This Week in AG History -- Feb. 13, 1915

Arch P. Collins (1861-1921), known as “the saintly peacemaker,” is one of the notable founding fathers of the Assemblies of God. Not only was he one of the five ministers who signed the call to meet in Hot Springs in April 1914, but he served as the second general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. He also was a pastor, Bible teacher, and author.

Collins was a lifetime resident of Tarrant County, Texas, living in Arlington and Fort Worth. He was a Baptist minister for almost 20 years before joining the Assemblies of God in 1914. One of the last Baptist churches he pastored was the North Fort Worth Baptist Church, which also had been pastored by E.N. Bell, the first general superintendent of the Assemblies of God.

Collins was reared on a farm and was saved at the age of 17. He began reading the old family Bible at night and meditated on the Word during the day. He also developed a love for history, obtained a teaching certificate, and taught school for 10 years before he was called into full-time ministry. He attended Baylor University to better prepare for the ministry.

In 1907, he heard about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Wanting more of God, he began studying the Scriptures, and he prayed fervently before he was baptized in the Spirit on March 13, 1908. He said, “Lord, I want the baptism in the Holy Ghost just like they received in the days of the Apostles, and You will give the evidence.” His wife and children also received the Baptism around this same time. This led to his resignation as pastor of his church and his family being ostracized from their friends.

Regarding support for his family, Collins declared: “Since God, in mercy, has provided for us while I preached only a part of the gospel, surely He will take care of us when preaching a full gospel.” Collins said his family was put to the test, but God always provided their needs.

Before and after receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit Collins realized that he had been following the opinions of men in his Bible study; that he was farther away from God than he realized; that he needed to repent of all pride of flesh and spirit and get back to God; that he needed to learn how to seek God with his whole heart; that he needed to surrender and be like a child and let the Lord teach him; that he needed to have the things of Jesus made more real to him than ever before; and that he needed to have absolute abandonment to God. Once he realized all these things, he felt the peace of God as he began speaking in tongues for the first time and began to walk in the fullness of the Spirit.

Pentecostal pioneer F.F. Bosworth once referred to Collins as one of the wisest and most saintly men in the Pentecostal movement.

Stanley Frodsham, editor of the Pentecostal Evangel, recalled, “The thing that struck me most about Bro. Collins was his Christliness.” He prayed often and sought God’s leading in his life. Many times when an important decision was needed, Collins would stop everything and say, “Brethren, let us pray.”

Soon after the organizational meeting of the Assemblies of God in April 1914, Collins followed E.N. Bell as the pastor of First Assembly of God in nearby Malvern, Arkansas. He later returned to Texas. He served as general chairman of the Assemblies of God for one year (1914-1915). He then served as superintendent of the Tri-State District (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) from 1917-1918 and 1920-1921. In 1920, he was also serving as the field representative for the General Council, so he traveled to churches and district meetings in various states.

At the second General Council, E.N. Bell — who roomed with Collins during the General Council — wrote about his friend: “Almost every morning he awakened me with praying and worshiping in the adjoining room. It was not merely a matter of getting something from God. It was a time of great fellowship between his soul and heaven. He would often seem lost in adoration and praise to God.” Bell said, “Bro. A.P. Collins was one of the sweetest-spirited men I ever met. No matter what happened, he usually kept sweet, and was ready to take all the blame on himself for every misunderstanding, whether it was his fault or not.”

J.W. Welch described Collins as “a faithful watchdog.” He was quick to scent danger and would faithfully warn of the same. He sought to keep the Assemblies of God as a cooperative fellowship. He exhorted Pentecostals toward unity with “all the saints and assemblies,” being “one in prayer, one in purpose, one in action, and one in the Spirit of Jesus.”

Collins authored numerous articles published in periodicals, including 81 articles in the Pentecostal Evangel. He also authored a number of tracts. He wrote on topics such as prayer, baptism, cooperation, unity, evangelism, the doctrine of the Trinity, humility, divine healing, divine love, the Second Coming, and revival. He passed away in 1921, while serving as Tri-State District superintendent.

Read A.P. Collins’ article, “Parables, Symbols, Metaphors, Visions and Dreams?” on page 2 of the Feb. 13, 1915, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.

Also featured in this issue:

• “The Latter Rain in Portland,” by Will Trotter

• “Pentecostal Notes on International Sunday School,” by Alice Reynolds Flower

And many more!

Click here to read this issue now.

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