ringo ringvee

Charismatic Christianity and Pentecostal churches

in Estonia from a historical perspective

T
his article focuses on the history of Pentecostal these are part of larger churches or congregational
and charismatic Christianity in Estonia from the associations. However, there is also a considerable
early twentieth century to the early twenty-first number of independent charismatic and Pentecostal
century. From the 1870s onwards a series of religious re- congregations.
vivals in Estonia created the context for the emergence The largest Pentecostal church in Estonia is
of the Pentecostal movement in the early twentieth cen- the Estonian Christian Pentecostal Church (Eesti
tury. Proto-Pentecostalism at the beginning of the cen- Krist­­
lik Nelipühi Kirik) that began its formation
tury transformed into a fully-fledged Pentecostalism in in 1989. However there is also the Association of
the 1920s with the involvement of foreign missionaries Esto­nian Evangelical Christian Pentecostal Con­
from Sweden as well as from Finland. The Finnish con- gre­­
gations (Eesti Evangeeliumi Kristlaste Neli­
nection became important in the late 1960s with the pühi­laste Koguduste Liit), the Association of Esto­
emergence of a charismatic Pentecostal revival in the nian Christian Free Churches (Eesti Kristlike
evangelical Christian churches, as well as amongst the Vaba­­koguduste Liit, which unites the Word of Life
Baptists in Tallinn. By the late 1970s the prayer revival [Elu Sõna] congregations), and several independent
had transformed into a healing ministry and this had congre­gations, as already mentioned. At the same
an impact on the charismatic movement in the Soviet time there are congregations in the Estonian Union
Union­. The foreign impact on Pentecostal and charis- of Evangelical Christian and Baptist Churches (Eesti
matic movements in Estonia has also been important Evan­­geeli­umi Kristlaste ja Baptistide Koguduste Liit)
from the late 1980s onwards. There has been consider- with Pentecostal influences and/or backgrounds.
able diversification of the charismatic and Pentecostal The history of Pentecostal and charismatic Chris­
traditions in Estonia since the 1990s, and the trends tianity in Estonia is as yet largely unwritten. Much
have reflected general changes in charismatic Chris- of the available knowledge on the early phases of the
tianity. Although internally diverse the charismatic Pentecostal movement in Estonia relies on the mem-
Christianity (including the Pentecostals) may well be by oirs of Evald Kiil (1997) who started his career as a
now the second largest Protestant tradition in Estonia. Pentecostal preacher in the 1930s. The 1970s charis-
matic revival is covered by memoirs or books based
on the memoirs of the participants (Uuemõis 2010,
Introduction Kraeuter 2012). Toivo Pilli (2008), Riho Saard (2010)
At the beginning of the twenty-first century the and Jaanus Plaat (2001) have also paid attention to the
Estonian religious landscape is still dominated by movements, however, often in a more general reviv-
Christianity. Besides the two dominant denomin­ alist context. There are also some unpublished BA,
ations, the Lutherans and the Orthodox churches, MA and PhD theses on charismatic and Pentecostal
there are also a number of new charismatic and Christianity in Estonia (Ritsbek 1996, Kroll 2006,
Pentecostal churches and movements present in Hermaküla 2007).
Estonia. In 2014 there were over 570 religious There is lack of reliable information concern-
associ­ations with legal entity status. The majority of ing Pentecostalism and charismatic Christianity

