Twenty-seven years after the last summit in Costa Rica, Singapore will host the Global Pentecostal Summit: Voices Loud And Clear from 3 to 6 November 2023.

This event will see the gathering of 23 leading scholars on Pentecostal theology from around the world.

Founders Prof Douglas Petersen and Prof Byron Klaus explain what attendees can expect.

(L-R) Summit Moderators, Prof Douglas Petersen and Prof Byron Klaus.

1. What is a “summit” or “symposium” as opposed to a typical “conference”?

Byron Klaus: These words are often used interchangeably. Symposiums (or conferences) offer information and perspective on a wide variety of topics.

We have chosen “summit” as the descriptor for this initiative because it gives a defined purpose of a coming together of global Pentecostal scholars around a very specific focus. That focus is a joint effort by Western Pentecostal scholars and Majority World Pentecostal scholars to discuss key issues that global Christianity faces.

2. I understand that there was a previous Global Pentecostal Summit a few decades ago. When and where was that event held? Who were involved in that event? How were you personally involved in it? What was the result of that earlier Summit?

Doug Petersen: In June 1996, an event focusing on Global Pentecostalism was held in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was a period when social scientists, noticing the massive growth of Pentecostals worldwide, were offering fascinating analyses on why Pentecostalism was having an impact on societies in previously unconceived ways.

The event became a microcosm of Pentecostalism’s explosive growth in Latin America. It signalled the beginning of Pentecostals speaking for themselves about issues that impact all of Christianity. We did not need social scientists to speak for us and describe us in categories that may have been useful for social science, but did not fully explain the nature of who we were.

The event was funded by Vanguard University of Southern California and coordinated by Doug Petersen, Byron Klaus, and our colleague, Murray Dempster. Special guests, such as Harvey Cox (Harvard University), Vinay Samuel (co-founder, Oxford Centre of Mission Studies), and foremost Latin American Protestant theologian Jose Miguez Bonino interacted with presenters who came from around the world.

The result of this event was a book entitled The Globalisation of Pentecostalism: A Religion Made to Travel.

(L-R) Murray Dempster, Byron Klaus & Doug Petersen were each honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 from the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

3. Why are scholars important to the work of the Gospel? Isn’t the work of ministry practitioners more important than the work of theological academics?

BK: Scholars are important to the work of the Gospel when they recognise that their work is to serve the church. The world of research asks the “what” and “why” in relation to the topics being discussed. Ministry practitioners tend to ask the pragmatic question of “how”? In reality, “what”, “why”, and “how” are all necessary.

Academic scholars and ministry practitioners have historically been separated because the priorities of the modern university have focused exclusively on the “what” and “why” questions, often to the exclusion of the “how”.

We now need to bring together those gifted to researching the foci of “what” and “why” and those gifted in the practice of ministry. We are better together; all doing our work faithfully empowered by the Spirit.

4. Why a Global Pentecostal Summit now – in November 2023?

DP: The 1996 Costa Rica event focused on Pentecostals speaking for themselves in a Christian world (and secular scholarly world) that was just beginning to recognise their growing influence.

A quarter of a century later, the landscape has changed considerably. Both secular scholars and Christian missiologists recognise that the centre of Christianity has shifted from Western Christianity to the Majority World, and Pentecostals are central to that present reality.

Globally, there are now numerous scholarly events which allow Pentecostal scholars to have conversations with one another. The upcoming event in Singapore is not unique in that sense.

However, this moment is critical because the event is being held in the Majority World, resourced by a Majority World ministry, and intentionally held in a local church. The event will seek to bring scholarly focus on issues that are critical to sustaining the Pentecostal vibrancy of Majority World Christianity.

5. Why a “Pentecostal” symposium as opposed to a more generic “Gospel” or “Theological” symposium? In other words, why not a Global Gospel Summit or Global Theological Summit? What meaning/nuance does the word “Pentecostal” connote?

