HIS-202
Global Pentecostalism & the Apostolic Movement Today
The worldwide growth of Pentecostalism over the last century, with attention to the Apostolic Assembly's roots and ongoing growth among Spanish-speaking believers.
Topics: Global Pentecostal growth, Latin American Apostolic movement
Suggested resource: Free published growth research from Pew Research's religion coverage and denominational sources.
Week 1: The Worldwide Growth of Pentecostalism
Reading: Matthew 24:14; Acts 1:8; General reading: Pew Research's global Pentecostal/charismatic growth data
Jesus tied the end of the age directly to the gospel's global reach: “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14), and His last recorded words before ascending gave the specific shape that reach would take: “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity has grown from a single 1906 revival meeting on Azusa Street to, by many research estimates, several hundred million adherents worldwide within about a century, one of the fastest-growing religious movements in recorded history, particularly across Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia — the “uttermost part of the earth” Jesus named, reached largely within the lifetime of people who could remember Azusa Street firsthand.
Understanding the scale and speed of this growth gives context for why your own tradition, though a minority within global Christianity as a whole, is part of a much larger and still rapidly growing movement, not a small, isolated group, and stands as a live, ongoing case of Matthew 24:14 and Acts 1:8 actually happening.
Key terms: Matthew 24:14's global gospel witness, Acts 1:8's 'uttermost part of the earth', Pentecostal growth statistics, Part of a larger movement
Discussion Questions
- How does understanding Pentecostalism's global scale, read alongside Acts 1:8, change how you think about your own place within it?
Challenge: Find one reputable research source (Pew Research is a strong, free option) on global Pentecostal growth and summarize its key findings, connecting it back to Acts 1:8's specific geography.
Week 2: The Apostolic Assembly's Ongoing Growth
Reading: General reading: the Apostolic Assembly's current reach and ministries
The Apostolic Assembly of the Faith in Christ Jesus continues to grow specifically among Spanish-speaking communities in the United States, Mexico, and increasingly other Latin American countries, carrying forward the same Oneness Pentecostal conviction from its 1920s founding into a new century of ministry. Your own bilingual, bicultural position gives you a genuine, personal connection to exactly this growing edge of the movement, not merely an academic interest in its history.
Key terms: Apostolic Assembly's contemporary growth, Spanish-speaking Oneness Pentecostalism, Personal connection to the movement's growing edge
Discussion Questions
- Where do you see opportunity, specifically, in your own bilingual context to be part of this movement's ongoing growth?
Challenge: Research the Apostolic Assembly's current size and reach and write a short summary of what you find.
Week 3: Your Place in the Movement's Future
Reading: Reflection exercise — no reading assigned
Four years into this institute, it's worth asking directly what role you want to play in this movement's next chapter, teacher, content creator, pastor, mentor, or some combination, rather than treating this study as purely personal enrichment with no outward direction. Your specific combination of ministry conviction, bilingual ability, and media production skill is not a common one, and naming clearly what you want to build with it is a fitting way to close this final course before your capstone project.
Key terms: Personal calling and direction, Combining unique skills for ministry, Naming your own contribution
Discussion Questions
- Naming it directly: what specific role do you want to play in this movement's future, and what's one concrete step toward it this year?
Challenge: Write a short, honest personal mission statement connecting your ministry conviction, bilingual ability, and production skill.
Course Exam
Five questions for review or self-testing.
Q: Roughly how large has global Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity grown to be?
Reveal Answer
By many estimates, several hundred million adherents worldwide.
Q: Where has Pentecostal growth been especially strong?
Reveal Answer
Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.
Q: Where does the Apostolic Assembly continue to grow today?
Reveal Answer
Among Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S., Mexico, and other Latin American countries.
Q: What personal asset does the course say the student has for this movement's growing edge?
Reveal Answer
A bilingual, bicultural background.
Q: What does this course ask the student to name before the capstone?
Reveal Answer
A specific role they want to play in the movement's future.