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Pentecostal can also mean "pertaining to Pentecost".

Pentecostalism is a movement within Evangelical Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. Pentecostalism is similar to the Charismatic movement, but developed earlier and separated from the mainstream church. Charismatic Christians, at least in the early days of the movement, tended to remain in their respective denominations.

Beliefs

There are three basic streams of Pentecostal churches. The majority believe that one must be saved by believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior for the forgiveness of sins and to be made acceptable to God. Pentecostals also typically believe, like most other evangelicals, that the Bible has definitive authority in matters of faith. To this first group, speaking in tongues is the sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but not necessary for salvation. The other two groups fall under an "Acts 2:38" based salvation message which says that a person needs to repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and then receive the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit is necessary for salvation and includes speaking in tongues. Of the Acts 2:38 based churches, they fall into four categories of "Jesus Name", "First", "United" or "Oneness" Pentecostals which baptize in Jesus name only, and those that baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Because many Pentecostal denominations are descended from Methodism and the Methodist Holiness Movement, Pentecostal soteriology is generally Arminian rather than Calvinist, believing that the ability to believe in Jesus is a power of the human free will.

This is in fact one of the distinctions that separates Pentecostal traditions from those of the Second Wave Charismatic and Evangelical churches, which tend toward a Calvinistic soteriology. One of the main points of division is the definition of eternal security, which is thoroughly Calvinist in the later Evangelical denominations and follows the Arminian tract in Pentecostal churches and denominations. This is most clearly illustrated by the belief held in Pentecostal groups that crediting the charismatic gifts and expressions to demonic or carnal motives and spirits qualifies as an unpardonable sin (Blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, Matt. 12:32). In Charismatic and Evangelical churches, this view is marginalized or replaced with the belief that refusing to convert to Christianity before death is the only unpardonable sin.[citation needed]

Pentecostals believe in water baptism as an outward sign of conversion and that the baptism in the Holy Ghost is a distinct spiritual experience that all who have belief in Jesus should receive. Most classical Pentecostals believe that the baptism in the Holy Ghost is always accompanied initially by the outward evidence of speaking in tongues. It is considered a liberalizing tendency to teach contrary to this historic position. This is another major difference between Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians, who believe that a Christian baptized in the Holy Ghost may exhibit certain supernatural signs, including speaking in tongues, "being slain in the spirit" (where people fall to the ground as if asleep or in convulsions), prophecy (i.e., a vision or a word of God, spoken or felt in the spirit), miraculous healings, miraculous signs, etc.

One of the defining marks in some Pentecostal groups is emotionalism in worship and prayer. They are known for raising their hands while singing and praying. They tend to be very vocal and expressive in their prayers, with cries of "Yes, Lord!," "Thank you, Jesus!", "Hallelujah!" and other spontaneous expressions of praise. There are other more conservative branches of Pentecostal groups, where the worship is enthusiastic, but not as emotional.

Some large Pentecostal denominations reject any connection between personal salvation or conversion and the baptism in the Holy Ghost and teach that it is not necessary for salvation, but a gift from God available to all Christians regardless of denominational affiliation. This doctrine was a development of the teachings of Stephen Galbraith regarding what he called the Third Moment of Grace and as such is linked to soteriology. However, some Pentecostal denominations regard such scriptures as Rom. 8:9, John 3:5, and Acts 2:37-39 as pointing to the necessity of Holy Ghost baptism to salvation. Many early Pentecostals believed that the revival of the gifts of the Spirit were a sign from God of the latter rain, a period of restoration before the end of the age and the coming millenial reign of Christ. Traditional Protestants believe that one is baptized with or in the Holy Ghost upon regeneration, the work of the Holy Ghost that enables faith and belief in the unbelieving heart. Pentecostals would not deny that regeneration is an activity of the Holy Ghost or that it results in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the believer. Instead they distinguish this indwelling from a subsequent, more intense relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Protestants most often reject such concepts as a "second grace", while not rejecting the idea of periodic or even weekly renewal through repentance and the ordinances of the church. Classical Pentecostals, unlike their Charismatic or evangelical counterparts, hold a peculiar form of sacerdotalism. For this reason many will not use the term Sacrament, preferring the term sacerdotal function or ordinance. This belief invests the efficacy of the ordinance in the obedience and participation of the believer and the witness of the celebrant and the congregation. This view stems from a highly developed concept of the priesthood of the individual believer. The activity of the ordinance takes on a sacerdotal rather than sacremental role in that it is a sacrificial act offered by the believer on his or her own behalf, rather than a ritual which has an inherent power of its own.

