Migration and Global Pentecostalism in the Greater Stockholm Area: A Mapping of the Growth of Local Migrant Churches in Stockholm

Abstract

Today, roughly 25 per cent of the Swedish population have their immediate roots in a foreign country. In the largest metropolitan area of Sweden, Greater Stockholm, the figure is 33 per cent, and it is even larger in the two other major cities, Gothenburg (35%) and Malmo (44%). This remarkable demographic shift is necessarily influencing the religious landscape. While one major part of the immigration to Sweden is Muslim, the greater number of the immigrants are of a Christian background. Among these, Orthodox and Catholic immigrants from the Middle East have attracted greater attention, while immigrants with a Pentecostal Charismatic affiliation have often been overlooked. This is unwarranted, because the Pentecostal-Charismatic migrants churches are growing rapidly, both in number and in adherents. This is especially the case in Greater Stockholm. Based on original surveys by the author, this article explores migrant Pentecostal churches in Greater Stockholm, presenting their numerical growth, discussing their ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as their theological orientation, and presenting an analysis of their sociological character in relation to their geographical location. This survey calls into question the stereotypes of Sweden as the epitome of secularization and of its urban centres being “tombs for religion”.