Statistics reveal AG ethnic diversity growing
By Dan Van Veen
At the 1989 General Council, Resolution 20 was passed. This seemingly “commonsense” biblical resolution basically stated that the Assemblies of God would work against racism at home and abroad and seek reconciliation.
Since that time, other resolutions have been passed in successive General Council meetings, all designed to bring about greater harmony between ethnic groups. The resolutions also opened the doors - and in some cases, minds - to greater ethnic diversity within the Assemblies of God as a whole and in individual churches as well.
Although a debate could be held as to whether the resolutions were the driving force or the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit had more to do with it, the Assemblies of God has truly become a multi-ethnic Church.
Some may find it surprising, but according to Intercultural Ministries Director Scott Temple, the AG now has a greater percent of [non-white] ethnic adherents within our U.S. Fellowship than the U.S. population as a whole.
“In the 2000 Census, about 75 percent of the United States was classified as ‘white,’” Temple says. “Obviously, this means about 25 percent was classified as other ethnicities. In the Assemblies of God, the statistics reveal that we’re well over 30 percent [in ethnic population].”
According to AG Statistician Sherri Doty, in 2001, the AG began collecting statistics on adherents by ethnicity in the United States. That first year, the statistics revealed that 70.6 percent of adherents (of a total of 2,627,029) were white - already well below the national average - but by 2004, that number had dropped even lower, to 66.5 percent (of a total of 2,779,095), indicating a 20 percent growth in the number of other ethnic adherents in just three years.
Temple adds that as the AG is becoming increasingly more ethnically diverse, the number of “Z category” AG churches - churches where there is no clear ethnic majority - are seeing significant growth, in numbers and attendance.
“As of 2003, we had 472 Z category churches,” Temple says. “Not only is this an increase of nearly 250 churches since 1992, these churches are among the ethnic groups which have the greatest average Sunday AM worship attendances in the AG.”
Temple explains that churches that used to be predominantly one ethnicity are becoming increasingly diverse and integrated.
“This would explain, in part, why we have seen a decline in the numbers of churches classified as ‘white’ over the years,” Temple says. “An increasing number of churches are having an appeal that crosses ethnic lines.”
“Just looking at the number of churches by ethnicity can be misleading,” Doty points out. “For example, a church may be classified as ‘Hispanic’ or ‘white,’ yet many of the people attending those churches may not be Hispanic or white. However, the number of adherents by ethnicity clearly shows where growth is occurring in the AG.”
According to Doty, since 2001, the AG has seen an increase of 152,000 in adherents. Of that, nearly 20,000 have come from the Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity, more than 70,000 from Hispanic, more than 35,000 from Black, nearly 4,000 from Native American and more than 28,000 from other/mixed ethnicities. Meanwhile, the number of those classified as “white” has slightly decreased, by about .3 percent.
“It’s wonderful to see such a great increase of ethnic diversity in the Assemblies of God,” Temple says. “I believe that this is an indication that many AG ministers and congregations of all ethnicities are no longer seeing each other as members of a certain ethnic group, but members of the body of Christ - brothers and sisters in the Lord.”
For more information on Intercultural Ministries, see http://www.intercultural.ag.org/ or stop by Intercultural Ministries in the U.S. Missions area in the Exhibit Hall. For more statistical information, see http://ag.org/top/about/statistics.cfm.
