Australian Christian Churches

Last updated

Australian Christian Churches
AustralianChristianChurches.png
Classification Protestant
Orientation Pentecostal
Theology Finished Work Pentecostalism
Associations World Assemblies of God Fellowship
RegionAustralia
Origin1937
Sydney, New South Wales
Merger of Assemblies of God Queensland and Pentecostal Church of Australia
Separations Christian Revival Crusade
Hillsong Church
Official website www.acc.org.au OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Finished Work Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world.

Contents

The ACC grew out of the Assemblies of God in Australia, which was founded in 1937 with the merger of Assemblies of God Queensland (AGQ), and the Pentecostal Church of Australia. In 2007, at which time it had over 375,000 members, it assumed "Australian Christian Churches" as its public name, but remained registered as the incorporated Assemblies of God in Australia until 2013. Hillsong Church, the largest church in ACC, separated from the ACC in 2018.

Beliefs

The Doctrinal Basis of Australian Christian Churches contains the central beliefs of the denomination. [1] Its 20 articles are summarized below:

  1. There is only one true God who exists as a Trinity.
  2. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and, as the second person of the Trinity, is God.
  3. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He convicts and regenerates the sinner and guides the believer into all truth.
  4. The Bible is inspired by God and is "the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct".
  5. The devil is a real being who "seeks to destroy the faith of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ".
  6. Man was created good by God but, because of voluntary transgression, fell. As a result, men are "separated from original righteousness" (see original sin).
  7. Christ's death on the cross has made full atonement for the world's sins.
  8. Salvation "is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ". In this "new birth", the believer is regenerated, justified, and adopted into the family of God.
  9. The Church is the Body of Christ and consists of all people who accept Christ, regardless of Christian denomination. It is to work to fulfill the Great Commission.
  10. Believer's baptism by single immersion as a declaration to the world of the believer's identification with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.
  11. Observance of the Lord's Supper as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's suffering and death.
  12. Sanctification, "an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God".
  13. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and subsequent experience following conversion which brings empowerment to be an effective witness for Christ. Speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of this experience.
  14. The nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, continue to operate in the present day. The Assemblies of God also believes in the ministry gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers), as recorded in Epistle to the Ephesians 4:11–13.
  15. Divine healing of the sick is provided for in the atonement.
  16. The Second Coming of Christ will be a premillennial, imminent and personal return.
  17. Christ will return to establish his millennial reign on the earth.
  18. The wicked "who wilfully reject and despise the love of God" will face "everlasting punishment".
  19. There will be new heavens and a new earth "in which righteousness dwells".
  20. The heavens and earth and all original life forms "were made by the specific immediate creative acts of God as described in the account of origins presented in Genesis".

At the end of the 20th century, there was a decrease in emphasis on speaking in tongues as the initial evidence as well as the Second Coming of Christ as traditionally understood by Pentecostals. [2] At the same time, the church growth movement and the prosperity gospel became important parts of the denomination's identity. [3]

Worship

ACC churches follow Pentecostal style services which involve contemporary praise and worship, speaking in tongues, lifting of hands in worship and preaching. While the ACC use a wide range of worship styles, generally churches use contemporary praise and worship music for services. From using hymns in the 1930s to 1950s, music from the Jesus movement in the 1960s and 1970s and the contemporary praise and worship of the 1980s to today, ACC churches have continually adapted to new styles of praise and worship.[ citation needed ]

In recent decades, churches affiliated with the ACC have revolutionised church praise and worship. The largest driving force for this change was the popularity of the Hillsong Music label, featuring the bands Hillsong United, Hillsong Worship and Hillsong Young & Free, of Hillsong Church [ citation needed ] (since 2018 no longer a member of ACC [4] [5] ). Other influences have been bands such as Planetshakers and Planetboom, and Influencers Church in Adelaide.

Structure

Churches

Hillsong Church, Sydney Hillsong church worship01.jpg
Hillsong Church, Sydney

The polity of the Assemblies of God is based on the principle of voluntary and cooperative fellowship. "Registered" churches (mature and self-supporting) are autonomous but agree to abide by the United Constitution, state by-laws, and policies of the National Conference, the highest governing body of the Assemblies of God. [6] "Provisional" churches are churches which have not met the requirements to become registered churches and are under the direct supervision of state executives.