Approaching Religion • Vol. 5, No. 1 • May 2015

57
in Estonia. Thus for example it has been estimated Örmso (1876). The coastal Swedes have lived side
that there were between 200 and 2,000 Pentecostals by side with ethnic Estonians for centuries along the
in Estonia in the 1930s (Teraudkalns 2001: 98). west coast of Estonia and it was from there that the
According to the 1934 population census there were revival spread among local Estonians. On the island
191 persons who defined themselves as Pentecostals, of Ormsö the revivalists split away from the Lutheran
459 affiliates of Free Gospel Churches, and 306 Church in 1880. By that time the revival had spread
Revival­ists, which amounted to less than 1 per cent to the rest of western Estonia and in 1879 it became
of the population (Rahvastiku koostis ja korteriolud known as the Ridala (or West Coast) revival, refer-
1935: 118–21). ring to its central hub (Plaat 2001: 66–7; Busch 1928).
Among local peasants the revival took differ-
ent forms including more charismatic features
Relevant historical background such as jumping, clapping hands, dancing, shaking,
In the sixteenth century the Lutheran Church and speaking in tongues. The revivalist movement
became the dominant Landskirche, as it is in present became known as the free-churchers (priilased) or
day Estonia. The religious diversification of Estonia the revivalist free churches.
started in the eighteenth century with the arrival of When the German Baptist pastor Adam Schiewe
the Moravian Brethren missionaries from Herrnhut, from St Petersburg arrived in Estonia in 1884 the
Germany. The Brethren movement (vennaste­ revival was in full swing. In February 1884 Schiewe
kogudus) was initially invited by the Baltic German conducted the first baptisms of faith in Estonia
gentry and clergy who were influenced by Pietism, (Wardin 2013). In subsequent years some of the
but due to the missionary efforts of the Brethren it revivalist free churches joined Baptists who were per-
became popular among the native peasantry and was mitted to operate in the Russian Empire, while some
accompanied by ecstatic movements (Vööbus 1974: of the revivalist free churches remained as independ-
103–46). From the early eighteenth century onwards ent, close-knit communities. The Baptists became
a variety of local prophets and ecstatic movements one of the fastest-growing religious denominations
emerged. One of the best known examples of the in the ensuing decades.
ecstatic movements are the heaven- or skywalkers The end of the nineteenth century and the first
(taevaskäijad), who were mostly young maidens who decade of the twentieth century were years of rapid
claimed to visit heaven as well as hell, and brought urbanization and industrialization and this was also a
back messages (Plaat 2001: 42–4). time when many Christian traditions new to Estonia
arrived. In 1897 the Seventh-day Adventists arrived,
followed by Methodists in 1905 and an emotionally-
The 1870s revival charged local revival also took place in 1905, started
From a more recent perspective the introduc- by a young revivalist preacher, the Jewish-born
tion of charismatic Christianity into Estonia can Lutheran convert Johannes Rubanovitsch (Betz and
be said to have taken place at the end of the nine- Lohmeyer nd). The 1905 Pietistic revival movement
teenth century during the period of Russian imperial became known as the Evangelical Christians (evan­
Russification. The coastal Swedes of north-western geeliumi kristlased) (Pilli 2008: 3).
Estonia, who had become the subjects of the Russian
czar as a result of the 1721 Nystad peace treaty,
became concerned at the missionary activities of the The Pentecostal movement at the beginning
Russian Orthodox Church and in 1873 the Swedish of the twentieth century
evangel­ization society, the Evangelical Homeland The exact birthdate of the Pentecostal movement in
Foundation (Evangeliska Fosterlandsstiftelsen) sent Estonia is rather hard to establish. Many of the fea-
missionaries to Estonia at the request of the Lutheran tures which are often characteristic of the Pentecostal
clergy of the coastal Swedes (Plaat 2001: 62–3; movement (such as speaking in tongues, for ex­ample)
Kaups 1935: 102–5). Thure Emmanuel Thoren and had already been introduced into Estonian religious
Lars Österblom were missionaries and schoolteach- life before the end of the nineteenth century, as a con-
ers who triggered revivals among coastal Swedes in sequence of various revivals. The Pentecostal move-
Noarootsi/Nuckö (1874) and the island of Vormsi/ ment has been viewed as a continuation of the holi-

