Frank Macchia Honored with Assemblies of God Lifetime Scholar Award

Assemblies of God leaders recognized theologian, pastor, author, and educator Frank D. Macchia with the Assemblies of God Lifetime Scholar Award during the annual AG Scholars Forum, June 8-9, at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. The forum brought together AG leaders and scholars for dialogue, collaboration, and encouragement with a goal of further strengthening the Fellowship.

The award was presented by General Superintendent Doug Clay and Allen Tennison, theological counsel who recognized Macchia as an influential scholar and minister both within and beyond the Assemblies of God whose contributions have spanned Pentecostal theology, ecumenical dialogue, and higher education.

“Dr. Frank Macchia has served the Assemblies of God and the broader body of Christ with extraordinary faithfulness, intellectual rigor, and humility,” Clay says. “His scholarship has helped Pentecostals better understand and articulate our beliefs while earning the respect of theologians across denominational lines. Through his teaching, writing, and ministry, he has influenced generations of leaders, and this Lifetime Scholar Award recognizes a legacy that will continue to shape the Church for years to come.”

For Macchia, the recognition arrived at a particularly meaningful moment.

“It was a wonderful way to conclude my teaching tenure at Vanguard,” says Macchia, who recently retired after 27 years as a faculty member at the university. “To get this was a perfect conclusion to this chapter.”

Macchia’s spiritual roots stretch back to the Italian Pentecostal movement. His paternal grandmother was a preacher, and his father regularly preached in an English-speaking congregation.

Although he grew up in Pentecostal circles, Macchia says he renewed his relationship with God following high school. He enrolled in Central Bible College (CBC), now Evangel University, before transferring to Southern California College, now Vanguard University, where he completed his undergraduate studies.

“I became acquainted with the Assemblies of God during my time at CBC and was happy to be part of it,” he recalls. “It felt very comfortable because of the movement I had grown up in.”

Following graduation, Macchia returned to Chicago to pastor an Italian Pentecostal church he had known since childhood. While serving there, he met his future wife, Verena, who had come to the United States from Switzerland to study English.

After earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, Macchia continued in pastoral ministry before moving with his wife to Switzerland in the mid-1980s. There, he completed a Doctor of Theology degree and began sensing God directing him toward a different calling.

“I realized that God was going to use me in more of a teaching and research role,” he says.

That calling led him first to Southeastern University, where he taught for seven years before returning to his alma mater, Vanguard, in 1999.

Over the next 27 years, he became a highly respected Pentecostal theologian. Beyond the classroom, Macchia developed a reputation for building bridges between Christian denominations both in the U.S. and internationally.

“God has been very gracious in opening doors for me,” Macchia says.

His academic influence also continued to grow through publishing. Macchia authored nine books, contributed chapters to more than 20 volumes of work, published over 80 scholarly articles and professional papers, and served for more than a decade as senior editor of Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

He says that a hallmark of his writing ministry was a desire to reach readers beyond Pentecostal circles.

“I felt called to write theological works that would not only be read by Pentecostals, but by non-Pentecostals as well,” he says. “I wanted to have a voice that would reach beyond Pentecostalism and help build bridges.”

While teaching and writing occupied most of his professional life, ministry remained a constant as well. For 14 years, Macchia served as assistant pastor of a Taiwanese congregation in Irvine, California. He and Verena are also the parents of two daughters adopted from China, both of whom now live in Southern California and are making their parents proud.

Although officially retired from Vanguard, Macchia has a desire to continue investing in the next generation of Christian leaders. He currently teaches part time for a theological school in Singapore, visiting the country a few times a year to deliver lessons in person. He also supervises doctoral students through Bangor University in Wales.

Still, he acknowledges that this chapter looks different from previous ones.

“I may do some light publishing,” he says with a laugh. “No large books like I used to, though. It’s time to slow down.”

The Lifetime Scholar Award recognizes a body of work that has influenced countless Pentecostal thinkers and church leaders, and for Macchia, the honor is a tangible reminder of God’s faithfulness throughout a lifetime of service for the Kingdom. 

Ashley B. Grant

Ashley B. Grant has a master's degree in Human Services Marriage and Family Counseling from Liberty University and is a credentialed Christian counselor through the American Association of Christian Counselors. Grant also holds certifications in crisis pregnancy counseling and advanced life coaching. Ashley is a fourth generation Assemblies of God preacher’s kid and has one daughter and three sons.