Europe

The following contributions relate to the ongoing research on Pentecostal and Charismatic movements in Europe.

In comparison with other continents, the Pentecostal movement in Europe has not shown the same spectacular growth. In 2000 D.B. Barrett and T.M. Johnson estimated a total of 37,568,700 Pentecostals/Charismatics/Neocharismatics in Europe. About 8% (= 3 million) refers to the classical Pentecostals, 56% to the Charismatics and 36% to the Neocharismatics. While these high numbers of Charismatics and Neocharismatics are questionable, the 3 million belonging to Pentecostal denominations correspond well with the figures established by Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk (2001) and by Paul Schmidgall (2003).

If we follow Schmidgall, only five European countries have more than 1% of their population belonging to Pentecostal denominations (Romania, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Bulgaria). Romania has the largest Pentecostal body, both in number (500.000) and in percentage of the population (2,1%). The only other countries with numbers above 200.000 are: Russia (400.000), Ukraine (400.000), Italy (400.000) and Great Britain (300.000).

The meetings initiated by Thomas Ball Barratt (1862-1940) in December 1906 at Oslo are often taken as the first Pentecostal gatherings in Europe. From Oslo it spread over Scandinavia as well as to England, Germany, Switzerland and beyond. Although starting somewhat later, the Pentecostals movement has been relatively more successful in Eastern European countries. During the Soviet years, most Pentecostals in Eastern Europe were forced to merge with evangelicals in state controlled denominations. Those who refused, went underground and were persecuted. Since the fall of the Berlin wall, all kinds of Pentecostal groups from the West have flooded the former Communist countries.

During the 1950’s and 1960’s the Charismatic movement emerged within the mainline churches and gradually became a strong influence. The so called Third Wave was particularly successful in Great Britain, where a large number of independent charismatic churches developed. In the last decades large numbers of migrant churches were established by immigrants from Africa, Asia and Latin America. In Great Britain this development already started in the 1950’s with the immigration of people from the West Indies.

GloPent Research Project: Transnational Nigerian-initiated Pentecostal churches, networks and believers in three Northern countries by Kim Knibbe — last modified 2008-02-11 18:30: This is the web space of the first transnational research project initiated by the GloPent network, introducing the project and providing further details about the research.
Research Project: Youth in the German Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement by Claudia Hesse-Böhme — last modified 2006-06-27 00:41
Research Project: Romanian Pentecostalism by Vasile Marchis — last modified 2007-09-17 13:48: An outline of my doctoral research project on Romanian Pentecostalism
Research Project: Restorational Ecclesiology of Lewi Pethrus by Tommy Davidsson — last modified 2007-07-04 16:24: This dissertation attempts to show the impact of Lewi Pethrus' restorational Ecclesiology on his philosophy of ministry; particularly the years he served as pastor for the Filadelfia church in Stockholm, 1911-1958.
Research Project: Ecumenism at the Five International Conferences of the Fountain Trust (1970-1980) by Ho Yan Au — last modified 2006-06-27 00:50: This is an abstract and outline of my dissertation "Ecumenism at the Five International Conferences of the Fountain Trust (1970-1980) — A Reflection of Grassroots Unity in the British Charismatic Renewal."
Research Project: The Church Militant by Graham R Smith — last modified 2006-04-15 10:22: This is an abstract of my PhD thesis " THE CHURCH MILITANT: The theology & spirituality of “spiritual warfare” in the charismatic renewal and its significance in the Anglican Communion."
Research Project: God found his "Moses:" The life and ministry of Pastor Joseph Smale by Tim Welch — last modified 2006-05-03 13:49: A biographical, pneumatological, missiological and ecclesiological analysis of the life and ministry of Pastor Joseph Smale (1867-1926), who was described by Frank Bartleman as "God's Moses" for Pentecostalism
Research Project: Conflicts Involving Pentecostal Churches and Movements by Ib Sørensen — last modified 2007-08-20 18:56: The project investigates 3-6 local Danish Pentecostal churches and movements as organizational cultures in order to understand from the inside, why some of them develop problematic relations to their surroundings and some not.
The Swedish Pentecostal Research and Information Center - PRI by webmaster — last modified 2006-06-27 01:06: The center is building up an information- and database about the Swedish Pentecostal Movement. It is a central collection of source documents in the Swedish Pentecostal movement, including the archives and library of Lewi Pethrus.
The Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association (JEPTA) by webmaster — last modified 2006-06-27 01:06
The European Pentecostal Theological Association by webmaster — last modified 2006-06-27 01:06: The European Pentecostal Theological Association is a Fellowship of scholars actively engaged in Pentecostal education of ministerial training in Europe.
European Pentecostal Charismatic Research Association (EPCRA) by webmaster — last modified 2007-08-04 20:45: The European Pentecostal Charismatic Research Association hosts regularl conferences, which facilitate contacts and exchange among researchers, academicians, and the like who have interests related to the study of Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. EPCRA is intentionally international, inter-denominational, and interdisciplinary in its approach involving academicians, interested lay people, theologians and researchers in other disciplines, Pentecostals and representatives of other churches.
Centre For Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies by webmaster — last modified 2007-01-28 00:16: This Centre For Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies is one of the centres for Practical Theology within the University of Wales, Bangor. It represents a partnership between the University of Wales, Bangor and Mattersey Hall, an Assemblies of God Bible College.
Fundamentalism: power and the absolute. by Heinrich Schäfer — last modified 2006-07-26 20:48: An article about fundamentalism that examines some pentecostal practices from this angle.
Bibliography: Lewi Pethrus by Tommy Davidsson — last modified 2007-07-06 10:55: This is concise bibliographical database of my current research project.
Pentecostalism and African Migration to Europe from Nigeria and Ghana by André Droogers — last modified 2007-04-30 11:45: This is a bibliography on African Migrant Pentecostalism with a Focus on West African Migration (Nigeria and Ghana).
Migrant churches in Germany by Claudia Waehrisch-Oblau — last modified 2006-01-16 15:51: Papers by Claudia Waehrisch-Oblau
Romanian Pentecostalism by Vasile Marchis — last modified 2006-01-27 15:34: A selective bibliographical database on Romanian Pentecostalism
Bibliographical Excerpt: The Church Militant by Graham R Smith — last modified 2006-06-27 00:48: This is a concise database of the works that I use in my research on charismatic renewal and its significance in the Anglican Communion.
Bibliography: Five International Conference of the Fountain Trust by Ho Yan Au — last modified 2006-06-27 00:48: This is a selective database of references for my thesis