In order to understand the formation of the Assemblies of God in our country, we have to reach back to the beginnings of the Pentecostal Movement here, with the visits of evangelist Smith Wigglesworth in 1922 and 1923.

Over the next four years the Pentecostal Church of N.Z. tried to grapple with its internal tensions, which centred on the powers of the local church in relation to the central government structure advocated by the General Secretary, Harry Roberts. Matters came to a head finally in 1926, when a majority of the constituent assemblies decided to adopt a system of government that respected the authority and responsibility of the local assembly rather than the central council.

The suggestion of cooperative fellowship with the USA was greeted with approval here, and it was arranged that representatives of various Assemblies in New Zealand would meet at Bethel Temple, 191 Vivian St, Wellington on 29 March 1927. The delegates from Auckland, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Temuka who attended that historic meeting established the Assemblies of God in New Zealand. They approved an executive council consisting of W. Chatterton as Chairman and presbyters as follows: S. Burgess (Auckland); H. Bruce (Wellington); K.E England (Canterbury). Len J. Jones was appointed General Secretary/Treasurer and Editor of the New Zealand Evangel. It was agreed to draw up a constitution and arrange for anything else necessary to establish the new Fellowship. This act of secession from the P.C.N.Z. transformed the bulk of that body into the Assemblies of God, leaving only a handful of churches loyal to central direction. In a further meeting at Wellington on 22 April 1927 approval was given to the Constitution, which was very closely modelled on that of the Assemblies of God in the USA, along with a Statement of Fundamental Truths attached to it.

In May 1928 Pastors Bruce and Chatterton were deputed to go to Australia for discussions with the P.C.A. on developing common attitudes on doctrinal matters and relations with other pentecostal groups. This was only the first of many steps taken down the years to foster relations with our trans-Tasman neighbours.

At the 1928 General Council there were no less than 13 Assemblies represented, with new works at Ellerslie, Hawera, Tadmor, Temuka, Timaru and Dunedin. Greetings were received from Australia. Philip Megna an American preacher, attended. Like the work in Australia, New Zealand received a number of visits from outstanding overseas evangelists and teachers in the 1920’s, among whom were Aimee Semple McPherson and Stephen Jeffreys, Kelso Glover and A.C. Valdez. Like all the conferences up to 1933, this one spent a considerable amount of time examining the question of how the broken relationship with the P.C.N.Z. might be restored, but without success.

So, three years after its foundation the Assemblies of God movement had grown numerically and had established a framework of operations that seemed to point to good things for the future. The prosperity of the times masked hidden weaknesses that the next few years would reveal, and overseas events were about to deal the first of a number of blows that would stun the Assemblies of God and retard its growth for many years.

Some indication of the problems facing the Movement at the time is furnished by a decision of the 1930 Conference: "In the event of a worker being in charge of a small Assembly, he should endeavour to make opportunity of labouring with his hands to some extent." By late 1931 it is recorded that the finances for Missionaries and the New Zealand Evangel were at a very low ebb. So much so that missionaries due for furlough could not be brought home for lack of money. Although the 1932 conference delegates considered the question of evangelisation they decided that "in view of the present state of the Assemblies, especially in the matter of financial straitness, it is deemed inexpedient to unduly emphasise sending contributions towards a special evangelisation fund." On a different level, the 1931 conference also considered a remit: "That the Assemblies of God in New Zealand humbly admit that they have to a very great extent lost their power and have come far short of the standard of Pentecost as is clearly shown by reading the history of the early church." H Bruce, who had been the Chairman of the Movement since 1927, resigned in 1931 and was succeeded by Ernest T Mellor, an Englishman who had come to New Zealand in 1929. He was to lead the Assemblies of God until 1941.

It was at this critical time that the other inherent weaknesses in the Assemblies of God was exposed. From the time of its formation it had struggled with questions of authority, structure and doctrine, as the records of the early Conferences reveal. The resignation of Ps Bruce removed a steady hand from the helm of the Movement when this was most needed, at a time when there was discontent with the state of the movement and its impact on New Zealand, and nagging questions over structure and doctrine persisted. It is obvious that any movement which offered answers to these problems and which exhibited life and power was bound to prove attractive to people who recalled the revival under Wigglesworth and contrasted it with life ten years on.

John Hewitt had pastored the Auckland Assembly of God in the 1920’s before leaving for Australia and he had many friends in New Zealand. In October 1933 Cathcart came over from Melbourne and started meetings in Wellington where he was joined by Hewitt in November of the same year. God gave the success, and hundreds turned out to see the power of God and sit under teaching which stressed divine order, authority and discipline. When Cathcart returned to Australia Joshua McCabe took his place. In the space of a few months Apostolic congregations were formed in Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, New Plymouth, Auckland, Onehunga and Te Kuiti. It is evident from the names of those who formed the new churches that there were substantial defections from the Assemblies of God and the P.C.N.Z. Building on this initial base, the Apostolic Church steadily opened other works throughout New Zealand in the years that followed, and the earlier Pentecostal groups found any initiative they may have had taken out of their hands.

Another significant development at this time was the rise of the Wilson Brothers who espoused the British Israel theory. Churches were established in Lower Hutt, Christchurch, Wanganui, Nelson and Auckland, and evangelistic work among the Maoris was commenced. For many years the "Commonwealth Covenant Church" in Lower Hutt under Frank Wilson was one of the largest Pentecostal churches in New Zealand. Fred Wilson started the Church of Christ (NZ) at Mt Roskill. Like others before them the Wilsons had ministered in the Assemblies of God Movement. The loss of capable leaders and the defection of many good people to the Apostolic Church at the same time set the Assemblies of God back many years.

The 1934 conference responded to the Apostolic invasion by agreeing on a definite New Zealand vision", but did not specify what this was It also agreed that a number of articles on "What We Stand For and Teach" would be published in the New Zealand Evangel. The Pastor of Auckland Assembly of God, George C Clarke, was appointed "Dominion Evangelist", credentialling was tightened, the Bible School in Auckland established by C.C. Scaddden was endorsed, and a half yearly Leader’s Conference was instituted. The first of these conferences was held at Taumaranui in June 1935 in the home of A.W. Thompson, a master plumber, who was destined to play a significant role in the Assemblies of God in later years.

During the next four years while warclouds gathered in Europe and Asia, the Assemblies of God dabbled with various measures, none of which were successful. Efforts to establish an annual camp for young people, to get on the air, and win the lost were unrewarded. In 1937 the tent campaigns held in Wanganui, Hawera, Marton and Cambridge were fruitless. The following year C.C. Scadden, who had been the General Secretary for many years and principal of the Bible School in Onehunga, resigned in frustration from a Movement that wasn’t going anywhere. The 1936 census showed only 360 Assemblies of God adherents in the whole country.

At the end of 1941 E.T. Mellor resigned when he remarried and A.W. Thompson became Chairman of a group of stagnant churches. It was a difficult time for all New Zealanders. The Second World War came hard on the heels of the worst depression New Zealand had known and delayed the recovery of the Assemblies of God for a further six years. Nevertheless, slowly, agonisingly, progress was resumed despite all the restrictions and shortages of wartime. In 1942 the Nelson Assembly was established and the number of works rose to ten. A Central Building Fund was commenced in 1943 with an initial donation of 50 pounds ($100). Annual Conferences were held throughput the war years as the movement determined to cling together, but in 1945 travel restrictions, rationing, and accommodation difficulties forced the postponement of the December Conference until the following year.

So, as the postwar years began, the Assemblies of God were no further ahead than when they had started 20 years earlier. Some worthwhile lessons had been learned, however, and these were to be applied in the next period.

A.W. Thompson saw that the first requirement, if the Assemblies of God were to get anywhere, was to broaden the base of popular support. Thus immediately after the war there was an awakened interest in evangelism. A "gospel caravan" was purchased in October 1946 and used for several years. American evangelist, Harvey D. Ferrell, itinerated the assemblies on the first of several visits to New Zealand. He later pastored the Auckland Assembly of God and was instrumental in erecting the building at 510 Queen St.

The quality of pastoral ministry needed improvement too. Without a Bible School, possessing only meagre financial resources, and with small assemblies whose membership was drawn largely from working class people, there was a chronic shortage of qualified ministers for the work. Bible correspondence courses were initiated for New Zealanders and trained ministers were invited in from overseas. Amongst the first to arrive was Tom Whiting on 1 October 1949 to pastor the Sydenham Assemblies of God in Christchurch. Others followed him in short order, until our pulpits rang with the accents of England, Wales and Scotland. One of the British imports was Benny Finch who took over the Wellington Assembly and reestablished a Fellowship Bible School; at 61 Tasman St. In a short time a thriving school was in operation, Beryl Green being one of the first students; Bob Midgely was another.

There was also a need for assemblies to acquire their own church buildings instead of the rented lodge halls and the like which were used for meetings at that time. In 1950 only New Plymouth and Sydenham owned their own properties. Those who meet in our fine church buildings today can scarcely imagine what it was like to assemble in cold, shabby, dingy halls and upstairs rooms reeking of tobacco smoke and alcohol from the party the night before! The Auckland Assembly initiated the post-war building trend by purchasing a section in Mt Roskill in 1949 and buying the land in Queen street shortly afterwards. They later built a church in Glen Eden, which eventually became the West City Assembly of God.

Constitutional and administrative changes were made in these years too. In 1946 it was agreed that all pastors and leaders would constitute the General Council, and in 1949 this Council agreed to delegate its functions and powers to the Executive Council between General Council sessions. The 1950 Conference appointed three regional Presbyters to oversee the work of the Assemblies in Auckland, Wellington/Taranaki and the South Island Organisers for national Sunday School and youth programmes, and annual camps for the Movement were also appointed at that time.

The dissemination of information was promoted by enlarging the NZ Evangel, the publication of a Yearbook was approved, and a fresh attempt to get on the air was made.

All now seemed ready for a steady, possibly rapid development of the work throughout New Zealand, when a severe financial crisis arose.

It involved the general Secretary/Treasurer of the Movement, Ps Finch. This man of vision had a great capacity for work. In the event, however, he was allowed to take on too many tasks - the Wellington pastorate, managing the Central Bookroom, and running the Bible School - along with his Executive responsibilities. In early 1954 it became evident that some designated funds had been used for other purposes and money was not where it should have been to meet accounts falling due. The situation was so serious that the General council was called together in extraordinary session on 27 February to deal with the problem. It was eventually determined there was no misappropriation of funds, but the upshot was that the properties of the Wellington Assembly in Newtown and the Bible School nearby had to be sold, along with a new church building the Wellington Assemblies of God were putting up in the Hutt Valley. The Bible School and the Bookroom were removed to Auckland, where a fine property at 8 Grove Rd, Cheltenham was bought to house them.

Despite this painful episode, the tide which had ebbed for so long now began to flow the other way. New Zealand ministers from outside the Movement began to seek credentials with the Assemblies of God. Among them were Keith and Ella Whitehouse, the Whitleys, and Bill and Ray Bloomfield. New assemblies were opened in Howick, Papatoetoe, Whangarei, Tauranga and Picton - places where there had been no Assemblies of God work before.

The new residential Bible School in Auckland was led by Spencer May who had been a missionary in India for many years before coming to New Zealand. In late 1955 people became aware he was teaching certain unorthodox doctrines in the School and a great deal of controversy was generated. In the midst of all this, Bro. May died suddenly in March 1956 and order was restored. From that time on, however, the School never regained the degree of support it had enjoyed earlier, and it was eventually closed and sold in 1962 after struggling along with an inadequate financial base and a string of short-term principals.

The annual Christmas/New Year Camps which Ps Max Knauf organised in those years were a feature of Assemblies of God life. Countless young persons from small assemblies in different parts of New Zealand were greatly blessed and encouraged by the opportunities these gatherings afforded to sit under different (better) ministry and to meet other young people who shared their zeal for God. Not a few romances and marriages came out of these times too!

The New Zealand Evangel took on a new lease of life through the gifted work of Mary Tregenza. Her husband, Roy, pastored the Auckland Assembly for a time after it moved to 510 Queen Street in 1956. Like the Bible School, the Evangel was always short of funds, and a source of concern to successive General Councils. After years of trying, the Revivaltime programme featuring C.M. Ward of the US Assemblies of God was finally able to go on air over Station 2XM, Gisborne. This continued for some years with Ps Bruce Uren as Radio Promoter for the Fellowship.

