When I matriculated at the University of Minnesota years ago, I intended to become an aerospace engineer, eventually earning a Ph.D. in that field. I never intended to become a pastor, let alone a denominational executive.

But in the midst of my studies, God stirred my heart to join and then lead a Chi Alpha chapter. It experienced ups and downs. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Holy Spirit lit revival fires that resulted in changed lives and numerical growth.

At that point, I felt God calling me into vocational ministry, and our chapter decided to form a university church. Although I had been raised in Assemblies of God churches throughout Canada and the U.S., I was not a credentialed AG minister, and it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that our church would be AG either.

Becoming a nondenominational church is a live option for many would-be ministers and congregants today, just as it was back then, and especially so with new church startups.

I could’ve been part of that trend, but instead I confidently resolved to affiliate with the AG after serious prayer and thoughtful conversations with others.

Here are some of my reasons why I made that decision:

First, my spiritual heritage is AG. Until I was 16, I lived in western Canada and attended Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada churches. (The PAOC is our sister denomination.)

During my early years, I witnessed people being saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, healed, and delivered instantaneously from addiction in those churches.

So, when my family moved to the U.S., we chose to attend AG churches. The PAOC and AG powerfully shaped my expectation of what God can do in a congregation.

I love being part of such a growing, international Fellowship!

Second, the AG provides accountability. I vividly remember a conversation with a church member named Dave during the season when I wrestled with whether to go AG or nondenominational.

Even though Dave had no AG background, he was offended by the suggestion we might go nondenominational. “How could you even think that?” he asked. “Don’t you want accountability in your life?”

I had long taught Christians need to be accountable to one another. Dave simply extended my logic from individuals to churches. Churches and their leaders need accountability too.

Third, the AG prioritizes evangelism and mission. In November 1914, the AG committed itself to do “the greatest work of evangelism the world has ever seen.” Its missionaries aimed at planting indigenous churches that could support, govern, and propagate themselves through evangelism and discipleship.

Generations of humble believers planted and watered gospel seeds, and God made their efforts grow. Numbering only a few thousand in 1914, the World Assemblies of God Fellowship today encompasses 89 million believers worldwide, most of them in the Global South. By some reckonings, it is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the world.

I love being part of such a growing, international Fellowship!

And the growth isn’t just international. Ryan Burge argues that the U.S. AG may be the only large Protestant denomination to grow over the next decade.

Finally, the AG balances foundation and flexibility. Some denominations prescribe what churches must believe and do in granular detail. Their congregations have solid foundations but little flexibility to respond to a changing culture.

On the other hand, some nondenominational churches prize flexibility so much their members long for something that doesn’t change on a weekly basis.

Churches need both a foundational message and a flexible method. The AG balances these needs by insisting churches affirm the Statement of Fundamental Truths. But it also allows local churches freedom to employ creative strategies to reach unbelievers.

In 1979, I found my place in the AG. Today, if you’re a young minister wondering whether to join (or remain) in the AG, let me just say there’s a place for you too.

This article appears in the Summer 2025 issue of Called to Serve.