Charismatic Churches

Christian education, social outreach, and concern for the development of women in leadership have become increasingly important dimensions in the life of charismatic churches. A growing number of women leaders, social ministries, and educational institutions testify to this vitality. Charismatic churches are not a denomination, but a series of loosely connected networks of churches which share common traits, such as the belief in the continuity of the apostolic spiritual gifts and an emphasis on a style of flowing praise and worship. They represent a development of certain themes of the Pentecostal revival of the early twentieth century. However, these churches are outside the framework of the Pentecostal denominations. Women and the Ministry Through the Pentecostal awakening of the early 1900s and the charismatic renewal of the early 1960s, the roles of women in the ministry have undergone a major shift. Early in the 1900s, for example, Florence L. Crawford became the founder of…