Pentecostalism in Australia

Last updated

Inside Hillsong Church Hillsong church worship01.jpg
Inside Hillsong Church

Pentecostalism in Australia is a large and growing Christian movement. Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Protestant Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. It emerged from 19th century precursors (such as the Holiness movement, the Higher Life movement, revivalism, the divine healing movement, and the like) [1] between 1870 and 1910, taking denominational form from c. 1927. From the early 1930s, Pentecostal denominations multiplied, and there are now several dozen, the largest of which relate to one another through conferences and organisations such as the Australian Pentecostal Ministers Fellowship. The Australian Christian Churches, formerly known as the Australian Assemblies of God, is the oldest and longest lasting Pentecostal organisation in Australia. The AOG/ACC is also the largest Pentecostal organisation in Australia with over 300,000 members in 2018. [2] Until 2018, Hillsong Church was one of 10 megachurches in Australia associated with the ACC that have at least 2,000 members weekly. [3] According to the church, over 100,000 people attend services each week at the church or one of its 80 affiliated churches located worldwide (around 40,000 in Australia). [4]

Contents

Scholars in recent years, such as Sam Hey, have noted the growth in Pentecostal membership accelerated in the 1970s with an increase in the "youth generation". [2]

Australian Pentecostal denominationalism began in the early 20th century under the leadership of Sarah Jane Lancaster. [5] Lancaster set up the first church called Good News Hall, and then merged with other burgeoning Pentecostal churches planted largely by her female helpers, under the name Apostolic Faith Mission of Australia (AFM). [6] The AFM experienced conflict and debate over Christology, due to Lancaster's simplified interpretations of trinitarian theology, leading to the schismatic foundation of new denominations. In 1937, the Assemblies of God in Australia was formed from elements of the Apostolic Faith Mission, the Queensland Pentecostal churches which emerged from the 1924 Macknade revival (federated in 1929 as the Queensland Assemblies of God), [7] and A.C. Valdez's Pentecostal Church of Australia. [5] [8]

The Assemblies of God became known as Australian Christian Churches in 2007.

Early history

The creation of Australia as a prison colony for Great Britain caused the members of the colony early on to adapt to a non-class based system. The primary religion was Anglican, however the local people rejected Anglican authority on the grounds of their non-class based system. It was in this "free church" context that other religious traditions such as Catholicism and Methodism found adherents. [5] The Catholic Apostolic Churches in Australia, which emerged under Edward Irving from a confluence of Scots revivalism and Spanish millennialism, maintained charismatic practice from 1853 through until the end of the 19th century, and significantly influenced the global healing movement. [9] News of revivals happening worldwide reached Australia in the mid-19th century and similar stirrings began in Australia, particularly within Methodist circles of influence. Barry Chant identifies from 1870 a group of Methodist "Sounders", led by Joseph Marshall in rural Victoria, among whom glossolalic practice was directly connected via family links to the early Pentecostal movement. These trends contributed to a rise in the public practice of divine healing in similar areas, by people such as James Moore Hickson. [10] It was with this backdrop that Sarah Jane Lancaster, the founder of the first Pentecostal church in Australia, practiced Methodism and began to learn about spiritual healing and related gifts of the Holy Spirit. She was introduced to Pentecostalism when she requested a pamphlet called Back to Pentecost from leadership in England. This pamphlet claimed that God had never revoked the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so she prayed for these gifts to come upon her. [5] She was finally baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1908. [5]

Apostolic Faith Mission of Australia

In 1909 Sarah Jane Lancaster opened Good News Hall, the first Pentecostal church in Australia. [6] After the opening of the church, Lancaster preached around the country to spread the message of Pentecostalism. Many accepted her message and created Pentecostal churches of their own, but did not formally unite under Lancaster's church until 1926 when a flamboyant itinerent evangelist Fredrick Van Eyck (also spelled Van Eyk) recommended utilising his South African denominational links under the name Apostolic Faith Mission of Australia (AFM). [5] [6] The AFM had problems from the start because the anti-doctrinal approach and the emphasis on personal interpretation led to disunity, although its final demise was due to Van Eyck's relationship with the daughter of a Queensland pastor, which incensed churches that had grown out of a holiness tradition . [5] [11]

Reorganisation of denominations

In the same year,[ when? ] the Pentecostal Church of Australia was formed under the leadership of A.C. Valdez, an American convert from the Azusa Street Revival that had taken place in Los Angeles. [8] With growing tensions within the AFM, some of the churches broke off and renamed themselves the Assemblies of God Queensland. [5] In 1937, the Assemblies of God Queensland and the Pentecostal Church of Australia merged under the title Assemblies of God in Australia. [6] Adopting the name "Australian Christian Churches" in 2007, this group has since been the largest Pentecostal denomination in Australia. [12]

Pentecostalism in Australia today

Though other denominations dominate Australia's population today (including from the top Catholicism, Anglicanism, Uniting Church and Presbyterian/Reformed), studies show that the number of proportional adherents of these traditions have all dropped. Conversely, the proportional number of adherents for Pentecostalism rose between the years 1991 and 2001. [12] Adherence to Pentecostalism increased from nearly 220,000 in 2006 and 238,000 in 2011 to 260,500 in 2016. [13] The average age of a Pentecostal congregation as of 2011 was 25. [2]