By 1957, after 30 years of existence, the Assemblies of God had 21 churches in the Fellowship and 30 credentialled ministers, 13 of whom were full-time. As usual there were plans to evangelise New Zealand, for one of the consistent desires of the Assemblies of God in these years was to grow by winning people to Christ. The idea was to release Ps Whiting, the Chairman, into full-time itinerant ministry at a cost of $2,000 a year, but this did not proceed. Instead, God sent a revival to a Maori community at Waiomio near Kawakawa through the ministry of Ray Bloomfield, aided by Frank Houston. The revival spread through many parts of Northland and Maori Missions in this area was carried on for a number of years by Noel Watson, Bruce Uren, Russell Ferguson and Malcolm Tweed. At the beginning there were great healings with many being saved, water baptised and filled with the Spirit. What was known as "Drunkards’ Valley" became a transformed community of sober men and women who loved Christ.

The 1959 Conference in Christchurch was significant for the future of the Movement, because Bob Midgley and Bruce Uren were elected to the Executive Council, the first New Zealanders of the second generation of Pentecostals to be elected to this office. Frank Houston joined them in 1960, and the leadership of the Assemblies of God took on more of a Kiwi flavour. New Zealanders who had trained in the Wellington and Auckland Schools began to go out into the work in increasing numbers, while others were called into overseas missionary service - Beryl Green, Joye Knauf and Bob and Noelle Midgley.

At the beginning of 1960 Tom Whiting went to Australia and Ralph Read, an Australian, accepted a call to pastor the Sydenham Assembly of God. He was chosen as the next Chairman of the Fellowship. Howard Carter, one of the early leaders of the British Assemblies of God, and who was pastoring the Auckland Assembly at the time, became Vice-Chairman. The annual business Conference was abandoned in favour of a biennial General Council meeting and the Executive Council was expanded to seven members. The new Council reactivated the RPF by deciding to transfer 10% of undesignated headquarters contributions to it each year. In the past 30 years the RPF has grown substantially and has loaned many thousands of dollars to local assemblies at low rates to help them acquire their own buildings, furnishings and equipment.

The early 1960’s were years of great pressure. An increasing number of gifted preachers came into New Zealand from overseas, and intense interest in the ministry of prophets for example, was generated in many circles. Conferences in Nelson and other places promoted "Latter Rain" doctrine and practices. For many it seemed that a new wave of the Holy Spirit was breaking upon New Zealand, much like the Apostolic one in 1933/4. The previously insignificant Pentecostal grouping now known as the New Life Churches is attributable to these men, along with New Zealanders like Ian Hunt and Rob Wheeler whose evangelistic tent campaigns had outstanding results in many country districts and smaller towns. Places like Murupara and Edgecumbe were shaken by the revival meetings they experienced. Timaru was also visited by a great move of the Holy Spirit under the Evangelist A.S. Worley in 1961. Some of the doctrines taught, the methods these men used, and their bad attitude towards the Assemblies of God led to tension and called forth rebuttals by way of pamphlets and articles from the pen of Ralph Read. However, there was no denying their success.

This precipitated a crisis within the Executive of the Assemblies of God. Both Frank Houston and Wallace Thompson resigned from it in mid-1961 in protest at the way some in the Assemblies of God were clinging to outmoded methods and attitudes. This prompted the calling together in June 1961 of an emergency meeting of the General Council at Lower Hutt, which marked a further turning point in the affairs of the Movement. As a result of this gathering a remarkable new spirit of cooperation and confidence emerged, which was to bear much good fruit in the following years.

One result was the closing of the Auckland Bible college and the opening of three new non-residential regional training centres in Auckland, Lower Hutt and Christchurch. The Auckland Centre was conducted by Ps John Wood, Lower Hutt by Frank Houston, and the Christchurch by Ralph Read. These schools ran for five years. Links with ministers of the Movement were strengthened by the introduction of a Bulletin the Chairman prepared and sent to all pastors and leaders on a regular basis. All assemblies with no more than 12 members were placed in the care of the Home Missions Department, and a model set of by-laws for local assemblies was drawn up and issued. In 1962 the Executive Council recommended to churches that they adopt the US Assemblies of God insignia for all letterheads and publicity.

