History of Pentecostalism in India
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[edit] 19th century
The history of Pentecostalism in India began in the ministry of a Brahmin woman who was converted to Christianity. Pandita Ramabai led a small but renowned group that experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the early 1900s. Her work remained limited due to the lack of training and evangelism.
[edit] 20th century
[edit] Robert F. Cook and the Church of God
The Pentecostal movement experienced a great explosion in growth with the arrival of a number of foreign missionaries. Most significant among them was Robert F. Cook, from the U.S. He arrived in North India and established a few mission posts there. However, due to the lack of support, he was unable to develop his works in a significant manner. Within a few years, he came into contact with an influential plantation owner in the state of Kerala, Kalloor Chacko. Chacko convinced Cook to relocate to Thrikkannamangal and headquarter his work there. Cook, at the same time, joined with the Church of God (Cleveland). Receiving some support from Cleveland, Cook began operations from a rented house adjacent to Chacko's home. Many of the later leaders of India's Pentecostal movement joined hands with him and the work expanded by leaps and bounds. Political and doctrinal differences caused many of these leaders, and Chacko, to part company with Cook over the years. Cook relocated his headquarters to Mulakuzha. The headquarters of the Church of God in India remains there now.
[edit] Indian Pentecostal Church of God
K.E. Abraham, a pastor that 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. He gathered the vast majority of the Syrian Christians to join with him in leaving Cook's 'Western' organization. With this group of people, he founded the Indian Pentecostal Church of God (IPC). This work has mushroomed to become one of the largest indigenous Pentecostal churches in the world. The organization has allowed much room for growth by allowing different types of government for the local churches. Though it is not known for scholarship, there is also great emphasis on teaching.
[edit] Sharon Fellowship
P. J. Thomas, a pastor in the IPC, got a chance to study abroad. After receiving his degree from Wheaton College, in Illinois, USA, he returned to establish a new organization. Named the Sharon Fellowship Church, it has grown phenomenally. Now it has more than 600 local churches all over India and abroad. After P. J. Thomas Rev. Dr. T. G. Koshy is the successor of this organization. It has a strong emphasis on theological scholarship. It currently has the only Pentecostal accredited seminary (Faith Theological Seminary)that offers post-graduate degrees.
In the late 1990s, under the leadership of Rev. C M Titus, former General Secretary of the Sharon Fellowship Church in India, several "Sharon" churches in the United States joined together to form the Sharon Fellowship Churches of North America. In 2005, Rev. John Thomas, son of P.J. Thomas, was elected President of the SFCNA. He was succeeded by Rev. CM Titus in 2007, who also served as President from 2001-2005.
[edit] The Pentecostal Mission
The Pentecostal Mission (TPM), formerly known as Ceylon Pentecostal Mission (CPM), is a pentecostal denomination which originated in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The international headquarters is now situated in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Ceylon Pentecostal Mission was founded by Hindu convert Ramankutty, later known as Pastor Paul. Pastor Paul was born to Hindu parents in the district of Trichur in Kerala. While in Sri Lanka, at the age of 18, he became a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. Later, he felt a strong call from the Lord for his life and began to preach and share the gospel in various parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. In the initial stages, he had worked with other evangelists. Pastor Paul served as the founder chief pastor of this church.
This organization stands out among the Pentecostal churches because of its exclusivist teachings and organization structure. Some of the distinctives are that fulltime workers were expected to practice an ascetic life-style including celibacy, obedience to the elder pastors, 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”.
[edit] Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God has grown by leaps and bounds throughout India. With early works established in Calcutta, as well as in Kerala, the church has gone through various situations that have contributed to its growth. The district of Kerala has now been divided into two in order to better handle the growth. The AG has also established a number of reputable Bible Schools throughout India.
[edit] 21st century
The Church of God in India, the Assemblies of God, the Indian Pentecostal Church, Sharon Fellowship and The Pentecostal Mission (formerly Ceylon Pentecostal Mission) are some of the largest of the myriad Pentecostal organizations in India. There are numerous groups that have been founded that are either independent or affiliated to the above mentioned mainline Pentecostal groups. With strong support from churches and charities in the USA, Europe and Australia, these groups have been able to build solid organizations with presence in almost every state of India. It must be noted that many of these groups are more Charismatic in theology and often do not conform to the foundational teachings accepted by the mainline Pentecostal churches.