58 Approaching Religion • Vol. 5, No. 1 • May 2015

ness movement which had arrived in Estonia in the stipulated freedom of religion and indicated that
1890s (Pilli 2007: 233). there was no state religion. The governmental atti-
The earliest contacts with proto-Pentecostal tude to religion was rather indifferent. In 1922 the
move­ ments date back to the early 1900s when first Swedish missionary came to Estonia with the
Baroness Margarethe von Brasch, having been filled intention of learning the Russian language, as in
with the Spirit at an evangelical service in Germany the 1920s Russia was seen as a potential missionary
had begun to organize worship services at her home country. Yngve Valdemar Ölvingsson (also known as
in Estonia. The British missionary Eleanor Patrick, Voldemar Ellingsson) settled in north-west Estonia
who became Pentecostal in 1908 and had a role in amidst the Swedish settlements along the coast. He
the Pentecostal mission in Russia, also visited Estonia had been affiliated with the Methodist Church and
between 1909 and 1912 (Anderson 2014: 108; Mozer had become associated with the Swedish Pentecostal
and Bornovolokov 2011: 261). movement. His preaching became popular among
The arrival of Pentecostal movement to Estonia revivalist circles. In 1924 Ölvingsson established his
has been dated back to 1907 when a Finn, Pekka first Pentecostal church in Estonia, called the Free
Hakkarainen, who became later important in the Gospel Congregation, in Riguldi (Plaat 2003: 151). In
Pentecostal movement in south-eastern Finland, 1925 Ölvingsson moved to Tallinn where he became
began his preaching career in Narva Baptist services an organizer amongst the Pentecostal groups, found-
(Kiil 1997: 14–15; Schmidt 1935: 101). In 1909 Pekka ing the Elim Pentecostal Church in Tallinn in 1926
Hakkarainen, along with his 22 followers, founded (Kiil 1997: 20–3; Anderson 2014: 108; Teraudkalns
an independent church called the Narva Evangelical 2001: 98; Schmidt 1935: 207–8). In the years follow-
Christian Congregation (Narva Evangeeliumi ing the Elim Church established local charters in a
Krist­laste Kogudus), which is considered to be variety of places in Estonia (Plaat 2003: 151). From
the first Pentecostal congregation in Estonia (Kiil 1922 to 1926 several Pentecostal missionaries came
1997: 14–15). His work in Narva was continued from Sweden with affiliations to the Pentecostal
by Aleksander Summanen who in 1928 became an movement in Stockholm.
official missionary of the Finnish Pentecostal mis- In1934 Estonian legislation concerning reli-
sion organization, the Finnish Free Foreign Mission gious associations changed and the independent
(Suomen Vapaa Ulkolähetys; Schmidt 1935: 208, Pentecostal churches had to either organize them-
Kärkkäinen 2003: 125). selves into a larger congregational union or merge
Narva and its surrounding areas in north-east- with an already-existing religious union. Most of
ern Estonia have also been important in the his- the Pentecostal churches merged with the Union of
tory of the Finnish Pentecostal movement. In 1898 Estonian Evangelical Christian Free Churches (Eesti
a revival that became known as Narva revival, or Evangeeliumi Kristlaste Vabakoguduste Liit), but still
narvalaisuus (‘Narvaness’) emerged among the Finn­ maintaining their particular spiritualities (Pilli 2007:
ish-origin Laestadian movement in Narva, north- 235).
eastern Estonia, Ingria and south-western Finland
(Kärkkäinen 2003: 105; Talonen 1988: 22–3). This
branch of the Laestadian movement in Finland invited The Soviet period: merging traditions
the founding figure of the European Pentecostal The Soviet occupation which took place after
movement, the Norwegian Thomas Ball Barratt the Second World War brought more changes to
(1862–1940) to visit Finland in 1911 (Alvarsson Estonian religious life. In 1945 the Estonian Baptists,
2011: 22–9). Barratt’s visit to St Petersburg in the Revivalist Free Churches and Evangelical Christians
same year had an impact on the Pentecostal revival with Pentecostals were merged into the Union of
among Finns living in the capital of the Russian Evangelical Christian Baptists in the USSR. The
Empire (Schmidt 1935: 205). congregations of this Union in Soviet Estonia were
very diverse in their spiritualities. The most extreme
example of the outcome of the forced merger was the
The Pentecostal movement in independent Estonia creation of a congregation in Oleviste, or St Olaf ’s
In 1918 Estonia was declared an independent lib- Church, in Tallinn where seven different congrega-
eral democratic republic. The Constitution of 1920 tions were united into one. The congregation was