Theology

Theologically, most Pentecostal denominations are aligned with Evangelicalism in that they emphasize the reliability of the Bible and the need for the transformation of an individual's life with faith in Jesus. Pentecostals also adhere to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy. Pentecostals differ from fundamentalists by placing less emphasis on personal spiritual experience and more emphasis on the Holy Ghost's work within a person than other Protestants.

Dr. Jackie David Johns, in his work on Pentecostal formational leadership, states that the Scriptures hold a special place in the Pentecostal world view because the Holy Ghost is always active in the Bible. For him, to encounter the Scriptures is to encounter God. For the Pentecostal, the Scriptures are a primary reference point for communion with God and a template for reading the world. This template is often referred to as "Types and Shadows", which is a reference to the Midrashic view of prophecy.

One of the most prominent distinguishing characteristics of Pentecostalism from Evangelicalism is its emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit. Most Pentecostals believe that everyone who is genuinely saved has the Holy Ghost with them. But unlike most other Christians they believe that there is a second work of the Holy Ghost called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, in which the Holy Ghost dwells more fully in them, and which opens a believer up to a closer fellowship with God and empowers them for Christian service. Some Pentecostals have modified the view teaching that Spirit baptism is not considered a second chronological work of grace, but a second aspect of the Holy Ghost's ministry. His first ministry is to save and sanctify us by working in us; His second ministry is to empower us for service by working through us. Other Pentecostals believe that Holy Ghost baptism is the actual event of the Holy Ghost taking up residence in the believer's heart rather than a "fuller dwelling" or "second filling". Most Pentecostals cite speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia, as the normative proof, and evidence of the Holy Ghost baptism. Some Pentecostals have adopted a more liberal view claiming that there are other evidences of Holy Ghost baptism. The doctrine of tongues as the initial evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost is uniquely Pentecostal and is one of the few differences from Charismatic theology which generally claims diverse evidences.

Some liberal Pentecostal ministers and members say that a believer might be able to speak in tongues, but for various personal reasons (such as a lack of understanding, lack of knowledge on the subject, fear of speaking in tongues, ...) might not. In these cases however, a demonstrated tendency toward a supernatural power, love and the gifts of the Spirit, as well as other signs (increase in the evangelistic capacity, overcoming of personal issues that was impossible before, ...), would indicate that the believer has been baptized in the Spirit. This would be the only case where a believer would be filled with the Holy Ghost, but not exhibit the so-called "initial physical evidence" of speaking in tongues. This, however, would be a minority perspective.

Pentecostals believe it is essential to repent for the remission of sins and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior in order to obtain salvation. Many believe that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is an additional gift that is bestowed on believers, generally subsequent to an intermediary step termed sanctification. Sanctification refers to a work of grace wherein the effects of past sins are ameliorated and the natural tendency toward a sinful nature is likewise set aside through the working of the Holy Ghost. Other Pentecostals believe that Holy Ghost Baptism is a necessary step in God's plan of salvation citing Peter's answer to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost. The crowd asked Peter what they must do to be saved, and Peter told them to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:37-8).

Pentecostals vary in their beliefs of the types of speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 12:28). Following are some possible distinctions. First, there is the evidence at the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. This is when a believer speaks in tongues when they are baptized by the Holy Ghost. This may or may not be the only time an individual ever speaks in tongues. Secondly, there is the gift of tongues. This is when a person is moved by God to speak in tongues during a church service or other Christian gathering for everyone to hear. The gift of tongues may be exercised anywhere; but many denominations believe that it must only be exercised with a person who has the gift of "interpretation of tongues" is present (whether that be another person or the one who gives the tongue). The interpreter may interpret the tongue into the language of the gathered Christians so that they can understand the message (1 Cor. 14:13, 27-28).

Critics charge that Pentecostal doctrine does not mesh well with what they believe to be Paul's criticism of the early Corinthian church for their obsession with speaking in tongues. They argue that Paul stated that speaking the language is only one of the gifts of the Spirit and is not gifted to all (1 Cor. 12:12-31). However, the recognition of different types of tongues more accurately represents the entirety of the biblical account. For example, the tongues of Spirit baptism are mentioned in Acts 2:38-9 and Acts 10:44-46, the gift of tongues is discussed in 1 Cor. 12:10 and 1 Cor. 14:5, and tongues as a prayer language in 1 Cor. 14:14-15.

