Pentecostalism at the Crossroads

Whether the Pentecostal Movement is in crisis (as some believe), it is definitely at a crossroads.

As the movement begins its second century, it faces certain issues that threaten to attenuate its vitality.

Some of these issues surfaced when a limited number of Pentecostal pastors, educators, and students training for ministry responded to my one-question survey: “What issues do you think Pentecostals face as they move into the twenty-first century?”

To prevent a biased result, no suggested answers were included with the survey.

Responses included race relations, women in ministry, styles of worship, ecumenism, universalism, the influence of the Charismatic Movement, an indistinct hermeneutic, an ambiguous theological rationale for Pentecostal distinctives, relevance of Pentecostal doctrine to the current culture, neglect of eschatology, changes in missionary strategies, the need for social action, lack of integrity among leadership, worldliness, the breakdown of the family, postmodernism, institutionalism, and the need to maintain Pentecostal distinctives.

While the survey was informal and limited to a few dozen respondents, a slight deviation in focus between the age groups was discernable. Those above 35 years of age universally mentioned the need to maintain Pentecostal distinctives. Those in the below 35 years of age category did express concern over Pentecostal distinctives, but with less frequency.

Interestingly, the younger group mentioned concerns that were not raised by those who were older—breakdown of the family, integrity of leaders, relevance of Pentecostal doctrine to the current culture, and social action.

It would require a dissertation to address all of these matters adequately.

In the next few installments, this blog will explore the areas with which I am most frequently confronted in my work with young Pentecostal ministers—the dangers of institutionalism and anarchism, the perception of theological ambiguity, and the relevance of Pentecostalism to a needy world. The other issues raised in the survey will be touched on only when they intersect one of the three foci.