The Assemblies of God in Malaysia was started by missionaries. In 1934 Miss Carrie P Anderson, obeyed the Great Commission and set foot on Malayan soil. In her home at 4th mile, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, two young men were converted and with the aid of Miss Leung Sek On from Hong Kong, started the first Assemblies of God church in Kuala Lumpur. It was called Jalan Brunei Chapel and was primarily a Chinese congregation. The church began in rented premises where many came to receive the message of the Gospel and were baptized. The work steadily grew and other missionaries, the late Rev. Arthur Sandahl, Mrs. Esther E Sandahl, Miss Lula Ashmore (Mrs Vallance Baird) came to assist in the work alongside Chinese workers till December 1941.

The Second World War years of 1942 - 1945 witnessed the Japanese occupation of Malaya. This greatly hindered numerical growth in the church and in the work of the Assemblies of God in particular. However, the Lord was faithful as the believers continued to worship in borrowed church premises and members' homes. There were no missionaries in the country at that time, nor were there any national pastors.

In 1947, the later Rev. Arthur Sandahl returned to Malaya. Rev. David W Nyien and his family arrived in 1949. Between 1949 - 1952, these two individuals raised funds to purchase a new building at Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur to serve as the church building. Meanwhile, the government leased to the church a piece of land, applied for in 1949, at Jalan Sayor, where the present First Assembly of God Church stands. The church was registered with the government in 1953. Its building at Jalan Sayor, Kuala Lumpur, was completed and dedicated in December 1955. The following year, Rev. D.R. Guynes and his family came to pastor the church. The Assemblies of God work spread slowly in Malaya. Rev. Evelyn Iris Hatchett pioneered the work in Penang in 1953. Efforts were being made in a few other places with only token results.

It was not until 1957 that the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit came about in the country. The first General Council was held that year in Singapore. The first Youth Camp was conducted at Port Dickson, where some seventy to eighty youths attended. The Holy Spirit was poured out upon the young people and approximately twenty were filled. Later, Rev. and Mrs. Howard Carter came to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for special emphasis on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. More than forty persons were filled in Kuala Lumpur.

Owing to the lack of trained of Spirit-filled national ministers, relatively few churches were established at that time. To remedy the situation, steps were taken to provide a ministerial training centre. Hence, the Bible Institute of Malaya was formed. Through the initiative of Rev. D.R. Guynes and others, the Malayan Government gave the Assemblies of God a two-acre plot at Petaling Jaya, Selangor, for a sixty-year lease. Construction of the Bible Institute of Malaya building began in December 1959, and was thereafter opened for classes in January 1960. The Bible School building was completed and dedicated, providing accommodations for twenty students. The graduates were quickly absorbed into the ministry; many in pioneering work. To date, the college has an alumni body of five hundred and sixty-eight members.

January 1961 saw the birth of Calvary Church, the English language division of the Assembly of God Church in Jalan Sayor, Kuala Lumpur. Rev. D.R. Guynes was its first Pastor. Calvary Church is now the largest Assemblies of God Church in Malaysia and has mothered several assemblies in its outreached efforts under the able leadership of
Rev Dr Prince Guneratnam (our former General Superintendent) who is faithfully serving as the Senior Pastor since 1972.

A look at the statistics of the Assemblies of God of Malaysia shows that a greater move of the Holy Spirit came about in 1970. As a result, many assemblies have been established. To date, there are 325 churches in the country with about 35,000 members and 10,000 adherents. To know more details about the statistics in the last decade you may click here.