Assemblies of God History

EARLY BEGINNINGS IN AMERICA

The Assemblies of God denomination has its roots in the religious revival that started

during the late 1800’s and continued through the early 1900’s. The revival was characterized

by a widespread experience of spiritual manifestations such as speaking in tongues and

supernatural healing, giving birth to the Pentecostal movement.

A prominent figure in this history is Charles Parham. He started a Bible School in Topeka,

Kansas, where students came to learn about the Word of God. There he emphasized the

Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a key factor in one’s walk of faith. During the Christmas holiday
of 1900, Parham asked his students to study the Bible to discover the biblical evidence for

the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. At a prayer meeting on January 1, 1901, they concluded that

the Holy Spirit Baptism is expressed and evidenced by speaking in tongues.

From this experience, the Assemblies of God denomination can trace its belief that

“Speaking in Tongues” is the biblical evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The revival

quickly spread to Missouri and Texas, and eventually to California and beyond. Pentecostal

believers from around the world gathered at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles for a

three year (1906–1909) revival meeting.

Another important meeting in the denomination’s history was a gathering in Hot Springs,

Arkansas in 1914, called by a preacher named Eudorus N. Bell. As a result of the spreading

revival and the formation of many Pentecostal congregations, Bell recognized the need for

an organized assembly. Three hundred Pentecostal ministers and laymen gathered to

discuss the growing need for doctrinal unity and other common goals. As a result the

General Council of the Assemblies of God was formed, uniting the assemblies in ministry

and legal identity, yet preserving each congregation as a self-governing and self-supporting

entity. This structural model remains intact today.

In 1916 a Statement of Fundamental Truths was approved and adopted by the General

Council. This position on the essential doctrines of the Assemblies of God denomination

remains virtually unchanged to this day.

The Assemblies of God ministries have focused and continue to concentrate on

Evangelism, Missions and Church Planting. From its founding attendance of 300, the

denomination has grown to more than 2.6 million members in the United States and over 60

million overseas.
HISTORY OF ASSEMBLIES OF GOD, GHANA

The Assemblies of God, Ghana is a member of the worldwide fellowship of Assemblies of

God spread in 212 countries of the world. Missionaries from Assemblies of God, U.S.A. in

the persons of Rev. Lloyd and Margaret Shirer, who were then in Moshiland, Ouagadougou

now Burkina Faso crossed over to the Northern Region of the then Gold Coast on horse

backs in the early 1931. With their first recruits, Miss Beulah Buchhwalter and Guy Hickok,

they started the first Assemblies of God congregation in Yendi.

Some others who joined later were Florence Blossom, Henry Garlock, Eric Johnson and

Thelma Godwin. The zeal of these early missionaries was so strong that they consistently

worked and witnessed for the Lord under very harsh conditions and in hostile environments.

The likes of Bushwalker and Guy Hickock died in 1942 on the mission field. Branches of the

church were established at Tamale and Walewale in 1935 and Bawku in 1937. Bro. Mba

Mahama was the first Mamprusi Christian to be converted in 1939. On December 13, 1948,

the Assemblies of God aeroplane, ‘’Ambassador’’ landed in Accra bringing the Wheeler

Andersons, Rody Johnson and Ozella Reid to join the missionary family in the Gold Coast.

BEGINNINGS IN THE NORTH

When the missionaries arrived, their preoccupation was to preach the Gospel of Jesus

Christ. They soon realized that they were faced with the daunting and enormous task of

fighting hunger, disease, poverty and illiteracy. To give practical meaning to the Biblical

teaching of caring for the needy and alleviating the suffering of the people, the female

missionaries organized literacy classes for the indigenous women while the men organized
work crews teaching their male counterparts to make swish blocks, door and window

frames, and roof trusses. This improved the economic lives of the people tremendously.

Rev. Lloyd Shirer served as community Development Officer in Tamale during the early days

of the establishment of the Church. During the inception of the Church, the Shirers and

Garlocks were aware of the needs of the Konkomba tribe, about 40 miles northeast of

Yendi. The missionaries believed medical work among the Kokombas would be a real asset

to the whole mission as well as the needs of the people, many of whom had never heard the

name of Jesus nor did they have any medical help closer than Yendi.

The first Assemblies of God Clinic was therefore built in 1948 in Saboba in the Northern

Region by the Missionaries. The second was built in 1950 in Nakpanduri, also in the

Northern Region. Later a third Clinic (Maternity Clinic) functioned in Walewale under Vivian

Smith.

The first Bible School of Assemblies of God Ghana was opened in 1950 at Kumbungu in the

Northern Region under the leadership of Rev. Fur Thomas. The first graduates of the School,

Rev. Bewini, Agbango, Elisha Akurugu, Alo Joshua Kabba and Alhassan completed Pastoral

training in 1951.

One of the early students of the Scholl who had worked for the Missionaries was a young

man by name Winifred Mullings, who eventually became the Dean of the Northern Ghana

Bible Institute. A year later a second School, Southern Ghana Bible Institute was opened in

Kumasi and later moved to Saltpond. In 1988, the Mid Ghana Bible Institute was established

in Kumasi as the third Bible School. Rev. David Vespa, who was Missionary in Ghana from

1966 to 2006, served as the first principal of the School in Saltpond.

This resulted in the establishment of the Assemblies of God Literature Centre (AGLC)

located in Accra. It was dedicated by Rev. E. L. Phillips in 1970 to the glory of God.

The Literature Centre also catered for the literature needs in the sub-region. It published the

first tentative Dagomba version of the New Testament in 1973. The translation was done by

Rev. and Mrs. H. S. Lehman and an indigenous Pastor Daniel Wumbee.

In 1980 a book outlet known as Ghana Literature Outlet (GLO) was established now

renamed Assemblies Bookshop Limited (AGBL) based in Accra. Currently, it has branches in

Koforidua, Kumasi and Tamale. The Church published the first edition of its magazine called

“Ghana Evangel” in 1959.

To bring theological and effective Bible Studies to the doorstep of its members and

Christians, the Church adopted a distance learning program in 1970 called International

Correspondence Institute (ICI), now Global University. The Church began a radio ministry

dubbed, ‘BIBLE TIME’ aired on (G.B.C) by Rev. James Kessler in 1968. Currently, a good

number of our local Churches and Pastors are involved in radio ministry across the country.

Again, to strengthen its members in the faith, Assemblies of God Ghana organized Vacation

Bible Schools for its students and all interested members around 1959. This continued for

many years.
GROWTH IN THE SOUTH

All along the activities of the missionaries had been confined to the north. Southerners

domiciled in the north on their return to the south shared the gospel with their kinsmen. This

led to the establishment of Assemblies of God Churches. As a result, the Accra and Kumasi

stations were opened in 1944, followed by the Takoradi station in 1945. Subsequently, the

Southern Ghana District Council was inaugurated in 1950, a year after the official

inauguration of the then Northern Ghana District Council.

The first indigenous person to receive the Holy Spirit baptism in the South was the late Rev.

Edward Adutwum in 1942 who worked as a pharmacist in the North. He later became a

pastor and the Church’s General Secretary. Rev. Peter Osei, one of the ministers of the

church was ordained at the age of 70 years.

The first official General Council meeting was held in 1964. Prior to that, the Northern and

Southern District Councils held their meetings separately. From Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi

the Church spread to the Eastern, Central, Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions.