Want to Attract Millennials? Assemblies of God Leader Offers What Not to Do

on May 21, 2015

George O. Wood, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God (USA), does not believe the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and the Episcopal Church are dying congregations because their worship sets clash with Millennial preferences. Instead, he maintains young Christians are departing church groups that have “abandoned belief in the authority of Scripture.”

The Assemblies of God leader offered his comments during a press conference at the Empowered21 Global Congress, a spirit-filled gathering of nearly 4,000 Pentecostals from over 70 nations, as Christian Post reports.

“The young people that are moving away from traditional religious structures in the U.S. typically belong to churches which have abandoned a belief in the authority of Scripture and the uniqueness and centrality, and exclusiveness of Jesus Christ,” says Wood. “They have no belief to hang on to since that has all been gutted by those who have chosen, under the guise of religion, to reject the very claims of the founder of the religion.”

Wood’s remarks nod towards the latest Pew survey showing US Christian groups in steady decline, with the only exception being Evangelicals. In addition, news confirming the ongoing decline among liberal mainline denominations comes from of the PCUSA’s Office of the General Assembly. The PCUSA’s recent membership report reveals a loss of 92,433 members. The Institute on Religion and Democracy’s Jeffrey Walton notes this is a significant 5.54 percent loss in membership since 2014.

In contrast, several denominations maintaining traditional Christian teaching continue to grow. The Assemblies of God is one such example. “All I can do is tell you our statistics in the USA,” says Wood.

“We [AG USA] have 3.1 million young people in the USA and 34 percent of [adherents] are under the age of 25.” He continues, “The young people that are moving away from traditional religious structures in the U.S. typically belong to churches which have abandoned a belief in the authority of Scripture and the uniqueness and centrality, and exclusiveness of Jesus Christ.”

Last year, Assemblies of God USA reported a growth of 1,428 congregations over four years. Globally, the Assemblies of God has actually grown by 15,176 total churches. Among the new members are Millennials and minorities.

Update: During an email exchange, a representative from the U.S. General Council of the Assemblies of God offered the IRD specific data:

Since 2007, the Assemblies of God in the U.S. has grown by 264,592 adherents (8.4% growth), 487 churches (3.8% growth), and 3,013 ministers (8.2% growth). Since 2001, 21% of our growth has been in the 18-34 year-old demographic. Now, 54% of our adherents are under the age of 35.  We have also grown in diversity—now, just over 40% of our adherents are ethnic minority.

The Pew study focuses solely on the U.S., but we have also seen steady growth on a global level.  Since 2007, we have grown by 7,464,882 adherents (11% growth) throughout the world, adding 54,057 churches (14.8% growth).

 

 

  1. Comment by Julene Devoe on May 21, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    The AG down the street from us is growing by leaps and bounds, recently purchasing land for more parking space and adding an additional Sunday service. There’s something exciting about a church with lots of teens and kids and young singles. It’s not hard to understand why, because being a Christian is to be a rebel, living a counter-culture life. Tap into the young people’s instinct to rebel and you’ll probably retain them for life.

  2. Comment by Chelsen Vicari on May 22, 2015 at 9:19 am

    Julene, great points! Glad to hear about the growing AG church in your neighborhood.

  3. Comment by Mark Brooks on May 22, 2015 at 10:10 am

    Sadly, the Assemblies of God have allowed the camel in the tent with their 2010 modification of the 1977 position paper on the doctrine of creation.

    Of course, that isn’t the only problem. From the beginning their teachings on the “baptism of the holy spirit” require proof-texting and surmise, rather than following a plain reading of scripture, so to see them depart from scripture in other ways isn’t entirely surprising.

    With “respectability” comes the pressure to conform. As more and more AG leaders become associated with academia, I expect to see more retreats from inerrancy and a plain reading of scripture. If you start out compromised, it is harder to resist further compromise. I pray that God will preserve them from it and bring them closer to His Word, and that they will not drift away either slowly or quickly. Perhaps that isn’t possible with organizations of human beings, but the congregational style of governance should at least slow down the rot.

  4. Comment by Michael Ejercito on May 23, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    What is this doctrine of creation?

  5. Comment by Mark Brooks on May 27, 2015 at 1:31 pm

    My apologies.

    Here is the 1977 statement:

    http://preview.tinyurl.com/neremqw

    Here is the current 2014 position paper, which I was not aware of, modifying the 2010 position paper considerably on the issue of “evolutionary creationism” and other old-earth creationist approaches:

    http://preview.tinyurl.com/ps3aae4

    I was unaware of the 2014 position paper revisions to the 2010 statement. The 2010 position paper was a clear retreat from traditional Assemblies of God doctrine on the beginning of Genesis.

    The 2014 revision reverses that retreat. I can’t even find the original 2010 paper and its problematic language online anymore, though I can find quotations from it.

    So I withdraw my statement as to the changes in the position of the Assemblies of God regarding biblical creation. I was mistaken on that point.

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