The theme of the 20th congress was ‘Momentum. Culminating the mission’, which emphasised the need to imitate the character and integrity of Jesus Christ in the face of the pressures and temptations of Christian ministry.
A perspective of the Congress attendees./ MGala, [link]Actualidad Evangélica[/link].
From 27 February to 2 March 2025, the Assemblies of God in Spain (ADE) held their annual conference with the slogan ‘Momentum. Culminating the mission’, in Gandía (Valencian Community).
These days included talks, music and arts, information stands, as well as the presentation of news regarding the progress and direction of the Pentecostal denomination.
The congress featured international speakers such as Douglas Clay, superintendent of the Assemblies of God in the USA (which has over 13,000 associated churches); and the Colombian Andrés Arango, pastor of the evangelical church La Central, in the city of Cali.
[photo_footer] Andrés Arango and Douglas Clay, speaking at the 2025 congress of the Assemblies of God Spain. [/photo_footer] Both pastors challenged the delegates with passionate messages, some of which were specifically aimed at encouraging and challenging pastors and leaders in the face of the challenges, temptations and pressures of the Christian ministry, placing great emphasis on self-care to protect their integrity as ministers of the gospel.
The different reflections and sermons emphasised the need to live an ethic in accordance with the Gospel as well as having a message relevant to today’s society.
It was emphasised that morality does not necessarily mean that there is a strong faith, but that immorality and a lack of ethics mean being far from a living, close and committed relationship with Jesus and his gospel. This, it was explained, affects not only sexuality, but also the handling of money, fame and having checks and balances on the power that can be exercised.
Pastor Esteban Muñoz de Morales from Córdoba, who was attending an ADE conference for the first time in years without holding any managerial position, offered an institutional greeting to the conference participants in his recent capacity as president of the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain (FEREDE). The following day, Carolina Bueno, the executive secretary of the Protestant federation, thanked the Assemblies of God for their tireless work evangelising Spain and their social work in favour of the most vulnerable.
Other special guests (not belonging to the Assemblies of God) who also spoke were Pastor Rebecca Jacob, founder of the church Amistad Cristiana in Madrid, and the doctor and journalist Pedro Tarquis, founder of news website Protestante Digital and member of the board of directors of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance.
[photo_footer] Pedro Tarquis of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance, speaking at the Assemblies of God Spain congress 2025. [/photo_footer] The rest of the speakers at the Gandía Congress were from the Assemblies of God, such as Jesús Caramés, rector of the Faculty of Theology of the Assemblies of God; Juan Carlos Escobar, secretary of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF); and Scott Smith, missionary and church planter who oversees 75 new churches throughout Spain.
The congress was also the occasion for the celebration of the 72nd annual ADE Convention, at which internal projects and decisions were discussed. After 20 years and the transition from a seminary to a Faculty with theology degrees officially recognised by the Spanish State, its rector, Jesús Caramés, is retiring.
A successor is being sought, while the general management of the Faculty will be in the hands of the pastor and professor, Fernando Ramírez, who will leave the pastorate he has held for years together with his wife Miriam Soto in the Evangelical Church La Roca, in Ciudad Real.
In his last speech as rector at a conference, Jesús Caramés expressed gratitude for the support and unity of the Assemblies of God in relation to the academic project, and announced the creation of a master's degree in Pentecostal Theology, “which will contribute to reinforcing and cementing our Pentecostal identity as Assemblies of God”, he said.
[photo_footer] Moments of prayer at the ADE congress 2025. [/photo_footer] ADE conferences stand out in Spain for their organisation, quality and excellence, managed by a friendly ‘army’ of volunteers.
The presence of many young people is notable at ADE conferences. Young people, as well as teenagers and children, have their own specific programmes, running parallel to the plenary sessions.
Elderly people are also looked after, with priority given to pensioners at mealtimes to avoid long queues in hotel dining rooms. And they are also publicly recognised with affection, given a role in the programme or honoured with a tribute.
Such is the case of the pastor Rosa Mariscal, who together with her husband, José Palma, founded the first church of the Assemblies of God in Madrid in 1963 and led pioneering works in places such as Villargordo (Jaén) and Ávila, opening the way where there were no evangelical churches. In addition, she directed the Instituto Bíblico a Distancia (Bible Institute in the Distance) for more than 15 years. At 86 years of age, Rosa is still in great shape and was in charge of one of the devotionals.
The talks and programme content were broadcast live via streaming on the YouTube page of Asambleas de Dios de España, and are still available there (in Spanish), for anyone who is interested.
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