PeacefulChaos Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Or the AG in general? I'm just curious. I'm well aware of what AG churches believe, etc, but I'm looking more for personal impressions, etc. Thanks! :) ETA: AG = Assemblies of God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Wow, no opinions whatsoever? I'm shocked... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I cant comment on all AG churches....just the one that I went to that was judgmental and overpowering and scared me into being a Christian, but didn't love me and teach me and make me WANT me to be a Christian. Between that and many other issues I will never step foot in one again. But I may just be bitter :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 My cousin was very literally saved through Assemblies of God ministries. (drug rehab program) He views them very highly, and I view him very highly. We went to their Christmas program. I highly recommend that! We loved it. I read their pamphlet and it said that they expect spiritual gifts to be manifested as speaking in tongues upon baptism. I asked him about that (I disagree... the Bible plainly says that not everyone has the same gift) and he said I misunderstood. I would ask about that, as that is a deal-breaker for me. My cousin was under the impression that non-Pentecostal churches are averse to spiritual gifts, but I do not think that is universally true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 No advice but a thank you for the ETA. I didn't even consider Assemby of God, I was just "American Girls have a church now? :blink:" I hope you get more useful answers than this one. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) What is being described here was not my experience at all. Edited January 25, 2012 by Ruby Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 We have been to several thanks to the military moving us. One was really good, down to earth, solid people. The others were over the top, full of emotion during the service (crying, etc. almost to hysteria at times), manipulation with music and lights, focus on feelings rather than scripture knowledge, and made us feel unspiritual because God wasn't physically talking to us. We chose to leave those kind of churches and go to a more traditional church. We have gotten even more buttoned up since. No offense to any that attend AG's. Just not my thing anymore. Every AG church is different of course. The bolded is my experience with the AG church dh and I went to as well. We stopped attending that church when we were soundly saved, and began homechurching. The congregation we attended is in SERIOUS error. Lots of the sinner's prayer, lots of focus on drama skits and trendy stuff, emotional music, getting all hyped up in place of really seeking the Lord. Stuff like that. I would never reccommend the AG church to anyone. That is MY experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Hahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: Hmmmmmmm....not sure if you know any of my story, but all of the trauma occured in the AG. There are some dear people in the upper eschalons that I love, but I we resigned our credentials for good reason. If you have any specific questions I would be happy to answer. Just beware of the bait and switch. They can look really good on the outside, non-religous, then the manipulation starts slowly and steadly. Also, there is way to much emphasis on externals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stages Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) I grew up in the Assembly of God church, but left the church when I was 18. I am no longer a Christian, so that may color my opinions. The pros: Some of the most genuine people I've ever known were involved in the A/G church. The churches tend to be on the smaller side, but are very focused on building a community. Missions is a big focus in the church, but locally and overseas. The fine arts competition is fun. http://faf.ag.org/ The church (from my experience) is very come-as-you-are. Appearance (tattoos, piercings, etc. don't affect one's ability to be accepted.) And probably a many other things I don't remember. The cons: (Keep in mind, these assume you agree that the gifts of the spirit as the A/G church represents them are real and available to everyone. If you don't, you will likely be very uncomfortable in the A/G church.) There is a very strong emphasis on speaking in tongues. I don't think it's intentional, but it is very easy to get discouraged if you don't speak in tongues. I have known people that questioned their very salvation because they didn't yet speak in tongues. There can be a great deal of fakery because of the emphasis on the gifts of the spirit. I've known people that fake speaking in tongues, and I've heard what was considered a false interpretation of a message in tongues. (A public message, not the private prayer language kind. It seemed either the speaker, interpreter, or both were trying to show off and gave a gibberish message.) I've had guest preachers forcefully lay on hands while praying with me- to the extent I could tell they were trying to "help" me get slain in the spirit. (Basically, they