The Assemblies of God in Italy ( it, Assemblee di Dio in Italia, ADI), whose full name is Evangelical Christian Churches Assemblies of God in Italy (''Chiese Cristiane Evangeliche Assemblee di Dio in Italia''), is a fellowship of

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

and

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

churches which functions as the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

branch of the

International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies The International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies (IFCA), formerly known as the Christian Church of North America (CCNA), is a North American Pentecostal denomination with roots in the Italian-American community. Central offices are located in ...

, while being in communion with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship as well.

History

The ADI traces its roots in the "Italian Pentecostal revival" led by

Louis Francescon Louis Francescon (March 29, 1866 – September 7, 1964) was a missionary and pioneer of the Italian Pentecostal Movement. Several Pentecostal denominations and fellowships acknowledge him as their pioneer, including the Christian Church of North A ...

among Italian immigrants in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1907, that led to the formation of the

Christian Congregation in the United States The Christian Congregation is a non-denominational fellowship of assemblies with roots in the Italian Pentecostal revival in Chicago, which began in 1907. It can be found, for example, in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, the United States, Mozambique ...

.Toppi, Francesco. E mi sarete testimoni. Rome: ADI-Media, 1999 From Chicago, pioneers like Francescon, Giacomo Lombardi, Pietro Ottolini, Lucia Menna, Umberto Gazzari, and Louis Terragnoli went back to Italy in order to spread the Pentecostal gospel e and establish Pentecostal churches. During the Fascist regime, a letter issued by

Guido Buffarini Guidi Guido Buffarini Guidi (17 August 1895 – 10 July 1945) was an Italian army officer and politician, executed for war crimes in 1945. Biography Buffarini Guidi was born in Pisa in 1895. When Italy entered World War I, he volunteered in an ...

, undersecretary of the Interior, provided grounds to shut all Pentecostal congregations in Italy. After the

fall of Fascism The fall of the Fascist regime in Italy, also known in Italy as 25 Luglio ( it, Venticinque Luglio, ; "25 July"), came as a result of parallel plots led respectively by Count Dino Grandi and King Victor Emmanuel III during the spring and sum ...

, it was still difficult for Pentecostals to practice their faith and religious freedom, due to legal and social obstacles. Thus, several Pentecostal congregations sought a purely nominal affiliation with the

Assemblies of God USA The Assemblies of God USA (AG), officially the General Council of the Assemblies of God, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in the United States founded in 1914 during a meeting of white Pentecostal ministers at Hot Springs, Arkansas (with e ...

. The ADI was consequently founded in 1948. In 1986 the denomination signed an agreement with the Italian government, in accordance with art. 8 of the

Constitution of Italy The Constitution of the Italian Republic ( it, Costituzione della Repubblica Italiana) was enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947, with 453 votes in favour and 62 against. The text, which has since been amended sixteen times, ...

; the agreement became law in 1988. According to CESNUR, a think tank, the ADI is the single largest Protestant denomination in Italy. As of 2013, it counts 1,028 congregations, 150,000 members and 590 pastors. The church is more numerous in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

, especially

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

, Basilicata,

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, where it has more than half of its congregations.

References

External links

* Assemblies of God National Fellowships Pentecostal denominations in Europe Religious organisations based in Italy Christian organizations established in 1948 1948 establishments in Italy Evangelicalism in Italy {{Christian-denomination-stub

History

See also

References

External links