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Pentecostalism is a missionary, polycentric, and transnational movement. It has contributed enormously to the shift of Christianity’s center of gravity from the Western world to the majority world. During the second half of the twentieth century the most significant changes in the global demography of Christianity have occurred through the growth of Pentecostalism, which has its origins in a series of revival movements at the beginning of the century. The growth of Pentecostalism in each continent, and the statistics used to describe that growth are discussed, with special reference to the majority world continents of Africa, Asia and Latin America. The extent to which Pentecostalism takes on distinctive forms in different contexts has become one of the main reasons for the growth of Pentecostalism, its ability to adapt itself to different cultures and societies and give contextualized expressions to Christianity. Although socio-political and historical factors undoubtedly had a role in the spread of Pentecostal Christianity, religious and ideological factors were probably more significant. The ability of Pentecostalism to adapt to and fulfill people’s religious aspirations continues to be its strength. There are several important themes in the study of Pentecostalism that still need to be fully explored. It is impossible to predict the future of Pentecostalism, but a sense of where Pentecostalism has been in the past century will give an idea of where it might go in the twenty-first century.