In 2007, the Assemblies of God changed its name to "Australian Christian Churches", under the leadership of Brian Houston. to distance the contemporary Hillsong churches from older style Pentecostalism, and to increase participation. [3] Until 2018, Hillsong, founded in 1983 by Brian and Bobbie Houston, was the largest church associated with the AOG/ACC in Australia. In 2007 the Hillsong megachurch claimed (within Australia) more than 40,000 members every week and had over 30 affiliated congregations in Sydney. [12] Hillsong Church was one of 10 megachurches in Australia associated with the ACC that have at least 2,000 members weekly. [3]

In September 2018 Hillsong withdrew from the ACC, and formed its own denomination. [14] While much attention has been paid to Hillsong and to the ACC, two other significant Australian international Pentecostal networks centre on the C3 Global Network (founded by Phil Pringle and a number of others in 1980) and the International Network of Churches network (founded by Clark Taylor in what is now called Citipointe Church in Brisbane). [15]

In 2018, Scott Morrison, who attends Horizon Church in Sutherland, became Australia's first Pentecostal prime minister. [16]

Fundamentalist and marginal pentecostalism

With its change of name the Australian Christian Churches moved to more conservative expressions of Pentecostal enthusiasm. In many churches, the dreams, vision and prophecies of the old Assemblies of God disappeared in the 21st century. There are, in Australia, however, examples of American/African/Latin American/Caribbean-style fundamentalist forms of Pentecostalism. Other marginal fundamentalist expressions of Pentecostalism include Logos Foundation, led by Howard Carter in Toowoomba, Queensland, and later in the same city, Breakthrough Centre Church.[ citation needed ]

Notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement that emphasizes direct personal experience of God through baptism with the Holy Spirit. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, an event that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles.

Oneness Pentecostalism is a nontrinitarian religious movement within the Protestant Christian family of churches known as Pentecostalism. It derives its name from its teaching on the Godhead, a form of Modalistic Monarchianism commonly referred to as the Oneness doctrine. The doctrine states that there is one God―a singular divine spirit with no distinction of persons―who manifests himself in many ways, including as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This stands in sharp contrast to the mainstream doctrine of three distinct, eternal persons posited by Trinitarian theology.

The Azusa Street Revival was a historic series of revival meetings that took place in Los Angeles, California. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher. The revival began on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America</span>

The Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA) is an interdenominational fellowship of Pentecostal and charismatic churches and denominations in North America, existing for the purpose of promoting cooperation and understanding. It is a successor to the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America (PFNA). PCCNA headquarters are in Los Angeles, California.

The Latter Rain, also known as the New Order or the New Order of the Latter Rain, was a post–World War II movement within Pentecostal Christianity which remains controversial. The movement saw itself as a continuation of the restorationism of early Pentecostalism. The movement began with major revivals between 1948 and 1952 and became established as a large semi-organized movement by 1952. It continued into the 1960s. The movement had a profound impact on subsequent movements as its participants dispersed throughout the broader charismatic and Pentecostal movements beginning in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Fox Parham</span> American preacher and evangelist (1873–1929)

Charles Fox Parham was an American preacher and evangelist. Together with William J. Seymour, Parham was one of the two central figures in the development and initial spread of early Pentecostalism, known as Holiness Pentecostalism. It was Parham who associated glossolalia with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, a theological connection crucial to the emergence of Pentecostalism as a distinct movement. Parham was the first preacher to articulate Pentecostalism's distinctive doctrine of evidential tongues, and to expand the movement.

David Johannes du Plessis was a South African-born American Pentecostal minister. He is considered one of the main founders of the charismatic movement, in which the Pentecostal experience of baptism with the Holy Spirit spread to non-Pentecostal churches worldwide.

The Neo-charismaticmovement is a movement within evangelical Protestant Christianity that is composed of a diverse range of independent churches and organizations that emphasize the current availability of gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and faith healing. The Neo-charismatic movement is considered to be the "third wave" of the Charismatic Christian tradition which began with Pentecostalism, and was furthered by the Charismatic movement. As a result of the growth of postdenominational and independent charismatic groups, Neo-charismatics are now believed to be more numerous than the first and second wave categories. As of 2002, some 19,000 denominations or groups, with approximately 295 million individual adherents, were identified as Neo-charismatic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa</span> Classical Pentecostal Christian denomination in South Africa

The Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa (AFM) is a classical Pentecostal Christian denomination in South Africa. With 1.2 million adherents, it is South Africa's largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest religious grouping in South Africa representing 7.6 percent of the population. Dr. Isak Burger has led the AFM as president since 1996 when the white and black branches of the church were united. It is a member of the Apostolic Faith Mission International, a fellowship of 23 AFM national churches. It is also a member of the South African Council of Churches.