were trying to push me down.) The emphasis on worship can often turn into a performance for the congregation instead of God. I often felt that people were a little too concerned if they were off key- I really don't think God has a pitch pipe out when listening to a joyful noise! In one of the churches I went to, worship felt like a concert. It can be a very foreign experience to a first time visitor, and can be particularly scary to a young child if they don't know what to expect. ETA: I do agree that there can be a lot of emotion and hysterics- it can be hard to tell the difference between a genuine emotion and crowd hysterics, ya know? Depending on the individual church, there can be a bit too much emphasis on getting people saved, and not as much on keeping people saved (helping people grow in the Lord and such). Edited January 25, 2012 by Stages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) The bolded is my experience with the AG church dh and I went to as well. We stopped attending that church when we were soundly saved, and began homechurching. [edited out because a lot of the people at my old church were honestly seeking the Lord and I'm not comfortable saying that they are in error when I'm sure they say the same about me] Lots of the sinner's prayer, lots of focus on drama skits and trendy stuff, emotional music, getting all hyped up in place of really seeking the Lord. Stuff like that. I would never reccommend the AG church to anyone. That is MY experience. Same here. Having grown up AG, its funny that I now attend one of those hated "liberal" churches that supposedly was more interested in social justice than saving souls. My reformed church spends a lot of time talking about the intrinsic worth of each person because God loves us while growing up AG I felt that if I messed up God was going to cast me out of his presence forever, but if I didn't mess up then he owed me something. However, in defense of the denomination, Teen Challenge does amazing work. Edited January 25, 2012 by ChristineW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The church I had to go to for several years as a young teen was an AoG church. I didn't like it, to put it mildly. The biggest turnoff for me was that everything was so negative. They almost never talked about the positive aspects of faith- it was all hell, hell, hell. I was in Missionettes and I swear to God (er, no pun intended) every worksheet and activity we did seemed to revolve around the idea of what we needed to do to not go to hell. They were constantly telling us to spread the word so our family wouldn't go to hell. It was depressing, to say the least. I agree with the pps about everything being over the top. I remember from the sermons, lots of sobbing musicians (all rock bands, of course, lol) and falling down and speaking in tongues. Alter calls ever other week. I think I rolled my eyes so much I probably did permanent damage. They did lots of "missions trips" that were always vacations with an hour at a soup kitchen or something. Always to someplace tropical, with white sand beaches. That really grated. I hated that they pushed people to donate money so that a bunch of teenagers could work on their tans. I don't know if this is common to all of them, but that was my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stages Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I suppose I should add that the church I felt was most genuine has since left (or maybe been expelled from, I don't know) the Assemblies of God and is now an independent church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Let's say I am not a fan and leave it at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I've had guest preachers forcefully lay on hands while praying with me- to the extent I could tell they were trying to "help" me get slain in the spirit. (Basically, they were trying to push me down.) Oh my gosh, I remember that at the church I went to! One of my very devout friends dragged me up to the stage so the speaker could do that. He pretty much slapped my face, and I didn't feel anything the least bit spiritual. I felt like I had to fall down though, because there was someone waiting to catch me and I was worried if I didn't he'd start screaming that I was obviously possessed by Satan or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stages Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Oh my gosh, I remember that at the church I went to! One of my very devout friends dragged me up to the stage so the speaker could do that. He pretty much slapped my face, and I didn't feel anything the least bit spiritual. I felt like I had to fall down though, because there was someone waiting to catch me and I was worried if I didn't he'd start screaming that I was obviously possessed by Satan or something. Funny you should say that, I'd forgotten (blocked out?) the time I had to take the younger youth out of the sanctuary while the pastor cast out a demon from someone. It was...interesting to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) I don't have an overview, just personal opinion from when I was there for a bit. I had one of the worst, most memorable, eye opening experiences of my life in that church. I walked out and never looked back. Edited January 25, 2012 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 My husband and I went to an AG church for several years. Most things were fine...people, worship. But I never felt like I was a good enough Christian or accepted by God or even saved because I didn't speak in tongues...because supposedly it is the FIRST sign of baptism by the Holy Spirit who comes to you when you are saved. I won't ever go back to one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Funny you should say that, I'd forgotten (blocked out?) the time I had to take the younger youth out of the sanctuary while the pastor cast out a demon from someone. It was...interesting to say the least. Don't you need, I don't know, a license or something to do that? Some kind of special classes in the Vatican? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamajo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The AG church I attend must really be rare. 1. It's quite large and muliticultural - Black, White, Hispanic, African, Korean 2. Children's ministry is awesome. The kids were the reason why we joined in the first place. I didn't even know what the beliefs were necessarily but it just felt right. 3. I rarely see the charismatic manifestations that many have posted about in this thread. The senior pastor is 70+ and kind of dry. Actually his preaching is what I least like about the church. 4. The auxiliary services is what keeps us there - there is so much outreach and "inreach." So many places to serve and be involved. 5. I was a K5 missionettes teacher and loved it. So did my tween girls. A lot of emphasis on scripture memorization and they built many great friendships. I love our church but I'm not growing b/c of the watered down word that is preached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The pros: Some of the most genuine people I've ever known were involved in the A/G church. The churches tend to be on the smaller side, but are very focused on building a community. Missions is a big focus in the church, but locally and overseas. The church (from my experience) is very come-as-you-are. Appearance (tattoos, piercings, etc. don't affect one's ability to be accepted.) And probably a many other things I don't remember. The cons: (Keep in mind, these assume you agree that the gifts of the spirit as the A/G church represents them are real and available to everyone. If you don't, you will likely be very uncomfortable in the A/G church.) There is a very strong emphasis on speaking in tongues. I don't think it's intentional, but it is very easy to get discouraged if you don't speak in tongues. I have known people that questioned their very salvation because they didn't yet speak in tongues. There can be a great deal of fakery because of the emphasis on the gifts of the spirit. I've known people that fake speaking in tongues, and I've heard what was considered a false interpretation of a message in tongues. (A public message, not the private prayer language kind. It seemed either the speaker, interpreter, or both were trying to show off and gave a gibberish message.) The emphasis on worship can often turn into a performance for the congregation instead of God. I often felt that people were a little too concerned if they were off key- I really don't think God has a pitch pipe out when listening to a joyful noise! In one of the churches I went to, worship felt like a concert. :iagree: Some of the most kind, spiritually-committed people I know attend AoG churches. I don't anymore. They can range from very large, pop-spirituality, seeker-style to old-fashioned fire and brimstone to vibrant community-focused spaces. The culture is very influenced by the people. The AoG culture of commitment can attract intensely honest, spiritual people and rigid nutjobs...often in the same congregation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gramlingk Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 We LOVE our AG church. We didn't even know that's what it was when we first attended there but found out at a church 101 class. It is a lively church with truthful and compassionate teaching. It is a church that is big on outreach into the community and the people are friendly and excited about what God is doing. I am sorry that others replying here have not all had the same experience. Unfortunately, people in every church have issues that need to be worked out. It is sad that those issues end up turning people away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) The AG church I attend must really be rare. 1. It's quite large and muliticultural - Black, White, Hispanic, African, Korean 2. Children's ministry is awesome. The kids were the reason why we joined in the first place. I didn't even know what the beliefs were necessarily but it just felt right. 3. I rarely see the charismatic manifestations that many have posted about in this thread. The senior pastor is 70+ and kind of dry. Actually his preaching is what I least like about the church. 4. The auxiliary services is what keeps us there - there is so much outreach and "inreach." So many places to serve and be involved. 5. I was a K5 missionettes teacher and loved it. So did my tween girls. A lot of emphasis on scripture memorization and they built many great friendships. I love our church but I'm not growing b/c of the watered down word that is preached. The ones we were on staff at were very large, diverse (or at least trying to), had great childrens and youth ministry, and had very few "maifestations" in fact they were discouraged. Some key differences in my experiences were: Younger, hipper, more contemporary Pastor's = immature, narcisistic, sociopath. OP, after it all boils down, I could have put down what happened to me as the fault of one man. The problem is that I know to much about the internal structure of the denomination. The AG is structured to protect Sr. Pastor's at the expense of congregants and staff. Each church is considered a private entity. The denomination only holds the credentials. If a Pastor gets "weird" the only recourse is to report him to the denomination. Nothing is considered without 2 or 3 witnesses and if there is a possible way to discredit the witness...they will find it. Things like, "She has an offense so you cannot listen to her, they did not handle it perfectly Biblically by addressing the Pastor first, He has a spirit of ***** and just want to bring division." On top of that the district leadership is commonly made up of people who have been or presently are Sr. Pastor's, which means they carry the wounds unique to a Sr. Pastor. They see things through the eyes of the Sr. Leader, and are going to side with Sr. leaders against staff minister's or church members. So, even if you get the denomination to admit there is a problem, confront the Pastor, offer rehabilitation/accountability..he can still refuse. Yes, his credentials will be revoked, but that only means the Church will stop being AG (so long as the elders are loyal to the Sr. Pastor). In my case more than 10 people had gone to the District before I was assaulted...they were all deemed "bitter and divisive." After me, more than 20 spoke to the district and 4 more staff Pastors were "forced to resign." Still, although the District Superintendent did forbid this Sr. Pastor from continuing to harass us...he did not give what had happened to me the attention it deserved. Once he forbade this Pastor from his continued attacks on mine and DH's character, the Sr. Pastor finally had no one else to blame and fled the state. On his exit interview he finally turned on the Super and blamed him for the churches destruction. After that the Super went to Dh and apologized. He told us he had been fooled, by this man's "attractive" personality. The damage had been done and we saw how the internal set up was actually very dangerous. Ultimately, we resigned our credentials, because we went into ministry to serve. The AG is internally set up to protect Sr. Leaders not the sheep, and that was something we could not reconcile. We did not actually resign our credentials to over year after the "incident." We were happily on staff at a non-denominational church and were able to take a long hard look at the things that mattered to us as Minister's. I know that is more info than you wanted, but I figured I would give you an inside view. Edited: I need to add how this played out. I did file a permanent record report with the denomination. That gets held in a file by the Super in the District the incident occured in. Everytime this Pastor would apply for a position at another church it is common practice to call the District Super from his last District for a reference. In my case this meant that the Super would have to disclose that there was a file on him. For 3 years this prevented him from getting a church. During this time he went to another state and served in a voluntary capacity. This church then started a daughter church and made him the Sr. Pastor. No interview, no background check ;( Now he is back in a position of power and my heart breaks for that church. Edited January 25, 2012 by simka2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 We LOVE our AG church. We didn't even know that's what it was when we first attended there but found out at a church 101 class. It is a lively church with truthful and compassionate teaching. It is a church that is big on outreach into the community and the people are friendly and excited about what God is doing. I am sorry that others replying here have not all had the same experience. Unfortunately, people in every church have issues that need to be worked out. It is sad that those issues end up turning people away. First off I am glad you are enjoying your church. Like others have said, there are some wonderful genuine people in the AG. Heck, dh would not have left his scholarship opportunites in the Dutch Reformed and I wouldn't have gone to one of their Universities, if we had not seen something in it. ;) I bolded above because I see this from a different perspective. We (under the direction of our Sr. Pastor) went out of our way to hide the fact that it was an AG church. Step by step (so the elder's wouldn't freak) we took the word AG out of the church name, took the emblem off the church sign, and strongly