Europe
Up one levelIn 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 2014-05-18 01:43
- Information regarding the first GloPent joint research project.
- Research Project: Youth in the German Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement by CHB — last modified 2006-06-27 00:41
- Research Project: The Church Militant by Graham R Smith — last modified 2011-02-09 14:21
- 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."
- "God Found His Moses": A Biographical and Theological Analysis of the life of Joseph Smale (1867-1926) by Tim Welch — last modified 2011-02-09 14:21
- This PhD will be available to read on www.etheses.bham.ac.uk (from Dec 2009)
- 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.
- Book Announcement: Joseph Smale by Tim Welch — last modified 2013-06-21 21:25
- A new book by Tim Welch on "God's Moses for Pentecostalism"
- 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 2011-10-28 15:32
- The European Pentecostal Theological Association by webmaster — last modified 2008-10-29 12:16
- 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.
- Research Paper: Pentecostalism in Nazi Germany by Sven Brenner — last modified 2009-02-28 17:38
- Pentecostalism in Germany in the time of Third Reich cannot be treated as a whole “movement”, because till the end of World War II, the German Pentecostal Movement, with few exceptions, consisted predominantly of groupings with strong leaders. As Pentecostalism in Germany emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, also some fears and uncertainties concerning Pentecostal spirituality precipitated, which eventually cumulated in the „Berliner Erklärung“ (Berlin Declaration) and led to “special circumstances” in Germany. In spite of all of that the German Pentecostal „Movement“ experienced further growth during the time oft he Weimar Republic, only to be interrupted by the “breaking in” of the Third Reich. A number of congregations were forbidden; others only could stay alive by forming an alliance with the Baptists, e.g. the Elim-Movement. In Berlin the „Deutsche Volksmission“ remained the only group that was not forbidden, because the „Volksmission“ was not considered to be “Pentecostal” in the eyes of the authorities. During this time the Gestapo forbade some public gatherings, spied on church services, and hindered the printing and distribution of tracts and magazines. In consequence, some groups had to meet in the underground. All in all we can say that through the war situation and the repression of the Gestapo, Pentecostal spirituality and evangelism was hindered and at times virtually impossible. Only after the war a new freedom for evangelism and church growth arose. Eventually the Pentecostals were allowed once again to conduct meetings and soon unification aspirations developed.
- 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 / Europe by Claudia Waehrisch-Oblau — last modified 2009-06-10 17:08
- Publications by Claudia Waehrisch-Oblau
- 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.