Assemblies of God 2013 Statistics Released

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by Amanah

I don't know what the actual retention rate is at FPC Palm Bay, but we do have visitation follow up, discipleship classes, and Home Friendship Groups where people can plug in and grow if they want to.

My personal experience was one of God dealing with me over time. I receive the HG at age nine at an AoG chuch that my mother and I were invited to visit. When I was a teenager, a street preacher showed me baptism in Jesus name and I was baptized in Jesus name at his local church, but didn't continue to attend. I told my sister about the HG and JN baptism but wasnt going to church anywhere myself. One day she called me on the phone to tell me about an awesome church she was visiting where people were receiving the HG and being baptized in JN, I happily attended there for about 20 years. I left when the church went through a major transition and I was a semi churchless wanderer for a period of time until God led me to FPC Palm to get plugged back in.

People may come in, get the HG, get baptized, you can try to establish them, but in the long run, you don't know where their journey is going to lead them. This does not mean that God has left them or is not continuing to work on them or that they won't eventually find their way home be it back to their original church or somewhere else. It is their choice.

Years ago when we first planned on moving from California, FPC Palm was on our radar as a good place to plant, but moving was not in Gods plan at that time.

Fast-forward that picture a few years later when He opened the door and made away for us to move we had already left Oneness Pentecost and were in the AG.

When we moved God set us in a different area of the state and God was faithful to us in our walk. He has not failed us yet.

I had always heard good things about your church.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Amanah

I don't know what the actual retention rate is at FPC Palm Bay, but we do have visitation follow up, discipleship classes, and Home Friendship Groups where people can plug in and grow if they want to.

My personal experience was one of God dealing with me over time. I receive the HG at age nine at an AoG chuch that my mother and I were invited to visit. When I was a teenager, a street preacher showed me baptism in Jesus name and I was baptized in Jesus name at his local church, but didn't continue to attend. I told my sister about the HG and JN baptism but wasnt going to church anywhere myself. One day she called me on the phone to tell me about an awesome church she was visiting where people were receiving the HG and being baptized in JN, I happily attended there for about 20 years. I left when the church went through a major transition and I was a semi churchless wanderer for a period of time until God led me to FPC Palm to get plugged back in.

People may come in, get the HG, get baptized, you can try to establish them, but in the long run, you don't know where their journey is going to lead them. This does not mean that God has left them or is not continuing to work on them or that they won't eventually find their way home be it back to their original church or somewhere else. It is their choice.

Amanah, thanks for sharing your thoughts! There are always two sides to every coin, and I appreciate your insight. I praise the Lord that His mercy continued to draw you to Him. I believe many are in your shoes, and after having experienced a genuine birth in the spirit, continue to seek, and search after the Lord.

[Reader]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

With this being the case, since people from all backgrounds and associations like to church shop and hop, numerical growth may only be an indicator of already professing and believing transplants from a non-AoG church.

While it may mean the ranks are swelling, it doesn't necessarily mean the AoG is actually growing in terms of fulfilling the Great Commission (i.e. winning the lost).

The exact same may be said of UPC growth, PAW, ALJC & all other Apostolic organizations.

[Amanah]

I love my AoG friends, they are awesome people.

I love my UPC family too, here in FL we are very diverse, many black, Hispanic, and other ethnic backgrounds.

We are also having revival, 42 filled with the HG on Pentecost Sunday, people being filled and baptized almost everyweek.

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by Amanah

I love my AoG friends, they are awesome people.

I love my UPC family too, here in FL we are very diverse, many black, Hispanic, and other ethnic backgrounds.

We are also having revival, 42 filled with the HG on Pentecost Sunday, people being filled and baptized almost everyweek.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Amanah

I love my AoG friends, they are awesome people.

I love my UPC family too, here in FL we are very diverse, many black, Hispanic, and other ethnic backgrounds.

We are also having revival, 42 filled with the HG on Pentecost Sunday, people being filled and baptized almost everyweek.

