Zarns, Phil (2018, in press). Field research: Contemporary Swedish Pentecostal pastors, the Holy Spirit and church multiplication. Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association. (ePub in advance of print) (doi: 10.1080/18124461.2018.1507224) (Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/18124461.2018.1507224)
Abstract: The Swedish Pentecostal Church, or Pingst, has been planting churches in Sweden since 1913. As the movement developed, church planting began with larger cities as hubs and smaller towns as targeted outposts; churches were planted near the centres of each municipality. This paper describes a theory of Pentecostal church multiplication by examining Pingst pastors’ perceptions of the activity of the Holy Spirit in church multiplication among the unchurched. Data are analysed by Q-sort and interview methodologies. The study will assist in identifying the behaviours, attitudes, and values of Swedish Pentecostal leadership to inform future Pentecostal church planting in Sweden and Europe.
Phil Zarns <phil.zarns@gmail.com> is a lecturer in Intercultural Studies, North Central University, Minneapolis, MN, and a doctoral candidate in Intercultural Studies, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, Springfield, MO (USA).