The Australian Christian Churches (ACC), formerly Assemblies of God in Australia, is a network of Pentecostal churches in Australia affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assemblies of God USA</span> Pentecostal Christian denomination

The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially The General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States and the U.S. branch of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the world's largest Pentecostal body. The AG reported 2.9 million adherents in 2022. In 2011, it was the ninth largest Christian denomination and the second largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. The Assemblies of God is a Finished Work denomination, and it holds to a conservative, evangelical and classical Arminian theology as expressed in the Statement of Fundamental Truths and position papers, which emphasize such core Pentecostal doctrines as the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, divine healing and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The Pentecostal Church of New Zealand (PCNZ) was a Pentecostal denomination established in 1924 that was the first attempt at organizing the Pentecostal movement in New Zealand. After a series of splits, the church disbanded in 1952.

Finished Work Pentecostalism is a major branch of Pentecostalism that locates sanctification at the time of conversion; afterward the converted Christian progressively grows in grace. On the other hand, the other branch of Pentecostalism—Holiness Pentecostalism teaches the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification as a definite second work of grace, which is a necessary prerequisite to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Finished Work Pentecostals are generally known to have retained the doctrine of progressive sanctification from their earlier Reformed roots, while Holiness Pentecostals retained their doctrine of entire sanctification from their earlier Wesleyan roots.

The Swiss Pentecostal Mission is the largest Pentecostal Christian denomination in Switzerland. Officially known in English as the Pentecostal Assemblies of Switzerland, it is the Swiss branch of the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. In 2013, the denomination had 10,000 adherents in 66 churches across Switzerland, and operated a conference center in Emmetten.

Pentecostalism began spreading in South Africa after William J. Seymour, of the Azusa Street mission, sent missionaries to convert and organize missions. By the 1990s, approximately 10% of the population of South Africa was Pentecostal. The largest denominations were the Apostolic Faith Mission, Assemblies of God, and the Full Gospel Church of God. Another 30% of the population was made up of mostly black Zionist and Apostolic churches, which comprise a majority of South Africa's African Instituted Churches(AICs). In a 2006 survey, 1 in 10 urban South Africans said they were Pentecostal, and 2 in 10 said they were charismatic. In total, renewalists comprised one-fourth of the South African urban population. A third of all protestants surveyed said that they were Pentecostal or charismatic, and one-third of all South African AIC members said they were charismatic.

The doctrines and practices of modern Pentecostalism placed a high priority on international evangelization. The movement spread to Africa soon after the 1906 Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles.

Charismatic Christianity is a form of Christianity that emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts as an everyday part of a believer's life. It has a global presence in the Christian community. Practitioners are often called Charismatic Christians or Renewalists. Although there is considerable overlap, Charismatic Christianity is often categorized into three separate groups: Pentecostalism, the Charismatic movement, and the Neo-charismatic movement.

Sarah Jane Lancaster was the leader of Australia's first Pentecostal congregation. An evangelist and administrator, she established a printing press in her meeting hall to produce evangelistic tracts and pamphlets. Lancaster also published Australia's first Pentecostal magazine, Good News. Lancaster became president of the nation's earliest attempt to organise Pentecostalism into a denomination, the Apostolic Faith Mission of Australasia. Although she is recognised as the founder of Australian Pentecostalism and contributed to the unique prominence of women in the founding of Australian Pentecostal congregations, many of her doctrinal ideas were quickly abandoned as the movement developed.

References

  1. ↑ Hutchinson, Mark P. (2012). "Healers: James William Wood and Colonial Religious Innovation". Academia. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Simmons, Amy (30 July 2011). "The Rise of Pentecostalism". ABC News. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Hey, Sam (2013). Megachurches: Origins, Ministry and Prospects. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 81.
  4. ↑ "2017 Annual Report" . Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Clifton, Shane (2009). Pentecostal Churches in Transition: Analysing the Ecclesiology of the Assemblies of God in Australia. Netherlands: Koninlijke Brill.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, Allan Heaton (2014). An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  7. ↑ "William John Enticknap, Sr, Australasian Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements" . Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  8. 1 2 Espinosa, Gastón (2014). William J. Seymour and the Origins of Global Pentecostalism. Durham: Duke University Press.
  9. ↑ Elliott, Peter (2018). "Elliott, Four Decades of Discreet Charismata". Journal of Religious History. 42: 72–83. doi:10.1111/1467-9809.12446.
  10. ↑ "Hutchinson, James Moore Hickson, ADPCM" . Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  11. ↑ Chant, Barry (1973). Heart of Fire. Adelaide, South Australia: House of Tabor. ISBN   0949330051.
  12. 1 2 3 Connell, John (19 August 2006). "Hillsong: A Megachurch in the Sydney Suburbs". Australian Geographer .
  13. ↑ Hunt, Elle (27 June 2017). "Christianity on the wane in Australia, but Pentecostal church bucks trend". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hillsong Becomes a Denomination" . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  15. ↑ "Hey, God in the Suburbs" . Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  16. ↑ Hutchens, Gareth (7 September 2018). "'Darkness' coming if Scott Morrison not re-elected, Pentecostal leader claims". The Guardian.
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.