Assemblies of God USA

===="New Issue" and doctrinal clarity====
The founders of the fellowship did not intend to create a denomination and originally had no [[creed]] or doctrinal statement. However, in response to several doctrinal issues, the most important being the Oneness teaching, the AG felt the need for agreement on central doctrines and to reassure evangelical Christians of its adherence to [[Orthodoxy|orthodox]] belief.{{Sfn|Roozen|Nieman|2005|pp=35–36}} [[Oneness Pentecostalism]] rejected [[Trinitarianism|Trinitarian]] theology, instead identifying the [[Jehovah]] of the [[Old Testament]] with the [[Christ]] of the [[New Testament|New]]. Furthermore, Oneness adherents believed that Christians, regardless of a previous baptism, should be [[Jesus' Name doctrine|baptized in the name of Jesus]], rather than in the name of the Trinity. By 1915, it was adhered to by many in the fellowship, including founders such as Goss, Opperman, Hall, and Henry G. Rodgers.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=127–135}} Other influential leaders, such as G. T. Haywood, adopted the Oneness doctrine as well.

In 1916, the 4th General Council met in St. Louis to resolve the "new issue". In a move that caused not a little anxiety, a committee introduced the Statement of Fundamental Truths. Oneness proponents and others saw this as an attack on the authority of the Bible, yet it was adopted along with a recommendation that AG ministers use the Trinitarian baptismal formula. Old preaching credentials were recalled and new ones issued with the Fundamental Truths included. Oneness believers, including a third of the fellowship's ministers,{{Sfn|Robeck|2003|p=172}} were forced to withdraw, a loss especially felt in the South where the Oneness doctrine had the most influence. A side effect of this was a transition in leadership from former Apostolic Faith leaders, many of whom accepted the Oneness teaching, to men with Christian and Missionary Alliance backgrounds.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=127–135}} The Oneness dissenters formed the General Assembly of the Apostolic Churches, which later merged with another group to form the [[Pentecostal Assemblies of the World]].<ref name=Synan173-174>Synan, ''The Holiness–Pentecostal Tradition'', 173–174.</ref>

Among the Fundamental Truths was a statement regarding speaking in tongues as the initial physical evidence of Spirit baptism. Its inclusion was challenged by [[F.F. Bosworth]], an executive presbyter, who argued that while for many speaking in tongues was an evidence of the baptism it was not the only evidence. The issue was decided at the General Council of September 1918 where Bosworth, who two months earlier had resigned so as not to damage the fellowship, was present and invited to address the council. Following debate two resolutions were passed which assured that initial evidence would remain an official teaching of the fellowship.{{Sfn|Robeck|2003|pp=181–186}}

While doctrinal controversy led to the withdrawal of ministers, the fellowship experienced growth in subsequent years. District councils were organized in various regions of the country and, where these did not exist, home missionary fields were designated to maximize evangelistic efforts. In 1917, W. Jethro Walthall led his [[Holiness Baptist Association]] of southwestern Arkansas into the Assemblies of God.<ref name=Hoover3>Mario G. Hoover, "Origin and Structural Development of the Assemblies of God," third edition (MA thesis, Southwest Missouri State College, 1968/1988), p. 3.</ref> District councils and missionary stations were established outside the U.S. also. By 1921, there were districts in Canada (see [[Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada]]), China, Japan (see [[Japan Assemblies of God]]), India (see [[Assemblies of God in India]]), and Egypt.<ref name=1921minutes>Assemblies of God USA (1921). [http://ifphc.org/DigitalPublications/USA/Assemblies%20of%20God%20USA/Minutes%20General%20Council/Unregistered/1921/FPHC/1914-1921.pdf ''Combined Minutes of the General Council of the Assemblies of God''], pg. 68. Accessed October 12, 2010.</ref> [[Central Bible College]] was started in the basement of the Central Assembly of God church in Springfield, Missouri, in 1922.<ref>[http://netcom.cbcag.edu/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=233 History of Central Bible College] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807153318/http://netcom.cbcag.edu/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=233 |date=2011-08-07 }}. Accessed October 12, 2010.</ref> In 1929, the fellowship claimed 91,981 members in 1,612 churches.<ref name=seizethemoment>{{Citation |last=Rodgers |first=Darrin J. |title=Seize the Moment |journal=Assemblies of God Heritage |year=2009 |url=http://rss.ag.org/articles/detail.cfm?RSS_RSSContentID=11038&RSS_OriginatingChannelID=1184&RSS_OriginatingRSSFeedID=3359&RSS_Source=search|access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref>