THE Assemblies of God announced a staff right-sizing as part of a strategic restructuring of its organization, including an ongoing transition from print to digital resources to more efficiently and effectively serve its churches and ministry partners. This process resulted in position eliminations and layoffs affecting 47 employees at the National Leadership and Resource Center in Springfield.
“Knowing this difficult, but prayerful decision is the best course to build a foundation in support of the future viability of our worldwide fellowship does not dampen the difficulty of informing these valued employees, who have served the ministry well for many years,” said Dr. George O. Wood, Assemblies of God General Superintendent.
“We have always valued, and will continue to cherish the contributions of all our staff,” Wood added. “This was a necessary business decision affected by culture and technology of which we have been aware for months, and hoped would turn around. But we are overstaffed and equipped in some areas, and this is a necessary step to reallocate resources for the continued positive health and growth of our mission and ministry services.”
“The new structure will better support the efficient operations of the overall organization while facilitating the most effective process of each layer within the ministry working cohesively together. This is part of the vision of the National Leadership and Resource Center to become the premier and predominant resource provider serving the Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal and Charismatic world; while also reaching into the Evangelical community,” Wood added.
The Springfield-based Assemblies of God National Leadership and Resource Center employs 830 individuals. The majority of eliminated positions are in the printing department, as the organization shifts from production to programming made necessary by recent industry and technological shifts from the Gutenberg to the Google eras.
“The Executive Leadership Team of the Assemblies of God is constantly looking for ways to be good stewards of the resources and opportunities God has given us,” said Sol Arledge Jr., Assemblies of God COO. “This includes a shift in business priorities and services to expand the reach of our resources through electronic means as society is moving away from ‘tree books’ to e-books.
Recognized as a leader in the publishing field specifically for its Influence Resources and My Healthy Church, this reorganization will allow for continued growth and new positions as advancing technology shapes all aspects of society. With more than 39 percent of the Assemblies of God membership 25 years old and younger, leadership believes this will enable its churches to more effectively reach this growing demographic. This also includes greater emphasis on partnership with other Pentecostal denominations.
“The Assemblies of God is committed to ensuring all employees affected by this restructuring are treated fairly and equitably throughout their transition. This includes a severance package commensurate with years of service, two-month extended insurance coverage, pastoral care and outplacement support,” Arledge emphasized.
The Assemblies of God is the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination with more than 64 million members worldwide. The Church was organized in 1914 at a convention in Hot Springs, Ark., with 300 in attendance. Today, the Assemblies of God is the fastest growing major denomination in the United States with 12,595 churches and over 3 million members and adherents.