discouraged the more demonstrative charismatic manifestations....to the point that there were usher's, elder's and staff instructed to intercept anyone who thought to speak out in tongues, and if someone should make it through the ranks we had specific interpretors. Dh and I actually taught our churches 101 class and people would often comment on how they had not realized it was an AG church. We would just smile, because that was the intention. If you were a visitor you would just think you were attending "Oakbend Church" (fictional name). This was what I was alluding to in my original "bait and switch" comment. It is very purposeful that we try to hook you into liking our facilities, programs, contemporary worship, and ministry opportunities. Make friends, build relationships...not until the 101 class do you find out. Then you have to weigh your investment, your kids have already made friendships, against what you know of the AG. Looking back it makes me so sad. Dh's brother is still a worship pastor at a different large AG church, so I know there are good people in the AG. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The ones we were on staff at were very large, diverse (or at least trying to), had great childrens and youth ministry, and had very few "maifestations" in fact they were discouraged. Some key differences in my experiences were: Younger, hipper, more contemporary Pastor's = immature, narcisistic, sociopath. OP, after it all boils down, I could have put down what happened to me as the fault of one man. The problem is that I know to much about the internal structure of the denomination. The AG is structured to protect Sr. Pastor's at the expense of congregants and staff. Each church is considered a private entity. The denomination only holds the credentials. If a Pastor gets "weird" the only recourse is to report him to the denomination. Nothing is considered without 2 or 3 witnesses and if there is a possible way to discredit the witness...they will find it. Things like, "She has an offense so you cannot listen to her, they did not handle it perfectly Biblically by addressing the Pastor first, He has a spirit of ***** and just want to bring division." On top of that the district leadership is commonly made up of people who have been or presently are Sr. Pastor's, which means they carry the wounds unique to a Sr. Pastor. They see things through the eyes of the Sr. Leader, and are going to side with Sr. leaders against staff minister's or church members. So, even if you get the denomination to admit there is a problem, confront the Pastor, offer rehabilitation/accountability..he can still refuse. Yes, his credentials will be revoked, but that only means the Church will stop being AG (so long as the elders are loyal to the Sr. Pastor). In my case more than 10 people had gone to the District before I was assaulted...they were all deemed "bitter and divisive." After me, more than 20 spoke to the district and 4 more staff Pastors were "forced to resign." Still, although the District Superintendent did forbid this Sr. Pastor from continuing to harass us...he did not give what had happened to me the attention it deserved. Once he forbade this Pastor from his continued attacks on mine and DH's character, the Sr. Pastor finally had no one else to blame and fled the state. On his exit interview he finally turned on the Super and blamed him for the churches destruction. After that the Super went to Dh and apologized. He told us he had been fooled, by this man's "attractive" personality. The damage had been done and we saw how the internal set up was actually very dangerous. Ultimately, we resigned our credentials, because we went into ministry to serve. The AG is internally set up to protect Sr. Leaders not the sheep, and that was something we could not reconcile. We did not actually resign our credentials to over year after the "incident." We were happily on staff at a non-denominational church and were able to take a long hard look at the things that mattered to us as Minister's. I know that is more info than you wanted, but I figured I would give you an inside view. Edited: I need to add how this played out. I did file a permanent record report with the denomination. That gets held in a file by the Super in the District the incident occured in. Everytime this Pastor would apply for a position at another church it is common practice to call the District Super from his last District for a reference. In my case this meant that the Super would have to disclose that there was a file on him. For 3 years this prevented him from getting a church. During this time he went to another state and served in a voluntary capacity. This church then started a daughter church and made him the Sr. Pastor. No interview, no background check ;( Now he is back in a position of power and my heart breaks for that church. I'm not willing to go into details on this public forum, but I'll just say that everything Simka says is absolutely the truth. You can pm if you have specific questions about the denomination. I have plenty of experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I agree here with almost everything said. Pounded into our heads