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Do not fill this in! ==Organization and leadership== The Assemblies of God is defined in its constitution as a "cooperative fellowship" of "churches and credentialed ministers".<ref name="GC09ConstitutionII.p903">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article II, p. 90.</ref> It has a representative form of government derived from [[presbyterian polity]] and organized in three levels of administration: congregations, district councils and the General Council.<ref name="agstructure3">{{cite web |year=2006 |title=Assemblies of God Structure |url=http://ag.org/top/About/structure.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051001010947/http://ag.org/top/about/structure.cfm |archive-date=October 1, 2005 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |publisher=Assemblies of God}}</ref> The AG has, however, elements of [[congregational polity]], which are limited by the powers of the districts and AG General Council to license and discipline ministers.<ref name="churchidchangep1003">{{harvnb|Roozen|Nieman|2005|p=100}}</ref> === Congregations === ==== Self-governing churches ==== The Assemblies of God uses several classifications of congregations based on their level of local autonomy and their relationship to the General Council. Mature, fully functioning congregations are classified as "General Council affiliated churches". These churches are "sovereign" and self-governing, but in matters of doctrine local assemblies are subordinate to districts and the General Council.<ref name="GC09ConstitutionXI.1.c-d.p992">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article XI section 1 paragraphs c-d, p. 98.</ref> A church is qualified for General Council affiliated status if it: accepts AG doctrines; adopts a standard of membership; has an active voting membership of at least 20 persons; adopts a governance model that prevents a pastor or governing body from "exert[ing] dictatorial control over a church"; has an adequate number of spiritually qualified members to fill the offices of the church; and has made provision for a [[pastor]] who is a credentialed [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]] in good standing with the General Council.<ref name="GC09ConstitutionXI.1.a.p982">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article XI section 1 paragraph a, p. 98.</ref> Each local church operates according to its own bylaws and calls its own pastor. The office of pastor is equivalent to that of [[Elder (Christianity)|elder]] or overseer and is tasked with preaching and teaching the Word of God, in addition to conducting the day-to-day operations of the church.<ref name="agstructure2">{{cite web |year=2006 |title=Assemblies of God Structure |url=http://ag.org/top/About/structure.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051001010947/http://ag.org/top/about/structure.cfm |archive-date=October 1, 2005 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |publisher=Assemblies of God}}</ref><ref name="Pentecostalministry2">[http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/pp_downloads/pp_102909_Pentecostal_ministry_and_ordination.pdf "Pentecostal Ministry and Ordination"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619005420/http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/pp_downloads/pp_102909_Pentecostal_ministry_and_ordination.pdf|date=2010-06-19}}, official statement of the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God USA, August 2009. Accessed September 4, 2010.</ref> [[Laity|Laypersons]] are elected as a board of [[Deacon|deacons]] to assist the pastor. A General Council affiliated church may withdraw from the Assemblies of God by a two-thirds vote of the church membership.<ref name="GC09BylawsVI.4.d.p1162">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VI section 4 paragraph d, p. 116.</ref> At the request of the pastor, deacon board, or 20 percent of voting members, district officials may intervene in the internal affairs of a General Council affiliated church. If district leaders conclude that district supervision is warranted, the church will lose its status as a self-governing church and revert to the status of "district affiliated assembly" until its problems are resolved.<ref name="GC09BylawsVI.4.c.p1152">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VI section 4 paragraph c, p. 115.</ref> A church may also revert to district affiliated status if it no longer meets the minimum requirements for General Council membership, such as having less than 20 voting members.<ref name="GC09BylawsVI.5.p1162">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VI section 5, p. 116.</ref> ==== District affiliated and cooperative churches ==== Local churches, sections, and district councils are able to establish new churches.<ref name="GC09BylawsVI.6.p1162">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VI section 6, p. 116.</ref> A [[church plant]] may initially be classified as "district affiliated" until it meets requirements for General Council affiliation. District affiliated congregations are under the direct supervision of district officials but are encouraged to develop into fully self-governing churches. In 2009, the General Council created a new category called "parent affiliated churches". These are either church plants or campuses of a [[multi-site church]] under the supervision of a General Council affiliated "parent" church.