State conferences

The Assemblies of God is led in each state by a conference and executive. These bodies are empowered to manage all affairs that do not concern the national denomination. The roles of the state executive are similar to those of the national executive but specialised to the state with a closer relationship to local churches. The state executives recommend to the national executive eligible candidates for ordination. They provide assistance to churches requesting advice or intervention and also have the authority to discipline ministers. At the request of the state executive or at its own discretion, the national executive can intervene in a state's governance. [7]

National conference

The biennial national conference is a representative body of all ordained ministers and all registered churches. [8] Every church is entitled to send one delegate for every 250 adults in regular attendance. [9]

The national conference elects the nine-member national executive, which includes the national officers. The officers are national president, vice-president, and secretary. National executives are always ordained ministers, except for the national secretary who can be a layperson. [10] National officers serve terms of four years; all other executives serve two-year terms. The national executive issues ministerial credentials and, in between sessions of the national conference, is the chief policy making body of the denomination. [11]

National presidents

Until 1997, the national leader of ACC was titled superintendent. The incumbent national president, as from 2009, is Wayne Alcorn.

#NameAppointmentSecessionTime in
1 Charles Greenwood 193719414 years
2 Henry Wiggins 194119432 years
– Charles Greenwood 194319452 years
3 Philip Duncan 194519505 years
4 Edward Irish 195019511 year
5 Alec Davidson 195119554 years
6 James Walace 195519594 years
– Alec Davidson 1959196910 years
7 Ralph Read 196919778 years
8 Andrew Evans 1977199720 years
9 Brian Houston 1997200912 years
10 Wayne Alcorn 2009––

Missions, ministries and educational institutions

Missions

ACCI Missions and Relief is a department of the Australian Christian Churches and currently headed up by Pastor Alun Davies, with ACCI Missions being the missionary sending and support agency and ACCI Relief the aid and development agency. [12]

Ministries

Australian Christian Churches has many ministries in place to serve the church. These include:

Australian Christian Churches supports many organisations including Mercy Ministries, Teen Challenge and Compassion Australia.

Southern Cross College, Sydney Southern Cross College - Chester Hill main campus (2007).jpg
Southern Cross College, Sydney

Education

In order to train future pastors and leaders in the denomination, Commonwealth Bible College (also known as Southern Cross Bible College, and now known as Alphacrucis) was established in 1948 as the official ministry training school of Australian Christian Churches. Since the emergence of megachurches, large churches have begun establishing their own bible colleges. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was estimated that there are over 3,000 full-time students being trained at bible colleges affiliated with Australian Christian Churches. [13]

Statistics

The denomination claims more than 1,100 churches and over 225,000 adherents across Australia. [14] In 2007, affiliated churches had an average congregation of 179 people and 26 churches had over 1,000 members. [15]

History

Predecessors

Pentecostalism in Australia emerged as a loose movement of churches and evangelists around 1909. The first steps towards a denominational structure were made in 1927 when the founder of the Good News Hall in Melbourne, Sarah Jane Lancaster, and her network of churches, collaborated with colorful and controversial itinerant evangelist Frederick Van Eyk (sometimes spelled Eyck) of the South African Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) to form the Australasian AFM. [16] [17] The AFM name was taken from the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, United States. The AFM had also affiliated congregations in New Zealand.

The AFM was short lived, however. Doctrinal controversy, disputes over female authority, the volatile character of its leaders and accusations of immorality against Van Eyk led to the movement splitting. In 1928, the AFM's northern churches formed the Assemblies of God, Queensland, and a year later many other AFM affiliates joined the newly established Pentecostal Church in Australia. [18] What remained of the AFM dissolved after Lancaster's death in 1934.

