Assemblies Of God Churches

The church calendar in the Assemblies of God includes only some of the major events of the Christian year, but also designates numerous days for promotion of denominational programs and recognizes national holidays and ecumenical observances. Congregations have considerable freedom in choosing which days to observe and how to observe them. Due in part to the influence of charismatics with backgrounds in the liturgical churches, some Assemblies of God pastors are beginning to incorporate more of the events of the traditional church year into worship. The monthly minister's magazine, Advance, the major channel of communication between Assemblies of God denominational headquarters and local pastors, each year contains in its August issue a thirty-two-page supplement called the "Pastor's Planbook. " The planbook reveals much about yearly observances in the Assemblies of God, for it includes a 32" x 22" poster-sized calendar designed to aid the pastor in tracing and evaluating the progres…