Pentecostalism in Malawi

Pentecostalism and the commonly known ‘charismatic’ churches create an unavoidable buzz in contemporary Malawi, which now boasts over 200 Pentecostal and Charismatic dominations, and over a million affiliated members and followers. The roots of Pentecostal movement in Malawi can be traced to the 1930s, emanating from Los Angeles, and coming via South Africa during the early part of the twentieth century. There has however been little research published on the phenomenon in the country to date; and most attention has generally been received from sociological interests.

Pentecostalism in Malawi aims to fill a gap in the historiography of Pentecostalism in Malawi by approaching it from historical and theological perspectives. Mostly constructed from oral sources, local histories and interviews conducted in Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Germany, the book traces the history of the apostolic faith mission from its ‘machona’ (migrant labour) beginnings, through the spread of the missionaries, to its position on the social and religious landscape in the postcolonial period. The work concludes with some reflections on why Pentecostalism has been so successful in Africa.