Assemblies of God Queensland

At a 4 July 1929 conference of the AFM's Queensland pastors, the decision was made to separate from the AFM and form the Assemblies of God Queensland. [19] Besides the controversy over Van Eyk, many Queensland pastors had long been concerned over Lancaster's non-Trinitarian and annihilationist beliefs. They adopted the Assemblies of God name to gain the recognition of the global Pentecostal movement, as Australian Pentecostal churches were dependent upon visiting clergy.

The AGQ would be challenged by the Brisbane revival of American evangelist William Booth-Clibborn, grandson of Salvation Army founder William Booth. He came to Australia in 1930 and stayed two years, beginning an evangelistic work in Brisbane which grew to fill a two thousand seat tent, the Canvas Cathedral. It has been described as "the greatest religious revival Brisbane has seen". [20] While the AGQ initially welcomed the revival, they became competitors when Booth-Clibborn organised the revival campaign into Covenant Christian Church and many of the AGQ's leaders, including its president George Burns, joined Covenant Christian. After 1932, unity talks began between the two groups and Covenant Christian Church joined the AGQ as Glad Tidings Tabernacle (now Brisbane City Church) in 1940. [21]

Pentecostal Church of Australia

In 1925, the American evangelist A. C. Valdez visited Australia and was invited by Charles Greenwood to preach at his church in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, beginning what would become the year-long Sunshine Revival. The growing congregation converted a movie theatre into a 1,000 seat church known as Richmond Temple. The Pentecostal Church of Australia grew out of this revival, and many of Australia's early Pentecostal churches trace their origins to Richmond Temple. [22] Together, Richmond Temple and the Pentecostal Church, Sydney formed the centre of the expanding PCA.

After a year of revival, Valdez left to pursue itinerant evangelism, and Kelso Glover became the new pastor of Richmond Temple and leader of the PCA. Glover was baptised in the Holy Spirit at the Azusa Street revival and was one of the rare participants in early American Pentecostalism with an intellectual background. Glover thought the greatest need of the Pentecostal movement in Australia was "preachers, anointed of God and rightly instructed in the Word". [23] To meet this need he began a short-lived Bible institute. He also began The Australian Evangel, a monthly publication distributed to PCA members. Glover resigned in October 1927 and handed the church over to Greenwood.

Other foreign evangelists were to have an effect on the PCA and Australian Pentecostalism. English evangelist Smith Wigglesworth spent five months in Australia in 1927 under the sponsorship of the PCA. Wigglesworth's healing crusade reinforced the importance of faith and the ministry of healing in Australian Pentecostalism. [24] In April 1928, Donald Gee of the Assemblies of God in Great Britain attended the annual convention of the PCA.

In 1934, the Melbourne Apostolic Church began near Richmond Temple. Originating in Great Britain, the Apostolic Church was distinct from the majority of Pentecostal groups at the time by its belief in the fivefold offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Most Pentecostals saw prophecy as a function open to the entire Spirit baptised congregation, not as offices given to specific persons. [25] However, the Apostolic Church ordained both apostles and prophets. Within a week of the Apostolic Church's opening, 70 of Richmond Temple's members left and joined the new church. The Temple's elders believed that Greenwood should resign and the Temple join the Apostolic Church. However, a congregational vote sided with Greenwood, and all but one elder joined the Apostolics. After this upset, the PCA, along with the Assemblies of God Queensland, struggled to distance itself from the Apostolic Church's teaching.

1937 merger

By the 1930s, it was recognised by the leaders of both movements that a more harmonious, co-operative and unified relationship was needed. The two bodies were virtually identical doctrinally, culturally, and in their focus on missions and evangelism. Furthermore, the leaders of both movements' had links to the Sunshine Revival.

The two bodies were in some ways different in their polities. Greenwood and Philip Duncan (prominent PCA pastor in Sydney) exercised greater control in their own churches which were large and their influence dominated the other PCA churches. The Queensland churches, on the other hand, were more dispersed and more democratic. Their pastors tended to rotate their tenure, and no single church held preeminence. This tended to make the AGQ more egalitarian. [26]

Led by Enticknap (Queensland), Greenwood (Victoria), and Duncan (New South Wales), the AGQ and PCA held a "United Conference" at the Pentecostal Church in Sydney in 1937. It was decided that the new denomination's name would be the Assemblies of God in Australia. By this time, Greenwood had developed a close relationship with Donald Gee of the British Assemblies of God and was willing to drop the PCA label in exchange for association with the global Assemblies of God movement.

