Assemblies of God in New Zealand
The Assemblies of God in New Zealand is a Pentecostal denomination in New Zealand and a member of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. In 2007, the denomination had nearly 200 congregations and preaching points and 30,000 members and adherents, mostly in the North Island, and it sends missionaries to South Asia and Oceania. In 2016, the largest congregation was the Harbourside Church A/G in Takapuna, founded in the 1950s, with a weekly attendance of 1,500 people. History The Pentecostal movement in New Zealand started by the crusades of evangelist Smith Wigglesworth in 1922 and 1923, which led to the establishment of the Pentecostal Church of New Zealand (PCNZ). As the result of an internal dispute, 13 congregations and some pastors withdrew from the PCNZ and in March 1927 sent a cablegram to the General Council of the Assemblies of God of the United States asking for affiliation. The 1930s were hard years for the Assemblies of God in New Zealand because of internal doctrinal disputes, the proselitism of the Apostolic Church, fragile relations with the PCNZ and economic distress generated by the 1929 Depression. However, frequent visits of preachers such as Aimee McPherson and A. C. Valdez helped to