Assemblies of God in Italy

Last updated

The Assemblies of God in Italy (Italian : Assemblee di Dio in Italia, ADI), whose full name is Evangelical Christian Churches Assemblies of God in Italy (Chiese Cristiane Evangeliche Assemblee di Dio in Italia), is a fellowship of evangelical and Pentecostal churches which functions as the Italian branch of the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies, while being in communion with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship as well.

Contents

History

The ADI traces its roots in the "Italian Pentecostal revival" led by Louis Francescon among Italian immigrants in Chicago in 1907, that led to the formation of the Christian Congregation in the United States. [1] From Chicago, pioneers like Francescon, Giacomo Lombardi, Pietro Ottolini, Lucia Menna, Umberto Gazzari, and Louis Terragnoli went back to Italy in order to spread the Pentecostal gospel e and establish Pentecostal churches. [2] [3]

During the Fascist regime, a letter issued by Guido Buffarini Guidi, undersecretary of the Interior, provided grounds to shut all Pentecostal congregations in Italy. [4]

After the fall of Fascism, it was still difficult for Pentecostals to practice their faith and religious freedom, due to legal and social obstacles. Thus, several Pentecostal congregations sought a purely nominal affiliation with the Assemblies of God USA. [1] The ADI was consequently founded in 1948. [2]

In 1986 the denomination signed an agreement with the Italian government, in accordance with art. 8 of the Constitution of Italy; [5] the agreement became law in 1988. [6]

According to CESNUR, a think tank, the ADI is the single largest Protestant denomination in Italy. As of 2013, it counts 1,028 congregations, 150,000 members and 590 pastors. [2] The church is more numerous in the South, especially Campania, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily, where it has more than half of its congregations. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assemblies of God</span> Group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches

The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is an international Pentecostal denomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies</span>

The International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies (IFCA), formerly known as the Christian Church of North America (CCNA), is a North American Pentecostal denomination with roots in the Italian-American community. Central offices are located in Transfer, Pennsylvania. Ministries of the church include Benevolence, Home Missions, FOCUS, Foreign Missions, Education, Lay Ministries, and Public Relations. A convention is held annually, and their official publication is Vista, a quarterly magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhism in Italy</span> Overview of the role of Buddhism in Italy

Buddhism in Italy is the third most spread religion, next to Christianity and Islam. According to Caritas Italiana, in the country there are 160,000 Buddhists, that is to say the 0.3% of the total population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Francescon</span>

Louis Francescon was a missionary and pioneer of the Italian Pentecostal Movement. Several Pentecostal denominations and fellowships acknowledge him as their pioneer, including the Christian Church of North America, the Christian Assembly in Argentina, the Assemblies of God in Italy, the Christian Congregation in the United States, and the Christian Congregation of Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Italy</span>

Religion in Italy is characterised by the predominance of Christianity and an increasing diversity of religious practices, beliefs and denominations. Most Christians in Italy adhere to the Catholic Church, whose headquarters are in Vatican City, Rome. Christianity has been present in the Italian Peninsula since the 1st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Italy</span>

Christianity in Italy is characterised by the predominance of the Catholic Church.

The Italian Hindu Union is an association representing Hinduism in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldensian Evangelical Church</span> Italian Protestant denomination

The Waldensian Evangelical Church is a Protestant denomination active in Italy and Switzerland that was independent until it united with the Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy in the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches. Founded in the 12th century by Peter Waldo as a proto-Protestant group, since the 16th century Reformation it has adopted Calvinist theology and blended into the wider Calvinist tradition. It is one of several Protestant denominations with pre-Reformation roots, and is appraised by various denominations of Protestantism as its major successor.

The Methodist Evangelical Church in Italy, known also as Italian Methodist Church, is a Protestant church in the Methodist tradition active in Italy that was independent until it united with the historical Waldensian Evangelical Church to form the Union of Methodist and Waldensian Churches. As such, it was part of the World Methodist Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism in Italy</span> The largest minority of Christian denominations in Italy

Protestantism in Italy comprises a minority of the country's religious population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Howard Durham</span>

William Howard Durham was an early Pentecostal preacher and theologian, best known for advocating the Finished Work doctrine.

The Lutheran Evangelical Church in Italy is a Protestant denomination in the Lutheran tradition in Italy.

The Evangelical Reformed Baptist Churches in Italy, or CERBI, is an association of Reformed Baptist churches formed on 25 April 2006 in Bologna.

The Christian Congregation is an international non-denominational fellowship of assemblies with roots in the Italian Pentecostal revival in Chicago, which began in 1907.

The Evangelical Christian Church of the Brethren is an Italian Protestant denomination.

The Italian Union of Seventh-Day Adventist Christian Churches, part of the worldwide fellowship of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is a Protestant denomination in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Buddhist Union</span> Association representing Buddhism in Italy

The Italian Buddhist Union is an association representing Buddhism in Italy.

The Apostolic Church in Italy is an Italian Protestant denomination in the Pentecostal-evangelical tradition founded in 1927, which is part of the worldwide fellowship of the Apostolic Church and the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, an ecumenical body representing Italian Protestants. Its headquarter is in Grosseto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ljudevit Vuličević</span> Serbian writer

Ljudevit Vuličević was an Italian-language writer and cleric who was known for his Serbian and pan-Slavic patriotism.

References

  1. 1 2 Toppi, Francesco. E mi sarete testimoni. Rome: ADI-Media, 1999
  2. 1 2 3 "La prima ondata: (b) i cosiddetti "battisti" – le ADI e le congregazioni indipendenti". 18 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Luce sul Sentiero - Chiese Evangeliche Pentecostali A.D.I. di Casale Monferrato (AL) e Tortona (AL". www.lucesulsentiero.it.
  4. ↑ Bracco, Roberto. Persecuzione in Italia. Rome, 1967
  5. ↑ "Governo Italiano - Le intese con le confessioni religiose". presidenza.governo.it.
  6. ↑ "Governo Italiano - Confessioni religiose". presidenza.governo.it.
  7. ↑ "Dove siamo - le chiese delle Assemblee di Dio in Italia sul territorio nazionale". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
Christian cross.svg

This article about a Christian denomination is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.