Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Early history (1906-1925)=== The association has its origins in the adoption of Pentecostal beliefs by various churches in the [[Ottawa Valley]] (Ontario), notably through the preaching of Canadian [[Methodist]] pastor Robert McAllister who visited the [[Azusa Street Revival]] of 1906. <ref> Randall Herbert Balmer, ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition'', Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 431</ref><ref> Michael Wilkinson, Peter Althouse, ''Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement'', BRILL, Leiden, 2010, p. 158-159</ref> A majority of Pentecostals were found in the [[prairie provinces]] due in part to the large numbers of [[United States]] immigrants who brought their faith with them. Because of these influences, Canadian Pentecostals maintained close ties to their American counterparts.<ref name=PAOCNIDPCM>"The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada". ''The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements''. Rev. ed. Edited by Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. van der Mass. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2003. Kindle edition.</ref> A 1909 attempt to organize the Pentecostal Movement in the [[Eastern Canada|East]] failed because of opposition against institutionalization. In 1918, however, a decision was made to form the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. The association was officially founded in 1919 by 33 churches. <ref> Adam Stewart, ''The New Canadian Pentecostals'', Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Canada, 2015, p. 29</ref> At the time, the PAOC adhered to the non-Trinitarian [[Oneness Pentecostalism|Oneness doctrine]] and there were plans to join the [[Pentecostal Assemblies of the World]] (PAW), another Oneness Pentecostal denomination based in the U.S. However, those plans never materialized, and the Canadian body remained an independent organization with no formal US ties. Around the same time that eastern Pentecostals were creating the PAOC, Pentecostals in [[Saskatchewan]] and [[Alberta]] were joining the US based [[Assemblies of God USA|Assemblies of God]] instead.<ref name=PAOCNIDPCM/> In 1920, the PAOC chose to affiliate with the Assemblies of God. <ref> Michael A. Tapper, ''Canadian Pentecostals, the Trinity, and Contemporary Worship Music: The Things We Sing'', BRILL, Leiden, 2017, p. 30</ref> Pentecostals in the [[Western Canada|West]] were incorporated into the PAOC, which continued to function as a distinct sub-division of the Assemblies of God. As a result, the PAOC united most Canadian Pentecostals in one denomination. The Assemblies of God, however, was a Trinitarian fellowship, and the PAOC was required to repudiate the Oneness doctrine and embrace the doctrine of the Trinity. This action resulted in the first major split within Canadian Pentecostalism and the creation of the [[Apostolic Church of Pentecost]] in 1921 by former PAOC members.<ref name=PAOCNIDPCM/> For the next five years, the PAOC experienced growth. It began a national paper, ''The Pentecostal Testimony'', in 1920 and established a centralized overseas missionary policy for improved effectiveness. In 1925, the PAOC asked to be released from the Assemblies of God over differences in missionary vision. This was granted and was an amiable parting, and the two groups have continued to maintain close ties.<ref name=PAOCNIDPCM/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page