Approaching Religion • Vol. 5, No. 1 • May 2015

59
Courtesy of Eelim Congregation

The Eelim Congregation’s Sunday School in 1933.

established on 17 September 1950 on the basis of three an important vehicle for the transmission of new
Evangelical Christian, three Baptist, one Pentecostal, influences from the charismatic movement (Pilli
and one revivalist free church1 (Pilli 2008: 38–42). 2008: 72). Pentecostal and charismatic theological
The blending of the different spiritualties resulted in perspectives were introduced through the books of
Oleviste becoming the centre of a charismatic revival Tommy Lee Osborn and Derek Prince, which were
that started in the beginning of the 1970s and lasted smuggled into Soviet Estonia. In the 1970s the Jesus
for almost a decade until the Soviet authorities inter- movement reached Estonian Christian circles. The
vened (Saard 2010: 29–32; Kraeuter 2012: 83–97). Jesus movement was reflected in the religious youth
awakening which centred around a gospel-rock band
named ‘Sela’ which had been formed in 1968 in the
Charismatic revivals during the Soviet period Methodist Church of Tallinn. In 1978 the gospel
On 7 June 1965 the first regular ferry link between band ‘Living Sound’ from Oral Roberts University
Helsinki and Tallinn was established. This connec- visited Estonia and performed in the Oleviste Church
tion had an impact on the religious life in the Soviet as well as in the Methodist Church in Tallinn. Before
Estonia, as contacts with the Western world conse- leaving Soviet Estonia Living Sound gave its technical
quently became unofficially established, or reestab- equipment to the band Sela, which by the 1970s had
lished at an individual level. The ferry link became also become popular outside of religious and hippie
circles (Saard 2010: 12–13). The charismatic circles
around Sela had contacts with outreach ministries
1 Evangeeliumi Kristlaste Vabakogudus, Karmeli Evan- in the West and were involved in the emerging Jesus
geeliumi Kristlaste Vabakogudus, Siioni Evangeeliumi
Kristlaste Vabakogudus, Allika Baptistikogudus,
movement in Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev and Riga,
Saaroni­Baptistikogudus, Iru Betaania Baptisti Kogu- being the first gospel rock band in the Soviet Union
dus, Eelimi Nelipühikogudus, Priikogudus. (Kärner 27.5.2006; Pilli 2008: 93). Emerging charis-

Approaching Religion • Vol. 5, No. 1 • May 2015

60
 matic Christianity, especially in its Jesus movement was known from 1975, began targeting the younger
form, became part of the alternative sub-culture of generation with gospel rock and in 1976 the choir
the Soviet Union. evenings moved from the side chapel to the main hall
In 1966 the first Pentecostals from Finland, who of the medieval Oleviste Church (Kõlar 2012: 144).
came to Soviet Estonia as tourists, visited Oleviste At the same time speaking in tongues became a con-
Church (Pilli 2008: 72). Finnish Pentecostals and troversial issue among the evangelical Christian and
charismatic free churches also smuggled charismatic Baptist church leaders (Pilli 2008: 92). The connec-
literature into Estonia, and in the 1970s Oral Roberts tion with Finnish Pentecostal and free churches and
and Kenneth E. Hagin were among the authors whose the influence of the charismatic ministry of Niilo Yli-
books were translated into Estonian and distributed Vainio also played a role in the revival which began at
as samizdat publications in charismatic circles (Pilli Christmas 1977 with a healing ministry led by Rein
2008: 92; Saard 2010: 19–24). Uuemõis (Uuemõis 2010: 43; Pilli 2008: 92).
In the spring of 1968 a prayer awakening took Healing ministry in the Oleviste Church was
place among the members of the Oleviste Church. carried out both in Estonian and in Russian, and it
Two central figures in this prayer awakening were especially attracted underground Pentecostals from
the brothers Rein and Haljand Uuemõis who had a elsewhere in the Soviet Union. In the following four
background in the evangelical Christian movement, years this revival brought thousands of people from
and whose house became the place for prayer meet- other parts of the Soviet Union to the healing services
ings in which guests from Finland also participated. (Kraeuter 2012). The Tallinn revival, or Effata revival,
In 1968 the Oleviste Church evangelization effort also had an impact on Pentecostal and charismatic
took the form of choir evenings in which traditional Christianity in the rest of Soviet Union.
spiritual songs were performed and an outreach The Soviet authorities closed down the charis-
speech was also included. Gradually the evenings of matic healing ministry in the Oleviste Church in
spiritual music performed by the Effataa Choir, as it 1981 (Saard 2010: 29–32; Kraeuter 2012: 83–94).
Collection of Riho Saard