For a national constitution, the conference drew from the two existing constitutions as wells as from the constitution of the Assemblies of God USA. The new fellowship would be based on "voluntary cooperation, on terms of equality" and would be governed by biennial national conferences. [27] Every state was granted autonomy in its own affairs as was each registered assembly. Charles Greenwood was elected the first chairman.

World War II

From its formation through World War II, the AOG experienced a period of stagnation. At the time of the merger, there were 38 churches and 1,482 members. Over eight years it grew by four churches, but membership decreased to 1,250. [28] In 1939, the AOG declared British Israelism to be a heresy, eventually leading to the formation of the Christian Revival Crusade.

In its early history, the AOG was a peace church having officially adopted a position of pacifism. Article 23 of the AOG constitution declared "we cannot conscientiously participate in war and armed resistance which involves the actual destruction of human life, since this is contrary to ... the inspired Word of God". [29] However, as WWII progressed, there was less consensus on the issue of Christian participation in military service. In the end, the matter was left to "individual conscience".

1950s and 60s

In 1948, Commonwealth Bible College (now known as Alphacrucis) was founded to train men and women for ministry. James Wallace, an Assemblies of God minister from Great Britain, was appointed principal of the college in 1951 and was then elected AOG chairman in 1955, holding the post until 1959. During his tenure, the college developed a central role in the fellowship and saw an increased number of pastors, church planters, and missionaries trained. This period saw the AOG double in size from 50 churches in 1951 to almost 100 in 1969. [30] Part of this growth was due to immigration, and ethnic congregations, including Slavic and Italian assemblies, were established.

There was also increased missionary activity, almost all of which was focused on the mission field of Papua New Guinea. This approach was successful and led to the 1973 turning over of all mission property and authority to local churches and the establishment of the self-governing Assemblies of God of Papua New Guinea which by 1998 rivaled the size of the Australian fellowship. [31]

With growth came the need to manage it and the national church's power increased. In 1963, the position of chairman was made a full-time one, and the constitution was reformed to make the AG's polity closer to that of the American Assemblies of God. At the national conference of 1969, state presbyteries (governing bodies) were given more responsibility, the denomination asserted more control over ordination, and the title of chairman was changed to general superintendent. [32]

1970–1980: Charismatic movement and aftermath

The impact of the charismatic movement was far reaching in the AOG. It was initially celebrated by classical Pentecostals as a sign that Pentecostalism was influencing traditional churches; however, there were also concerns over the influence the charismatic movement was exerting within the AOG. [33] Pastors of the New Zealand Assemblies of God (AGNZ) would lead the way. Because of its openness to the Latter Rain Movement of the 1950s, the AGNZ was quick to accept the charismatic renewal than the more conservative Australian movement. New Zealand pastors such as Robert Midgley, Frank Houston, and Phil Pringle would significantly influence Australian Pentecostalism, and all ultimately moved their ministries to Australia. [34]

Opposition to the renewal mainly arose over traditional Pentecostal views of mainline churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church, and how those views were being called into question. These churches had historically been mistrusted by Pentecostals, but now many inside these churches were claiming the same experiences that Pentecostals enjoyed without rejecting those churches. Some AOG ministers responded with "new openness to ecumenical relationships", but others warned against "linking hands with modernists and liberals". [35] Tensions escalated and in January 1973 an official statement was published challenging the charismatic practices of prostration (being "slain in the Spirit"), dancing, and the belief that Christians could be demon possessed (everyone in the AOG agreed that non-Christians could indeed be demon possessed). [36]

These tensions fed into the debate over local church autonomy, with charismatic pastors fearing the ability of a conservative denominational leadership forcing its own views on a local congregation. At the 1977 national conference, it seemed that a split within the movement was inevitable. There was no split; however, it was clear that the charismatic faction had gained the support of the movement. Realizing he had lost support, Ralph Read resigned as general superintendent, and Andrew Evans, a supporter the charismatic movement, was elected to replace him. [37] Evans would lead the AOG for 20 years during a tenure that saw the denomination grow from less than 10,000 to over 115,000 members. [38]

