Mülheim Association of Free Churches and Evangelical Communities (in German: ''Mülheimer Verband Freikirchlich-Evangelischer Gemeinden'', formerly ''Christlicher Gemeinschaftsverband Mülheim adRuhr/CGV'') is a German

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

History

The German Pentecostal movement arose out of revival meetings held yearly by the Gnadauer Verband in the Ruhr area around the turn of the twentieth century. Many of the evangelical leadears visited and experienced Pentecostal charismata at the Thomas Barratt mission in Oslo from 1906-1907. During the revival held in

Mülheim Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr () and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is home to many compa ...

in 1907 reportedly 3,000 conversions occurred over a six-week period, under the guidance of Emil Humburg. Sixty evangelical leaders reacted to the Pentecostal manifestation and issued a condemnation, the Berlin Declaration in 1909. The Pentecostal leaders Emil Humburg, Jonathan Paul, Eugen Edel, Octavious Voget continued to hold Pentecostal conferences, with an attendance of 1,700 in 1909 and 2,500 in 1910, drawing people from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, Switzerland,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. Soon disagreement made many leave the Mühlheimer Association to organize the ''Freie Pfingstgemeinden'' in 1911. In 1914 the Pentecostals led by

Jonathan Paul Jonathan Anton Alexander Paul (1853–1931) was a German Pentecostal minister, writer, theologian, and Bible scholar and translator. Paul graduated from the Studium der Theologie in the University of Greifswald and pastored in Pomerania. He was mem ...

were incorporated as the ''Christlicher Gemeinschaftsverband GmbH Mülheim/Ruhr'', as a fellowship of members within the Lutheran, Reformed state churches as well as within the Free Churches. During the Nazi regime and the Second World War the Mühlheimer Association suffered pressure and lost many members. The movement experienced membership decline between 1960-1990.

Organization

The Mülheimer Association is organized into local communities, with equality among members, presided by an ordained or lay leader acting as primus inter pares. Today there are 45 communities and 3,700 members, with some of them holding dual membership within State and Free churches. Since 1981 the Mülheimer Association is a full member of the Association of Evangelical Free Churches (VEF) and since 2002 it is a member of the Association of Evangelical Free Church-Communities of Pentecostal Churches Forum (FFP Ret). Since 2007 the Mülheimer Association is a full member of the Christian Churches Council in Germany.

Beliefs and Praxis

The Mülheimer Association does not believe in tongues as initial evidence. It allows infant and adult baptism. It has a critical scholarship reading of the Bible, rejecting verbal, plenary inspiration doctrine.

References

* Hollenwegger, Walter ''The Pentecostals''. 1972. * Vetter, Ekkehart. ''Jahrhundertbilanz: erweckungsfazinierend und durststreckenerprobt: 100 Jahre Mülheimer Verband Friekirchler-Evangelischer Gemeinden''. Bremen, Germany: Missionsverlag des Mülheimer Verbandes, 2009.

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mulheim Association Of Free Churches And Evangelical Communities Pentecostal denominations Protestantism in Germany Pentecostalism in Europe