The Effataa Choir at St Oleviste Church in 1979.

61 Approaching Religion • Vol. 5, No. 1 • May 2015

 Collection of Riho Saard
Raimond Jakobs. In 1987 this prayer
group became known as the Word of
Life (Elu Sõna) (Saard 2010: 58). The
name was given spontaneously during
a prayer and Hubert Jakobs has denied
any connection to the name of the
Swedish movement called ‘Livets Ord’
(Hermaküla 2007: 18).
The Word of Life was radical both
in its approach to religion as well as to
Soviet society. One fundamental fea-
ture of the Word of Life was Kenneth
E. Hagin’s teaching on ‘spiritual war-
fare’. Mets and Jakobs attracted mostly
people in their late teens or early twen-
ties. Speaking in tongues and casting
Rein Mets, Marju Kuut and Kadri Hunt at the Methodist Church prayer out demons characterized the Word
service in Tallinn, 1980. of Life’s prayer meetings. Due to the
young age of the followers and un­usual
However, both the Oleviste Church and Methodist charismatic spirituality some parents expressed their
Church in Tallinn remained important for the sub- concerns to the Soviet authorities, who on their own
sequent charismatic youth revival that began in 1986 account were also concerned about the political mes-
after the Methodist Church in Tallinn had excom- sage of the movement.
municated two active congregation members, Rein In October 1987 Jakobs and Mets made a reli-
Mets and Hubert Jakobs. Rein Mets was ‘born again’ gious-political declaration under the title Harta ’87
in the Oleviste Baptist church in the late 1970s, but (‘Charter ’87’), which was sent to the President of
due to disagreements with the congregation’s admin- the United States at the time, Ronald Reagan; the
istration had left it. Hubert Jakobs had been an active Secretary General of the Communist Party of the
translator of charismatic teachings but in 1986 he left USSR Mikhail Gorbachev and the Chairman of the
Oleviste due to doctrinal differences. In 1986 Mets Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of Soviet Estonia,
started engaging in youth work in the Methodist Arnold Rüütel. In this address Mets and Jakobs
church with his new co-worker Hubert Jakobs renounced their Soviet citizenship and called for an
(Hermaküla 2007: 14–16). The works of Kenneth E. ‘exodus’ from the Soviet Union, ‘as the godly leave the
Hagin, translated by Jakobs, became the main source Empire of Evil’. Ultimately 404 persons signed this
of inspiration for the new charismatic revival. petition. There were similar religious-political state-
ments directed against the Soviet Union from the
Word of Life in 1987, along with a missionary visit to
The Word of Life revival Vilnius, Lithuania. As Hubert Jakobs has explained
Rein Mets and Hubert Jakobs were expelled from he understood Kenneth E. Hagin’s idea of the believ­
the Baptist and Methodist churches on grounds er’s authority to apply not only to the spiritual, but
of theological differences. A prayer meeting of the also to the political sphere of life (Jakobs 2002). The
youth groups led by Mets and Jakobs had become Word of Life was also the first to use the Estonian
excessively ecstatic. Because of these developments national colours in public (Laar et al. 1996: 201). At
the leadership of the Methodist church removed the same time they were the target of critical articles
Mets and Jakobs from the youth work, and as the in the local press as well as on television, and a crim­
confrontation continued to grow Mets and Jakobs inal investigation into Mets and Jakobs was started by
were excommunicated from the Methodist Church the Soviet authorities.
in December 1986 (Hermaküla 2007: 18). Rein In February 1988 Mets and Jakobs, along with
Mets and Hubert Jakobs and their followers joined a their families, were deported from the Soviet Union
Bible study and prayer group led by Hubert’s brother to Sweden. From there on the Word of Life in Estonia