Frank Houston had two great loves as a minister - seeing the lost won for Christ and encouraging young men and women to serve Him. It was his enthusiasm that got the Assemblies of God to purchase a two hectare farm property for a central campsite at Ohariu Valley near Wellington in 1963. In the intervening years after it was developed many great camp meetings were held here until the site was sold in 1978.

In 1964 a Printing Department was started in Christchurch through the initiative of a number of printers in the Assembly. It was responsible for printing the NZ Evangel which was revived again, as well as other material like tracts, pamphlets and promotional leaflets. This department was transferred to Auckland in 1969 where it operated under the direction of Bob Bailey, but like so many other centralised activities of the Movement at this time, it eventually foundered in the face of strong parochial attitudes and local initiatives.

When Ralph Read left New Zealand to return to Australia late in 1965, Frank Houston became General Superintendent, a position he was to hold for 12 years. In this time the Assemblies of God surged ahead as never before. When he took over there were 26 churches and 29 ministers; when he also left to pioneer a new church in Sydney in 1977 there were 80 churches and 97 ministers. How are we to account for this remarkable growth?

The primary reason was an increasing number of capable people going out into the to work. When the regional training centres closed in 1967 Christian Life Bible College was started by the Lower Hutt Assemblies of God which Frank pastored. Faith Bible college in Tauranga was commenced by Des Short, a minister of the Assemblies of God in 1970, and in 1977 the Auckland Assemblies of God opened Zion Bible Training Centre. Literally hundreds of people in ministry today have come from these schools. After an initial period of apprenticeship the graduates were encouraged to plant churches. In some instances this was done by following up evangelistic campaigns that had been subsidised from Home Missions funds, or by other assemblies mothering new churches by underwriting the support of workers in neighbouring towns and areas. Older ministers like George Thomas and Herbie Terrill simply moved to new towns and carved from nothing.

Another reason was the changing attitudes of New Zealanders. Our society had become more tolerant of religious innovators of all descriptions including Assemblies of God, and the Charismatic Movement in all historic churches provided a bridge over which many could cross more easily into the Pentecostal Camp. Allied with a new found boldness and a conviction that "our" gospel was the best in the religious marketplace, the Assemblies of God capitalised better than any other of the organised Pentecostal groups on the opportunity presented - and grew! Up to this time the Apostolic Church was far and away the largest Pentecostal group in New Zealand, but from the 1976 census Assemblies of God pulled ahead of all others.

Another reason for our growth was the quite remarkable increase of the Samoan Assemblies, who have carried out an unprecedented work of evangelism among their own people since the Auckland Samoan Assembly of God was affiliated in 1966. Today there are 57 Samoan Assemblies, and they have just opened a huge national convention hall in Mangere, Auckland, seating up to 3,000 persons. Their Superintendent is Ps Samani Pulepule, who has represented them on the Executive Council since 1974.

By 1971 the Movement as a whole was developing so strongly (41 Assemblies) that the General Council decided the time had come to appoint a full time General Secretary/Treasurer to replace Ps Cecil Jennings, who had served the Movement since the 1930’s in every Executive capacity at one time or another. Ian Clark was appointed, and over the next few years he developed a functional national office on modern lines at a time of great development and rapid change. This helped to bring consolidation by providing a strong servicing and liaison facility for the local assemblies, as well as an essential backstop for the Executive Council. His regular visits to assemblies and pastors in every corner of New Zealand brought encouragement and advice to them for almost ten years.

Overseas missions were promoted through the National office and income for missionaries rose dramatically. In 1972 AIM teams to the South Pacific were inaugurated by Ps Neil Hetrick. Ps Clark also undertook a number of pioneering visits to overseas missionaries in New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand and Central America. In 1977 the OM Dept was placed under the direction of Pastor Donald Crosbie, a former missionary to Indonesia, and in 1980 its affairs were entrusted to Ps Bruce Uren who brought further efficiency to its management.

