Identity Crisis

Questions of identity are at the very core of any organization’s existence: “Who are we?” “What connects us to each other?” “What is our common mission?” These questions are foundational to progress.

But there are many in my generation who struggle with our identity. We know why we go to Willow Creek conferences or join church planting networks, but we wonder why anyone would ever go to district council.

Unlike Lutherans or Methodists we can’t find our identity from the writings of our founder. The Pentecostal movement has never had a single charismatic leader, similar to Luther or Wesley. Rather the “identity” of the movement was energized by a common experience of the Holy Spirit.

Because the identity of the early Pentecostals was rooted in these very powerful but personal experiences, their children cannot simply rely on their parents’ experiences to find their identity. Pentecostalism only works for one generation. After that it is Pentecostal in name only… unless there is another revival.

In my lifetime the AG has defined itself primarily as “Evangelical Pentecostalism,” or perhaps more accurately as “Evangelicalism plus tongues.” The more we have been accepted the more we have had to emphasize our distinctiveness - “We are more than evangelicals!”

But does an identity like that really motivate anyone in my generation?

Increasingly the AG identity has been expressed only in terms of a rational doctrine that can too easily confine the supernatural move of the Spirit into a formula. The logic goes something like this: the key to Spirit baptism is tongues, the key to revival is Spirit baptism, the key to church growth is revival. Without tongues there can be no Spirit baptism, no revival, no church growth.

The truth is that the key to the Pentecostal movement was never tongues but a passionate pursuit of God for an empowering work of the Spirit to carry forth the Great Commission of Jesus.

Meanwhile, as we held tightly to our distinctive doctrine, we gave up many of the things that really made early Pentecostalism special. Our distinctive doctrine became all that defined us and the real character, contribution, and impact of the movement was lost.

According to Margaret Poloma’s sociological report on the AG, these accommodative forces have eroded any distinct AG identity that could have developed from a well-articulated Pentecostal theology and sense of identity.

“The experiences of the early Pentecostals that challenged the sexist and racist culture of early 20th century America could have paved the way for later disciples to make significant contributions to changes in women’s roles and civil rights. Its early pacifist stance could have provided a plank for the peace movement. Its suspicion of rigid denominationalism in the face of a democratized baptism of the Spirit could have provided a platform for ecumenical activities. None of this happened, in part due to the isolation of Pentecostals during the first half of the 20th century. Once they moved across the tracks to a more comfortable lifestyle, contemporary followers lost sight of Pentecostalism’s unique identity as a marginalized people upon whom the Spirit released His power and presence in the earliest years of the 20th century. As they made the journey from pilgrims to citizens, AG pastors seemed to take on the political voice of the Fundamentalist-Evangelical church expressed through the Republican Party.” – Margaret Poloma

If the AG is going to continue to grow in the future, we need a paradigm that can better reflect the unique qualities of our past -- qualities that could better fit a post-modern paradigm than a modern one.

In order for this fellowship to succeed we need to be more than “more than evangelicals.”

I believe it will be up to the next generation of leaders, working closely with the next generation of pastors, to help redevelop and redefine our identity. The question is, will they creatively adapt the best insights of Pentecostal spirituality to the time in which they lead?

What do you think? What is it that truly defines us? Why are we in this fellowship with each other?