Schweizer Pfingstmission
Encyclopedia
The Swiss Pentecostal Mission is an umbrella organization of Pentecostal congregations in Switzerland
and the Swiss affiliate of the Assemblies of God
, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world.
The SPM is divided into a number of congregations, numbered at between 70 and 80 as of 2010. The largest congregation is the Christliches Zentrum Buchegg in the city of Zürich
.
The SPM originates in the pentecostal movement of the 19th century, reaching Switzerland from the U.S.
in the early 20th century.
The first conference of Swiss pentecostal congregations took place in 1910. In 1925, a Schweizerische Pfingstmissionsgesellschaft ("Swiss pentecostal mission society") was founded, renamed to Schweizerische Pfingstmission in 1935. The leader of the SPN, Leonhard Steiner, in 1947 initiated the "World Pentecostal Conference" in Zürich.
A parallel organization, "Gemeinden für Urchristentum", went bankrupt in 1993 and many of its congregations joined the SPM.
As a result, total membership of SPM grew from 3,900 in 1980 to 6,200 in 1990 and further to 8,100 in 1997 and to 9,300 in 2006.
The SPM operates a conference center in Emmetten
, and until 1997 owned Dynamis-Verlag, a publisher of pentecostal literature.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the Swiss affiliate of the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world.
The SPM is divided into a number of congregations, numbered at between 70 and 80 as of 2010. The largest congregation is the Christliches Zentrum Buchegg in the city of Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.
The SPM originates in the pentecostal movement of the 19th century, reaching Switzerland from the U.S.
Christianity in the United States
Christianity is the largest and most popular religion in the United States, with around 77% of those polled identifying themselves as Christian, as of 2009. This is down from 86% in 1990, and slightly lower than 78.6% in 2001. About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation...
in the early 20th century.
The first conference of Swiss pentecostal congregations took place in 1910. In 1925, a Schweizerische Pfingstmissionsgesellschaft ("Swiss pentecostal mission society") was founded, renamed to Schweizerische Pfingstmission in 1935. The leader of the SPN, Leonhard Steiner, in 1947 initiated the "World Pentecostal Conference" in Zürich.
A parallel organization, "Gemeinden für Urchristentum", went bankrupt in 1993 and many of its congregations joined the SPM.
As a result, total membership of SPM grew from 3,900 in 1980 to 6,200 in 1990 and further to 8,100 in 1997 and to 9,300 in 2006.
The SPM operates a conference center in Emmetten
Emmetten
Emmetten is a municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.-Geography:Emmetten has an area, , of . Of this area, 37.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 45.8% is forested...
, and until 1997 owned Dynamis-Verlag, a publisher of pentecostal literature.