Charles Parham is a prominent figure in the history of the Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal movement. His teachings greatly influenced the doctrines of the Assemblies of God. He is the founder of the first Pentecostal church - the Apostolic Faith Church. He started a Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, where students came to learn about the Word of God. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit was emphasized here as a key factor in one's walk of faith.
The revival quickly spread to Missouri and Texas, and eventually to California and beyond. Pentecostal believers from around the world gathered at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles for a three-year (1906–1909) revival meeting.
Then the ministers gathering in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1914, called by a preacher named E. N. Bell resulted in the formation of our fellowship and the spreading of revival. Bell recognized the need for a “cooperative fellowship for evangelistic effectiveness, legal recognition, ministerial training, and doctrinal purity.” Three hundred Pentecostal ministers and laymen gathered to discuss the growing need for doctrinal unity and other common goals. As a result, the General Council of the Assemblies of God was formed, uniting the assemblies in ministry and legal identity, yet preserving each congregation as a self-governing and self-supporting entity. This structural model remains intact today.
In 1916 a Statement of Fundamental Truths was approved and adopted by the General Council. This position on the essential doctrines of the Assemblies of God denomination remains virtually unchanged to this day.
The Assemblies of God ministries have focused and continue to concentrate on evangelism, missions, and church planting. From its founding attendance of 300, the denomination has grown to nearly 3 million adherents in the United States and over 60 million overseas.
We began in 1914 with the desire to bring independent groups together with a common cause to reach the world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They knew that more could be done together than could ever be done alone. This fellowship celebrated the distinctiveness of each individual minister and church and appreciated the ability to network together to bring about God's plan. Each and every part of this fellowship contributed to the whole. We have seen a lot of changes come to America and to this fellowship over these nearly 100 years. The culture has changed and the neighborhood has also changed, but God and His Word have remained the same.
We are in a culture that morphs continually, but God knows exactly what is needed to reach this generation. We must "reconnect" to the same vision and purpose that our spiritual forefathers in this fellowship tapped into in Hot Springs, AR in 1914. Our core values are still strongly significant today and with God's help, we can connect and see the same results today. I am not suggesting we return to the "style" of 1914, but I am recommending that we connect to the "spirit" of Hot Springs. We must operate in excellence mixed with spiritual wisdom. This generation deserves all that God has for them to experience and often He has more than we allow.
In October at our fall retreat we will be having "The Ministers’ Gathering: Hot Springs Revisited" with Doug Clay, our General Secretary of the Assemblies of God. We will revisit the foundations of our original purpose and recommit ourselves to being the “greatest evangelistic effort” on earth. I really believe our greatest days are ahead of us.
