Text in German / The Study “The Growth of Pentecostal Churches in the USSR during the 20th Century” is a contribution to the research in the field of church development. The objective of this research is to investigate which missiological factors led the people in the Soviet Union to join the pentecostal churches. It should be noted that there is a wide gap in the area of international studies regarding the pentecostal movement in general.1 This can also be applied to the pentecostal movement in the USSR. So far, academic research has hardly given this area the necessary attention. For this reason the present dissertation tries to close this gap. Since this research not just follows a scientific-theoretical interest, the result should also be of use for future church development in Germany. The present historical and practical theological portrayal of the Russian pentecostal movement is based on extensive literary research. It should be given a wide as possible and yet critical review of the Russian, German and English literature. This study aims to open the difficult to access Russian literature to the German public. Moreover, the available literature is analyzed under a historical missiological aspect and practical theological conclusions are drawn from that / Practical theology / M.Th. (Practical theology)

Summary in German and English / Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich dem Gemeindeaufbau und der Mission von Pfingstgemeinden unter Russlanddeutschen in der UdSSR und der BRD. Leitend ist dabei die Frage, welche missiologische Praktiken und Prinzipien für den Wachstum dieser Gemeinden verantwortlich waren. Die historische Untersuchung beginnt mit der Entstehungsgeschichte der Pfingstbewegung unter den Russlanddeutschen in der UdSSR und BRD. Dabei werden vor allem die Gemeindeaufbaumethoden der Pfingstgemeinden, ihre geographischen Ausdehnung und ihre zahlenmäßige Ausweitung betrachtet. Der historische Teil der Studie bildet im weiteren Forschungsverlauf die Grundlage zur Entwicklung einer qualitative Studie der russlanddeutschen Pfingstgemeinden in der BRD. Dazu wurden mittels qualitativer Interviews Leiter aus 14 Gemeinden zu ihrer Glaubenspraxis, dem Gemeindeaufbau und ihrer Mission befragt. Auf Basis der Grounded Theory wurden die gewonnenen Daten ausgewertet, nach verschiedenen Wachstumsfaktoren geordnet und vor dem Hintergrund missionstheologischer Aspekte interpretiert. Schließlich werden die Ergebnisse aus der historischen und empirischen Untersuchung mit den gegenwärtigen missiologischen Konzepten verglichen und eine handlungsorientierte Perspektive eröffnet. Die vorliegende Studie soll als Diskussionsbeitrag zum Gemeindeaufbau und der Mission der russlanddeutschen Pfingstgemeinden in der Missiologie dienen / The present paper deals with the development and mission of the Pentecostal community of German- Russians in USSR and FRG (Federal Republic of Germany). The main purpose is which missiological practices and principles brought about the development of these communities. The historical investigation starts with the history of the origins of the Pentecostal movement among the German- Russian people in the USSR and FRG. The attention is paid to the methods of the establishment and development of the community, its geographical extension and also the numerical growth. Furthermore the historical research is the basis for the development of the qualitative study about the Pentecostal- communities of the German- Russians in FRG. Therefore leaders of 14 Pentecostal Churches were interviewed and asked about their religious practices, community development and mission. Based on the Grounded theory the collected data were classified in different growth factors and they were interpreted against the background of mission- theological aspects. Finally the results of the historical and empirical research are compared with current missiological concepts so that they open an action-orientated perspective. This study provides a basis for a debate for the community development and missionary of German- Russian Pentecostal Communities. Key Terms / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

Text in German / The Study “The Growth of Pentecostal Churches in the USSR during the 20th Century” is a contribution to the research in the field of church development. The objective of this research is to investigate which missiological factors led the people in the Soviet Union to join the pentecostal churches. It should be noted that there is a wide gap in the area of international studies regarding the pentecostal movement in general.1 This can also be applied to the pentecostal movement in the USSR. So far, academic research has hardly given this area the necessary attention. For this reason the present dissertation tries to close this gap. Since this research not just follows a scientific-theoretical interest, the result should also be of use for future church development in Germany. The present historical and practical theological portrayal of the Russian pentecostal movement is based on extensive literary research. It should be given a wide as possible and yet critical review of the Russian, German and English literature. This study aims to open the difficult to access Russian literature to the German public. Moreover, the available literature is analyzed under a historical missiological aspect and practical theological conclusions are drawn from that / Practical theology / M.Th. (Practical theology)