The Society for Pentecostal Studies: Over Five Decades of Scholarly Excellence in Pentecostal and Charismatic Research

The Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) stands as the foremost scholarly organization dedicated to the academic study of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in the world. Founded in 1970, it has spent over five decades building a rigorous, ecumenical, and globally engaged academic community — one that takes seriously both the intellectual demands of the academy and the spiritual convictions of the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition. For any scholar, pastor, or student committed to understanding this movement at its deepest theological and historical levels, the SPS is an indispensable resource and community.

Origins and Founding Vision

The Society for Pentecostal Studies was first envisioned by three pioneering classical Pentecostal scholars: Dr. William W. Menzies of the Assemblies of God, Dr. H. Vinson Synan of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, and Dr. Horace Ward of the Church of God. Recognizing that the rapidly growing Pentecostal movement needed a robust scholarly forum to interpret, articulate, and advance its theological heritage, they gathered a small but committed group of academics who held the conviction that Spirit-empowered Christianity was not only experientially vital but also academically worthy of serious, sustained inquiry.

The Society’s first annual meeting convened on November 5–6, 1971, at Open Bible College in Des Moines, Iowa, under the theme “Following the Spirit of Truth.” From those modest beginnings, the SPS has grown into an international gathering of over 500 scholars from virtually every corner of global Christianity. Its original confessional requirement — adherence to the statement of faith of the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America — was eventually removed to welcome Oneness Pentecostals, charismatics, and scholars from other traditions, reflecting the Society’s evolving ecumenical breadth.

Mission and Purpose

The SPS exists to provide a scholarly forum in which to interpret the Pentecostal movement across all academic disciplines. Its official statement of purpose calls for the Society to:

• Stimulate, encourage, recognize, and publicize the work of Pentecostal and Charismatic scholars and scholars of Pentecostalism;
• Study the implications of Pentecostal theology in relation to other academic disciplines, seeking a Pentecostal world-and-life view;
• Foster unity among Spirit-baptized believers throughout the world, in accordance with the prayer of Christ in John 17:21;
• Cooperate in the Great Commission, carrying the gospel to all peoples and nations;
• Uphold and maintain those Pentecostal truths “most surely believed among us” (Luke 1:1).

This dual commitment — to academic rigor and to the spiritual vitality of the Pentecostal-Charismatic tradition — is what gives the SPS its distinctive character. It is a society that refuses to separate scholarship from doxology, or the academy from the altar.

Pneuma: The Official Journal of the SPS

Perhaps the most significant academic contribution of the Society is its peer-reviewed journal, Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, published by Brill Academic Publishers since its founding in 1979. Dr. William W. Menzies of Evangel College served as its first editor-in-chief. The current editor is L. William Oliverio Jr. (Northwest University), with a distinguished editorial board spanning multiple institutions and disciplines. The journal is now in its 48th volume (Vol. 48.1 being the current release).

Pneuma publishes peer-reviewed articles across all the Society’s special interest areas: biblical studies, church history, systematic theology, missions, praxis, ecumenism, ethics, philosophy, religion and culture. It maintains a deliberately ecumenical and international scope, welcoming contributions from scholars across the full spectrum of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity. Indexes of all articles and book reviews published in Pneuma since 1979 are available for download on the SPS website — an invaluable research tool for any serious student of Pentecostalism.

Each year, the Society’s Editorial Committee presents the Pneuma Book Award to an outstanding book representing a significant achievement in scholarship related to Pentecostal and Charismatic studies — a recognition that has highlighted some of the most important theological works of the past two decades.

Annual Meetings: A Living Tradition of Scholarly Engagement

The SPS convenes annually, bringing together scholars from around the world to present papers, debate ideas, and deepen fellowship. Each meeting is organized around a central theme that reflects the Society’s ongoing theological and missiological conversations. Some of the most remarkable themes over the decades include:

• “Azusa Street Revisited: Facets of the American Pentecostal Experience” (1987) — a landmark reflection on Pentecostalism’s founding revival;
• “Purity & Power: Revisioning Holiness/Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements for the 21st Century” (1998);
• “Pentecostalism and the World Church: Ecumenical Opportunities and Challenges” (2002);
• “Hermeneutics and the Spirit: Identities, Communities, and Making of Meaning” (2014);
• “Communing with the Spirit — The Promise and Power of Pentecostal Prayer” (2026);
• The upcoming 2027 meeting will be hosted by Asbury University and Asbury Theological Seminary — two institutions with deep roots in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition that gave birth to Pentecostalism.

Leadership and Past Presidents

The SPS has been led by some of the most distinguished names in Pentecostal and Charismatic scholarship. Among its past presidents: Vinson Synan (1974), Cecil M. Robeck Jr. (1983), Harold D. Hunter (1984), Cheryl Bridges Johns (1993), Roger Stronstad (1994), Frank D. Macchia (2000), Amos Yong (2009), Kenneth J. Archer (2015), Martin Mittelstadt (2019 & 2021), and most recently Lois Olena (2025). The current Executive Director is Adrian Hinkle, based at the Society’s Tulsa, Oklahoma headquarters.

This remarkable roster reads like a who’s-who of Pentecostal theological scholarship — figures whose works have shaped the field across hermeneutics, systematic theology, church history, and ecumenical dialogue. The fact that so many of the scholars whose articles appear in the Academic Research section of this blog have served as SPS presidents is a testament to the Society’s central role in shaping Pentecostal academic culture.

Membership: Open to All Committed Scholars

The SPS offers five membership categories, renewed annually, available to any scholar — ordained or lay, institutional or independent — with a serious interest in Pentecostal and Charismatic studies. Though the Society’s roots lie in classical North American Pentecostalism, it now welcomes members from all major Christian denominations and from university settings with no denominational affiliation. Membership includes access to Pneuma back issues, reduced conference registration, and active participation in the Society’s interest groups, committees, and caucuses.

Visit the Official SPS Website — A Strongly Recommended Resource

The Society for Pentecostal Studies website at www.sps-usa.org is, without exaggeration, one of the most important online resources in the entire field of Pentecostal-Charismatic studies. There you will find:

• Full information on annual meeting programs, past and upcoming;
• Downloadable indexes of every Pneuma article and book review since 1979;
• Historical documents, including Vinson Synan’s account of the Society’s founding and anniversary monographs from the 30th, 40th, and 50th years;
• A listing of Pentecostal archives and research collections worldwide;
• Information on membership, submission guidelines for Pneuma, and book award winners.

Whether you are a pastor seeking to ground your ministry in serious theological reflection, a researcher exploring the frontiers of Pentecostal scholarship, or a student just beginning to discover the intellectual richness of this tradition — the SPS website is a destination you cannot afford to miss. Bookmark it. Return to it often. Let it connect you to a global community of scholars who are as passionate about the Holy Spirit as they are about academic excellence.

Access the Society for Pentecostal Studies at www.sps-usa.org