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Assemblies of God Roots The following article is taken from the first two parts of a three-part series first published in The Pentecostal Evangel in 1954 (March 28, April 4,11) on the 40th anniversay of the Assemblies of God. The author is the late Cordas C. Burnett. We have updated and adapted the material for the Enrichment Journal. April 2–12, 1999, marked the 85th anniversary of the founding of the General Council of the Assemblies of God. The prayers and dreams of the 300 who gathered that year at Hot Springs, Arkansas, have been more than fulfilled. Their embryonic group has become a powerful, aggressive, Christ-honoring, Spirit-filled body of Christians over 30 million strong worldwide who are still carrying out one of the original purposes by spreading the Word at home and abroad.
Pentecostals today, conscious of our need for the Holy Spirit’s ministry, should remind ourselves again of the humble, God-fearing origins from which we sprang.
Reliable records indicate the Holy Spirit fell in New England as early as 1854; and in the Cumberland Mountains in 1877; on an Arkansas Holiness preacher, W. Jethro Walthal, in 1879; on Daniel Awrey in Delaware, Ohio, in 1890; and on a preacher named C.M. Hanson of Dalton, Minnesota, in 1899. Then on January 1, 1901, God poured out His Spirit in Bethel Bible College, Topeka, Kansas, where Agnes Ozman became the first of millions in the 20th century to experience the Pentecostal baptism.
Although many religious leaders opposed it, this glorious effusion of God’s glory and power could not be kept under a bushel but spread across Kansas, into Missouri, down into Texas, and finally to the West Coast, where its holy fire broke out anew in 1906 in the Azusa Street Mission, Los Angeles.
Spontaneously in 1906–07, the revival broke out among students at a Christian and Missionary Alliance ministerial training school at Nyack, New York. Four of our Assemblies of God leaders received the Holy Spirit there: David McDowell, Frank M. Boyd, G.F. Bender, and W.I. Evans. Pastor D.W. Kerr accepted the message at Beulah Park Camp near Cleveland, Ohio, in 1907. Miss Marie Burgess, who later married Robert A. Brown, carried the message from Zion, Illinois, to New York City in 1908, where she and her husband founded Glad Tidings Tabernacle. Glen A. Cook held a revival in Indianapolis in January 1907, where J. Roswell Flower, who later became general secretary of the Assemblies of God, was converted and Mrs. Flower received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Giving up the study of law, Brother Flower, assisted by his fiancée, then Miss Alice Reynolds, sponsored a camp meeting in Indianapolis 2 years later, where he, too, was filled with the Spirit. This dynamic soul-stirring move of the Holy Ghost continued, making people everywhere conscious of their own unworthiness and of His glorious grace. In short, “a revival had come from God.” With the revival came many concomitant effects. New converts, eager for every morsel of truth, became victims of those who preyed on the unsuspecting. Doctrinal issues arose to confuse them. Religious leaders with few restrictions and less inhibitions led many astray. Others were cast out of their orthodox churches. Congregations without pastors had no one to whom they could turn. Missionary efforts were hampered because the congregations and their leaders had little or no knowledge of the foreign fields. Clergy and laity alike recognized the need for some semblance of organization—at least for fellowship and the furtherance of the missionary cause. For the most part, organization was frowned on. With the exception of two small Pentecostal bodies in the Southeastern states, there was little semblance of organization anywhere.
As early as April 14, 1906, many had banded together at Orchard, Texas, to found the Apostolic Faith Movement. Under the leadership of H.A. Goss, W.F. Carothers, and (at a later date) Arch P. Collins and E.N. Bell, it progressed into a strong Pentecostal nucleus in the southwest. E.N. Bell, formerly a Baptist preacher in Fort Worth, had received the Holy Spirit in Pastor Durham’s old North Avenue Mission in 1908 and soon after became the editor of Apostolic Faith.
Another of these early leaders was D.C.O. Opperman who conducted scores of 6-week Bible schools in the Midwestern States. Other Bible schools of more permanent nature had been established in other parts of the country. One of these, established at Plainfield, Indiana, by D. Wesley Myland, was attended by Flem Van Meter, Fred Vogler, and J. Roswell Flower. In another, at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1909, Ralph M. Riggs, who later became general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, and his mother received the light of the Pentecostal testimony.
At the request of a schoolteacher named L.P. Adams, Brother Cashwell came to Memphis in 1907. Here, H.G. Rodgers of Alabama received the Holy Spirit. Likewise M.M. Pinson, editor of Word and Witness, accepted the truth. Rodgers, Pinson, and a convert of the latter, D.J. Dubose, evangelized the Deep South while Cashwell took the message to the groups now comprising the Church of God and the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Pinson and Rodgers carried the message to Alabama where the first Pentecostal church was founded in 1910 at New Brockton.
