Since posting my co-authored research on Canadian Pentecostalism, which suggests it is becoming more generically evangelical, I have had conversations with a few people about it. Some are pastors, some not. Some are in Canada, some not. But in each case, the question becomes, how can Pentecostals move from “generic evangelicalism”[1] to restoring historic Pentecostal spirituality?

Qualification 1: Not about a Denomination

I should clarify that, for my own part, my concern is not first and foremost with encouraging churches to be “more Pentecostal”—I don’t have a preoccupation with preserving denominational distinctives simply for the sake of being different from other denominations and as a means of feeling special as a denomination. In fact, I think Pentecostals share much of what it means to be “Pentecostal” with many other evangelical Christians.

So, my concern is not simply with being more “Pentecostal,” but with Pentecostal churches being faithful to biblical spirituality. And, it just so happens, I think that much of historic Pentecostal spirituality is biblical.

What is the Vision of “More Pentecostal”?

To lead a church through change, you have to start with vision. So in this post, I want to focus only on developing a vision.

This vision for change needs to answer at least the following questions:

1. What should Pentecostal churches seek to restore to move beyond generic evangelicalism? (What does “better” look like?)
2. How would those changes make a church stronger? (What difference would it make?)

To some extent, I think the changes that many Pentecostal churches have seen over the years are signs of maturity. I doubt, for example, that too many Pentecostals would want to go back to the days when pastors where pushing people down at the altar in an attempt to manufacture experiences of being “slain in the Spirit.”

At the same time, the gifts of tongues and interpretation, for example, are something that historically had an important place in Pentecostal settings. These are clearly biblical practices (1 Cor 12 and 14), and yet they are less common in many Pentecostal churches today than they were a few decades ago.

For me, one of the most integral parts of Pentecostal spirituality is encountering God. It is what I sometimes refer to as deep intimate experiences of the Spirit. Historically these kinds of moments often occurred during an altar call, at the close of a sermon, during the Sunday evening service.

Qualification 2: Not Just about Sunday

I understand that the spirituality of a Christian and a church concerns much more than just a Sunday service. Nevertheless, I focus here on Sunday worship services simply because these are, for many churches, the moments with the greatest possible discipleship impact.

For example, if a church never reads the Bible during its Sunday service (unlikely!), then the congregation members will not likely value reading the Bible in their own personal time. Likewise, if congregation members never hear speaking in tongues in church, then I imagine they are not likely to value praying in tongues as an enduring spiritual practice.

“ If a congregation never hears speaking in tongues in church, I imagine they are not likely to value praying in tongues.

Invitation to Participate

Again, before we can even attempt to “fix” the problem, we first have to clarify what the problem is by figuring out what the ideal Pentecostal church service might look like.

So, I to invite you to participate in the conversation by commenting below. But, for now, please do not talk about strategy. Let’s save that for another post.

For now, let’s just paint a picture together. What do you feel is missing from Pentecostal churches? What do you think it should be like? In other words, what is the vision?

“ I invite you to participate. What do you feel is missing from Pentecostal churches? What do you think it should be like?

You might also be interested in these posts:

• What is a Pentecostal?: On PAOC Pentecostal Identity
• Spirit Baptism in Current Pentecostal Theology: Part 2 – Amos Yong
• PAOC Clergy on Tongues and Spirit Baptism: Changing Views

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

Endnotes

[1] In short, I mean an emphasis on more broadly evangelical practices and beliefs rather than practices and beliefs that have been more traditionally emphasized within a denomination and often even distinctive to a denomination. In the original article, generic evangelicalism refers primarily to a transdenominational and transnational evangelical subculture (e.g., books, conferences, colleges).

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