After the Revival: Pentecostalism and the Making of a Canadian Church

Early Pentecostal revivals swept through Canadian communities, big and small, in the early 1900s. Reports abounded of worshippers falling down at the altar, speaking in tongues, having dreams and visions, and experiencing divine healing. Tent meetings inspired curious onlookers to witness these phenomena for themselves. Following these revival meetings, Pentecostals organized, built churches, and expanded across the country, while many churches were beginning to decline. How did these Pentecostal ＂holy rollers＂ move from the fringe to take centre stage in Canada’s religious landscape? Why is a religious group rooted in the early twentieth century, tied to Methodism and the Holiness movement, still so popular among followers from all walks of life, especially Indigenous peoples and new Canadians? In After the Revival Michael Wilkinson and Linda Ambrose ask these and other questions, arguing that the answers are tied to Pentecostalism’s continued organizational efforts. Since 1919, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) has worked to establish order and steady growth by managing financial and material assets, offering programs designed to attract families and youth, and training leaders. While Pentecostalism sometimes reflects broader cultural trends and at other times resists them, the PAOC has grown steadily to become one of the largest evangelical denominations in Canada. Addressing broader questions about how religious movements organize, establish an identity, and develop a subculture that flourishes, After the Revival explores the fascinating history of Pentecostalism in Canada and the ways the church, represented by the PAOC, engages with Canadian society.

Michael Wilkinson is associate professor of sociology, and director of the Religion in Canada Institute, Trinity Western University.Linda M. Ambrose is professor of history at Laurentian University.