COSSEY: Statisticians say that most Pentecostal churches are growing COSSEY: There is a lot of talk, even panic, about the economy and
faster outside of North America. To what do you attribute this? financial realignments. How is this affecting your movement?
WOOD: The Parable of the Sower may offer us some insight. WOOD: These times of economic hardship provide a real oppor-
You remember that Jesus said the cares of this world and the tunity for the church to expand and not to retrench. In the
desire for riches grew up and choked the fruit. We are very com- Assemblies of God, our United States growth was exactly 100
fortable in the Western world. We are also very rational and, percent from 1929 to 1939—during the Great Depression. We
therefore, less open to a sense of need for the work of the Spirit. doubled in that decade, and increased our number of missionar-
In my travels overseas, I see a much greater sense of dependency ies by about 50 percent. That was during the Depression! We
on the Holy Spirit. didn’t have the resources, or church buildings, or any of the
programs we have today. Pentecostals did not put the Great
MACKLIN: If you trace it a bit further, you will see that most of Commission on hold during the Great Depression.
that growth is in Third World countries among the poor, the
oppressed, and the disenfranchised. Whether in South America, CULPEPPER: The same was true with the Church of God. In
Africa, or wherever, Pentecostalism speaks to the oppression the 1929, we had congregations in 28 states, and Charles Conn says
people have been through and provides hope for them. No that “the tithes of the church dropped severely in 1931 and
other movement can do that! When you look at the early 1932, finally leveled off in 1933, and increased rapidly there-
movement of the Holy Spirit in the United States, it did not after.” Even with that, there was an 840 percent increase in tithe
come to the rich and powerful; it came to the poor and the dis- receipts, membership grew by 170 percent in the United States,
enfranchised. People without any power connected with the and by 2,389 percent outside the United States. Missions giving
power of God. increased by 5,888 percent from 1929 to 1944! I believe this
period of downturn and financial chaos will be one of our great-
FARMER: Phillip Jenkins, in his book The Next Christendom est times as we discover again what it means to trust God!
(Oxford Press), says the entire Southern Hemisphere is becoming
the center of Christianity. There is no question that this is COSSEY: Would you encourage our Pentecostal pastors and leaders
because of the influence of Pentecostalism. It is unprecedented. from the various denominations to more fellowship and interaction
with one another?
CULPEPPER: There is a growing cynicism and a diminishing of
faith in America. Among believers, there is less true faith in FARMER: Thankfully, this is already happening in many cities.
America to believe that God can do anything. It’s like we’ve Two come to mind: Charlotte, North Carolina, and Cedar
done it all and seen it all. May we never forget that it is in the Rapids, Iowa, are cities where Pentecostal pastors have come
simplicity of faith, not in the profundity of faith, where Jesus together to influence their communities for Christ. This has
operates! I also believe in sovereign moves of God. God moves been a dream of my life—to see Pentecostal movements, led by
in some places because He sees that the harvest is ripe and ready the Holy Spirit, marching together to attack poverty, to do out-
in those areas. reach evangelism, and to effect societal transformation.
“THE ENTIRE
SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE IS
BECOMING THE CENTER
OF CHRISTIANITY.
THIS IS BECAUSE OF
THE INFLUENCE OF
PENTECOSTALISM.
IT IS UNPRECEDENTED.”
—JEFF FARMER
24 EVANGEL • AUG 2009
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