By: Evg. Bradley Sliedrecht BCL, M.Div
Dr. Allan Anderson’s comparative study of concepts of power within African Pentecostal churches, African indigenous religions, and Black Power maintained that: "The power of the Holy Spirit has more than just 'spiritual' significance. It also has to do with dignity, authority, and power over all types of oppression. God loves and desires the welfare of the whole person; and so he sends his Spirit to bestow that divine, liberating ability and strength."¹ Furthermore, in his paper Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity, Dr. Anderson emphasizes that "the power of the Spirit that is central to Pentecostal belief is not just a mystical experience of God; the fundamental conviction of Pentecostals is that the power they receive through the Spirit is to evangelize all nations and so glorify Jesus Christ."² These perspectives lay this discussion foundation for the importance of the Holy Spirit for the success of Pentecostal-Charismatic missions worldwide.
The Pentecostal-Charismatic movement is deeply rooted in the belief that the Holy Spirit is central to Christian life and mission. The Bible demonstrates the critical role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and empowering the early disciples to reach the nations. In Acts 1:8, Jesus declares, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (NIV).³ This empowerment by the Holy Spirit is foundational to Pentecostal-Charismatic missions and has been instrumental in its rapid global expansion.
In Acts 13:2-4, the Holy Spirit directs the church in Antioch to set apart Paul and Barnabas for missionary work, showing the active role of the Spirit in sending missionaries. Similarly, the Spirit prevents Paul from going to certain regions (Acts 16:6-7), demonstrating the divine guidance that the Holy Spirit provides in mission work. Another pivotal moment is Acts 2, the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues, leading to the conversion of thousands. These examples reflect how early missions were Spirit-led, laying the foundation for how Pentecostal-Charismatic Christians continue to view the Holy Spirit’s role in global missions.
According to Allan Anderson’s To the Ends of the Earth, Pentecostalism's growth is closely linked to this theological emphasis on the Holy Spirit.⁴ The gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy, and miracles, play a vital role in attracting followers. The Holy Spirit is seen as the source of empowerment, enabling ordinary believers to engage in mission work, even without formal theological training.⁵ This inclusivity has contributed to the rapid spread of Pentecostalism, particularly in non-Western regions, where experiential faith resonates deeply with local cultures and spiritual traditions. For example, Pentecostal missionaries in Africa, empowered by the Holy Spirit, were able to integrate local customs, fostering rapid church growth and social transformation.
Walter J. Hollenweger, in Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide, emphasizes that Pentecostal missions often expect the miraculous, such as healing and prophecy, to accompany their evangelism.⁶ These demonstrations of the Spirit’s power provide credibility to the message of salvation and create a sense of urgency for believers and converts to engage in spreading the gospel. This sense of divine intervention has been particularly practical in communities where traditional religions emphasize spiritual powers, leading to the successful expansion of Pentecostalism in places like Africa and Latin America.
The Three Waves of Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is often described in three distinct waves, each representing a different phase of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church and its mission. Growing up on the coast, I appreciate how Vinson Synan compares the waves of the Holy Spirit to a set of incoming waves. Just like the waves of the ocean, these waves of spiritual revival are part of a continuous flow, each wave building upon the last as part of a larger set. This imagery reinforces the prophecy in Scripture, where God promises, "In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams" (Acts 2:17, NIV).⁷
1. The First Wave: Classical Pentecostalism
The first wave of Pentecostalism began in the early 20th century, particularly with events like the 1901 Topeka Revival and the 1906 Azusa Street Revival, where the Holy Spirit empowered believers through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with speaking in tongues as a key sign. This phase saw the birth of classical Pentecostal denominations, such as the Assemblies of God and the Church of God in Christ. During this period, the Holy Spirit rejuvenated the church by calling ordinary people into mission work, not just ordained clergy, allowing for rapid global evangelism. According to Vinson Synan, the missionary zeal that followed these early revivals was transformative, especially in non-Western regions like Africa and Latin America.⁸ Missionaries like William J. Seymour played critical roles in ensuring that the revival’s message reached diverse communities, transcending racial and cultural boundaries.
2. The Second Wave: Charismatic Renewal
The second wave, the Charismatic Renewal, began in the 1960s and spread across mainline Protestant and Catholic churches. Unlike the classical Pentecostal movement, Charismatics remained within their denominations while embracing the gifts of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy. This wave significantly impacted traditional churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, and helped rejuvenate their mission work. Hollenweger describes how the Charismatic Renewal injected new energy into Catholic and Protestant mission efforts by fostering a renewed focus on the Holy Spirit’s active role in the life of believers and the church’s mission.⁹ For instance, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal led to vibrant mission efforts in Latin America, helping to revitalize the church’s engagement with local communities.
3. The Third Wave: Neo-Charismatic Movement
The third wave emerged in the 1980s and is known as the Neo-Charismatic Movement. This movement emphasized the empowerment of all believers through the Holy Spirit but downplayed the necessity of speaking in tongues as evidence of Spirit baptism. The third wave focused on supernatural signs like healing and miracles, alongside evangelism and social action. Anderson argues that this wave has been especially successful in engaging young people and reaching urban populations globally. The Neo-Charismatic movement highlights how the Holy Spirit continues rejuvenating the church’s mission by empowering believers to engage with contemporary issues, such as poverty and injustice while preaching the gospel.¹⁰ In countries like South Korea and Nigeria, the Neo-Charismatic movement has led to the establishment of large mega-churches and dynamic mission programs, both locally and internationally.
