Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God movement goes back to revival meeting in the late 1800's. These revival meetings spread from Topeka, Kansas to Missouri, Texas, and California. The most famous of these revival services occurred for over a period of three years at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. The Azusa Street Revival attracted believers from around the world and soon hundreds of Pentecostal congregations were formed out of this "Pentecostal" movement.
In 1914 about 300 preachers and laymen gathered from 20 states and several foreign countries for a "general council" in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The five reasons they listed for calling the meeting were: doctrinal unity, conservation of the current movement, foreign missions interests, chartering churches under a common name for legal purposes, and the need for a Bible training school.
A cooperative fellowship emerged from the meeting and was incorporated under the name "The General Council of the Assemblies of God." Most of the delegates had little desire to form a new denomination or sect, and they structured their organization to unite the "assemblies" in ministry and legal identity while leaving each congregation self-governing and self-supporting. This structure continues to the present.
In 1916 the General Council approved a Statement of Fundamental Truths. A simple statement, it remains virtually unchanged and continues to provide a sound basis for the Fellowship, giving a firm position on vital doctrines.
Today, the Assemblies of God has grown from its founding convention attendance of 300 to more than 2.6 million in the United States and over 48 million overseas. There are over 12,000 churches in the U.S. and 236,022 churches in 191 nations around the world. The Assemblies of God has 19 endorsed universities and seminary in the U.S. and 1,891 foreign Bible schools – more than any other U.S. based denomination.
The Assemblies of God national headquarters is located in Springfield, Missouri (www.ag.org). Ocean City Worship Center also receives general oversight from our district headquarters located in Gainesville, Virginia, which serves the entire Potomac District - Maryland, Virginia, & West Virginia (www.potomacag.org).
