Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
| Pentecostal Assemblies of the World | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Classification | Apostolic Pentecostal |
| Orientation | Oneness Pentecostalism |
| Leader | The Most Reverend-Bishop Charles H. Ellis III |
| Region | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Founder | J.J Frazee |
| Origin | 1919 Los Angeles |
| Branched from | Azusa Street Revival |
| Separations | Church of our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ, Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith |
| Congregations | More than 7,000 |
| Members | 2 Million |
The Pentecostal Assemblies of The World, Inc. (PAW) is the oldest Oneness Pentecostal organization in existence, and was founded in 1906, formally organized in 1912 as adherents of Trinitarian beliefs [Citation Needed], and in 1916 re-organized as a Oneness Pentecostal organization. The PAW was originally headquartered at Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California, moved to Portland, Oregon, and later moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where it remains today. The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World is the second largest of all Oneness Pentecostal organizations in the United States, according to Adherents.com
The origin of the PAW can be traced to the Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) under the leadership of William Joseph Seymour. During this time it was a loose fellowship of churches that were united by the infilling of the believer with the Holy Ghost, and holiness. Some would later refer to this experience as "the latter rain". [Citation Needed]
For the next few years, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World focused upon general meetings and the development of its organizational structure. The late Bishop Morris E. Golder wrote: "The original organization bearing the name of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World came into existence in the year of 1906 in the city of Los Angeles, State of California." The late Bishop G. T. Haywood concurs with this fact, writing in the Voice In The Wilderness in 1921: "It (The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World) was started in 1906 in Los Angeles, California."
This was also the position asserted by Bishop Ross Paddock, the former Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. He declared that after one year of being organized, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World had its first annual business meeting and that, at the same time, it was Trinitarian in its doctrine and liturgy of water baptism. [Citation Needed]
It was in this context of varying ideas, personal differences, doctrinal and other conflicting elements that not only was the need of organization seen, but the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World in its original state (1906) came into existence. However, it was not until 1919 that it became incorporated and took on the identity of being a Oneness Pentecostal, or "Apostolic," body of ministers and believers.
According to Dr. David Bundy, a Pentecostal historian at the Christian Theological Seminary, as early as 1907, a white Baptist minister in Los Angeles, was preaching non-Trinitarian water baptism in the Name of Jesus. According to Dr. Deborah Sims LeBlanc, William and Maggie Bowdan, the parents of former Assistant Presiding Bishop Frank Bowdan, were baptized in the Name of Jesus after the Azusa Street Mission Revival (1906-1909).
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