The Italian Assemblies of God

The following is excerpted from an article by Joseph J. Saggio in AG HERITAGE at http://ifphc.org/Uploads/Heritage/2010_06.pdf:

The IAG [Italian Assemblies of God] operated similar to a district within the Assemblies of God and experienced a measure of success. By its third annual convention in May 1950 the IAG had seen a 50% growth of its ministerial roster, increasing from 44 ministers to 64.27 In the years to come, that growth trend would continue. By 1952 the IAG had 135 credential holders and 55 cooperating churches, located primarily in northeastern states. The IAG established a Bible institute in Rome, Italy as well as Pine Crest Bible Institute (Salisbury Center, New York), which opened in 1959. In 1962, Pine Crest merged into Eastern Bible Institute, which later became Valley Forge Christian College (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania). [Even though Pine Crest Bible Institute merged with what is now Valley Forge Christian College, it has sometimes been confused with a school called Pinecrest Bible Training Center, also located in Salisbury Center, New York, founded by Wade Taylor in 1968. This is not the same school.] The 1973 General Council gave district status to language branches, and the Italian Branch became the Italian District.

The IAG experienced growth in both numbers and influence, but the IAG leadership began to note that the usage of the Italian language declined in church services while other cultural assimilations were also taking place, thus greatly reducing the cultural distance between Italian Americans and other segments of society. Moreover, the need for a separate district to oversee the needs of Italian Pentecostals had clearly passed. Under the leadership of the last superintendent of the IAG, Nicholas J. Tavani, the Italian district was dissolved on November 30, 1990. The remaining churches and ministers became members of the respective districts in which they were located.

...

From its inception in 1907, the

Italian Pentecostal movement within

the broader Pentecostal/charismatic

wave has influenced the broad tapestry

of American society and beyond

with the gospel of Jesus Christ. From

its humble origins up to the twentyfirst

century, Italian Pentecostals have

made an indelible impression on the international religious landscape.

Although the CCNA/IFCA is no longer

exclusively Italian and the IAG

has been absorbed into the institutional

fabric of the Assemblies of God, both

groups that began as organizations to

reach Italians progressed far beyond

the original vision and have a legacy

that only eternity will be able to measure.

Future posts will fill you in on the rest of the story in regard to my father and the history of Italian Pentecostals.