Australian Christian Churches


The Australian Christian Churches, formerly the Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Finished Work Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. The movement was formed in 1937 and, according to the denomination, comprises over 1,100 churches, more than 3,300 pastors and over 400,000 constituents; independent surveys also list the ACC among Australia's largest denominations by number of local churches.

Beliefs

The Doctrinal Basis of Australian Christian Churches contains the central beliefs of the denomination. Its 20 articles are summarized below:
  1. There is only one true God who exists as a Trinity.
  2. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and, as the second person of the Trinity, is God.
  3. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He convicts and regenerates the sinner and guides the believer into all truth.
  4. The Bible is inspired by God and is "the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct".
  5. The devil is a real being who "seeks to destroy the faith of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ".
  6. Man was created good by God but, because of voluntary transgression, fell. As a result, men are "separated from original righteousness".
  7. Christ's death on the cross has made full atonement for the world's sins.
  8. Salvation "is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ". In this "new birth", the believer is regenerated, justified, and adopted into the family of God.
  9. The Church is the Body of Christ and consists of all people who accept Christ, regardless of Christian denomination. It is to work to fulfill the Great Commission.
  10. Believer's baptism by single immersion as a declaration to the world of the believer's identification with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.
  11. Observance of the Lord's Supper as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's suffering and death.
  12. Sanctification, "an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God".
  13. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and subsequent experience following conversion which brings empowerment to be an effective witness for Christ. Speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of this experience.
  14. The nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, continue to operate in the present day. The Assemblies of God also believes in the ministry gifts, as recorded in Epistle to the Ephesians 4:11–13.
  15. Divine healing of the sick is provided for in the atonement.
  16. The Second Coming of Christ will be a premillennial, imminent and personal return.
  17. Christ will return to establish his millennial reign on the earth.
  18. The wicked "who wilfully reject and despise the love of God" will face "everlasting punishment".
  19. There will be new heavens and a new earth "in which righteousness dwells".
  20. The heavens and earth and all original life forms "were made by the specific immediate creative acts of God as described in the account of origins presented in Genesis".
At the end of the 20th century, there was a decrease in emphasis on speaking in tongues as the initial evidence as well as the Second Coming of Christ as traditionally understood by Pentecostals. At the same time, the church growth movement and the prosperity gospel became important parts of the denomination's identity.

Worship

ACC churches follow Pentecostal style services which involve contemporary praise and worship, speaking in tongues, lifting of hands in worship and preaching. While the ACC use a wide range of worship styles, generally churches use contemporary praise and worship music for services. From using hymns in the 1930s to 1950s, music from the Jesus movement in the 1960s and 1970s and the contemporary praise and worship of the 1980s to today, ACC churches have continually adapted to new styles of praise and worship.
In recent decades, churches affiliated with the ACC have revolutionised church praise and worship. The largest driving force for this change was the popularity of the Hillsong Music label, featuring the bands Hillsong United, Hillsong Worship and Hillsong Young & Free, of Hillsong Church. Other influences have been bands such as Planetshakers and Planetboom, and Influencers Church in Adelaide.

Structure

Churches

The polity of the Assemblies of God is based on the principle of voluntary and cooperative fellowship. "Registered" churches are autonomous but agree to abide by the United Constitution, state by-laws, and policies of the National Conference, the highest governing body of the Assemblies of God. "Provisional" churches are churches which have not met the requirements to become registered churches and are under the direct supervision of state executives.

State conferences

The Assemblies of God is led in each state by a conference and executive. These bodies are empowered to manage all affairs that do not concern the national denomination. The roles of the state executive are similar to those of the national executive but specialised to the state with a closer relationship to local churches. The state executives recommend to the national executive eligible candidates for ordination. They provide assistance to churches requesting advice or intervention and also have the authority to discipline ministers. At the request of the state executive or at its own discretion, the national executive can intervene in a state's governance.

National conference

The biennial national conference is a representative body of all ordained ministers and all registered churches. Every church is entitled to send one delegate for every 250 adults in regular attendance.
The national conference elects the nine-member national executive, which includes the national officers. The officers are national president, vice-president, and secretary. National executives are always ordained ministers, except for the national secretary who can be a layperson. National officers serve terms of four years; all other executives serve two-year terms. The national executive issues ministerial credentials and, in between sessions of the national conference, is the chief policy making body of the denomination.

National presidents

Until 1997, the national leader of ACC was titled superintendent. The incumbent national president, as from 2009, is Wayne Alcorn.
#NameAppointmentSecessionTime in
1Charles Greenwood193719414 years
2Henry Wiggins194119432 years
–Charles Greenwood194319452 years
3Philip Duncan194519505 years
4Edward Irish195019511 year
5Alec Davidson195119554 years
6James Walace195519594 years
–Alec Davidson1959196910 years
7Ralph Read196919778 years
8Andrew Evans1977199720 years
9Brian Houston1997200912 years
10Wayne Alcorn2009––

Missions, ministries and educational institutions

Missions

ACCI Missions and Relief is a department of the Australian Christian Churches and currently headed up by Pastor Alun Davies, with ACCI Missions being the missionary sending and support agency and ACCI Relief the aid and development agency.

Ministries

Australian Christian Churches has many ministries in place to serve the church. These include:
  • ACCI Missions and Relief
  • Australian Christian Services
  • Chaplaincy Australia
  • Youth Alive Australia
Australian Christian Churches supports many organisations including Mercy Ministries, Teen Challenge and Compassion Australia.

Education

In order to train future pastors and leaders in the denomination, Commonwealth Bible College was established in 1948 as the official ministry training school of Australian Christian Churches. Since the emergence of megachurches, large churches have begun establishing their own bible colleges. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was estimated that there are over 3,000 full-time students being trained at bible colleges affiliated with Australian Christian Churches.

Statistics

The denomination claims more than 1,100 churches and over 225,000 adherents across Australia. In 2007, affiliated churches had an average congregation of 179 people and 26 churches had over 1,000 members.

History

Predecessors

Pentecostalism in Australia emerged as a loose movement of churches and evangelists around 1909. The first steps towards a denominational structure were made in 1927 when the founder of the Good News Hall in Melbourne, Sarah Jane Lancaster, and her network of churches, collaborated with colorful and controversial itinerant evangelist Frederick Van Eyk of the South African Apostolic Faith Mission to form the Australasian AFM. The AFM name was taken from the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, United States. The AFM had also affiliated congregations in New Zealand.
The AFM was short lived, however. Doctrinal controversy, disputes over female authority, the volatile character of its leaders and accusations of immorality against Van Eyk led to the movement splitting. In 1928, the AFM's northern churches formed the Assemblies of God, Queensland, and a year later many other AFM affiliates joined the newly established Pentecostal Church in Australia. What remained of the AFM dissolved after Lancaster's death in 1934.