McGee - This Gospel Shall Be Preached, Vol. 1: A History and Theology of Assemblies of God Foreign Missions to 1959: 001

This Gospel Shall Be Preached:

A History and Theology of Assemblies of God

Foreign Missions to 1959

Volume 1

Gary B. McGee

Gospel Publishing House

Springfield, Missouri

02-0511

1986 by Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Missouri 65802. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwisewithout prior written permission of the copyright owner, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McGee, Gary B., 1945

This Gospelshall be preached, volume 1.

Originally presented as the authors thesis (doctoralSt. Louis University)

Bibliography: p.

Includes index.

1. Assemblies of GodMissionsHistory.

2. Pentecostal churchesMissionsHistory. I. Title.

BV259.A8M36 1986 266.99 86-80015

ISBN 0-88243-511-6 (v. 1: soft)

ISBN 0-88243-673-2 (v. 2: soft)

To the memory of Noel Perkin Missionary statesman of the Assemblies of God: 19271959

Contents

On the pedestal of one of the statues outside the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the national Archives building in Washington, D.C., is this inscription: What is past is prologue.

Unfortunately, when the title of a volume has in it the word history, it immediately is faced with certain barriers. To the young, it conjures up memories of dull classroom discussion, memorization of dates, attempts to pronounce difficult names, and the tracing of battles fought somewhere in the dim past. History is sometimes also given a low priority because of our penchant for living in the presentundoubtedly encouraged by the electronic media reporting the happenings of the moment almost instantaneously in our homes. The world has become a very small community.

However, this historical book by Dr. Gary B. McGee immediately catches the readers attention. By a marvelous array of facts and figures, this history becomes interesting reading.

We never escape our past. In every sense, the past is prologue. What we have been constitutes very much what we are and will be. The concepts that gave rise to our present situation need to be thoroughly understood or we can never interpret the present. Every day our lives are touched by institutions and movements birthed out of principles and concepts now sometimes forgotten.

In 1989 the Assemblies of God will celebrate its 75th anniversary. From its earliest days it has been a great missionary movement. The spiritual stirrings of the early 20th century were at flood tide. Great lay movements had come into being, great revivals had swept campuses, and the YWCA and the YMCA and other such institutions had been formed to conserve the vision for missions that had come in the closing years of the 19th century.

However, by 1906 a common hunger was growing among spiritually minded missionaries, many of whom were already occupying stations in far-flung places of the world; they felt the task of world evangelism must be aided by a fresh tide of the Holy Spirit. It became a common feeling that we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. When the revival came in Pentecostal dimension, it brought men and women from the far places of the world to Azusa Street to find out what this new revival was all about. The saga of how this all came into being, the tracing of the streams of diverse interests as they merged to form the Division of Foreign Missions and its outreach around the world, is interesting reading in this sequel to the Book of Acts.

The present missionary movement of the Division of Foreign Missions is the outgrowth of precise missionary concepts undoubtedly authored by the Holy Spirit and implanted in the hearts of early pioneers who knew the New Testament but were in no sense recognized as missiologists. However, the things they said, the papers they wrote, the concepts they adopted, the dreams they dreamed, are still being carried out today. The present worldwide movement and fraternal fellowship numbering in the millions are the product of a few principles announced by these pioneers and incorporated in the bylaws of the General Council of the Assemblies of God.

It is interesting to note that the administrative personalities that emerge in this history were indeed gifted men, but no one personality rises above the plain. To be sure, this volume is dedicated to the memory of Noel Perkin, who was a spiritual giant. But a host of sometimes unheralded and unmentioned leaders plowed the fields and sowed the seed, many never living to see the harvest of their labors. In a real sense, this is the story of the wind blowing where it listeth. Above human instrumentality, the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit stands in bold relief.

This work is scholarly enough to attract anyone who wants to probe deeper into the history of foreign missions. At the same time it is popular enough to attract and hold the interest of anyone who simply wants to read another and different record of the moving of the sovereign harvest Master.

J. PHILIP HOGAN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

DIVISION OF FOREIGN MISSIONS

ASSEMBLIES OF GOD

The writer expresses appreciation to Dr. J. Philip Hogan, executive director of the Assemblies of God Division of Foreign Missions, for his encouragement in this project and generous permission to utilize the divisions historical resources for research. A senior editorial assistant in the division and widow of a distinguished missionary, Mrs. Adele Flower Dalton, deserves special recognition for her painstaking labors in collecting and preserving valuable data about the history of the organization. Her achievements in accumulating such information on missionaries and the fields of foreign endeavor played a significant role in the preparation of this book.

The Assemblies of God Archives, located in Springfield, Missouri, proved to be especially helpful for historical research. Mr. Wayne Warner, director, and his staff graciously assisted the writer in his research there.

The doctoral program at Saint Louis University from which this study grew was completed during the writers tenure as a faculty member at Central Bible College, Springfield, Missouri. A sabbatical leave of absence for the 19781979 academic year enabled him to begin graduate work at the university. The Central Bible College Library with its Assemblies of God Collection greatly assisted the writer in his study.

The writer is indebted to Dr. Belden C. Lane, associate professor of theological studies at Saint Louis University, for his skillful guidance in the progress and direction of the dissertation. Providing additional assistance were Dr. Richard L. Foley and Dr. Joan A. Range, A.S.C., respected professors in the department of theological studies.

Two esteemed colleagues at Central Bible College rendered valuable assistance by reading the dissertation during its various stages of development. Dr. Claude Black, associate professor of history and chairman of the division of general education, and Rev. Gerard J. Flokstra, Jr., associate professor of theology and former director of the library, offered many helpful criticisms and suggestions.

For the transition from unpublished dissertation to published book, Mr. Glen Ellard, book editor for the Gospel Publishing House, and his staff rendered valuable suggestions and assistance. James E. Richardson, associate professor of missions at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, prepared the index.

Finally, the project could not have been completed without the faithful support of my wife, Alice. Her interest in Assemblies of God history and recognition of the importance of this work were a never-failing source of encouragement.