Assemblies of God USA

The General Council of the Assemblies of God, operating as the Assemblies of God USA (AG), is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States and the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal body.

The AG reported 2.98 million adherents and 1.74 million members in 2023. In 2011, it was the ninth largest Christian denomination and the second largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. It was the fourth largest Protestant denomination in 2025 according to Pew Research. In 2024, Pew Research Center estimated that 1.1% of US adults, or about 2.9 million people, self-identifies with the Assemblies of God USA. The Assemblies of God is a Finished Work denomination, and it holds to a conservative, evangelical and classical Arminian theology as expressed in the Statement of Fundamental Truths and position papers, which emphasize such core Pentecostal doctrines as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, divine healing and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The fellowship's polity is a hybrid of presbyterian and congregational models. This tension between local independence and national authority is seen in the AG's historical reluctance to refer to itself as a denomination, preferring the terms fellowship and movement. The national headquarters are in Springfield, Missouri, where the administrative and executive offices and Gospel Publishing House are located. Convoy of Hope serves as the AG's aid organization. The AG's college ministry is Chi Alpha. The Assemblies of God maintains relationships with other Pentecostal groups at both regional and national levels through the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America and the Pentecostal World Fellowship. It is also a member of the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium and the National Association of Evangelicals.

The denomination was founded in 1914 during a meeting of Pentecostal ministers at Hot Springs, Arkansas. These ministers came from several different Pentecostal movements. Some were loosely affiliated with the Church of God in Christ, Apostolic Faith, or other early Pentecostal groups. In 1916, the General Council condemned Oneness Pentecostalism, causing a split within the young denomination and the adoption of the Statement of Fundamental Truths, which endorses the Trinity. Established during the Jim Crow era, the AG forbade the ordination of black ministers from 1939 until 1962, although the AG explicitly included Hispanic Americans from 1918 onwards. African Americans could still be issued local licenses to preach. Black Pentecostals seeking ordination were referred to the Church of God in Christ. Women were allowed to become pastors in 1935, but prior to that women had served as evangelists, preachers, and missionaries.

The denomination identified itself with the broader American evangelical movement in the 1940s. The charismatic movement of the 1960s and 1970s influenced the AG as well. Standards on behavior and dress became more relaxed over time, and the denomination dropped pacifism as an official teaching. In the 1990s and 2000s, AG churches have experienced revivals that have drawn comparisons to early Pentecostalism, the most famous being the Brownsville Revival.

Chi Alpha, the AG's college ministry, has been involved in multiple controversies over sexual abuse since 2022.

In October 2025, an investigation by NBC News identified 200 pastors, employees, and volunteer leaders accused of sexual abuse involving more than 475 victims, some cases dating back to the 1970s. The Assemblies of God have facilitated the reinstatement of several of these pastors and volunteer leaders to leadership positions in churches.