Impact of the Three Waves on Global Missions
The three waves of Pentecostalism have led to a massive global expansion of the church, particularly in the Global South. The Holy Spirit has rejuvenated the church by inspiring a dynamic and flexible approach to missions. These movements have embraced lay leadership, empowered ordinary believers, and incorporated local cultures into worship and mission strategies, making Pentecostalism uniquely adaptable and globally relevant. For instance, in Africa and Asia, Pentecostal churches have rapidly grown by incorporating local customs and addressing local spiritual needs, such as healing and deliverance ministries.
Similarities and Dissimilarities Between Pentecostal-Charismatic, Catholic, and Protestant Approaches to Missions
Similarities:
Shared Commitment to Evangelism: All three traditions—Pentecostal-Charismatic, Catholic, and Protestant—are committed to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV), with a shared focus on bringing people to faith in Christ globally.¹¹
Social Outreach: Both Pentecostal-Charismatic and Catholic missions integrate social justice initiatives with evangelism, providing healthcare, education, and relief efforts alongside preaching the gospel.¹² This holistic approach reflects a commitment to both spiritual and social transformation. Protestant missions also share this approach, particularly within the framework of development work in impoverished regions.
Dissimilarities:
Role of the Holy Spirit: Pentecostal-Charismatic missions emphasize the visible, experiential manifestations of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy (Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism, 2004).¹³ In contrast, Catholic and traditional Protestant missions focus more on sacraments and institutional forms of worship, viewing the Holy Spirit’s work through more sacramental or liturgical lenses.
Leadership Structures: Catholic missions are often hierarchical, with ordained clergy at the forefront of mission work, while Protestant missions typically emphasize theological education. Pentecostal missions, by contrast, emphasize lay leadership, with ordinary believers empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead mission efforts.¹⁴ This decentralized structure allows Pentecostal missions to be more flexible and adaptable to local cultures.
Cultural Adaptability: Pentecostal missions are known for their cultural adaptability, allowing local traditions to shape worship and mission practices. Catholic missions, while historically more standardized, have increasingly embraced cultural adaptability since Vatican II.¹⁵ Protestant missions, particularly in the 20th century, also began adopting more contextualized approaches, but Pentecostalism's emphasis on integrating local spiritual traditions has made it particularly effective in non-Western contexts.
Area of Concern Requiring Further Study
As noted by Vinson Synan in The Century of the Holy Spirit, one area requiring further study is the phenomenon in which charismatics in non-Pentecostal mainline Protestant and Catholic churches experience only a brief period of intense involvement. Synan states, "Charismatics greatly outnumber Pentecostals in numbers and in annual converts worldwide. They do, however, have a growing dilemma in that charismatics in the non-Pentecostal mainline Protestant and Catholic churches experience an average intense involvement of only two or three years—after this period as active weekly attenders at prayer meetings, they become irregular or nonattending, justifying our term post-charismatics."¹⁶ Understanding why this pattern occurs and how the Holy Spirit’s activity can be sustained over a more extended period is crucial for future research into the longevity and effectiveness of Charismatic movements.
Conclusion
The success of Pentecostal-Charismatic missions worldwide is primarily due to the central role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and empowering believers to fulfill the Great Commission. The biblical examples of the Spirit leading and directing the early church (Acts 1:8, Acts 13:2-4, Acts 16:6-7, and Acts 2) set the tone for how Pentecostals approach mission. The three waves of Pentecostalism have rejuvenated the global church, empowering believers through the Holy Spirit to engage in dynamic, Spirit-filled missions. While Pentecostal-Charismatic missions share a commitment to evangelism with Catholic and Protestant traditions, they differ in their emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit, the role of lay leadership, and their adaptability to local cultures. These characteristics have allowed Pentecostalism to thrive globally and resonate with diverse communities.
Bibliography
Anderson, Allan H. An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Hollenweger, Walter J. Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
Synan, Vinson, ed. The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal, 1901–2001. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001.
Footnotes
¹ Allan Anderson, Moya: The Holy Spirit in an African Context (Pretoria: Unisa Press, 1991), 63.
² Allan H. Anderson, Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).
³ Acts 1:8 (NIV). Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
⁴ Allan H. Anderson, To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), 34-40.
⁵ Anderson, To the Ends of the Earth, 37.
⁶ Acts 2:17 (NIV). Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
⁷ Vinson Synan, ed., The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal, 1901–2001 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001), 81-95.
⁸ Walter J. Hollenweger, Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997), 118-120.
⁹ Allan H. Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 214-217.
¹⁰ Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV). Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
¹¹ Vinson Synan, The Century of the Holy Spirit, 92.
¹² Allan H. Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 209.
¹³ Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism, 214-217.
¹⁴ Vinson Synan, The Century of the Holy Spirit, 92.
¹⁵ Vinson Synan, The Century of the Holy Spirit, 15.
¹⁶ Vinson Synan, The Century of the Holy Spirit, 15.
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