over and over and over was the fact that if we weren't perfect we were going to hell. We never discussed the good side of anything. I was told that I was a sinner because I was fat. I was forced into Charm School classes and had to stand in front of a mirror and was told that I needed to lose 20 lbs or I was sinning. Simka2 is 100% dead on and we had happenings of the sort in out church also. Dealt with in the same manner. I was touched and spoke to sexually by a leader who would drive me to and from church related things and was told that I was a liar and nothing was done about it. Two other girls reported the same issue. We were taught that something was wrong if we didn't speak in tongues. They pushed that on every single person, especially the children. That's all they focused on at children's camp, sometimes having us sit and pray for 3+ hours a night to receive the gift of speaking in tongues. They would surround us and lay hands on us for hours. Our youth pastor once made all the girls in the church stand on the stage and he then made everyone who was a virgin go sit down and everyone who was not (while yelling over and over that God was judging us right now and he was watching and we would go to hell for lying) had to stand in humiliation in front of the entire youth group. Oh I could go on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I know it isn't much, but I just want to offer :grouphug: to all of you that have experienced such horrors in the name of God. I'm so sorry. Sometimes I'm just so ashamed of my church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The ones we were on staff at were very large, diverse (or at least trying to), had great childrens and youth ministry, and had very few "maifestations" in fact they were discouraged. Some key differences in my experiences were: Younger, hipper, more contemporary Pastor's = immature, narcisistic, sociopath. OP, after it all boils down, I could have put down what happened to me as the fault of one man. The problem is that I know to much about the internal structure of the denomination. The AG is structured to protect Sr. Pastor's at the expense of congregants and staff. Each church is considered a private entity. The denomination only holds the credentials. So, even if you get the denomination to admit there is a problem, confront the Pastor, offer rehabilitation/accountability..he can still refuse. Yes, his credentials will be revoked, but that only means the Church will stop being AG (so long as the elders are loyal to the Sr. Pastor). I wasn't going to comment on this thread. My time at the few AG churches we attended was fairly positive. Our last church felt like a great experience while we were there, but something felt off even before we left( because of a move). The above information, especially the bolded, is helpful. I want not aware of the denominations stance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I grew up AG and I consider myself Pentacostal. I find the internal structure to be very angled towards the head pastor. Power corrupts, absolute power...... I find many of the churches to be too focused on speaking in tounges. I find they also focus too much on the "emotional and spiritual" and not enough on good biblical learning (ie: we know about Hell and spiriual gifts, and missions, but I NEVER learned the books of the Bible or read my Bible all the way through with teaching and discussion) I am currently seeking a new church and I am leery of the options I find. I want to praise God my way; with my hands raised and joyful noises, I want to allow the Holy Spirit to speak for my heart in tounges when I cannot. I love how well the Baptist churches TEACH, they are just quite condemning about the way I praise God. I like the way AG and four square praise God, but they are not very good about solid teachings I and I fear the way the church is structured. I am seriously considering starting my own church. :glare: Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I grew up AG and I consider myself Pentacostal. I find the internal structure to be very angled towards the head pastor. Power corrupts, absolute power...... I find many of the churches to be too focused on speaking in tounges. I find they also focus too much on the "emotional and spiritual" and not enough on good biblical learning (ie: we know about Hell and spiriual gifts, and missions, but I NEVER learned the books of the Bible or read my Bible all the way through with teaching and discussion) I am currently seeking a new church and I am leery of the options I find. I want to praise God my way; with my hands raised and joyful noises, I want to allow the Holy Spirit to speak for my heart in tounges when I cannot. I love how well the Baptist churches TEACH, they are just quite condemning about the way I praise God. I like the way AG and four square praise God, but they are not very good about solid teachings I and I fear the way the church is structured. I am seriously considering starting my own church. :glare: Lara Do you have any Calvary Chapel churches in your area? I have friends who attend that type* of church and it sounds like something you'd like. http://calvarychapel.com/ *I used type because they don't call themselves a denomination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) I grew up AG and I consider myself Pentacostal. I find the internal structure to be very angled towards the head pastor. Power corrupts, absolute power...... I find many of the churches to be too focused on speaking in tounges. I find they also focus too much on the "emotional and spiritual" and not enough on good biblical learning (ie: we know about Hell and spiriual gifts, and missions, but I NEVER learned the books of the Bible or read my Bible all the way through with teaching and discussion) I am currently seeking a new church and I am leery of the options I find. I want to praise God my way; with my hands raised and joyful noises, I want to allow the Holy Spirit to speak for my heart in tongues when I cannot. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Me too! My aunt says I am Bapticostal. :D So far the Baptist Church is working out for me. They haven't tried to teach me anything I don't already know/agree with and when we met about my getting baptized (not into the church, into Christ, I have never been baptized as a Christian) Pastor says he wants me to use my spiritual gifts! Have you looked at large non-denom churches? Also, surely there are Pentecostal churches that aren't like AG? Surely there are Non-pentecostal churches that believe in gift of the Holy Spirit? Edited January 25, 2012 by Lovedtodeath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Me too! My aunt says I am Bapticostal. :D So far the Baptist Church is working out for me. They haven't tried to teach me anything I don't already know/agree with and when we met about my getting baptized Pastor says he wants me to use my spiritual gifts! Have you looked at large non-denom churches? Also, surely there are Pentecostal churches that aren't like AG? Surely there are Non-pentecostal churches that believe in gift of the Holy Spirit? Bapticostal!!! I like that!!! How hard is it to start a new denominaltion??? (J/K). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Do you have any Calvary Chapel churches in your area? I have friends who attend that type* of church and it sounds like something you'd like. http://calvarychapel.com/ *I used type because they don't call themselves a denomination. Thank-you for the info, I'll check the link, but I think there is a Calvery Chapel here!! Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Or the AG in general? I'm just curious. I'm well aware of what AG churches believe, etc, but I'm looking more for personal impressions, etc. Thanks! :) ETA: AG = Assemblies of God The individual churches run the gamut. I graduated from an AG Bible College. For the most part my professors and classmates were some of the finest Christians I've had the privilege of knowing. Warm and caring, vibrant faith. And, mixed in with that were the stinkers :tongue_smilie: But, overall I don't mind the AG. I choose not to go to the AG church here in town because the pastor is a bit of a nutjob who really did a number on a good friend of mine. But, I think (hope) he's more the exception than the rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom22es Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I grew up AG and I consider myself Pentacostal. I find the internal structure to be very angled towards the head pastor. Power corrupts, absolute power...... I find many of the churches to be too focused on speaking in tounges. I find they also focus too much on the "emotional and spiritual" and not enough on good biblical learning (ie: we know about Hell and spiriual gifts, and missions, but I NEVER learned the books of the Bible or read my Bible all the way through with teaching and discussion) I am currently seeking a new church and I am leery of the options I find. I want to praise God my way; with my hands raised and joyful noises, I want to allow the Holy Spirit to speak for my heart in tounges when I cannot. I love how well the Baptist churches TEACH, they are just quite condemning about the way I praise God. I like the way AG and four square praise God, but they are not very good about solid teachings I and I fear the way the church is structured. I am seriously considering starting my own church. :glare: Lara :iagree: I attend a spirit-filled non-denom. church (not AG) and I find the same is true for us. We long for something with more balance, but I don't want to be the only one in a church that does pray in tongues or raises my hands in worship. I don't want to have to keep the things I believe hidden, but I am not sure where to go to find what I want. I don't think I could be satisfied in a mainline denom., but my husband maybe willing to try one out sometime soon. Our church is much the same, it is very centered around the pastor. I want more balance in the Word. I don't just want to be taught "to live by faith" (which translates to how to get my needs met in our circles) all the time. We stay where we are mostly because it's where we've always been, but also because we don't know where else to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I have only been to church a few times, (DH twice) but we delve