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SOurce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_of_godAssemblies of God (AG) is the world's largest Pentecostal Christian denomination.With over 312,048 churches and outstations in over 110 countries and approximately57 to 60 million adherents worldwide,[1][2][3] it is the fourth largestinternational body of Christians.[4] It prefers to be referred to as a cooperativefellowship instead of a denomination.[5]The Assemblies of God has missions programs that are designed to establish self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing national church bodies in everycountry. As of late 2006, the Assemblies of God World Missions Research Officereported constituencies in 110 countries and territories, with over 5,000adherents added per day. As of 2005, the fellowship operated 859 Bible schools,1,131 extension programs and 39 seminaries outside of the United States.OriginsThe Assemblies of God has its roots in the Pentecostal revival of the early 20thcentury. This revival is generally traced to a prayer meeting held under theleadership of Charles Parham, at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas, onJanuary 1, 1901. The “awakening” or “revival” spread rapidly to Missouri, Texas,California and elsewhere. In 1906, a three-year revival meeting under theleadership of William Seymour began at Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles thatattracted believers from around the world.Reports of the revival were carried far and wide by periodicals and otherpublications that sprang up along with the movement. Independent revivals alsobegan to break out during this time in other parts of the world. The Pentecostalaspects of the revival were not generally welcomed by established churches, andparticipants in the movement soon found themselves forced outside existingreligious bodies. These people sought out their own places of worship and foundedhundreds of distinctly Pentecostal congregations. Assemblies of God church in Apia, Western SamoaMany of these congregations soughtto partner with existing religious movements, such as the Christian and MissionaryAlliance, but many Pentecostals left following controversy over the doctrine ofthe initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. These earlyleaders were licensed as ministers by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, founder ofthe Church of God in Christ, a predominately African-American denomination. TheChurch of God in Christ provided initial credentials to the mostly whitePentecostals who would later form the Assemblies of God.[8] Jim Crow laws of theSouth and other cultural norms of early 20th century America contributed to theearly demise of racial unity between the white Pentecostal leaders and thepredominately African-American Church of God in Christ denomination.By 1914, many ministers and laymen alike began to realize just how far-reachingthe spread of the revival and of Pentecostalism had become. Many evangelisticoutreaches birthed by the new movement created a number of practical problems—formal recognition of ministers, approval and support of missionaries, doctrinalunity, gospel literature, a permanent Bible training school, and full accountingof funds were all issues that needed to be dealt with.[edit] Formation and developmentConcerned leaders felt the desire to protect and preserve the results of therevival - these thousands of newly Spirit-baptized believers - by uniting throughcooperative fellowship. In April 1914 about 300 preachers and laymen were invitedfrom 20 states and several foreign countries for a “General Council” in Hot