Pentecostalism and Charismatic Movement in Russia in 1991–2020

Pentecostalism is one of the world’s most numerous branches of Protestantism. It emerged in the United States in 1906 and began to spread to the USSR in the 1920s. Pentecostalism presupposes baptism of the Holy Spirit and miracles in the mundane. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, Pentecostalism was less popular in Russia than in Ukraine and Belarus. As a result of the long isolation, most Russian Pentecostal churches maintained the religious culture that had not changed since the 1950s. They embraced foreign missionaries in the early 1990s in an attempt to catch up with the social changes. The centralization of Russian Pentecostals was brought about by the changes in religious legislation. New congregations had to join larger congregations to get an official registration. Classical Pentecostals united into the Russian Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith, and the charismatic churches united into the Russian Union of Christians of the Evangelical Faith; both became independent from international organizations. Unregistered churches retained their supranational character: the United Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith included communities throughout the post-Soviet space. In the 2000s, Pentecostal churches launched a lot of social projects, primarily in the field of rehabilitation. They had more rehabilitation centers for alcoholics and drug addicts than the Russian Orthodox Church. The number of Pentecostals grew 13 times in 30 years, reaching 280,000 adult members. The rapid growth could be explained by the active social activities and the belief in miracles. In addition, Pentecostals have always been active missionaries: they see it as their mission to convert relatives and friends to their faith. The main factors hindering the development of Pentecostalism in Russia are the social secularization and the strong link between Orthodoxy and the national identity. As a result, children of Pentecostal parents are the main source of replenishment for Pentecostal congregations, which is a serious obstacle for the spread of Pentecostalism in Russia.

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