Sometime later, Rodgers sent out a call to the ministers in the area for a 3-day convention at Slocomb, Alabama. On February 11, 1911, about 20 ministers calling themselves the Church of God (with no connection to the group in Tennessee) met at Providence, near Slocomb. They elected H.G. Rodgers as chairman and J.W. Ledbetter as secretary, ordained four men, licensed seven, and issued Home certificates to two women. The next day, over 100 participated in a Communion service; and having agreed to meet again in October at Montgomery, they adjourned.
Shortly after this initial meeting in 1911, this group changed their name to the Church of God in Christ in agreement with the leaders of the black church with the same name. That fall they met in Dothan, Alabama, instead of in Montgomery. About this time this group and the Apostolic Faith movement merged. Although no record of any official business meeting has been found between the fall of 1911 and summer of 1913, several factors point to this union. For example, ordination credentials issued to J.W. Welch on June 4, 1912, are signed by E.N. Bell, H.A. Goss, W.T. Gaston, Arch P. Collins, and D.C.O. Opperman, all leaders in the Apostolic Faith group. But the credential is issued in the name of The Church of God in Christ and in unity with the Apostolic Faith movement. Another ordination certificate issued to Bright Haggard on August 20, 1912, carries the dual name. The Word and Witness of January 20, 1913, urged attendance of ministers of both groups at Dothan, Alabama, in February 1913. The Church of God in Christ met in Meridian, Mississippi, in June of 1913. By this time the merger seemed to have been complete, for in a subsequent ministerial list assembled by the credentials committee of this convention, the names of the 352 members show the leadership of both groups within one church. Arch P. Collins of Fort Worth, E.N. Bell of Malvern, H.A. Goss of Hot Springs, and D.C.O. Opperman constituted the new credentials committee. Brother Collins had the honor of administering the ordinance of water baptism to R.M. Riggs.
During the summer of 1912, while attending the Interstate Camp Meeting at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, M.M. Pinson, editor of Word and Witness, and E.N. Bell, editor of Apostolic Faith, decided to join forces. Taking the name of the former and the format of the latter, Bell began publishing Word and Witness at Malvern, Arkansas. Subsequent issues speak of the Church of God in Christ and gradually omit reference to the Apostolic Faith group. An advertisement in the October 20, 1913, issue urges all ministers of “The Churches of God in Christ” to report their ordination papers so as to be included in the official list for clergy certificates. It appears that by late 1913, this organization had taken definite shape.
To list the 352 members in this early Pentecostal organization is impossible in this article, but a few familiar names will indicate its influence on the Assemblies of God: Clyde Bailey, “Mother” Mary Barnes, Harry Bowley, Herbert Buffum, Hugh Cadwalder, A.B. Cox, W.T. Gaston, John Goben, C.A. Lasater, Agnes Ozman LaBerg, B.F. Lawrence, Fred Lohman, Burt McCafferty, Jacob Miller, M.M. Pinson, L.E. Riley, J.W. Welch, and R.E. Winsett.
And so 1913 came to a close. Only one important event of the year was yet to occur. On December 20, 1913, the Word and Witness was to issue the now-famous call for a general council of Pentecostal ministers to convene in Hot Springs in the spring of 1914—the call that culminated in the founding of the Assemblies of God.
Several of the leaders within the Churches of God in Christ felt that the need for missionary solidarity and for some means of protecting local churches demanded a more definite organic tie between the various Pentecostal groups across the country.
Late in the fall of 1913, H.A. Goss, pastor at Hot Springs, discussed the matter at length with E.N. Bell, editor of Word and Witness. Since Brother Goss had leased the Grand Opera House in Hot Springs, they decided to issue a call for a General Council to meet there April 2–12, 1914. Carried on the front page of the December 20, 1913, issue of Word and Witness, the call was addressed to “The Pentecostal Saints and Churches of God in Christ” and was signed by M.M. Pinson, Phoenix, Arizona; A.P. Collins, Fort Worth, Texas; H.A. Goss, Hot Springs, Arkansas; D.C.O. Opperman, Houston, Texas; and E.N. Bell, Malvern, Arkansas.
Although the authors went into more detail, the basic purposes of this call were:
In spite of much opposition to organization over the years, over 300 attended and 120 pastors and evangelists registered as delegates. While the Midwest had the best representation, 20 states and several foreign lands had delegations. The roster of the convention reads like a Pentecostal Who’s Who. John G. Lake was there from Johannesburg, South Africa. Pastors E.N. Richey of Zion, Illinois; Erdman of Buffalo, New York; Pitcher of Baltimore, Maryland; S.A. Jamieson of Portland, Oregon; and B.F. Lawrence of Thayer, Missouri, were present. E.N. Bell, editor of Word and Witness of Malvern, Arkansas; J.R. Flower, editor of The Christian Evangel of Plainfield, Indiana; J.W. Welch of Baxter Springs, Kansas (later to become general chairman); H.A. Goss, Hot Springs, Arkansas; T.K. Leonard, Findlay, Ohio; W.T. Gaston of Oklahoma; A.B. Cox of Maryland; R.L. Erickson of Chicago; and J. Crouch of Egypt were on hand.