Recent history

Another legacy of Evans' leadership was decentralisation. The autonomy of local churches was now only limited by the AOG's doctrinal statement—which was broad enough to allow for diversity. [39] Church growth techniques also became popular during this period. Prominent pastors such as Frank Houston also began to advocate strong pastoral leadership of the local church—as opposed to the congregationalism traditionally preferred by Pentecostals. [40] During the 1980s and 1990s, mega-churches came to dominate the denomination at both state and national levels. Members of the National Executive were exclusively mega-church pastors, and both state and national departments came under the control of mega-churches. Decentralisation has also occurred in the area of world missions. In 2001, responsibility for particular mission fields was given to "regional churches" (mega-churches or near mega-churches). This occurred at a time when the National Executive has gained power at the expense of the representative National Conference, which by 2003 had only the election of National Executive members on its agenda. [41]

In 2007, the ACC had more than 375,000 adherents [14] with more than 1,100 congregations across the country as of 2001. [42] [43]

In April 2007, at the Assemblies of God in Australia National Conference, the public name of the movement was changed to Australian Christian Churches; however, it remained incorporated as Assemblies of God in Australia until 2013. [44]

Political views

There has been significant attention drawn to the denomination's relationship to the Family First Party, particularly in light of the party's founder, Andrew Evans, being a former superintendent of the movement, and its one-time leader, Andrea Mason, attending an ACC church. Both Australian Christian Churches and the Family First Party maintain that links are historical only, and that there is no organisational connection at the present time. [45]

Publicly the Assemblies of God in Australia has distanced itself from advocating certain political groups and parties, including the fledgling Family First party:

One thing we are not is a political movement ... The Assemblies of God in Australia does not have a political vision and we don't have a political agenda. I think people need to understand the difference between the church being very involved in politics and individual Christians being involved in politics. There is a big difference.—Brian Houston [46]

Australian Idol

In October 2007, a Today Tonight story said that several of the final remaining Australian Idol contestants were from Hillsong Church, raising concerns of vote-stacking by the church. It was later revealed that none of the remaining contestants were from Hillsong Church, but several were from churches affiliated with Australian Christian Churches. [47] [48]

Church names

When the Assemblies of God in Australia was incorporated in 1937, churches generally were the name of the location and then the words "Assembly of God". For example, the AOG church in Paradise, South Australia, was called "Paradise Assembly of God" (now called Influencers Church).[ citation needed ]

When Frank Houston moved to Australia from New Zealand in 1977 to establish a church in Sydney, he called his church the Sydney Christian Life Centre. From his church, Houston established several others with the Christian Life Centre (CLC) name. [49] [50]

From the 1990s onwards, many churches with "Assembly of God" or "Christian Life Centre" in their name changed their names to make it shorter and more generic, for example, Shire Christian Centre became Shirelive Church and Mt. Gravatt Assembly of God became Garden City Christian Church. Hills Christian Life Centre became Hillsong Church in 2001, after the name "Hillsong" became more well-known than the church name through its music.[ citation needed ]

Megachurches

A megachurch is a Protestant church having 2,000 or more people in average weekend attendance. [51] [52] [53]

Most of the megachurches in Australia are affiliated with Australian Christian Churches. In the 1970s and 1980s, the largest churches in the movement were Garden City Christian Church and Paradise Community Church. In the 1990s, Hillsong Church became the largest church in the movement and also in Australia until Hillsong Church separated from the Australian Christian Churches in 2018. [54]

ChurchLocationFoundedAttendance[ needs update ]
Kingdomcity Perth, WA 200911,000 [55]
Influencers Church Paradise, Adelaide, SA 19828,000[ citation needed ]
Hope Centre Bowen Hills, Brisbane, QLD 19303,200 [56]
Calvary Christian Church Townsville, QLD 1924 [57] 3,000 [58]
GLOW Church Australia Robina, Gold Coast, QLD 2013 [59] 3,000 [60]
Nexus Church Everton Park, Brisbane, QLD 1952 [61] 2,500 [62]
Inspire Church Hoxton Park, Sydney, NSW 19812,500[ citation needed ]

