What Is Assemblies of God? (Feat. The Guy In Charge of Assemblies of God)

I wanted to learn more about the Assemblies of God Church, so I went to their headquarters in Springfield, Missouri and met with their General Superintendent Doug Clay. I had a lot I wanted to ask about the AG Church and about Pentecostalism, and Doug didn't balk at any of my questions.

[hawks]

I grew up AG and knew Doug Clay from the time I was a teenager. He was the youth director for my state and I did a couple short term missions trips with him. What you saw in your interview is the same Doug Clay I knew 30 years ago. He’s a super genuine and generous guy. I haven’t been a part of an AG for quite awhile, but I really respect his vision for their churches. Thanks for doing a great interview with him.

[loria]

I loved this video! I went to an AG church for Sunday school from K to 6th grade because my parents wanted a free babysitter. I will be forever grateful for the ladies there that got us to memorize scripture by rewarding us with little gifts. My family moved after that and I had some very difficult and traumatic experiences but the scriptures I had memorized came back to me and raised me up out of the pit of my own making I found myself in. I’ve never really known what AG was about other than the emphasis on memorizing scripture for kids so I loved learning about it. From my own memories, I’m not surprised that they are based on the firm foundation of Jesus.

[Mr.green]

Hi Matt, i was wondering if you can make a video about the Amish .

[jakehumphrey]

Matt I’m so glad that you clarified that we in the AoG don’t believe that you have to speak in tongues to be saved and our belief in the Trinity.

Some very small sects have twisted Pentecostal doctrine.

[MiscMitz]

Hi Matt. I "agree" with the focus on the gifts. It makes me feel off... I have however witnessed an amazing healing. My foster mother was deaf. We were attending an non denominational church with 2 separate pastors. One was Southern Baptist and one was Lutheran. Pastor Bob, the Baptist pastor, laid hands on her ears and prayed for her. She said that she heard a load pop and she could hear. To this day, she still has incredible hearing.

All this to say that I don't understand how He works but that He sometimes does.

[davidoslin]

Matt, I am convinced that God is using you, as well others, as His answer to Jesus' prayer in John 17:20-26. It's so refreshing to see us learning that we can love one another freely by understanding each other better. Keep up the good work and may God continue to bless you mightily.

[ChristsNationTV]

The Ten minute bible hour has been such a great inspiration for me. Am excited each time i see a notification from your channel. I have been able to learn about other churches and their fundamental beliefs. God bless you.

[faithhopejoywithpastormari]

I’m an AG ordained minister. Thank you for interviewing Doug Clay. He accurately represented us.
You did a great job in this interview and I wish we could all work better for unity of belief.

[RonaldDPotts]

Great video, Matt. I love these denominational interview videos and the honesty, sincerity, and grace that you use in them, allowing the person to speak of their faith and doctrines for themselves without your interpretation shading the presentation. Great work. 👏👏

[danielconner]

My uncle (John Stetz) was the missionary to South Korea who planted a Bible college and trained Dr David Yonggi Cho and helped him in establishing his church.
My wife and I are AG and are on our way as Missionaries to plant churches in France.

[cmac]

Its so weird seeing where I work on ten minute Bible hour 🤣

[tigerboy]

Matt is a great listener which is what makes these conversations so good. I'd be chipping in every few seconds with "Yes, but...", "so what you're saying is...", "are you seriously suggesting that..." etc. It's a great gift Matt, keep on using it.

[Toneeeeee]

As part of the AG church and an avid watcher of your videos, this was a great conversation! I love the way Doug verbalized the core beliefs.

Sometimes we get the “Pentecostal” label thrown at us which some might see as a focus on the gifts rather than theology. We are church who loves God, loves people, loves scripture. The reason we live out miracles is because we truly do believe they are biblical, that along with every other aspect of faith and Christian doctrine.

[BobbySmith-ekfl]

I’m AG and have been for all of my walk with Messiah. And this video was super helpful even for me to learn about AG. I actually just saw Pastor Doug at the National Fine Arts/National Youth Conference we had. Awesome guy.

I love how y’all’s conversation is so civil and friendly. That’s exactly what I wanna encourage to be done throughout denominational conversations!

[chrisfur]

I’m a pastor in the church of God (Cleveland, Tn) denomination. The AG is basically our cousins in theology lol. Great video and Doug Clay did a great job explaining things.

[BrotherhoodWorkshop]

I married into an AG family, and dang those people get stuff done.

[AustinBurch]

I’ve been waiting on this vid for a while! I’m glad you were able to film it

[MattDeras]

I loved this. Doug was so clear and communicated well.

Thanks for all you do, Matt. I do think you are bringing people together in understanding each other. We are the body of Christ and we must be gracious to each other.

Personal Story: As someone who has worked as a staff pastor in an A/G for over 10 years now, I can say that one of the great challenges of the modern A/G church is that we want to build mature Christians who are driven to tell others about the gospel. My relationship with the Holy Spirit, to me, adds a depth to my relationship with Christ and affects how I live out that “go tell” part of the great commission. I think there are those who unfortunately focus on sensationalism and maybe focus too much on “gifts” as Doug said. But I think the heart of who we are as a fellowship is about mature faith, a relationship with Christ (which is deepened with the gift of the Holy Spirit, though “gifts” are not required for Salvation), and an importance on being personally passionate about empowering myself and others to “go and tell”.

[edwinholcombe]

I was brought up AG and from a family who were with AG from the beginning. There is so much the AG has given me that I appreciate so much like respecting God for who he is, grounding me in the Word etc. Although I am not with the AG I still feel I identify with them and agree with their Pentecostal distinctives. I left for Presbyterian church and now Methodist because of my carreer moving me around where AG was not an option. And the blessings I have recieved by learning from Presbyterians and Methodists are immeasuable. I've grown to love them so much. I'm not against returning to AG if the situation presents itself but above all it is Jesus and his will I try to set as my goal - not any denomination.

[Mediamessengers]

What I love about AG is they are SUPER missions minded.