into the scriptures very deeply... we rely on the Spirit to guide us to scriptures/topics we need. Sometimes as individuals, other times with each other, and sometimes with friends or relatives. We (especially DH) don't really want a church to teach us. We want a church to worship at and meet people. I have heard that there are groups that just meet for Bible study, but aren't considered a church... Just rambling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The individual churches run the gamut. I graduated from an AG Bible College. For the most part my professors and classmates were some of the finest Christians I've had the privilege of knowing. Warm and caring, vibrant faith. And, mixed in with that were the stinkers :tongue_smilie: But, overall I don't mind the AG. I choose not to go to the AG church here in town because the pastor is a bit of a nutjob who really did a number on a good friend of mine. But, I think (hope) he's more the exception than the rule. I went to an AG Bible college---worst year of my life!!! Although I was a troublemaker!!! (probably a 'stinker' :D) I think I am still on probation - 20 yrs later!! Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) I went to an AG Bible college---worst year of my life!!! Although I was a troublemaker!!! (probably a 'stinker' :D) I think I am still on probation - 20 yrs later!! Lara Okay, brief plug, one of the reasons I converted to Orthodoxy was it's friendliness to spiritual gifts. That said, I was talking with another of the former staff pastor's from my old ag church. I asked where he was attending and he said, "so in so Bible church." I asked what a "bible church" was and he said it was something some guy planted a bunch of and they were charismatic baptist. So I guess they are out there somewhere. :D Edited: started by a Gene Getz. I have no idea what they are like, so this is just an FYI. Edited January 25, 2012 by simka2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRG Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I grew up in A/G and even went to one of their colleges for a year. Like previous posters stated there are many genuine people and I wouldn't trade having known them for anything. But, I cannot reconcile many of their teachings with the Bible. We tried to attend the church I grew up in several years ago. We found it to be so over the top, based on emotions and hyping people up. Then the pastor(not the one I grew up with) mentioned that they were working on getting a light show going during worship...well it was then that we knew we would no longer be attending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I spent most of the last 35 years in the Assemblies of God. As a denomination, I have no qualms in recommending it to people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Very interesting. I really appreciate you all sharing your experiences. I will admit that, yes, we actually are currently AG...we both always have been. I just had seen recently some different things happening, and had (upon looking online, which I know isn't always the most reliable source of information!) seen that a lot of people have been considering the AG too 'out there' for a long time. It was just a side of things that I hadn't seen before. I was curious as to the general thoughts of a group of people. I do see faults in the church, and some of the things mentioned definitely strike a chord of familiarity. It's all very interesting, and gives me more to think about. Thanks for your thoughts. :) (Obviously, if anyone else has any more, feel free to add!) :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The AG church I attend must really be rare. 1. It's quite large and muliticultural - Black, White, Hispanic, African, Korean 2. Children's ministry is awesome. The kids were the reason why we joined in the first place. I didn't even know what the beliefs were necessarily but it just felt right. 3. I rarely see the charismatic manifestations that many have posted about in this thread. The senior pastor is 70+ and kind of dry. Actually his preaching is what I least like about the church. 4. The auxiliary services is what keeps us there - there is so much outreach and "inreach." So many places to serve and be involved. 5. I was a K5 missionettes teacher and loved it. So did my tween girls. A lot of emphasis on scripture memorization and they built many great friendships. :iagree: My experiences was similar, in AG churches in San Diego and San Jose, California, and here in the Austin, Texas, area. I love our church but I'm not growing b/c of the watered down word that is preached. I didn't feel as if the teaching was watered down, but since I have gone back to the Catholic Church, obviously I found some major doctrinal issues that caused me to leave. I was pretty happy for the many years I spent there, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I went to an AG Bible college---worst year of my life!!! Although I was a troublemaker!!! (probably a 'stinker' :D) I think I am still on probation - 20 yrs later!! Lara LOL! Which one? You can PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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