62 Approaching Religion • Vol. 4, No. 2 • December 2014

became less politically involved (Rohtmets and One of the first attempts to organize the Pente­
Ringvee 2013). Eventually the Word of Life revival costals in Estonia was made in 1989 by the Pente­
split into different charismatic churches. The Soviet costal pastor Heino Veensalu who founded the
authorities registered the first Word of Life congrega- Estonian Evangelical Christian Pentecostal Church
tion in 1989. Albert Türnpu became the new charis- (Eesti Evangeeliumi Kristlaste Nelipühilaste Kirik).
matic leader of the Word of Life movement, now with In 1991 the name of the church was shortened to the
its headquarters in Tartu. Mart Metsala in Tallinn Estonian Pentecostal Church (Eesti Nelipühi Kirik).
formed the Way of Light Free Church (Valguse Tee After the death of Rev. Veensalu in 1992 the church
Vabakogudus). In the 1990s the Word of Life was was dissolved (Rohtmets 2009: 275–6).
the flagship of the charismatic movement in Estonia. In 1991 Estonia reestablished itself as an inde-
In 1994 the Word of Life congregations founded pendent republic. The general liberation was also
their own congregational association, the Estonian seen in the influx of new charismatic and Pentecostal
Association of Christian Free Churches (Eesti Vaba­ churches, missions and ministries, and new forms of
koguduste Liit). From 1994 to 2001 the Word of Life Christian religion. As in the 1920s the new charis-
published its weekly Elu Sõna Leht (‘Word of Life matic and Pentecostal movements became a challenge
News­paper’). In 1996 the Word of Life congregation to the traditional free churches once again (Pilli 2008:
in Tartu established a private primary school. The 123–6; Laks 1966: 97–100) In the 2000s the Estonian
school is still operating and has permanent accredit­ Christian Pentecostal Church (Eesti Kristlik Nelipühi
ation from the Ministry of Education. Kirik) became to define the mainline Pentecostal
In the context of late 1980s charismatic scene in churches. In 1989 three Estonian Pentecostal min-
Estonia the Estonian Word of Life (Elu Sõna) had by isters, Allan Laur and Märt Vähi from Canada and
1987 established contacts with Livets Ord (the Word Harry Leesment from Australia, visited Estonia, and
of Life) Church in Sweden, founded by Ulf Ekman started a neo-Pentecostal ministry in Estonia. In
(Hermaküla 2007: 22). Among these contacts Carl the following year they had their first summer Bible
Gustaf Severin, a graduate from Rhema Training school; the Estonian Christian Seminar. In 1991 Laur,
Centre, became an important figure. In the early Vähi and Leesment founded the Estonian Christian
1990s some charismatic ministries saw Estonia as Church (Eesti Kristlik Kirik) after consultations with
a bridgehead for the mission to Russia. In the late the leaders of other free churches already operating
1980s Livets Ord had started its mission plans for in Estonia.
Russia (Aronson 2011). In 1990 the Estonian Word In 1994 the Estonian Christian Church, under
of Life established, in cooperation with its Swedish pressure from other churches as well as from the state
counterpart, a non-accredited Bible-school for the officials, changed its name to the Estonian Christian
students from the Soviet Union in Tartu. However, Pentecostal Church (ECPC). In 1995 the ECPC
since the early 2000s the role of the Word of Life in became an observer member of the ecumenical Esto­
Estonian religious life has been diminishing as the nian Council of Churches (acquiring full member­
charismatic leader of the movement, Albert Türnpu ship in 1997), indicating acceptance from the
moved from Estonia to Israel. main­­line Christian churches in Estonia. The ECPC
ex­empli­fied the proactive approach in spreading the
message. The ECPC was involved in establishing the
Charismatic, Pentecostal Chris­tian radio station and media channel Raadio7
and convergence movements­since the 1990s in cooperation with the International Broadcast
The Pentecostal movement in Estonia revived in the Radio Association in the early 1990s (Raadio7 web-
1990s. In 1988 the Soviet Union celebrated a thou- site). The ECPC has also been active in social rehabil-
sand years of the Christianization of Russia. Although itation, and in 2000 Bishop Märt Vähi established the
these celebrations focused on the Orthodox Church, Village of Hope which now has two centres for the
the Pentecostals from Latvia and Russia managed to programmes (Village of Hope webpage). The ECPC
organize a large evangelization event in Tallinn. On is the largest Pentecostal denomination in Estonia,
24 July 1988 the Tallinn city concert hall was full, with thirty congregations.
which means that approximately seven thousand In addition to the aforementioned charismatic
people attended the event (Pilli 2008: 123–4). and Pentecostal churches there is also a number of

