"The Assemblies of God was founded as a cooperative fellowship that honors the calling and gifting of all Spirit-filled believers, not as a clerical hierarchy," says a new Assemblies of God position paper.

"As we seek to cultivate healthy spiritual leadership," it continues, "we must resist any drift toward positional superiority and instead affirm diverse models of leadership found throughout the global church. To walk in step with the Spirit, we must honor the voices of those God has raised up from within, not just those with titles. The nature of spiritual leadership listens, learns, and leads in discernment within community."

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Allen Tennison about "Misuse of Spiritual Leadership" (also in Spanish), a new position paper adopted by the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God during its August 2025 meeting. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Allen Tennison is theological counsel of the General Council of the Assemblies of God and chair of its Commission on Doctrines and Practices.

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