<ref name="GC09ConstitutionXI.3.p992">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article XI section 3, p. 99.</ref> Existing Pentecostal churches considering affiliation with the General Council may request temporary status as a "cooperating assembly" for a term of four years before officially joining the denomination.<ref name="GC09ConstitutionXI.4.p992">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article XI section 4, p. 99.</ref> === Districts === [[File:AG_district_map.png|thumb|200x200px|Map of districts of the Assemblies of God in the United States|left]] [[File:Ohio_Ministry_Network_office.jpg|thumb|Ohio Ministry Network Office, Columbus, Ohio]] Churches are organized into sections and sections into [[Middle judicatory|middle judicatories]] called districts. The 66 districts oversee "all the ecclesial and sacerdotal activities" within their jurisdiction,<ref name="GC09ConstitutionX.2.p972">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article X section 2, p. 97.</ref> which includes recommending ministers for national credentialing and mediating disputes within local congregations.<ref name="agstructure2" /> There are two types of districts. Geographical districts serve areas corresponding to state boundaries, while non-geographical language or ethnic districts serve a particular language or ethnic group, such as Hispanic and Samoan churches.<ref name="agstructure2" /> Districts are governed by representative bodies called ''district councils'', which meet annually. District council membership includes all resident ministers and one lay delegate per AG church located within the district. When the district council is not in session, a district is led by a [[Superintendent (ecclesiastical)|superintendent]] and a presbytery (board of directors) whose members are elected by and represent the sections.<ref name="southernmissouri2">See for example the Southern Missouri District Council's [http://somoag.org/files/WebPages/Administration/ConBylaws09.pdf 2009 Constitution and Bylaws] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130045810/http://somoag.org/files/WebPages/Administration/ConBylaws09.pdf|date=2010-11-30}}, p. 19. Accessed June 12, 2010.</ref> A [[presbyter]] "minister[s] to ministers" and "model[s] spiritual maturity and leadership" to the ministers and churches in his section.<ref name="GC09BylawsV.5.p1122">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article V section 5, p. 112.</ref> === General Council === At the top of this organizational framework is the biennial General Council, the highest governing body of the Assemblies of God. All ordained and licensed ministers and one delegate per Assembly of God church are entitled to attend and participate at the General Council. The size of General Council is not static but fluctuating, changing from year to year as there is no requirement that pastors attend or that churches send delegates. In general, however, there are over 3,000 voting members.<ref name="GCsize2">In 2005, there were present 4,135 voting delegates. In 2007, 4,350 voting members attended. In 2009, 3,741 voting delegates were present. See 2005 General Council Minutes p. 47, 2007 General Council Minutes p. 35, and 2009 General Council Minutes p. 61.</ref> General Council enacts legislation, credentials ministers, oversees the national and worldwide missions programs, and directs the church's colleges and seminary.<ref name="agstructure2" /> The General Council also elects the general superintendent—the chief executive officer of the national organization—and other officers, such as the assistant general superintendent, general secretary, general treasurer, and the directors of U.S. and world missions. These manage the AG's day-to-day operations and work together as the Executive Leadership Team. In between General Council sessions, approximately 300 elected representatives from the various districts and foreign mission areas meet as the General Presbytery.<ref name="Cunningham2">Rob Cunningham (August 5, 2011), [http://generalcouncil.ag.org/CouncilToday/Business/19971 "Council Overwhelmingly Approves School Consolidation"], [http://generalcouncil.ag.org/CouncilToday ''Council Today'']. Accessed August 7, 2011.</ref> When the General Council is not in session, the General Presbytery acts as the official policy-making body of the Assemblies of God.<ref name="GC09ConstitutionIX.2-3.p96-972">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article IX sections 2-3, p. 96-97.</ref><ref name="columbiaA/G2">{{cite encyclopedia |year=2008 |title=Assemblies of God |encyclopedia=The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Assembli.html |access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref> A 21-member Executive Presbytery meets bimonthly and functions as the Assemblies of God's board of directors. Executive Presbyters are responsible to the General Presbytery and are [[ex officio]] members of that body.