Dr. Dale A. Robbins writes in regard to charismatic beliefs that church history argues against the idea that charismatic gifts went away shortly after the apostolic age. Dr. Robbins quotes the early church father Irenaeus (ca. 130-202) as writing, "...we hear many of the brethren in the church who have prophetic gifts, and who speak in tongues through the Spirit, and who also bring to light the secret things of men for their benefit [word of knowledge]...". Dr. Robbins also cites Irenaeus writing, "When God saw it necessary, and the church prayed and fasted much, they did miraculous things, even of bringing back the spirit to a dead man." According to Dr. Robbins, Tertullian (ca. 155–230) reported similar incidents, as did Origen (ca. 182 - 251), Eusebius (ca. 275 – 339), Firmilian (ca. 232-269), and Chrysostom (ca. 347 - 407).[1]

Some of Pentecostal denominations hold to a Unitarian theology. The world's largest Pentecostal denomination, the Assemblies of God, holds to the belief in Trinitarian theology in accordance with mainstream Protestantism[1] as does the Elim Pentecostal Church, Church of God, the Church of God in Christ, The Apostolic Church, and the Foursquare Church. Some Pentecostal churches, however, hold to Oneness theology, which decries the traditional doctrine of the Trinity as biblically inaccurate and likely stemming from pagan influences. Oneness doctrine holds that God is absolutely and indivisibly one and that Jesus was the one God manifested in the flesh, (Timothy 3:16, John 1:1-11, John 10:30). The division of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as some of God's manifestations rather than persons; furthermore they are seen as titles to Jesus. Therefore, Oneness Pentecostals baptize believers "in Jesus' name" rather than what they refer to as the titles: "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The largest Oneness Pentecostal denominations are the United Pentecostal Church International, Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus, and the Apostolic Church of the Faith in Christ Jesus but there are many smaller Oneness Pentecostal organizations and independent churches such as the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, the True Jesus Church, the Pentecostal Followers of Jesus Christ International Ministries, the Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith, Bible Way, and independent or nondenominational churches such as the Potter's House pastored by T.D. Jakes. The majority, if not all, of Oneness Pentecostals also refer to themselves as Apostolics. The major Trinitarian Pentecostal organizations including the Pentecostal World Conference and the Fellowship of Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of North America, have condemned Oneness theology as a heresy and refuse membership to churches holding this belief. This same holds true for the Oneness Pentecostals towards Trinitarian churches. For Oneness Pentecostals the United Pentecostal Church International serves as the major organization.

Most Pentecostal churches hold the belief that preaching the Gospel to unbelievers is extremely important. "The Great Commission" to spread the "Good News of the Kingdom of God", spoken by Jesus directly before his Ascension, [2] is perceived as one of the most important commands that Jesus gave.

History

Pentecostals trace the history of the movement to the day of Pentecost when a week after Jesus ascended into Heaven (Acts 1), there were 120 believers waiting for the promise of the Father, that is the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:4, when the Holy Spirit came upon the believers they all spoke in tongues (other languages). That notwithstanding, the practice of speaking in tongues has not been consistently reported in orthodox Christian practice, and the roots of the current movement arguably date back no earlier than the mid-19th century. Modern revival movements over the past few hundred years have appeared and are referenced below.

One such revival began with a Prussian Guards officer, Gustav von Below, in 1817. He and his brothers started holding charismatic meetings on his estates in Pomerania. A Lutheran commission sent to investigate was at first suspicious but found the phenomenon to be "of God." This led to a growth in charismatic meetings across Germany which quickly crossed the Atlantic during the great German migrations of the nineteenth century. The Pentecostal movement also became prominent in the Holiness movement, which was the first to begin making numerous references to the term "Pentecostal", such as in 1867 when the movement established The National Camp Meeting Association for the Promotion of Christian Holiness with a notice that said: [We are summoning,] irrespective of denominational tie...those who feel themselves comparatively isolated in their profession of holiness…that all would realize together a Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Ghost....

