Why I am Assembly of God

This week, my family and I will travel to our denomination’s biannual (every two year) conference.  It’s a full-on church gathering with evening services, prayer meetings, business sessions and tons of opportunities to eat while learning about missionaries and ministries.  It’s a weeklong event and I am honored to be a part of it…even if it does drive me insane at times and cost a small fortune to attend!  In a day and age where the most popular churches and Christian speakers are non-denominational, I feel it important for me to share my main reason for why I am not only “pro-“ denomination, but, in particular, a member of the Assemblies of God (A/G).

For starters, I grew up in an Assemblies of God church, and for four brief years of my early life, I was also a Methodist.  I’ve always known denominations and “groupings” and growing up I never saw any negatives to being associated with them.  In fact, as far as I could tell, “Assembly of God” was simply a title you put after your church name.  I had no idea about corporate doctrines, bylaws, governance, etc.  In my home church, everything was handled internally and the local pastor and his board ruled the roost.  No one told us what to preach, when to preach, how we were to conduct church policy or even who would be our pastor.  It wasn’t until I went off to an Assemblies of God Bible College that I actually learned the full potential and capabilities of being in a denomination.  But, even then, it wasn’t something I viewed as intrinsically evil or damning but, rather, quite the opposite.  I liked the idea of being a part of something bigger than myself and having a network of like-minded people to interact with and find support.  Upon graduating from Bible College, I became a proud licensed minister and tithing member of the team!

Things did change, however, while I was serving as church planter in NYC.  Being a denominational minister is pretty easy. You affirm the church’s doctrines, mail in a few bucks every year, and stay out of trouble with other people’s money and/or body parts.  There really isn’t much to it.  Being a church leader, however, is a completely other story.  You see, according to federal law and the Internal Revenue System, there are many legal implications that churches must adhere in order to enjoy all the benefits of being a legal church.  If you are a denominational church, the number of laws you must adhere to doubles, because now you not only have to play by the Fed’s rules but also that of the denomination.  The trouble with this, however, is that no two churches are ever alike.  Personalities, practices, cultures, economic demographics and a whole hosts of other realities complicate the establishment of local church governance and policy, and sometimes the rules (and rulers) of a denomination can really make compliance and success nearly impossible.  There were many, many days (years) while serving in Queens that I was seriously considering leaving the A/G and doing the ‘non-denom’ thing, but God wouldn’t let me.  It’s not because God is loyal to the A/G but, rather, because God knew that His church in Queens was bigger than the A/G and certainly a lot bigger than me!  The church needed the freedom to discern it’s own identity and function, but it also needed to do so free from my personal (and limited) perspective and personality.  Here is where denominationalism, and, in particular, the Assemblies of God, shines.

The beauty of the Assemblies of God isn’t its doctrine (although it is good and strong), but its freedom of expression/interpretation.  The Assemblies defines itself as a “cooperative fellowship,” which means that it not only fully understands the uniqueness of each local church, but that it also affirms its autonomy.  Rather than producing or mandating principles and practices, the A/G strives to only enforce the principle while leaving the interpretation and practice up to the local church.  This single aspect of the A/G literally saved our church plant from long-term failure in Queens and me from insanity!  There was no way that our church was going to be able to successfully conform to the habits and particular policies of other established churches, even within the denomination and the local geography.  But the A/G district and national leadership didn’t panic or give an ultimatum, they simply considered our uniqueness, compared it to other complying and successful A/G churches and then aided us in finding a personal solution.  They were patient, understanding, and empowering and it resulted in a legally compliant church with members who now can now positively identify their faith and church with other Believers across the country and globe.  But more than the ability to identify with the larger church, I believe what my story, and that of denominations, in general, affirm is the biblical principle of accountability.  No one should be free of authority and oversight…in any area of their life.

All Are to Live Under Authority
Jesus was God in the flesh, yet He submitted every thought, action and word to the authority and will of the Father.  Let us never forget, it wasn’t the will of Jesus to go to the cross, it was the will of the Father (Luke 22:42).  Likewise, Paul was not a disciple of Jesus nor was he friends with His disciples when he became a Christian.  Nevertheless, upon conversion and appointment for ministry, the very first thing he does is return to Jerusalem to receive the blessing and accountability of the church leadership. And in each and every church he establishes, he ties its membership in both faith (doctrine) and finances back to the Jerusalem church and leadership.  Individuals and churches need to be under formal authority at all times; it’s good and it’s biblical!

I love being a part of God’s larger church and I love being a part of the Assemblies of God.  Do I agree with all that the Assemblies of God says and does? Of course not! But differences in opinion and practice do not mean that individual parties cannot still serve one another or submit to a common authority. As demonstrated in my story above, these variations can actually make each member and the larger group stronger and more effective!  I choose to be Assemblies of God because we not only affirm authority, but we celebrate individual uniqueness and expression. 

So, off I go to meet with thousands of other ministers who are as diverse and particular as I am, and who’s church may look in every way very different than the one I would pastor. I am sure that there will be plenty of ‘eye rolls’ out of all of us for the things we say and do, but at the end of the day, we will all rejoice and praise God for the singular identity and mission to which He has called us and that we are fulfilling together!