<ref name="GC09ConstitutionIX.2-3.p96-972" /> === General Superintendent === [[File:Doug_Clay.jpg|thumb|Doug Clay was elected General Superintendent of the AG in 2017.]] The office of General Superintendent was originally known as the Chairman of the General Council, until it was changed in 1927. Doug Clay is the current general superintendent. The following is a list of General Superintendents and their tenures: {| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1" style="border-collapse: collapse" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" ! # !! Name !! Appointment !! Secession !! Time in |- | 1 || [[Eudorus N. Bell]] || 1914|| 1914 || 7 months |- | 2 || [[A.P. Collins]] || 1914|| 1915 || 1 year |- | 3 || [[John W. Welch (Assemblies of God)|John W. Welch]] || 1915|| 1920 || 5 years |- | - || [[Eudorus N. Bell]] || 1920 || 1923 || 3 years |- | - || [[John W. Welch (Assemblies of God)|John W. Welch]] || 1923 || 1925 || 2 years |- | 4 || [[W.T. Gaston]] || 1925 || 1929 || 4 years |- | 5 || [[Ernest S. Williams (minister)|Ernest S. Williams]] || 1929 || 1949 || 20 years |- | 6 || [[Wesley R. Steelberg]] || 1949 || 1952 || 3 years |- | 7 || [[Gayle F. Lewis]] || 1952 || 1953 || 14 months |- | 8 || [[Ralph M. Riggs]] || 1953 || 1959 || 6 years |- | 9 || [[Thomas F. Zimmerman]] || 1959 || 1985 || 26 years |- | 10 || [[G. Raymond Carlson]] || 1985 || 1993 || 8 years |- | 11 || [[Thomas E. Trask]] || 1993 || 2007 || 14 years |- | 12 || [[George O. Wood]] || 2007 || 2017 || 10 years |- | 13 || [[Doug E. Clay]]<ref name="AGSups">[http://ifphc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=history.main "The Assemblies of God: Our Heritage in Perspective"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005091645/http://www.ifphc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=history.main |date=2012-10-05 }}, [http://ifphc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.main Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center], accessed August 24, 2011.</ref> || 2017 || - || - |} ===Clergy=== [[File:Melissa_Alfaro.jpg|thumb|Melissa Alfaro, Executive Presbyter, and Pastor from Houston, Texas]] The Assemblies of God recognizes three classifications of ministers: certified, licensed, and [[ordination|ordained]]. District councils examine candidates for all levels of ministry and recommend those qualified to the Executive Presbytery (which is the General Council's Credentials Committee), which has authority to issue ministerial credentials.<ref name="GC09ConstitutionX.4.p98">General Council Minutes 2009, Constitution, Article X section 4, p. 98.</ref> The AG's constitution guarantees that "formal academic achievement (diploma or degree) shall not be a requirement for credentials", but the General Presbytery does mandate courses and examinations. In preparation for receiving credentials, applicants must either complete correspondence courses through Global University (the AG's distance education program), receive training through a postsecondary institution such as a college or seminary approved by the AG, or be recommended by a district credentials committee as qualifying for credentials based on self-study and ministerial experience of "substantial duration". In addition, applicants must pass a standardized exam that tests their knowledge of the Bible, AG doctrines, and ministerial practices. After passing the exam, they are interviewed by their district's credentials committee. If judged qualified, the district will recommend the applicant to the General Council credentials committee.<ref name="GC09BylawsVII.2.h.p118">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VII section 2.h, p. 118.</ref> The Assemblies of God will not grant credentials to divorced and remarried persons if either partner has a former spouse living unless for specific exceptions. Exceptions include if the divorce occurred prior to an applicant's conversion or for "scriptural causes" such as a former spouse's marital unfaithfulness or the abandonment of a Christian by a non-Christian partner (see [[Pauline privilege]]).<ref name="GC09BylawsVII.2.j.p118">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VII section 2.j, p. 118.</ref> The Executive Presbytery has authority to issue ecclesiastical [[annulment]]s in cases involving conditions that prevent "the creation of a valid marriage union", such as fraud.<ref name="GC09BylawsVII.2.k.p118">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VII section 2.k, p. 118.</ref> Clergy are also barred from membership in [[secret societies]].<ref name="GC09BylawsIX.B.4p127">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article IX, Part B, section 4, p. 128.</ref> The Assemblies also recognize a ''local church credential'', which can be issued by a General Council affiliated church for those engaged only in local ministry, such as prison or hospital ministry. Local church credential holders may perform the ordinances of the church with the authorization of the issuing church's senior pastor.<ref name="GC09BylawsVII.1.p117">General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article VII section 1, p. 117.</ref> In 2008, there were a total of 34,178 Assemblies of God ministers (excluding local church credentials). Of these, 11,544 were senior pastors and 6,730 were female.<ref name="2008fullstatsp.77">Assemblies of God USA. [http://agchurches.org/Sitefiles/Default/RSS/Statistics_2008_public.pdf 2008 Full Statistical Report], p. 77. Accessed September 17, 2010.</ref> 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). 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