Although the 1896 Shearer Schoolhouse Revival in Cherokee County, North Carolina may rightfully be regarded as the literal beginning of the modern Pentecostal movement, the remoteness of this region very likely played a role in this event remaining localized for so long. Around 1901, however, Pentecostalism was to stand on a larger stage, as that was when Agnes Ozman began speaking in tongues (glossolalia) during a prayer meeting at Charles Fox Parham's Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas in 1901. Parham, a minister of Methodist background, formulated the doctrine that tongues was the "Bible evidence" of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Further, Pentecostals point to the "upper room" experience of the gathered disciples of Jesus as described in Acts 2:1 and Peter's instructions in Acts 2:38 as justification for their practices.

Parham left Topeka and began a revival meeting ministry. The most significant and controversial is his link to the Azusa Street Revival conducted by his student, the African-American, William J. Seymour. Parham taught W.J. Seymour in his school in Houston, Texas. Since W.J. Seymour was African-American, he was only allowed to sit outside the room to listen to Parham.

This racial separation was deeply influenced by the social, national and political structures of the time. The Supreme Court, in the landmark decision, Plessy vs Ferguson in 1896, legalized racial segregation throughout the United States and ended Reconstruction. This national political influence resulted in an "achilles heel" for the early Pentecostal movement in the U.S. and long-term impact concerning racial unity, equality and doctrinal nuances. For example, many African-American Pentecostal leaders maintained affinities, close ties, cordial relationships and even fellowship with their African-American Holiness leaders. In fact, the Trinitarian-Oneness division within the Assemblies of God had little or no impact to many African-American trinitarian Pentecostal churches who maintained cordial relationships with newly organized African-American Oneness organizations.

Although many instances of glossolalia occurred prior to 1906, The Azusa Street Revival led by William J. Seymour is the watershed of the Pentecostal movement in the U.S. and worldwide. It began on April 9, 1906, in Los Angeles, California, at the home of Edward Lee, who claimed the infilling of the Holy Spirit. William J. Seymour claimed that he was overcome with the Holy Ghost on April 12, 1906. On April 18, 1906, the Los Angeles Times ran a front page story on the revival, "Weird Babel of Tongues, New Sect of fanatics is breaking loose, Wild scene last night on Azusa Street, gurgle of wordless talk by a sister". By the third week in April, 1906, the small but growing congregation rented an abandoned African Methodist Episcopal Church at 312 Azusa Street and subsequently became organized as the Apostolic Faith Mission. Almost all mainline Pentecostal denominations today trace their historical roots to the Azusa Street Revival.

Pentecostalism, like any other major movement, has given birth to a large number of organizations, denominations, churches, sects, para-churches, separatists and even cults with political, social or theological differences. The movement's inception was counter-cultural to the social and political norms of society. Record numbers of African-American men and women, both Black and white were initial leaders. As the Azusa Revival began to wane, doctrinal differences began to surface as well as the pressure from social, cultural and political events of the time. As a result, major divisions, separation, isolationism, sectarianism and even the increase of extremism were apparent. Not wishing to affiliate with the Assemblies of God, formed in 1914, a group of ministers from predominantly white churches formed the Pentecostal Church of God in Chicago, Illinois in 1919. George Went Hensley, a preacher who had left the Church of God, Cleveland Tennesee (the oldest Pentecostal denomination in America) when it finally stopped embracing snake handling, is credited with creating the first church dedicated to this extreme practice in the 1920s. This became widely practiced in poor, rural areas of the Appalachians. In urban African-American communities of the 1940s, there were Father Divine with his Peace Mission and Daddy Grace, both claiming divinity, encouraging their followers to practice the estaticism of Pentecostalism.

In the last part of the 20th Century the Word of Faith movement, the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville movement are some of the better know splinter groups who have appropriated the mantle of Pentecostalism to lend creedence to extreme practices and dogma which are rejected by the mainstream movement. These include the practice of divine laughter, Dominionism, ecstatic barking, Creative Visualization, Fetishism, and making Seed Money donations in order to cooerce divine reward. Dominionism, Creative Visualization, Fetishism, and Seed Money doctrines were never a part of the Toronto or Brownsville revivals, nor are they embraced or endorsed by any major Pentecostal denomination today.