Approaching Religion • Vol. 5, No. 1 • May 2015

63
smaller congregations or churches (including ‘full Charismatic Fellowship Church (Eesti Karismaatiline
gospel’ churches) and their associations (the Union of Osaduskirik), Georg Benjamin Lillemäe. Georg
Estonian Evangelical and Free Churches, the Union Lillemäe was ordained as a minister of the Estonian
of Estonian Christian Congregations, the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1975 until 1993.
Association of Evangelical Christian Pentecostals). During the religious revival of the late 1980s and early
The charismatic subculture comprising various small 1990s, Lillemäe became extensively involved in the
congregations had already become part of the general new charismatic revival. In 1993 Lillemäe established
religious field in the 1990s. One example of the fluid- his first independent charismatic church in Põlva,
ity of the Christian charismatic scene is the Vineyard which became part of the Estonian Christian Church.
Church in Estonia. The Vineyard movement was In 1994 the congregation became known as the New
introduced to Estonia in 1999 by Miguel and Mai Life congregation, and in the following few years
Zayas who had moved to Estonia from the USA. At Lillemäe was involved in founding over twenty New
first they became involved in charismatic circles and Life congregations around Estonia. In 1996 when the
in 2003 they established their own congregation. former Methodist pastor Heigo Ritsbek brought the
From 2009 the congregation has operated under the Episcopalian Charismatic Church to Estonia Georg
name of the Vineyard Congregation of the Estonian Lillemäe became associated with this new church.
Pentecostal Christian Church (Ringvee 2012a). In 2000 Lillemäe established a new church, called
The convergence movement was brought to the Estonian Charismatic Fellowship Church, which
Estonia by former Methodist pastor Heigo Ritsbek, combines elements from different Christian trad­
following his studies in the United States. The itions and even from Judaism (Eesmaa 2012). The
Estonian Charismatic Episcopalian Church (Eesti Charismatic Fellowship Church could also said to
Karismaatiline Episkopaalkirik) was introduced be part of the convergence movement. In 2014 the
to Estonia in 1995, and is a fellowship church of church had five congregations, and the main hub of
the International Communion of the Charismatic the Charismatic Fellowship Church is still located in
Episcopal Church. In 2006 the Charismatic Episco­ Põlva. However, Lillemäe is also actively involved in
pal­ian Church became a full member of the missionary work in Ghana.
ecumenic­ al Estonian Council of Churches (Ring­
vee 2012b). However, in 2012 H. Ritsbek left the
Charismatic Episcopalian Church and became Nigerian charismatic churches
the head of the Anglo-Catholic Church in Estonia A new feature in the Estonian charismatic field in
of the Holy Catholic Church International (Eesti recent years has been the emergence of Nigerian char-
Anglokatoliku Kirik). In this process an independ- ismatic Christianity. In 2013 three Nigerian students
ent charismatic congregation, the Estonian Charis­ studying at Tallinn Technical University established a
matic Neo-Catholic Congregation (Eesti Karis­ regular, not-for-profit association called the Estonian
maati­line Neokatoliku Kogudus) was established. In Chapel of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
2013 the Charismatic Neo-Catholic Congregation (Lunastatud Kristlaste Jumala Armu Kiriku Eesti
changed its name to the Congregation of the Kabel). Soon afterwards, in April 2014 a Nigerian
Catholic Charismatic Church in the Land of St Mary preacher, Uche Alexander Anyanwu, along with
(Karimaatilise Katoliku Kiriku Maarjamaa Kogudus). eleven other founding members, registered the stat-
All of these have tiny membership numbers, even ute of the Estonian Congregation of Christ Embassy
on an Estonian scale. According to the 2011 popu- (Kristuse Saatkonna Eesti Kogudus). The Estonian
lation and housing census there were 79 affiliates of congregation is affiliated with Nigerian pastor Chris
the Charismatic Episcopalian Church and 99 affili- Oyakhilome and his Believers’ LoveWorld Inc./
ates of the Charismatic Fellowship Church older Christ Embassy Church. The reasons for the arrival
than 15 years of age (Housing and Population Census of Nigerian charismatic churches to Estonia are hard
Database 2011). to detect, but may be related to the growing number
Characteristic of the Estonian charismatic field of Nigerian students in Estonian universities and
has been the importance of individuals who cross connected with the general expansion of Nigerian
the denominational borders. One of them is the cur- charismatic ministries in Europe.
rent Patriarch Archbishop and Rabbi of the Estonian