This is wonderful Sis! Glad to hear it! How have you been? Missed seeing you around!

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

This is wonderful Sis! Glad to hear it! How have you been? Missed seeing you around!

Thank you for asking after me KeptByTheWord, I always appreciate your thoughtful and kind posts. I'm doing pretty well, busy with work, church, and home projects.

[KeptByTheWord]

Let's face it - people like to find others like them to fellowship. That is why you see a church made up of one race, like Japanese, or Korean, or Spanish. They can relate to one another because they share similar backgrounds, genetics, and lifestyles. It may or may not have to do with the spiritual aspect of it, but more based on the fact that one Korean can relate to another Korean because of their culture. Their culture may mean more to them than they realize, and seeking fellowship with others who come from the same culture may be comforting to them.

There are others who don't feel the need to draw from their culture to find relationship.

I don't think it should be a mandated, or bad thing to have an all black church, or an all Korean church, or even an all American church!

For example, I have a Korean friend. She loves rice. Her children love rice. Her American husband tolerates it, but really doesn't like eating rice, and loves potatoes. She can't stand potatoes. She would rather eat rice than potatoes. I don't understand that. I love potatoes as a staple food for meals, and she loves rice. There is a cultural taste difference there that comes from her heritage, and one that comes from mine.

I shouldn't expect her to only eat potatoes, and she shouldn't expect me to eat only rice at meals we share together. We accept each other's differences. But my point is, that her culture and who she is, is different from mine. If she chose to go to a Korean-only church, I would understand that. If I choose to go to an All-American church, isn't that okay too?

See.... we try to fit everything and everybody into a nice tight little box, but it really doesn't work that way. Culture, race, background, family... all those things are important in relationships, and instead of judging one another, we should be accepting of our differences. If one culture group wants to worship together, let them. If they have no problem worshiping and fellow shipping with other cultures, than that is great too!

To sum it up... let's accept one another's differences, instead of trying to make them all fit into one tight little box.

[Sean]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

Let's face it - people like to find others like them to fellowship. That is why you see a church made up of one race, like Japanese, or Korean, or Spanish. They can relate to one another because they share similar backgrounds, genetics, and lifestyles. It may or may not have to do with the spiritual aspect of it, but more based on the fact that one Korean can relate to another Korean because of their culture. Their culture may mean more to them than they realize, and seeking fellowship with others who come from the same culture may be comforting to them.

There are others who don't feel the need to draw from their culture to find relationship.

I don't think it should be a mandated, or bad thing to have an all black church, or an all Korean church, or even an all American church!

For example, I have a Korean friend. She loves rice. Her children love rice. Her American husband tolerates it, but really doesn't like eating rice, and loves potatoes. She can't stand potatoes. She would rather eat rice than potatoes. I don't understand that. I love potatoes as a staple food for meals, and she loves rice. There is a cultural taste difference there that comes from her heritage, and one that comes from mine.

I shouldn't expect her to only eat potatoes, and she shouldn't expect me to eat only rice at meals we share together. We accept each other's differences. But my point is, that her culture and who she is, is different from mine. If she chose to go to a Korean-only church, I would understand that. If I choose to go to an All-American church, isn't that okay too?

See.... we try to fit everything and everybody into a nice tight little box, but it really doesn't work that way. Culture, race, background, family... all those things are important in relationships, and instead of judging one another, we should be accepting of our differences. If one culture group wants to worship together, let them. If they have no problem worshiping and fellow shipping with other cultures, than that is great too!

To sum it up... let's accept one another's differences, instead of trying to make them all fit into one tight little box.

AMEN, Good post........, LOL....why dont we start bussing folks to churches to mix up their demographics, like they do to kids in school here in CA to make sure the races are well mixed.(integration)....LOL

[AR Pastor]

Why would oneness folks care what the AOG is doing. They are preaching false doctrine and are a false church so why would we care what they do?