Glugosh, a U.S. missionary to Romania.
The Centennial Celebration is expected to be one of the largest international gatherings of AG members, with more than 5,000 individuals traveling from 112 different countries to attend.
In addition, many of the sessions will be carried live via direct simulcast and international television networks. Churches throughout the U.S. will serve as live simulcast hosts, while Unsión will broadcast live to Latin America, where the AG has over 30 million adherents, and LMTV will broadcast live to Africa, where the AG has over 17 million adherents.
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