We follow the guidlines set down by AOG
WHO WE ARE
The Assemblies of God is made up of over 500 churches of various sizes located throughout Great Britain. We are a Pentecostal movement who believes that every individual can and should have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and have the opportunity to be part of a local, vibrant church. We seek to build churches that are relevant to people of all ages - many of our churches attract a large number of young people. In our local expression of church and our corporate identity as a whole, we are committed to transforming communities by reaching out to all individuals regardless of age, race or gender.
The current leadership of the movement have begun a radical transformation to make it more relevant and effective in the 21st century.
MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of Assemblies of God is to give every man, woman and child the opportunity of understanding the gospel and to provide a church where they can grow in ministry for the glory of God.
LOOKING AHEAD
Assemblies of God is in the process of denominational transformation!
This is an exciting journey. It does, however, require the leadership to bite the bullet on a number of important challenges facing the Church today. Please pray for us as we do just that!
Our journey will enable us to see a new day where church growth will be accelerated, local churches repurposed for mission and an increased relational dimension enjoyed by all our leaders.
The Assemblies of God is seeking to become a relevant and powerful expression of the Church to the community. The Fellowship recognises the importance of the Universal Church and therefore sees its development in this context.
WHAT WE DO
We aim to serve the people of Great Britain through its network of over 500 local churches. These churches may vary in style and size, but all are committed to connecting people to Jesus through a variety of ministries. Many have comprehensive children's, youth and young adults' ministries as well as teaching, training and community ministries.
As a movement, we want to "Give every man, woman and child the opportunity of understanding the gospel and to provide a church where they can grow in ministry for the glory of God."
We are committed to reaching out to people of all ages and from all walks of life including those who are often marginalised by society like young offenders, prostitutes, the homeless, the elderly and the disabled. We also believe in showing God's love to people in practical ways, whether through food banks for people in desperate need, or debt counselling and rehabilitation centres, for example.
In addition to helping those in our local communities, we are passionate about issues that affect our wider world, such as sex trafficking, child slavery, poverty and injustice. We provide a variety of short-term mission opportunities supporting and developing projects overseas, all of which aim to demonstrate God's love for His people.
As a movement that is constantly growing, we seek to plant churches both at home and abroad, and we provide comprehensive training for our ministers through our connections with bible colleges worldwide, and through our own college, Mattersey Hall, which is based at our National Ministry Centre in Doncaster.
If you would like to know more about any of the above, please contact us.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
In the late 1800s and early 1900s there was a revival characterized by manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and it was out of this that the Assemblies of God was formed.
In February 1924, Nelson Parr, the pastor of a congregation in Manchester, called a meeting of fourteen people in Aston, Birmingham, in which they decided to form the Assemblies of God in the UK with their 26 congregations. Others were invited, but train strikes meant that many people couldn't get there.
During the meeting they agreed on the Fundamental Truths, and to work together to protect sound doctrine and to work together to achieve what they couldn't do on their own.
A second meeting was held in May that year, in Highbury, London, when another 48 congregations joined. On the second day of meeting, Elim leaders were present, and a partnership was discussed, with Elim providing the evangelistic side – but it was decided to be postponed for the present.
In January 1926, the AGGBI leaders took complete leadership of the previous Pentecostal Missionary Union – which had a Bible School at Hampstead in London. This maintained its independence, but became the Bible school for the Assemblies of God.
The building was destroyed in 1940 – 41. Other buildings were used for a time before the college moved to Kenley in Surrey in 1950, and amalgamated with the Bristol Bible College in 1951. The college moved to its current home, Mattersey, near Doncaster in Yorkshire, in 1973.
The AOG offices were in Lewisham, London, transferred to Luton in 1953, then moved to Nottingham in 1971.
In 2012 Mattersey Hall was turned into the National Ministry Centre for the AOG, and the Nottingham offices moved there too.
The movement grew over the years. By 1927 there were 140 assemblies in the AOG, which increased to 200 in 1929, to 250 by 1933 and 350 in 1939. There were 403 assemblies in 1946, and 506 in 1957. In 2005 AOG churches in Northern Ireland joined together to form the Assemblies of God in Ireland. (AGI)
Today, there are over 500 churches in the AOG in Great Britain.
AOG VALUES
The National Leadership Team has set out a series of fundamental definitions that state clearly what the Vision is for the movement of Assemblies of God. These include definitions of the three core values that we aspire to be: Apostolically-Led, Relationally-Connected and Missionally-Focused:
APOSTOLICALLY-LED
An apostolically-led movement recognises and releases the Ephesians 4:11 gifts of Christ to equip and empower the local church to fulfil its missional mandate. It shares a common vision for the advancement of the Kingdom of God through the proclamation of the gospel, the demonstration of the Holy Spirit, and the repurposing and planting of churches.
RELATIONALLY-CONNECTED
A relationally-connected movement is built on a foundation of trust. It encourages and enjoys open and honest relationships with like-minded AoG Leaders in mutual submission, committed to meeting together frequently.
MISSIONALLY-FOCUSED
A missionally-focused movement is committed to seeing every local church fulfil the Great Commission of Jesus through their unique, God-given contribution, both locally and globally. This involves working together in strategic partnerships to mobilise people for mission.
The National Leadership Team has also defined what is expected of a Church and Minister in the Assemblies of God:
AOG CHURCH
An AoG Church is a Spirit-filled bible-based missional community, biblically-led and in apostolic relationship. It determines to relate to contemporary culture and be compliant with AoG Inc. and statutory requirements.
AOG MINISTER
An AoG Minister is a person of exemplary character and good reputation, living a biblical and Spirit-filled life. He/She possesses a conviction about their divine calling to ministry which is acknowledged and endorsed by AoG Leadership. They are committed to the Statement of Faith, core values and the relevant training requirements, while working relationally with AoG apostolic leadership.