Pentecostalism in Norway

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Pentecostalism in Norway
Filadelfia in St. Olavs street, Oslo.
Classification	Pentecostalism
Region	Norway
Origin	1907
Members	39,590

Pentecostal congregations in Norway (Norwegian: Pinsemenigheiter ('Pentecostal congregations'), Pinsevenner ('Pentecostal friends') and Pinsebevegelsen ('the Pentecostal movement')) is the largest Protestant free church in Norway with a total membership of 40,725 people in 2020.^[1]

The Pentecostal movement in Norway is a Christian movement. It is not a single organized unit, but consists of a community of 340 independent churches (free churches). The Norwegian Pentecostal movement runs humanitarian work, schools and missions in about 30 countries.

The Pentecostal movement follows a biblical, radical Christian teaching. The beliefs of water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit are the characteristics of the Pentecostal movement, and this is perceived as the greatest difference between Pentecostals and, for example, Lutherans. Pentecostal gatherings are often held in simple rooms with few religious decorations. A congregation is not considered the church building itself, but rather the Christian community. In Norway, the Gospel Centre is the largest joint initiative in the movement.

Thomas Ball Barratt brought the Pentecostal movement to Norway in 1907. Barratt did not want to establish a new Christian movement, but rather wanted the Christian communities to be renewed. That was not the case, and he became the founder of the Pentecostal movement in Norway. Barratt was active in Sweden, Denmark and England, and when he visited Denmark in 1907, it sparked the beginning of the Danish Pentecostal movement. Barratt was a key figure in the establishment of the Pentecostal movement in several European countries, particularly Sweden and England.