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After more than two decades of partnership, AG World Missions is postponing its final decision concerning its working relationship with Wycliffe Bible Translators until recommendations from a review panel appointed by the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) are made known.

Earlier this year, the Assemblies of God World Missions Executive Committee set a May 15 deadline to determine whether to continue its partnership with Wycliffe after the organization announced that, in some instances, other terms would be used for "Father," "Son" and "Son of God" in an effort to make Scripture more easily understood by Muslims. AGWM openly disagreed with Wycliffe's stated and publicized decision and met twice with Wycliffe representatives in hopes of resolving the issue. With the creation of the WEA review panel, AGWM has postponed its final decision.

Mundis

"If, after the WEA panel review is complete, Wycliffe's position concerning familial language is compatible with AGWM's," states AGWM Executive Director Greg Mundis, "we will gratefully continue what has been a long-standing and effective partnership." However, Mundis emphasizes that AGWM's position on using the terms "Father," "Son" and "Son of God" will not change.

Currently, 34 AG missionaries work with Wycliffe. AGWM states that those missionaries' status will remain unchanged for the time being; however, no new missionaries will be assigned to Wycliffe unless and until its position concerning Biblical terminology is finally believed to be compatible with that of AGWM.

The AGWM executive committee states, "AGWM is steadfastly committed to the divinely chosen terms of Father and Son and their clearly intended meanings as revealed pervasively in the inspired text of the Old and New Testaments."

"We have given much thought and prayer in this process, and we continue to trust the Lord for a mutually acceptable resolution with Wycliffe," says Mundis.

To read a position paper concerning familial language written by AG scholars and missiologists, click here.

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Thu, 19 Nov 2009 - 4:41 PM CST

The Assemblies of God

The Assemblies of God was founded in 1914 in Hot Springs, Arkansas with 300 people at the founding convention. Today there are more than 12,500 churches in the U.S. with over 3 million members and adherents. There are more than 64 million Assemblies of God members worldwide, making the Assemblies of God one of the world’s largest Pentecostal denominations.

The U.S. Assemblies of God national office is located at 1445 N. Boonville Avenue, Springfield, Missouri. It houses the denomination’s executive and administrative offices, service divisions and departments, and the Gospel Publishing House printing plant which produces over 12 tons of literature daily.

History And Polity Of The Assemblies Of God

Origin

Assemblies of God Headquarters
Springfield, MO

The Assemblies of God, founded as a result of a religious revival which swept around the world in the early 1900’s, has become the largest Pentecostal group. It was organized in a constitutional convention at Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1914.

Doctrine

Doctrinally, the church emphasizes personal salvation, water baptism, divine healing, the baptism with the Holy Spirit accompanied by the evidence of speaking in tongues, and the pre-millennial second coming of Jesus Christ. The Bible is recognized as the inspired word of God and provides the rule for faith and practice.

The church’s four-fold mission is expressed through

Evangelism
Discipleship
Worship
Compassion

Government

Assemblies of God government is a combination of congregational and Presbyterian principles. Each church is sovereign in the choice of pastor, owning and holding property, maintaining membership rolls, management of all local business or activities, and voluntary participation in denominational programs.

To assist local churches, 61 district councils (most following state boundaries) have been formed in the United States. Each district conducts an annual business meeting called a district council, and elects a district superintendent and other officers. District councils have oversight of churches and ministers in their areas.

There are 14 language districts in the United States, organized similar to but overlapping geographic districts.

The General Presbytery is the second highest policy-making body for the church and serves as an advisory board for the Assemblies of God. It meets annually.

Between these annual sessions, the church’s interests are cared for by a 20-member board of directors called the Executive Presbytery. This board includes the church’s top elected officials together with regional representatives and language and ethnic representatives.

The Assemblies of God is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA), the Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF), and the World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF).

General Council

The General Council is the biennial business meeting of the U.S. Assemblies of God. General Council is held to conduct important church business, elect top church officials, and to convene ministries and activities of the church. Voting membership at the General Council consists of all licensed and ordained ministers and a lay delegate elected from each local church. The next General Council meeting will convene in Orlando, Florida, August 5-9, 2013.

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