The missionary self-perception of Pentecostal/Charismatic church leaders from the global South in Europe : : bringing back the Gospel / / by Claudia Wahrisch-Oblau.

• Superior document: Global Pentecostal and Charismatic studies, v. 2
• Author: Wahrisch-Oblau, Claudia.
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Language: English
• Series: Global Pentecostal and Charismatic studies ; v. 2.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (440 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In a situation of growing interest in the religion of migrants, there are still few publications dealing with pentecostal and charismatic Christians from the global South and the churches they have been starting all over Europe. This ground-breaking study, based on extensive interviews conducted during a nine-year research period encompassing more than 100 churches, describes how pentecostal /charismatic migrant pastors live out their pastoral role, how they construct their missionary biographies, and how they conceptualize and practice evangelism. The result is a comprehensive portrait of an immigrant group which does not define itself as victimized and in need of assistance, but as expatriate agents with a clear calling and a vision to change the continent they now live inches.

Table of Contents

Methodological reflections -- Introduction -- The UEM program for cooperation between German and foreign language churches, 1998-2008 -- Other European Protestant church responses to migrant churches : a short overview -- Description of my research -- Reflecting my own role as agent and researcher -- Interpretative paradigms -- The field of study -- Terminology : "migrant churches" -- Delimiting "pentecostal/charismatic" -- Constructing a pentecostal/charismatic discourse field -- Migrant churches : categorizations -- Historical dynamics : foundation and development of migrant churches -- Migrant churches as part of a globalized discourse network -- The role of the pastor : the relationship to one's own congregation -- The pastor as father and shepherd -- The Shepherd : mediator between God and the congregation -- The authority of the shepherd -- "To stay with God always" : the spiritual life of a shepherd -- Sacrificing oneself for the congregation and living as a role model -- Becoming a shepherd : call, training, ordination, and gifts of the spirit -- Defending one's call : biographical stories as legitimation narratives -- Call narratives in a pentecostal/charismatic context -- No legitimation narrative : observations and possible reasons -- Legitimation narratives I : called by a prophetic word -- Legitimation narratives II : deciding for the ministry after a miracle experience -- Legitimation narratives III : called by visions and dreams -- Legitimation narratives IV : woman pastors -- Mediators of divine power in a market situation : observations and analysis of the pastoral role -- The market situation : undermining pastoral authority -- Asserting pastoral authority -- Growing into authority : calling and ordination -- Mediators of divine power in a market situation -- Following the call : expatriation narratives -- Theoretical framework : some considerations -- Intertwined call and expatriation narratives -- 'Circular stories' : how the call was realized after all -- 'Oscillating' narratives : how the call became clear over time -- Called after expatriation -- Struggling to understand call and expatriation -- Concluding remarks : intertwined call and expatriation narratives -- Expatriation as consequence of the call -- Independent charismatic missionaries : success stories -- Missionaries sent by Pentecostal churches -- Expatriation as consequence of the call -- Pastoral call and expatriation not connected -- V.K. : for me it was so wonderful to go to Germany -- A.M., P.S., I.A. : asylum in Germany -- Spiritual interpretation instead of expatriation narrative -- Expatriation narratives : some final observations -- Being on a mission : the relationship to the outside world -- "What is your mission?" : observations from the short interviews -- Missionary practice : evangelizing Germans -- Street evangelism -- Tracts -- Gospel music -- Other means -- Conceptualizing evangelism in interdenominational dialogue : the long interviews -- Locating oneself globally sent to the world -- Describing one's message -- Reflections on contextualization -- Imagining Germany and Europe -- Restoring a ruined church -- "Bringing back" the Gospel -- The German nation in the economy of salvation -- Territorial spirits -- Imagining Germany and Europe -- Conceptualizing evangelism in the global pentecostal/charismatic network : the 'spiritual warfare' paradigm -- Evangelism in the framework of spiritual warfare : the anglophone West African example -- Evangelism in the framework of 'spiritual warfare' : concretizations -- Evangelism, inculturation and clashing paradigms -- Consequences -- The current situation -- Dialogue fields : a description -- Ministerial authority -- Immigration -- Mission and evangelism -- Ecclesiology and the politics of difference : who defines Christianity in Europe? -- The functional question does a missionary self-image further or hinder integration? -- The theological question : are European churches ready to be evangelized?