Megachurches previously affiliated with Australian Christian Churches

Hillsong Church at Baulkham Hills, Sydney, NSW separated from Australian Christian churches in 2018. [54]

Notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, an event that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of God in Christ</span> Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and a large Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly African-American membership based within the United States. The international headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee. The current Presiding Bishop is Bishop John Drew Sheard Sr., who is the Senior Pastor of the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ of Detroit, Michigan. He was elected as the denomination's leader on March 27, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assemblies of God</span> Group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches

The World Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF) is a global cooperative body of over 140 Pentecostal denominations. The WAGF (originally called World Pentecostal Assemblies of God Fellowship) was established on August 15, 1989, at the International Decade of Harvest Conference. Founding delegates represented various national Pentecostal churches that were historically and theologically connected to the AG and in fraternal relationship with each other. WAGF was created to provide structure so that member denominations, which previously related to each other informally, could more easily cooperate on a global basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Pentecostal Holiness Church</span> Pentecostal denomination

The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) is an international Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations. Historically centered in the Southeastern United States, particularly the Carolinas and Georgia, the Pentecostal Holiness Church now has an international presence. In 2000, the church reported a worldwide membership of over one million—over three million including affiliates.

The Latter Rain, also known as the New Order or the New Order of the Latter Rain, was a post-World War II movement within Pentecostal Christianity which remains controversial. The movement saw itself as a continuation of the restorationism of early Pentecostalism. The movement began with major revivals between 1948 and 1952 and became established as a large semi-organized movement by 1952. It continued into the 1960s. The movement had a profound impact on subsequent movements as its participants dispersed throughout the broader charismatic and Pentecostal movements beginning in the 1960s.

David Johannes du Plessis was a South African-born American Pentecostal minister. He is considered one of the main founders of the charismatic movement, in which the Pentecostal experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit spread to non-Pentecostal churches worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Church (1916 denomination)</span> Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Apostolic Church is an international Christian denomination and Pentecostal movement that emerged from the Welsh Revival of 1904–1905. Although the movement began in the United Kingdom, the largest national Apostolic Church became the Apostolic Church Nigeria. The term "Apostolic" refers to the role of apostles in the denomination's church government, as well as a desire to emulate 1st century Christianity in its faith, practices, and government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Woodworth-Etter</span> American evangelist (1844–1924)

Maria Beulah Woodworth-Etter was an American healing evangelist. Her ministry style was a model for Pentecostalism and the later Charismatic movement, earning her the title "Mother of Pentecost" in some circles.

The Assemblies of God in New Zealand is a Pentecostal denomination in New Zealand and a member of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. In 2007, the denomination had nearly 200 congregations and preaching points and 30,000 members and adherents, mostly in the North Island, and it sends missionaries to South Asia and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa</span> Classical Pentecostal Christian denomination in South Africa

The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) is a classical Pentecostal Christian denomination in South Africa. With 1.2 million adherents, it is South Africa's largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest religious grouping in South Africa representing 7.6 percent of the population. Dr. Isak Burger has led the AFM as president since 1996 when the white and black branches of the church were united. It is a member of the Apostolic Faith Mission International, a fellowship of 23 AFM national churches. It is also a member of the South African Council of Churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assemblies of God USA</span> Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially The General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States and the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal body. The AG reported 2.9 million adherents in 2022. In 2011, it was the ninth largest Christian denomination and the second largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. The Assemblies of God is a Finished Work denomination, and it holds to a conservative, evangelical and classical Arminian theology as expressed in the Statement of Fundamental Truths and position papers, which emphasize such core Pentecostal doctrines as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, divine healing and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Bible colleges affiliated with Australian Christian Churches refers to Bible colleges that are registered with Australian Christian Churches, a Pentecostal denomination. Australian Christian Churches currently has eight registered Bible colleges, that train aspiring ACC pastors, leaders, evangelists and missionaries as well as people from other denominations and other aspirations. Alphacrucis is the official ministry training college of the denomination.