The 1970’s were years when many new assemblies were pioneered, old ones grew remarkably, and struggling works blossomed. Two of the original assemblies, Auckland and Sydenham, experienced great revivals. Under Ps Neville Johnson the Auckland Assembly (Queen St) grew to where it became the largest pentecostal church in New Zealand, meeting in the Auckland Town Hall for many years and developing its own Bible School as mentioned and its own missionary programme. The Sydenham Assemblies of God’s revival was much shorter lived, but at its peak many hundreds flocked to be saved, delivered and filled with the Holy Spirit.

The move of God was so great there were a number of times in those years when the new wine threatened to split the wineskin. So strong was the emphasis on the local assembly that there was a real danger the corporate identity of the Assemblies of God could not be lost. The national Christ’s Ambassadors Department was discontinued in 1974 and plans to launch a Home Missions Council to direct the work in New Zealand were abandoned. By March 1975 it became necessary to reappraise the role and work of the Movement at large because of the growth the Lord had given. Relations with other Pentecostals, the surge in Overseas Missions, the way in which calls to the assemblies were being made, ethnic groups, the ministry of women, the need for local churches to acquire their own buildings, and the training of ministers and workers were all pressing matters.

The Executive Council acted with considerable wisdom at this time by taking positive steps to delegate some of its powers to other organs within the Movement, so that it could give more attention to essential matters. At the 1975 General Council, the first to be held away from a local church, it initiated a review of the Constitution to bring it up to date with changes that had taken place within the Movement. It also recommended that the existing District Councils be replaced by Regional Fellowships to provide a more appropriate way for holding the pastors and assemblies together. The accent was to be on "fellowship" rather than business, which had previously been the case. The General Council agreed with this recommendation, and its implementation has been of great value to the value to the Movement since that time.

The 1977 General Council at Waikanae marked the Golden Jubilee of Assemblies of God in New Zealand. A.C. Valdez, our founder, sponsored a combined meeting in the Wellington Town Hall, which was broadcast on radio. Ps Frank Houston stepped down and Ps Jim Williams from Hamilton became General Superintendent. Under his inspiring leadership the Movement grew steadily during the next six years. In 1985 he was followed by Ps Wayne Hughes of the Takapuna Assemblies of God, who is still Superintendent at the time these notes were prepared.

Under his leadership a new accent has been placed on evangelism both by way of boosting overseas missionary effort and planting new churches in New Zealand. Ps Kem Price has streamlined the missions programme and instituted new guidelines for a number of categories of missionaries supported to varying degrees by the Movement. A new field in the Solomon Islands has been opened up with the construction of a Bible School and the secondment of N.Z. missionaries. At the same time participation in the Australian field in New Guinea was discontinued for the time being. Along with the rest of the Assemblies of God Movement worldwide New Zealand embarked on a Season of Harvest to the end of the century and beyond into 1990. The 1989 General Council adopted the goals of training 200 new ministers, winning and discipling 20,000 new converts and having 200 assemblies - all by the year 2000 AD. We are on target to reach this goal.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

A History of the Charismatic Movements James E. Worsfold, Puritan in New Zealand Press Bradford, England, 1974

Heart of Fire Barry Chant, Luke Publications, Fullarton, South Australia, 1973

Anointed to Serve Wm W. Menzies PhD, GPH, Springfield, MO, USA, 1971

The Pentecostals Walter J. Hollenweger DD, SCM Press, London, 1972

The Assemblies of God, A Popular History Edith W Blumhofer, Radiant Books. Springfield, MO, USA, 1985

Article on Assemblies of God in N.Z. Ian G. Clark, New Zealand Evangel, Auckland, October 1987

Smith Wigglesworth; Apostle of Faith S.H. Frodsham, Assemblies of God Publishing House, Nottingham, UK, 1971 edn

With Signs Following S.H. Frodsham, GPH, Springfield, MO, USA, 1946

Seven Pentecostal Pioneers Colin C. Whittaker, GPH, Springfield, MO, USA, 1983

The Sound of a Going Alfred F. Missen, Assemblies of God Publishing House, Nottingham, UK, 1973

Pentecost Behind the Iron Curtain Steve Durasoff PhD, Logos Int. Plainfield, NJ, USA, 1972