BK: I have spent much of my ministry in the larger and more ecumenical world of Christianity. I welcome that broader context of relationships. But whenever I am in those contexts and am asked what Christian family I identify with, I do not hesitate to say I am Pentecostal. I do so because I enter into the study of the Bible, theological reflection, and ministry practice with a unique set of assumptions.

There are moments when I value being in the larger group of Christians, where what we have in common is highlighted. Frankly, that is most of my experiences. But there are times when we, who freely call ourselves Pentecostals, need to speak to one another about those themes which have been made real to us by our personal encounters with Jesus Christ.

Eminent Harvard theologian, Harvey Cox, through his book Fire from Heaven, predicted in 1993 that the DNA of Christianity in the 21st century would be decidedly Pentecostal/Charismatic. His prediction has become a fact as the largest part of Majority World Christians are Pentecostal/Charismatic by experience. They may call it by different names, but the dynamic of Holy Spirit empowerment is visible and central to their spiritual reality.

6. Why the tagline “Voices Loud & Clear”?

DP: The tagline “Voices Loud and Clear” is an attempt to acknowledge that if the Majority World is where the Church is most vibrant, then voices who speak from that context should be given visibility. Global Christians (and those from the West in particular) would do well to listen and to realise that Christianity is presently most vibrant where the Gospel is most resisted and least accessible. Those voices should speak loudly (confidently) and clearly (with life-giving, Spirit-empowered perspective), and we would all do well to listen.

7. Why was Singapore chosen?

BK: Singapore is in a very unique position. It is located where Christianity is vibrant within a religiously pluralistic context. It has a rich global mission reach. It is also where City Harvest Church is located. God has sovereignly orchestrated a relationship between Pastor Kong Hee and a number of Pentecostal scholars from Vanguard University in Southern California.

Together, they are believing that through this Summit, a commitment can be made that will result in the influence of Majority World Pentecostalism being centred in vibrant local churches that are committed to thorough theological reflection.

Pastors Kong Hee and Sun Ho, Co-Founders/Senior Pastors of City Harvest Church, Singapore

8. Who will be coming for the event?

DP: Twenty-three scholars or presenters will be coming, most of whom will be from the Majority World. Attendees will be primarily from Singapore.

9. What are some of the topics that will be covered at the Summit?

BK: Some examples of topics are: 

• In the Power of the Holy Ghost: Africa and Spirit-Empowered Christianity in the Twenty-First Century (Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, President of Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra, Ghana);
• The Role of the Church in the Context of Violence (Juan Angel Castro, Lead Pastor, Centro Evangelistico, San Salvador, El Salvador);
• The Role of Prayer and its Centrality in Sustaining the Effectiveness of Global Christianity (Younghoon Lee, Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea);
• Spirit Empowered Women: Why and How the Full Participation of Women in Spirit Empowered Ministry Strengthens Global Christianity(Jacqui Grey, Professor of Biblical Studies, Alphacrucis University College, Sydney, Australia);
• The Voice of Truth in the Christian Encounter with World Religions(Ivan Satyavrata, Chairman, World Vision International, Kolkata, India); and
• From the Atonement to Pentecost (Frank Macchia, Professor of Christian Theology, Vanguard University, Costa Mesa California, USA).

DP: In addition, our morning Bible studies will be led by leaders from the Summit’s partner organisations, such as Brian Stiller, Global Ambassador for World Evangelical Alliance and Paul Bendor-Samuel, Executive Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

10. What do you hope to achieve for the church at large because of this Summit?

BK: A compilation of the proceedings of this event will be published by Regnum Publishers (UK). It will be published in hardcopy book format and also in an open access format, so that the proceedings of this entire event is made accessible globally. There are countless Majority World students who have little access to solid Pentecostal scholarly materials. Our real target audience are those unnamed students around the world who will now have access to these thoroughly Pentecostal resources.

In addition, video recordings of the sessions will be made accessible, further broadening the reach and influence of the Summit.

The Global Pentecostal Summit: Voices Loud And Clear will be held at Suntec Convention Centre from 3-6 November 2023. For more information, please visit: https://www.pentecostalsummit.org/