Christian Life Centre is or was a name given to a number of Pentecostal churches in Australia, many of them affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches network. Hills Christian Life Centre, which has since changed its name to Hillsong Church, was one of these, and spawned other churches in Australia and around the globe.

The New Zealand Samoan Assemblies of God (SA/G) or (SAOG), officially The General Council of the Samoan Assemblies of God in New Zealand Inc. are a group of Pentecostal congregations predominantly made up of Samoan people. They are affiliated with the Samoan Assemblies of God church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Houston</span> Australian pastor and evangelist

Brian Charles Houston is a New Zealand-Australian former pastor and evangelist. He was the founder and senior pastor at Hillsong Church, based in Sydney with locations around the world. He was the national president of Australian Christian Churches, the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God, from 1997 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Pentecostal Movement</span> Protestant movement in Sweden

The Swedish Pentecostal Movement is a Pentecostal movement in Sweden. Many, but not all, of these, are members of the Pentecostal Alliance of Independent Churches, which was founded in 2001. The Pentecostal movement spread to Sweden by 1907 from the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival and the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentecostalism in Australia</span>

Pentecostalism in Australia is a large and growing Christian movement. Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Protestant Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. It emerged from 19th century precursors between 1870 and 1910, taking denominational form from c. 1927. From the early 1930s, Pentecostal denominations multiplied, and there are now several dozen, the largest of which relate to one another through conferences and organisations such as the Australian Pentecostal Ministers Fellowship. The Australian Christian Churches, formerly known as the Australian Assemblies of God, is the oldest and longest lasting Pentecostal organisation in Australia. The AOG/ACC is also the largest Pentecostal organisation in Australia with over 300,000 members in 2018. Until 2018, Hillsong Church was one of 10 megachurches in Australia associated with the ACC that have at least 2,000 members weekly. According to the church, over 100,000 people attend services each week at the church or one of its 80 affiliated churches located worldwide.

Pentecostalism began spreading in South Africa after William J. Seymour, of the Azusa Street mission, sent missionaries to convert and organize missions. By the 1990s, approximately 10% of the population of South Africa was Pentecostal. The largest denominations were the Apostolic Faith Mission, Assemblies of God, and the Full Gospel Church of God. Another 30% of the population was made up of mostly black Zionist and Apostolic churches, which comprise a majority of South Africa's African Instituted Churches(AICs). In a 2006 survey, 1 in 10 urban South Africans said they were Pentecostal, and 2 in 10 said they were charismatic. In total, renewalists comprised one-fourth of the South African urban population. A third of all protestants surveyed said that they were Pentecostal or charismatic, and one-third of all South African AIC members said they were charismatic.

Sarah Jane Lancaster was the leader of Australia's first Pentecostal congregation. An evangelist and administrator, she established a printing press in her meeting hall to produce evangelistic tracts and pamphlets. Lancaster also published Australia's first Pentecostal magazine, Good News. Lancaster became president of the nation's earliest attempt to organise Pentecostalism into a denomination, the Apostolic Faith Mission of Australasia. Although she is recognised as the founder of Australian Pentecostalism and contributed to the unique prominence of women in the founding of Australian Pentecostal congregations, many of her doctrinal ideas were quickly abandoned as the movement developed.

