Assemblies of God USA

====Women and ethnic minorities====
[[File:Evang Hispanic Ch day school Elizabeth jeh.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Day school of Evangel Hispanic Church, an AG church in [[Elizabeth, New Jersey]]]]
[[File:Hispanic_Centennial.jpg|thumb|AG Hispanic Centennial Celebration, August 2, 2018, in Houston, Texas]]
Despite Pentecostalism's origins in a racially inclusive revival, it accommodated itself to America's culture of [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] rather early; the Assemblies of God was no different. As early as 1915, an executive presbyter wrote in an article for the ''Pentecostal Evangel'' that segregation was "ordained of God"; however, it was not until 1939 that the General Presbytery enacted a policy prohibiting the [[ordination]] of African Americans to the ministry.<ref name=PneumaAzusa2Memphis>{{Citation |last=Macchia |first=Frank D. |title=From Azusa to Memphis: Evaluating the Racial Reconciliation Dialogue Among Pentecostals  |journal=Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies |volume=17 |issue=2 |page=208 |date=Fall 1995 |doi=10.1163/157007495x00192}}</ref> Districts were still allowed to license African Americans to preach but only in the district where the license was issued. Black Pentecostals seeking ordination were referred to "one of the colored organizations". This was especially true of the Church of God in Christ,<ref name=":0" /> which, despite the fact that it predates the Assemblies of God, was seen as a "younger sibling". It was not until 1962, under the leadership of General Superintendent [[Thomas F. Zimmerman]], that the denomination finally began issuing ordinations without regard to race.<ref name=racialreconciliation>Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center. [http://ifphcseeninprint.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/pentecostals-and-racial-reconciliation/ "Pentecostals and Racial Reconciliation"], December 12, 2007. Accessed July 19, 2010.</ref> Three years later the 1965 General Council adopted a resolution affirming the goals of the civil rights movement and condemning racism and discrimination.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=249–250}} By the 1970s, there was renewed focus on inner-city evangelism and integrated urban efforts.

While blacks were largely excluded from the AG until the 1960s, though some served as missionaries and evangelists,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodgers |first=Darrin |date=2024-02-27 |title=Remembering the Assemblies of God's Black Heritage |url=https://news.ag.org/en/articles/news/2024/02/remembering-the-assemblies-of-god-s-black-heritage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330225220/https://news.ag.org/en/articles/news/2024/02/remembering-the-assemblies-of-god-s-black-heritage |archive-date=2024-03-30 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=AG News}}</ref> the denomination's work among Spanish-speaking people has a long history, first sanctioned explicitly in 1918. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] outreach became independent of the Foreign Missions Department in 1929 when the first Latin American District was established. By the end of World War II, the AG's Latin American constituency formed the largest Protestant presence among Hispanics in the United States.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=244–246}} The AG also focused on major European immigrant populations, but as later generations assimilated into American culture, these separate European segments were absorbed into the regular geographic districts.

During the time when African Americans were barred from ordination, women began to receive greater opportunities for leadership. Women formed an important part of the Assemblies of God's constituency, many being [[Sunday School]] workers and evangelists, most prominent being [[Aimee Semple McPherson]] (who would later found the [[Foursquare Church]]). This made the issue of women's place in the movement important in the 1930s.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=171}} It was also recognized that many congregations who could not afford male pastors relied on women preachers. Although opposition to female pastors had been regularly affirmed since 1914, the office of pastor was opened to women in 1935.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=174}}