Romania
History of the Assemblies of God in Romania The message of Pentecost reached Romania through the mail. In the early 1920Ős, a U.S. Assemblies of God minister of Romanian descent, sent a pamphlet telling about the Pentecostal experience to a family in Romania. This family received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and soon established a Pentecostal church in their home. The Pentecostal believers applied for recognition as a religious association, but their application was denied. In 1925 the government published a decision banning Pentecostal churches. What was meant to hinder, actually helped to make the Pentecostals widely known in Romania. During the late 1940Ős government opposition eased, and in 1950 the president of Romania granted full recognition to the Pentecostal churches. In 1951 RomaniaŐs Pentecostal churches met openly for a general congress. A Pentecostal Bible school was opened in 1973 and became a 4-year seminary in 1976. U.S. Assemblies of God personnel and missionaries visited Romania during the years of Communist rule. After the government changed, the national church invited missionaries to hold evangelistic meetings. In 1992, the first U.S. Assemblies of God missionaries came to reside in Romania. Map of Romania |
