Alliance World Fellowship Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Alliance World Fellowship

Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Evangelical
Theology	Keswickian
Polity	Mixed polity, including Congregationalist, Presbyterian and Episcopal elements
President	Jura Yanagihara
Region	88 countries
Headquarters	Reynoldsburg, United States
Founder	Albert Benjamin Simpson
Origin	1975
Separations	Assemblies of God
Congregations	22,000
Members	6,200,000

The Alliance World Fellowship (also known as The Alliance or C&MA) is a worldwide group of Christian churches. It is part of the evangelical branch of Christianity. This group teaches a special kind of theology called Keswickian theology. Today, The Alliance has about 6.2 million members. They are spread across 88 different countries and meet in 22,000 churches.

History of The Alliance
Numbers and Facts
What The Alliance Believes
Ministries and Help
- CAMA Services
Schools and Colleges
See also

History of The Alliance

Building of Zamboanga Alliance Evangelical Church in the Philippines. It is part of the Alliance World Fellowship.

The Alliance started with two groups. Both were founded by Albert Benjamin Simpson in 1887. This was in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, in the United States. One group, The Christian Alliance, focused on helping people in their own country. The other, The Evangelical Missionary Alliance, worked on missions overseas. In 1897, these two groups joined together. They formed what was then called the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

In 1887, A.B. Simpson gave a series of talks in New York. These talks were called The Fourfold Gospel. In them, he explained his main teachings about Jesus Christ. He taught that Jesus is the Savior, the Sanctifier (meaning He makes people holy), the Healer, and the Soon Coming King. These four ideas became very important to The Alliance.

Simpson also started a school in 1882. It was called the Missionary Training Institute. This school, located in Nyack, helped train many people for mission work. Later, it became Alliance Theological Seminary. In the 21st century, the school moved to New York City and was renamed Alliance University. However, Alliance University closed in 2023.

A.B. Simpson was influenced by another Christian leader, W.E. Boardman. Simpson's ideas about holiness were shaped by Boardman's teachings. In the early 1900s, Simpson also became involved with the growing Pentecostal movement. Many Pentecostal pastors and missionaries trained at Simpson's institute. Because of this, Simpson and The Alliance had a big impact on Pentecostal churches. This included groups like the Assemblies of God.

Over time, there were some disagreements within The Alliance. These were about certain practices of the Pentecostal movement. By 1912, these disagreements led The Alliance to become more organized. It became a formal Christian denomination. To keep the group together, Simpson made sure all property belonged to The Alliance. This meant that if any part separated, the property would stay with The Alliance.

After Simpson passed away in 1919, The Alliance moved away from some Pentecostal practices. They focused more on what they called the "deeper Christian life." By 1930, most local Alliance groups were working like churches. But they still did not fully see themselves as a denomination.

By 1965, the churches officially became a denomination. They also created a clear statement of their beliefs. In 1975, the Alliance World Fellowship (AWF) was officially formed. By 2010, it was active in 50 countries. In June 2023, the Christian and Missionary Alliance in the United States decided that women could become pastors. However, this depends on approval from their local church leaders. Women cannot be senior or lead pastors.

Numbers and Facts

According to information from 2022, The Alliance has:

22,000 churches
6,200,000 members
In 88 different countries

What The Alliance Believes

The Alliance has an evangelical theology. This means their beliefs are based on the Gospel (the good news about Jesus). A.B. Simpson explained the main beliefs of The Alliance as the "Fourfold Gospel" of Jesus Christ. These four parts are:

Jesus Christ as Savior
Jesus Christ as Sanctifier (He makes people holy)
Jesus Christ as Healer
Jesus Christ as Soon Coming King

These four ideas are shown in The Alliance's logo. A cross represents Jesus as Savior. A laver (a basin for washing) represents Jesus as Sanctifier. An oil pitcher represents Jesus as Healer. And a crown represents Jesus as the Soon Coming King.

The Alliance also teaches about "the deeper Christian life." This teaching is similar to other churches in the Higher Life movement. A key writer on this topic was A. W. Tozer. The Alliance also strongly believes in missionary work. They feel their main purpose is to share the Christian message around the world.

The Alliance's view on holiness is a bit different from some other groups. For example, they do not believe that becoming holy completely removes original sin. This is a different idea from what some other Christian groups teach.

Ministries and Help

CAMA Services

One important part of The Alliance is CAMA Services. "CAMA" stands for "Compassion and Mercy Associates." This group helps people in need around the world. They provide food, clothes, medical care, and job training. They do this in the name of Jesus.

CAMA Services started in 1974. It began by helping refugees who were fleeing the Indochina conflict. Since then, CAMA has helped in many places. They have worked in refugee camps in Thailand. They have also helped refugees in Hong Kong, Lebanon, Jordan, and Guinea. They have also helped people affected by famine in Burkina Faso and Mali. In 2005, CAMA Services worked with local Alliance churches to help people after Hurricane Katrina in the United States.

Schools and Colleges

Grace Chapel at Toccoa Falls College in the United States.

The Alliance World Fellowship has about 90 theological colleges around the world. These schools help train future pastors and missionaries.

Alliance World Fellowship facts for kids

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