References

  1. ↑ "What We Believe". Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 227–228.
  3. ↑ Clifton 2005, pp. 214, 224-227.
  4. ↑ Blair, Leonardo; Reporter, Senior (19 September 2018). "Hillsong Church Becomes Own Denomination, Splits From Australia's Largest Pentecostal Group". The Christian Post. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Hillsong splits from denomination: 'we have no grief or dispute at all' - Premier". Premier. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "AOG -" . Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  7. ↑ United Constitution 2009, Article 9, pp. 11–12.
  8. ↑ United Constitution 2009, Article 5.2, p. 7.
  9. ↑ United Constitution 2009, Article 5.5, p. 8.
  10. ↑ United Constitution 2009, Article 6 – 7.1, p. 9.
  11. ↑ United Constitution 2009, Articles 7.7 and 11.7.1, pp. 10, 15.
  12. ↑ "About us - ACCI Missions & Relief". Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Diana Bagnall (11 April 2000). "The New Believers". The Bulletin . Australian Consolidated Press.
  14. 1 2 Australian Christian Churches (Assemblies of God in Australia). "Who We Are". Australian Christian Churches (Assemblies of God in Australia). Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
  15. ↑ "Australian Christian Churches 2007 Report". Australian Christian Churches. Assemblies of God in Australia. 2007.
  16. ↑ "Digital Theses" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  17. ↑ Chant, Barry (1973). Heart of Fire. Adelaide, South Australia.: Tabor Publications. ISBN   0949330051.
  18. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 125.
  19. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 139.
  20. ↑ Stan Hunt, Assemblies of God Queensland Conference: A Story of its Formation and Mission, p. 9, as quoted in Shane Jack Clifton, p. 142.
  21. ↑ History of Brisbane City Church Archived 16 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine , includes video clip. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  22. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 144.
  23. ↑ Kelso R. Glover, "Your Future Missionaries and Ministers", The Australian Evangel 1, no. 1 (July 1926) as quoted in Shane Jack Clifton, p. 149.
  24. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 153.
  25. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 150.
  26. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 158.
  27. ↑ Article 2, AOG United Constitution, as quoted in Shane Jack Clifton, p. 158.
  28. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 163.
  29. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 164.
  30. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 169, 198.
  31. ↑ Shane Jack Clifton, p. 170.
  32. ↑ Clifton 2005, pp. 198–199.
  33. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 199.
  34. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 201.
  35. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 204-205.
  36. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 206.
  37. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 210.
  38. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 211.
  39. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 213.
  40. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 217.
  41. ↑ Clifton 2005, p. 221.
  42. ↑ Bellamy, J & Castle, K: "NCLS Occasional Paper 3: 2001 Church Attendance Estimates", pages 5–7. NCLS Research, 2004. See also "Dramatic shifts in Australia's religious landscape".
  43. ↑ "About Australian Christian Churches". Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  44. ↑ "Historical details for ABN 58 123 514 361". ABN Lookup. November 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  45. ↑ Chris Baker (25 September 2004). "Family First Party Media Release" (PDF). Family First Party . Family First Party. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2007.
  46. ↑ Linda Morris (4 May 2005). "Church expands horizons". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 13 May 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2006.
  47. ↑ Jane Nethercote. "Australian Idol: Where are the singing Buddhists?". Crikey.com . Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  48. ↑ Garth Montgomery (10 October 2007). "Idol fans angry at vote bloc". News Limited . Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
  49. ↑ "God in the Suburbs and Beyond: The Emergence of an Australian Megachurch and Denomination" (PDF).
  50. ↑ "Independent charismatic churches in a period of post-modernisation – a case study of the Christian Outreach Centre Movement" (PDF).
  51. ↑ "Church Sizes". www.usachurches.org. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  52. ↑ Baird, Julia (23 February 2006). "The good and bad of religion-lite". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 November 2006.
  53. ↑ "MegaChurches: large congregations spread across Black America". CBS Interactive. 2004. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  54. 1 2 Blair, Leonardo; Reporter, Senior (19 September 2018). "Hillsong Church Becomes Own Denomination, Splits From Australia's Largest Pentecostal Group". The Christian Post. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  55. ↑ "Vision 2022".
  56. ↑ "Hope Centre | About". hopecentre.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  57. ↑ "Our Story | Calvary Christian Church". calvarycc.org.au. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  58. ↑ "ACC -". Archived from the original on 5 January 2009.
  59. ↑ "Glow Church | REAL BOLD LOVE | Looking for a church near you?". Glow Church. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  60. ↑ "About Us".
  61. ↑ "Welcome to Nexus | Church Brisbane". mynexus.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017.
  62. ↑ "Welcome to Nexus | Church Brisbane". mynexus.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.