The PGCAG History
The Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God, Inc. is a religious corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. It was previously registered under Act of the Philippine Commission No. 1459, as amended, in the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 19, 1940 under Record Number 8831.
The PGCAG was re-‐registered on September 23, 1953 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Registration Number 8169. PGCAG exist as a tool of God to accomplish the mandate evangelizing the Philippines, and participating in the total evangelization of the whole world. Early on, the PGCAG leadership created a program with the theme “Priorities of the 80’s”. This program involved the whole constituency in its church growth program. On January 1981, the PGCAG Executive Officials, District Superintendents, PGCAG Department Heads, Bible School Presidents, and several missionary leaders met for two days. Out of this conference came the Key Objectives. The leadership committed themselves to see new churches plant and aimed to have 1,000 established Assemblies of God churches in the Philippines by April 1986. Since then, there is a yearly/annual leadership conference. On January 24-‐28, 1983, a Strategy Planning Conference was held in Angono, Rizal.
The PGCAG Executive Officials, District Superintendents, PGACG Department Heads, Presidents of Bible Schools, and several missionary leaders attended this. The Conference spurt the momentum of the Church Growth Program. The leadership launched the “Balikatan Project” – the whole constituency cooperating to establish strong, supportive, mission-‐oriented and Spirit-‐filled churches. Each District of the PGCAG targeted a city or town where united prayers, intensive evangelism and assimilation programs are to be concentrated until a local church is established. On January 1987 Leadership Conference held at the Bethel Bible College campus, in Malinta, Valenzuela, Metro Manila, with the PGCAG Executive Officials, District Superintendents, PGCAG Department Heads, Bible School Presidents, and several missionary leaders in attendance, a new thrust of Church Growth program was approved and launched. Dubbed as “CHALLENGE 2000 in FIVE YEARS’, from 1987 to 1992. This is a program mobilizing the whole PGCAG constituency to double the number of churches in five years. A yearly goal of 200 established new churches was set in motion. Each District leaders committed their district’s efforts, prayers, manpower and financial resources to attain the goal. On the January 1988 Leadership Conference of the PGCAG, Executive Officials, District Superintendents, PGCAG Department Heads, and several missionary leaders met in Baguio City. An action was taken to strengthen the church growth program of doubling the number in five years.
The PGCAG as a part of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, has fully committed and deeply involved in the “Decade of Harvests”, a worldwide thrust of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship “to strategize with the Holy Spirit for the evangelization of the 1.3 billion unreached people of the world”, during the remaining years of the century. It recognizes this program of church growth from 1990 – 2010 of the whole PGCAG. Brief History of PGCAG 2 In 1999, the PGCAG has 2,257 established churches, more than 2,500 ministers (ordained ministers, license to preach, specialized ministries license, license to exhort), 35 Bible Colleges and training schools – particularly the Bethel Bible College, in Valenzuela City, MM, established in 1941; Immanuel Bible College in Banawa Hills, Cebu City established in 1951, Mindanao Regional Bible College, in Aparente St., City Heights, General Santos City, established in 1963; Luzon Bible College in Binalonan, Pangasinan established in 1953, and Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in 444 Ambuklao Road, Baguio City established in 1964. There are more than 50 foreign missionaries in different nationalities and more than 10 Filipino missionaries abroad. In the April 2001 General Council Convention, the “New Decade of Harvest – 5000 by 2010” was launched. It aims that PGCAG, empowered by the Holy Spirit will plant 5,000 more churches by the year 2010. Currently, there are more than 4,000 churches or local assemblies under the banner of the PGCAG. Since it’s formal organization in 1940, PGCAG now composed of 21 District Councils throughout the Philippines – eight in Luzon, five in the Visayas and eight in Mindanao with more than 4,000 local congregations, more than 1,400 ordained ministers and more than 2,600 licentiates, specialized ministries license, Licensed Exhorters and Christian workers.