64 Approaching Religion • Vol. 5, No. 1 • May 2015

Conclusion there were also 1,899 undefined Christians who reg-
One of the general features of the Pentecostal and istered in the census.
charismatic movements has been their connection to In 2007 the Steve Hill Miracle Crusade, organ-
a wider revivalist context, including the inter­national ized by the Estonian Christian Pentecostal Church
context. Many of the features common to the con- brought together six thousand people over two
temporary Pentecostal and charismatic religios- nights (Kärmas 2007). The charismatic movement
ity and its expressions have been present in Estonia may well be the second largest Protestant tradition in
since the arrival of the Moravian movement in the Estonia just after Lutherans, especially if the var­ieties
first half of the eighteenth century. The Moravian of spirituality which are represented by Estonian
movement with its local variants laid the general Baptism with influences from different charismatic
spiritual foundation for the revivals which followed. and Pentecostal strands due to historical reasons are
The West Coast revival of the 1870s emerged among taken into account. 
the coastal Swedes and was triggered by the religious
activity of Swedish missionaries. The religious revival Ringo Ringvee is a historian of
in Tallinn and north-eastern Estonia were influenced religion with the special inter-
by the religious milieu of St Petersburg, the capital est in contemporary society.
of the Russian Empire, which contains a consider- He holds the post of Professor
extraordinarius in Compara-
able Estonian community. The historical Estonian tive Religion at the Theologi-
eastern border town of Narva, which became a major cal Institute of the Estonian
industrial town in the nineteenth century was just Evangelical Church, and is also
one hundred and fifty kilometres west of the capital. affiliated with the University
of Tartu as a member of a
The Narva Revival of the Laestaedian movement in
research group for religious
Estonia, Ingria, St Petersburg and southern Finland studies at the Centre of Excel-
finally became realized in relation to the visits of lence in Cultural Theory. He has published several articles
one of the leading Pentecostal leaders in Europe, on the relations between the state and religious associ­
ations in contemporary Estonia.
T. B. Barratt in 1911 as well as the Finnish Pentecostal
movement. However, Pentecostalism proper arrived
in Estonia in 1922 from Sweden, fitting in to the References
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