While I was on my way to speak at the Pentecostal World Fellowship in Helsinki, Doug Clay (leader of the U.S. Assemblies of God), shared their annual report with me. Here are some thoughts on Pentecostals and their growth.
Most Christian denominations in the United States have struggled to retain membership over the last decade (or longer), but the Assemblies of God (AG) is an exception.
Already one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States, the AG’s recently released report highlights yet another year of growth. The data shows that AG church attendance grew by 6.2%, and the number of adherents also climbed 2.5% to 3.05 million.
Something is clearly going on in Pentecostalism.
The AG stands out from other denominations not simply for its growth. For example, the Presbyterian Church in America reported 1.84% growth in 2024. Instead, the AG has sustained consistent growth for years—often where it overlaps with declining denominations, like the Southern Baptist Convention.
And the AG’s growth around the world is often faster than its growth in the United States. I’m writing this from the Pentecostal World Fellowship in Helsinki. Here I’m getting a front-row seat to the global, Spirit-filled movement that is growing faster than any other Christian movement in history—even faster than the early church.
It’s worth pausing to examine how Pentecostals, the AG, and other like-minded Christians are experiencing such profound growth. So I want to set some context for that growth and then explore a number of things driving it, before drawing out some implications for other evangelicals.
The Assemblies of God in Context
The Pentecostal movement in the United States began amidst a series of revivals in the early 20th century (the most well known being the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles). In that short period of time, coupled with the emergence of similar Pentecostal movements in places like Sweden and India, Pentecostalism’s growth has exploded worldwide.
Subsequent movements followed, with the charismatic renewal starting in the 1960s and the neo-charismatic or “third wave” movement of the 1980s and 90s. Now the “Spirit-filled” global community numbers as high as half a billion people globally, including but also transcending traditional Pentecostal denominations.
The AG in the United States is a part of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), which together makes up one of the largest Protestant bodies on the planet with over 85 million adherents. The WAGF is now larger than the Anglican communion, which is often cited as the third-largest Christian tradition. Instead, the WAGF is itself now the third-largest Christian denominational tradition.
The American story of the AG stands out because it bucks the trend of declining attendance in American churches. In a landscape of waning attendance and closing churches, Pentecostal churches continue to grow. I believe the AG’s numbers tell a story that challenges all of us to consider what it means to be a passionately mission-focused in this cultural moment. It starts with evangelism and spiritual vitality.
The Assemblies of God Prioritizes Evangelism and Spiritual Vitality
While the report’s church adherence data is encouraging, I was even more encouraged by what the AG reported within their churches. Specifically, three points stuck out. First, in 2024, the AG reported 10% growth in salvations, to 529,000. This number averages nearly 1,500 people meeting Jesus every day. Clearly, these churches are placing enormous priority on evangelism and inviting people to accept Christ.
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