The International Ministry Network hasn’t always gone by that name. We originally were formed as the German District within the Assemblies of God due to a great Pentecostal move of God among German-speaking Americans. The son and grandson of our 4th Superintendent, Alvin Sprecher (in office from 1969-1981), recently published an article in the 2012 AG Heritage magazine recapping the incredible journey these past 90 years have brought. Here at IMN, we believe not only in looking forward to the future but also in recognizing our heritage and the great men and women of God who have gone before us, on whose shoulders we now stand.
A baptism service of the German District in North Dakota in 1939.
In his classic work ‘The Uprooted,’ Oscar Handlin wrote of his attempts ‘to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that immigrants were American history.’ In much the same way, then, the stories of these German stalwarts might also be our own. They have a rich history that speaks both to the power of the gospel and the deep need for community in the body of Christ. Their genesis and fruitful existence are indicative of the adaptability of Pentecostalism in general and the Assemblies of God in specific.
AG Heritage 2012