Question

Which of the following is a characteristic of Assemblies of God missionaries in the early years?

a) Those few ministers who had seminary training were asked to serve as missionaries.
b) Early missionaries went to the field without formal education, but they learned the language and culture of the areas where they ministered.
c) Most of the early missionaries obtained their training at a Bible institute.
d) The Assemblies of God cooperated with other mission agencies to establish field locations for Pentecostal ministers.

Answer 1

Early Assemblies of God missionaries were characterized by going into the mission field guided by their spiritual calling rather than formal theological education, learning the language and culture of the places they served.

Step-by-step explanation:

The characteristics of Assemblies of God missionaries in the early years included a tendency to prioritize spiritual calling and anointing over formal seminary education. Taking inspiration from evangelical movements that emphasized personal conversion and the calling to spread the gospel, these missionaries often worked without the prerequisites of formal theological education, such as that obtained at a seminary or bible institute.

In the early days, the Assemblies of God missionary movement was marked by a reliance on the personal experience of conversion and the perceived call of God rather than on formal education. This mirrors the practice of Baptists and Methodists during the Second Great Awakening, who believed in the equality of all before God and saw the call to ministry as emanating from personal faith and commitment rather than scholarly study.

Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question would be that early missionaries went to the field without formal education, but they learned the language and culture of the areas where they ministered (option b).