History of Pentecostalism in India
20th century
Robert F. Cook and the Church of God
During the early 20th century the Pentecostal movement experienced rapid growth with the arrival of a number of foreign missionaries. One of the most significant among the missionaries of that period was Robert F. Cook, from the United States. Though a number of missionaries came before him and though the Pentecostal experience took place in India independent of foreign missionary work, it was Cook who first established works that began to spread into neighboring areas. He came to India in October 1913 and established a few mission posts in North India. However, due to lack of support, he was unable to develop his work in a significant manner. Cook relocated his headquarters to Mulakuzha in Kerala. The headquarters of the Church of God in India remains there now.
Until 1921, Cook was stationed in
The Pentecostal Mission
This organization stands out among the Pentecostal churches because of its exclusivist teachings and organization structure. Some of the distinctive features are that full-time workers were expected to practice an ascetic life-style including celibacy, obedience to the elder pastors, and communal living (including disposal of private possessions) in faith homes. Today the church is known by different names in different countries, but all stand under the name of “The Pentecostal Mission”. It now has churches in over 85 countries.
Indian Pentecostal Church of God
K.E. Abraham, a pastor who had worked closely with Cook for a number of years, decided that he no longer wanted the mission work taking place in India to receive foreign funds. With that as his main reason, he split from Cook and established the Indian Pentecostal Church of God (IPC) in 1924. Many others were involved in the establishment of IPC, which became largest Pentecostal Denomination in India.
Sharon Fellowship
Sharon Fellowship Church was founded in 1953 by Pastor
Pastor P.J. Thomas was born on 15 April 1914, the son of Pastor P.V. John. He converted to Christianity in 1936. He studied at
Sister Aleyamma Thomas of the Sharon Fellowship was instrumental in starting the first Women's Training Centre in India at Thiruvalla, Kerala, which is now known as Sharon Women's Bible College.
The Sharon Fellowship has more than 2050 local churches in India and another 34 churches internationally, in addition to several associated Bible Schools and seminars. P J Thomas's son name John Thomas is the international president and Abraham Joseph is the national president of the Sharon fellowship church.
Sharon Fellowship Church was originally founded by Rev. P.J. Thomas in Kerala, India in the early 1950s. While teaching Comparative Religion at Wheaton College, he felt the calling to return home to India. He settled in Thiruvilla, Kerala, India after purchasing a property that would eventually become the Sharon compound. Over the years, members who had immigrated to the United States desired a more formal organization and fellowship.
SFCNA had its beginning in the heart of a few believers at the 1995 Pentecostal Conference of North American Keralites (PCNAK) in Dallas. They prayed and decided to start Sharon Fellowship Churches in various cities in North America for the glory of God. The mission of SFCNA is to fulfill the Great Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20) by engaging in evangelism, church planting, missionary work, and the promotion of charitable and educational activities both in the United States and abroad. Currently, there are SFCNA affiliated churches throughout the United States.
After the passing of Rev. P.J Thomas, Rev. Dr. T.G. Koshy took over as President and continued the growth and expansion of the Sharon Fellowship organization for seventeen years. Now, the organization is overseen by the Rev. P.J. Thomas’s son, Rev. John Thomas. SFCNA (Sharon Fellowship Churches of North America
Assemblies of God in India
The
21st century
The
See also
References
- ^ Kannampally, Sam (2009). "The Keralite Pentecostal Community:The Past and the Present". Agape Partners International.
- ^ "How it all Began", Faith Theological Seminary
- ^ "Famous churches of Bangalore] Asia's most influential churches". Native Planet. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ "Go Green initiative By a Mega Church (Bethel AG) in Bangalore". Asia News. 5 November 2021.