Pentecostal Evangel Moves to Online News Service

We are excited to announce the launch of PE News. The subscription-based 101-year-old print publication now is available in online and mobile platforms. Visit PEnews.org to see the latest stories on the people and ministries of the Assemblies of God as well as a free download of a weekly summary of stories.

The Pentecostal Evangel (PE), the weekly magazine of the Assemblies of God, has been one of the most prominent Pentecostal periodicals in the world. J. Roswell and Alice Flower started the publication in July 1913 as the Christian Evangel, which served primarily a small regional Pentecostal network of churches, known as the Association of Christian Assemblies. In April 1914, J. Roswell Flower helped to lead this network into the newly formed Assemblies of God. He was elected to serve as the first secretary and gave the Christian Evangel to the Assemblies of God, just as E. N. Bell (the first chairman) also gave his periodical, Word and Witness, to the Fellowship.

Ahead of its time, the first issue (July 19, 1913) of the Christian Evangel featured interracial content (three articles were by or about Garfield T. Haywood, the African-American pastor of the largest Pentecostal congregation in Indianapolis). The first masthead read "The simplicity of the gospel, in the bonds of peace, the unity of the Spirit, till we all come to the unity of the faith."

The name was changed to the Weekly Evangel in 1915, drawing attention to its rapid publication cycle. On January 1, 1916, Word and Witness merged into the Weekly Evangel. The title changed back to Christian Evangel in 1918 and the publication frequency became biweekly. In 1919 the title, Pentecostal Evangel, was adopted. The magazine returned to weekly publication in 1923.

Through the intervening decades, the Pentecostal Evangel has served as the official voice of the Fellowship, providing weekly spiritual and information content for the constituency. It has remained a staple for the AG community and a trailblazer of Christian communication.

The launch of the digital age led to the creation of AG News, an online and email news service. This communication channel has provided current news on the Fellowship to thousands of subscribers multiple times a week. Now, AG News will come together with the Pentecostal Evangel for an even greater impact.  

As PE has entered its second century of publication, it is poised to see what may possibly be the most radical expansion in readership in its history. Now published as PE News, the official voice of the Assemblies of God will be accessible free and digitally. This allows more people to view the content more quickly than what could have ever been imagined 101 years ago.

Visit PEnews.org to see daily content and subscribe to receive email updates and even free weekly downloads for your church’s bulletin.