The role of African-Americans and women cannot be underestimated in the early Pentecostal movement. The first decade of Pentecostalism was marked by interracial assemblies, "...Whites and blacks mix in a religious frenzy,..." according to a local newspaper account at a time when the Supreme Court of the United States declared in its landmark case, Plessy vs Ferguson of 1896 that government facilities were to remain racially separate, but equal. The decision ushered the Jim Crow practices of apartheid in the United States with racially separate and unequal facilities in the U.S. The forward interracial, gender equality and enthusiasm of the Azusa Revival lasted until 1924, when divisions occurred along racial (see Apostolic Faith Mission), gender and doctrinal lines. Interracial services continued for many years, even in parts of the segregated Southern United States, although after the waning years of the Azusa Revival, the practice of interracial services were nearly non-existent in many white Pentecostal churches. The Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, prior to the split in 1923, made significant inroads across racial divides, with missionary ministry to the Bahamas and elsewhere. After the 1923 divide, the bulk of the black membership followed Overseer A.J. Tomlinson into the Church of God of Prophecy.

This racial isolation, as well as doctrinal splinters, issues of church authority and autonomy, separated denominations such as the A/G and other churches from each other for many years. When the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America was formed in 1948, it was made up entirely of Anglo-American Pentecostal denominations. The Oneness organization, United Pentecostal Church would not join because of their doctrinal stance and their interracial policy throughout its history. After major, national, cultural, religious, political events such as the 1963 Civil Rights Movement led by The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Charismatic Movement, many Pentecostal denominations moved from isolationism to cooperative fellowship. In 1994, segregated Anglo Pentecostals returned to their roots of racial reconciliation. Another watershed within the Pentecostal movement is the MEMPHIS MIRACLE, a meeting by Anglo Pentecostal leaders to African-American Pentecostal leaders. This unification occurred in 1998 in Memphis, Tennessee at the headquarters of the largest African-American Pentecostal body, the Church of God in Christ. The unification of Anglo and African-American leaders led to the restructuring of the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America to become the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America.

Some leaders who chose not to participate in the early 20th Century Pentecostal Movement remained highly respected by Pentecostal leaders of the 20th Century. Albert Benjamin Simpson became closely involved with the growing Pentecostal movement. It was common for Pentecostal pastors and missionaries to receive their training at the Missionary Training Institute that Simpson founded. Because of this, Simpson and the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) (an evangelistic movement that Simpson founded) had a great influence on Pentecostalism, in particular the Assemblies of God and the Foursquare Church. This influence included evangelistic emphasis, C&MA doctrine, Simpson's hymns and books, and the use of the term 'Gospel Tabernacle,' which evolved into Pentecostal churches being known as 'Full Gospel Tabernacles.' Charles Price Jones, the African-American Holiness leader and founder of the Church of Christ is another example. His hymns are widely sung at National Coventions of the Church of God in Christ and many Pentecostal churches both African-American and Anglo.

In the United Kingdom, the first Pentecostal church to be formed was the Apostolic Church. This was later followed by the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance, later to be known as the Elim Pentecostal Church, founded in 1914 by George Jeffreys.

From the late 1950s onwards, the Charismatic movement, which was to a large extent inspired and influenced by Pentecostalism, began to flourish in the mainline Protestant denominations, as well as the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches, fostered in Britain by organizations such as the Fountain Trust, founded by Michael Harper in 1964. Unlike "Classical Pentecostals," who formed strictly Pentecostal congregations or denominations, Charismatics adopted as their motto, "Bloom where God planted you."

In Sweden, the first Pentecostal church was Filadelfiaförsamlingen in Stockholm. Pastored by Lewi Pethrus, this congregation, originally Baptist, was expelled from the Baptist Union of Sweden in 1913 for doctrinal differences. Today this congregation has about 7000 members and is the biggest Pentecostal congregation in northern Europe. As of 2005, the Swedish pentecostal movement has approximately 90,000 members in nearly 500 congregations. These congregations are all independent but cooperate on a large scale. Swedish Pentecostals have been very missionary-minded and have established churches in many countries. In Brazil, for example, churches founded by the Swedish Pentecostal mission claim several million members.

The history of Pentecostalism in Australia has been documented by Dr Barry Chant in Heart of Fire (1984, Adelaide: Tabor).

Pentecostal denominations and adherents

Main article: List of Christian denominations § Pentecostalism

Estimated numbers of Pentecostals vary widely. Christianity Today reported in an article titled World Growth at 19 Million a Year that according to historian Vinson Synan, dean of the Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, about 25 percent of the world's Christians are Pentecostal or charismatic.

The largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States are the Assemblies of God, the Church of God in Christ, New Testament Church, Church of God (Cleveland), Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the United Pentecostal Church. According to a Spring 1998 article in Christian History, there are about 11,000 different Pentecostal or charismatic denominations worldwide.

The size of Pentecostalism in the U.S. is estimated to be more than 20 million including approximately 918,000 (4%) of the Hispanic-American population, counting all unaffiliated congregations, although the numbers are uncertain, in part because some tenets of Pentecostalism are held by members of non-Pentecostal denominations in what has been called the charismatic movement. Toronto Canada, has a large Pentecostal population. The influence of immigrants from Jamaica, Africa, Latin America, Korea and elsewhere have created diverse churches throughout the city.

In Australia, Hillsong (led by Pastor Brian Houston) is the largest church with a membership exceeding 19,000. Many of their songs are sung across the Pentecostal churches. They are a member of Assemblies of God, which is one of the largest Pentecostal organisations in the world.

Inside Hillsong Church (a Pentecostal Church).

Pentecostalism was estimated to number around 115 million followers worldwide in 2000; lower estimates place the figure near to 22 million (eg. Cambridge Encyclopedia), while the highest estimates apparently place the figure between 400 and 600 million. The great majority of Pentecostals are to be found in Developing Countries (see the Statistics subsection below), although much of their international leadership is still North American. Pentecostalism is sometimes referred to as the "third force of Christianity." The largest Pentecostal Christian church in the world is the Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea. Founded and led by David Yonggi Cho since 1958, it had 780,000 members in 2003.

According to Christianity Today, Pentecostalism is "a vibrant faith among the poor; it reaches into the daily lives of believers, offering not only hope but a new way of living." [2]. In addition, according to a 1999 U.N. report, "Pentecostal churches have been the most successful at recruiting its members from the poorest of the poor." Brazilian Pentecostals talk of Jesus as someone real and close to them and doing things for them including providing food and shelter.

Outside the English speaking world

Pentecostal and charismatic church growth is rapid in many parts of the world. Missions expert David Barrett estimated in a Christianity Today article that the Pentecostal and charismatic church is growing by 19 million per year.

Jeffrey K. Hadden at the Department of Sociology at the University of Virginia collected statistics from the various large pentecostal organizations and from the work by David Stoll (David Stoll, "Is Latin American Turning Protestant?" published Berkeley: University of California Press. 1990) demonstrating that the Pentecostals are experiencing very rapid growth as can be seen on his website. In Myanmar, the Assemblies of God of Myanmar is one of the largest Christian denominations. The pentecostal churches Igreja do Evangelho Completo de Deus, Assembleias de Deus, Igrejas de Cristo and the Assembleias Evangelicas de Deus Pentecostales are among the largest denominations of Mozambique.

According to the last census in Brazil 25% are Protestants, most of them are pentecostals or charismatics (Eg. Assemblies of God, Christian Congregation of Brazil, Foursquare Gospel, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Charismatics Baptists) the biggest denomination are the Assemblies of God (Assembléia de Deus) - about 10 million members.

Among the Indian charismatic denominations are Apostolic Church of Pentecost, Apostolic Pentecostal Church, Assemblies of Christ Church, Assemblies of God, Bible Pattern Church, Church of God (Full Gospel) in India, Church of God of Prophecy, Church of the Apostolic Faith, Elim Church, Nagaland Christian Revival Church, New Life Fellowship, The Pentecostal Mission (New Testament Church), Open Bible Church of God, Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church, Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pentecostal Mission,United Pentecostal Church in India, India Pentecostal Church of God, Sharon Fellowship Church, Kerala, India (Founded by Pr. Thomachayan) has planted numerous Churches throughout the world.

Statistics

See List of Christian denominations by number of members. The list indicates there may be 150 million Pentecostals with the largest Pentecostal denominations (claiming 2 million or more adherents) being:

Denomination Statistics

While not as large as some of the above organizations the following have made quite an impact on Pentecostalism:

Geographical distribution

Leaders

Main page: Category:Pentecostals

Precursors

Early history

Theologians

Pentecostal theologians are listed in the article Renewal Theologians.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ See Statement of Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God
  2. ^ This imperative can be found in Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20

Studies

Academic - Centres and Journals

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