This Week in AG History -- Jan. 11, 1919

One of the notable founding fathers of the Assemblies of God is D.W. Kerr. He was a pastor, Bible teacher, and early executive presbyter of the AG. He is recognized for helping to found three of the early Bible schools in the AG, and he is credited with being the principal author of the Statement of Fundamental Truths.

Daniel Warren “D.W.” Kerr (1856-1927) was born in Centre County, Pennsylvania, the youngest of nine children. His family were devoted members of the Evangelical Association, a small Wesleyan denomination. He grew up on a farm and graduated from the Cumberland Valley State Normal School in 1874. In 1883 he enrolled at North-Western College in Naperville, Illinois, where he studied for the ministry and met his future wife.

Matilda “Mattie” Zeller was born in Hancock County, Ohio, the youngest of nine children. Her family was also active in the Evangelical Association, and her father was a minister who preached in congregations throughout Ohio and Michigan. D.W. and Mattie were married by her father on Feb. 4, 1886, in Hancock County, Ohio.

After being licensed with the Evangelical Association and serving in rural congregations in Illinois for a few years, D.W. and Mattie Kerr decided to join the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), where he served as a pastor, evangelist, Bible teacher, and conference speaker. Kerr and his wife spent at least 16 summers teaching Bible studies and directing prayer meetings at Beulah Park, a retreat center near Cleveland, Ohio. Because of this ministry, Kerr was in demand as a conference speaker in various places in the Northeast and Midwest. He also served CMA pastorates in Findlay, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Dayton, Ohio; and Cleveland.

Reports of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, stirred the hearts of many within the CMA. The annual CMA convention at Beulah Park in the summer of 1907 was a scene of great expectancy and anticipation. As the Kerrs were side-by-side in the prayer room, seeking more of God, they “came through to a beautiful baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking and singing in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” For the next five years, the Kerrs proclaimed the message of Holy Spirit baptism and empowerment in many cities, including Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto.

In 1911, after conducting an evangelistic tour of the West Coast, Kerr was further influenced by William Durham, Frank Bartleman, George B. Studd, and George and Carrie Judd Montgomery. This ultimately led to a split from the CMA. In October 1911, Kerr was elected pastor of the CMA Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and the congregation was very open to the Pentecostal message. Two years later, the congregation changed their bylaws and voted unanimously to adopt a position in favor of the Pentecostal experience. They changed their name to The Pentecostal Church of Cleveland. At the same time Kerr and the church dropped their affiliation with the CMA. After 1914, Kerr and the congregation chose to affiliate with the Assemblies of God. The congregation is now First Assembly of God (Lyndhurst, Ohio).

When the call was issued to meet at Hot Springs in April 1914, Kerr, having just recently dropped his affiliation with the CMA, was unsure if spiritual liberty could be maintained if he were to join another group. But upon discovering that the Assemblies of God had organized on a voluntary and cooperative basis, he readily joined. And despite his absence at the First Council, the first group of executive presbyters appointed him and two others to join the Executive Presbytery. He continued to serve on the Executive Presbytery until 1925. He also served on the nominating and program committees at various General Councils.

At the 1916 General Council, Kerr was assigned the opening sermon and served on the five-member committee assigned to write and present a statement of fundamental truths. The final document, which was largely Kerr’s work, was adopted. Of particular significance was Kerr’s detailed outline of the godhead, which supported the Trinitarian view rather than the Oneness teaching. The Statement of Fundamental Truths has withstood the test of time and has remained steadfast, with only very minor changes made over the years.

Kerr pastored the church in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1911 to 1919. During this time, he established himself as a staunch supporter of missions, even being called a “Crank on Missions.”

In 1918, he was elected chairman of the Second Annual World-Wide Missionary Conference, an interdenominational Pentecostal event that attracted broad support. He served as chairman of this event for the next five years.

Kerr declared, “That church will become a missionary church whose pastor is a missionary, and I am a missionary at home, but I live my life in the world around, and am glad to devote all my energies in that direction.” His church was even called the “Banner Missionary Church of the Pentecostal Movement.”

In 1923, Kerr was appointed by the General Council’s Executive Presbytery to the post of missionary field secretary, and he was assigned the task of conducting missionary conventions across the country. By 1925, the AG had one missionary for every five preachers.

In the fall of 1919, along with his son-in-law, Willard Peirce, he helped Robert and Mary Craig in the founding of Pacific Bible and Missionary Training School in San Francisco (which later became Glad Tidings Bible Institute and then Bethany University).

During the summer of 1920, Harold K. Needham, Kerr, and Peirce opened Southern California Bible Institute in Los Angeles (now Vanguard University) to prepare Christian workers for the various ministries of the church. Kerr stayed for two years, and during that time he helped in the founding of the Southern California District and served as its first chairman.

In the fall of 1922, Kerr, assisted by his son-in-law, became the first principal or president of Central Bible Institute, which first met in the basement of Central Assembly in Springfield, Missouri. He served for one year and resigned due to health issues, although he continued teaching at the school for the next five years. Many of his sermons were published in the Pentecostal Evangel, and he wrote a book called Waters in the Desert.

Kerr is representative of a number of seasoned clergy who were drawn into the Pentecostal Movement in its infancy, joined the Assemblies of God, and filled positions of leadership in the foundational years of the AG. He made his mark through promoting missions, helping to found Bible schools, and in formulating the Statement of Fundamental Truths.

Read D.W. Kerr’s article, “Do All Speak With Tongues?” on page 7 of the Jan. 11, 1919, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “A Sign People — What Meaneth This?” by Elizabeth Sisson

• “Seventh Day Trouble,” by E.N. Bell

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.