Assemblies of God USA

====Baptism in the Holy Spirit====
{{Main|Baptism with the Holy Spirit}}

[[File:Randolph TN 06 Randolph Assembly of God.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Randolph Assembly of God, [[Randolph, Tennessee]]]]

According to the Statement of Fundamental Truths, "All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek" the baptism in the Spirit. It also states, "This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church". It is a separate experience from and occurs after salvation. This baptism gives to the receiver an "enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry". There are four experiences listed in the Fundamental Truths that result from Spirit baptism: "overflowing fullness of the Spirit", "a deepened reverence for God", intensified consecration and dedication to God and his work, and "a more active love for Christ, for His Word and for the lost". In addition, this experience initiates the believer in the use of [[spiritual gifts]]. The "initial physical sign" of having received this baptism is "speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance".<ref name="agfundtruths" />

Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is a requirement for ministerial licensing and ordination. However, Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues is ''not'' a requirement for membership or participation in an Assembly of God church.<ref name="Crossroads12">{{harvnb|Poloma|1989|p=12}}</ref> An increasing minority of pastors has expressed concern that there is a lack of biblical support for the claim that Spirit baptism must always be accompanied with speaking in tongues.<ref name="churchidchangep73">{{harvnb|Roozen|Nieman|2005|p=73}}</ref> This concern corresponds with a decrease in the number of Assembly of God adherents reporting baptism in the Holy Spirit; according to the AG's Office of Statistics as of 2003 less than 50 percent of adherents had this experience.<ref name="emergingmagisteriumpg213">{{harvnb|Robeck|2003|p=213}}</ref> These challenges to the AG's traditional position were noted in a 2007 report by the AG's Spiritual Life Committee:

{{blockquote|Yet, the distinctive doctrine that once united us has, in some circles, become a point of contention. We lament the increasing rarity of the gifts of the Spirit in our worship setting. We wonder where, in our busy church schedules, will people have an opportunity to tarry at the altars for a transforming Pentecostal experience?<ref name=07GCminutesp.9>"Spiritual Life Committee Report", General Council Minutes 2007, p. 9.</ref>}}

Despite these challenges, in 2009, the 53rd General Council passed a resolution reaffirming the doctrine of initial physical evidence.<ref>[http://ag.org/top/Events/General_Council_2009/Business/Resolutions/Resolution_21_Reaffirmation_of_Initial_Physical_Evidence.pdf Resolution 21 ''Reaffirmation of Pentecostal Distinctive''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210212635/http://ag.org/top/Events/General_Council_2009/Business/Resolutions/Resolution_21_Reaffirmation_of_Initial_Physical_Evidence.pdf |date=2010-12-10 }}. 53rd General Council of the Assemblies of God. 2009. Accessed October 12, 2010.</ref>