Perhaps one of the youngest men present as an observer was R.M. Riggs, who at the age of 18 attended with his pastor, L.P. Adams. Riggs later became general superintendent of the Assemblies of God.
The convention opened with 3 days of devotional services that included messages from the Word, manifestations of the Spirit, and joyful singing unto the Lord. At one point, an impromptu parade was staged down Central Avenue with practically the entire 300 participating. The city, however, seems to have taken little notice of the parade or the convention—at least the local newspapers made no mention of it. In fact, the only news about the meetings were two items in the Sentinel Record—one a very brief note that the “Saints” were meeting, and the other an advertisement announcing The General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ.
M.M. Pinson brought the opening message of the convention from Acts 15, in which he discussed some of the current doctrinal matters and gave a justification for the call. The actual business began Monday, April 6, when E.N. Bell called the meeting to order. Shortly afterward he was elected temporary chairman and J.R. Flower temporary secretary.
Brother Bell appointed a large committee representative of all sections to work on an agenda and to define the Council roll. While they were doing so, a smaller group of men met surreptitiously that night and worked independently on a Preamble and Resolution. Among these men were T.K. Leonard, Jacob Miller, and J.R. Flower. Although there was much discussion and comment by all, the actual document was dictated by T.K. Leonard and taken down in shorthand by Brother Flower. The next morning the two committees compared notes and discovered they had been thinking along the same line. The delegates, feeling this was a marvelous indication of the Holy Spirit’s guidance, adopted the Preamble and Resolution without a single dissenting vote. Among other things, it set forth the sovereignty of local churches within the framework of a General Council of Assemblies of God. It actually became the Constitution of the new church and remained so until 1917, when the brethren adopted a more adequate document.
The name Assemblies of God can probably be traced to T.K. Leonard, whose ordination papers show him to have first been ordained by the Christian Church in 1901, and then by The Assembly of God, Findlay, 0hio, April 14, 1912, 2 years before this first General Council.
At the same time the delegates, recognizing the need for a central governing body, elected an Executive Presbytery of 12 men “to act in all necessary matters on this General Council as a Home and Foreign Missionary and Executive during the ensuing year, or until the successors are appointed.” By motion from the floor, 12 men became members, including: T.K. Leonard, E.N. Bell, J.R. Flower, H.A. Goss, J.W. Welch, M.M. Pinson, C.B. Fockler, and D.C.O. Opperman. These later elected A.P. Collins, R.L. Erickson, and D.W. Kerr. Brothers Bell and Flower were elected “permanently”—at least until the next Council.
A number of important resolutions embodied the following points: The fledgling fellowship should incorporate as the General Council of the Assemblies of God (58 men signed these incorporation papers October 13, 1914). They disapproved any extreme position with regard to eating or not eating meat. They encouraged local churches to set aside Thursday of each week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as a day of prayer. Local areas were asked to form district and state councils. All business of the Interstate Camp at Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was transferred to the Executive Presbytery. Recognition was given to elders, ministers, evangelists, and deacons as offices within the church. Women were to receive the rights of ministers and evangelists, but not elders. The Word and Witness, with E.N. Bell as editor, became the official organ. He was instructed to publish the minutes of the Council in the May issue and give it “wide circulation.” The divorce and remarriage of Christians, especially in the ministry, came in for strong disapproval. In essence, most of these resolutions are still embodied in the official position of the Assemblies of God today.
One of the foremost reasons for calling the General Council had been the need for a strong educational program. In fact, in the meeting at Meridian, Mississippi, in June 1913, of the Church of God in Christ, a strong recommendation had been made to its leadership to secure a permanent location for a Bible and Literary School. The same issue that called for a General Council gave additional space to this need. No definite action was taken at Hot Springs, but special encouragement was given to the brethren to avail themselves of the facilities of present courses and schools. Special reference was given to “The Home Bible Study through the Gospel School Review by which they finish in 1 year a study of the entire Bible.” This was sponsored by T.K. Leonard, as was the Gospel School at Findlay. A Literary School at Union, Mississippi, directed by R.B. Chisolm, also received special recognition. Later Councils crystallized the thinking in matters of education.
The Executive Presbytery, having been empowered to issue a call for the next Council, the convention came to a close. Thus the General Council of the Assemblies of God was born in 1914—a year of both national and international crises. The world was at war; liberalism was increasing its hold on the pulpits of the land. Faith was languishing. Surely, in the words of Mordecai, the Assemblies had “come to the Kingdom for such a time as this.” Cordas C. Burnett, D.D., held pastorates in Illinois and Ohio. From 1954 to 1959, he was secretary of education for the Assemblies of God. He was president of Bethany Bible College, Santa Cruz, California, for 13 years prior to accepting the position as the first executive vice president of the Assemblies of God Graduate School. The Cordas C. Burnett Library at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary is named in his honor.
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