Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
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| Classification | Protestant |
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| Orientation | Pentecostal |
| Associations | World Assemblies of God Fellowship, Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America |
| Geographical areas | Canada |
| Origin | 1919 |
| Separations | Apostolic Church of Pentecost 1921 |
| Congregations | 1,102[1] |
| Members | 232,000[1] |
| Official Website | paoc.org |
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) is Canada's largest Pentecostal Christian denomination.[citation needed] It includes 1,102 member congregations serving 232,000 adherents throughout Canada,[1] including every province and territory. Some of its churches have memberships largely of ethnic minorities. Its headquarters is located in Mississauga, Ontario.
Theologically, the denomination is in the Pentecostal tradition of Protestant Christianity, and its churches align themselves with the evangelical movement. The PAOC is socially conservative on many issues.[citation needed] It historically has had strong connections with the Assemblies of God in the United States and is one of three Canadian branches of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. The other two are the Canadian Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Newfoundland and Labrador.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early history (1906-1925)
In 1906, within a few months of the Azusa street revival in Los Angeles, Pentecostalism had reached Canada. By 1910, there were Canadian Pentecostals on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, with sizable congregations in Toronto, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the early part of the 20th century, the prairie provinces had the largest percentage of Pentecostals due in part to the large numbers of immigrants from United States who brought their faith with them. Throughout its history, members of the Pentecostal movement in Canada have had close ties to their American counterpart.
The first attempt to organize Canadian Pentecostals was in 1909 in Eastern Canada, but it failed. Then, in 1918 a decision was made to form the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and then join the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAOW), an umbrella organization in the US. However, when the PAOC was officially chartered on May 17, 1919, the effort was never made to join the PAOW, and the PAOC remained an independent organization with no formal US ties.
Later in 1919, Pentecostals in Saskatchewan and Alberta, who were not part of any broader organization, were invited to join the General Council of the Assemblies of God, the PAOC's American counterpart. In 1920, the decision was made for the PAOC itself to join the Assemblies of God. In doing so, the PAOC had to repudiate the doctrine of Oneness Pentecostalism it had previously affirmed and adopt the Assemblies of God's Trinitarian position. This brought most of Canada's Pentecostals into the Assemblies of God fold, but it also resulted in the splitting away of the Apostolic Church of Pentecost in 1921.
In 1925, the PAOC asked to be released from the Assemblies of God over differences in missionary vision. This was granted and was an amiable parting. The two groups have worked together informally ever since and as members of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship.
[edit] Growth (1926-1974)
As the movement expanded, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada began to include members from across Canadian society, and larger congregations resulted.[citation needed] For example, in 1928 Calvary Temple in Winnipeg, Manitoba, bought the First Baptist Church which seated 1,500 people, a very large church by Canadian standards even today.
In 1925, the PAOC opened Central Pentecostal College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which was the first of several Pentecostal institutions dedicated to theological education. As time went on, the PAOC established a stronger financial base allowing for the construction of new buildings. Notably, Central Tabernacle in Edmonton, Alberta, (has been demolished, and moved to their new location, now North Pointe, in the north end of the city) was built in 1972 which accommodations for 1,800 and Winnipeg's Calvary Temple completed a new 2,500 seat church building in 1974.
[edit] Recent history (1979-present)
Facing the same challenge of many Canadian churches in the latter years of the 20th century, the PAOC worked hard to continue its growth. In the 1980s, under the leadership of General Superintendent James MacKnight, 102 additional churches were added to the PAOC. According to Stats Canada, Pentecostalism is in decline in Canada with the PAOC and Pentecostalism showing a membership decline of 15% between 1991 and 2001 to almost 369,500.
The PAOC has also increasingly spoken out on social issues in recent years. For example, starting in March 2005, the PAOC has sent out notices through their member churches encouraging their parishioners to write or call their MP in opposition to same-sex marriage.[citation needed]
[edit] General Superintendents
- George A Chambers (1919-1934)
- James Swanson (1935-1936)
- Daniel N. Buntain (1937-1944)
- Campbell B. Smith (1945-1952)
- Walter E. McAlister (1953-1962)
- Tom Johnstone (1963-1968)
- Robert W. Taitinger (1969-1982)
- James M. MacKnight (1983-1996)
- William D. Morrow (1997-2007)
- David Wells (2008-)
[edit] Education
- Canadian Pentecostal Seminary, Langley, British Columbia
- Horizon College and Seminary, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Master's College and Seminary, Toronto, Ontario
- Pentecostal Sub-Arctic Leadership Training College, Fort Smith, Northwest Territories
- Quebec Bible Institute, Montreal, Quebec
- Summit Pacific College, Abbotsford, British Columbia
- Vanguard College, Edmonton, Alberta
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c "PAOC Fellowship Statistics". Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. 5 January. http://www.paoc.org/upload/files2/docs/ACLR%20Stats/ACLR%20Stats%20Jan%202009.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
[edit] References
- Miller, Thomas William (1994). Canadian Pentecostals: A History of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Mississauga, Ontario: Full Gospel Publishing House. ISBN 1-895168-35-X.
- Rudd, Douglas (2002). When the Spirit Came Upon Them: Highlights from the Early Years of the Pentecostal Movement in Canada. Mississauga, Ontario: Full Gospel Publishing House. ISBN 1-894325-24-9.
[edit] External links
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