Any attempt to talk about a distinct Pentecostal-Charismatic ecclesiology could be a daunting task. This is primarily because the movement is not monolithic. It must be admitted that there are diversities of ecclesiological options within Pentecostalism.[1] Right from its inception, modern Pentecostalism has been concerned with practically re-enacting what they consider to be the life of the New Testament church, rather than trying to theologise it. Their emphasis has been on the practical manifestation and experience of the Holy Spirit in the lives of every member of the community of faith. For them, it was the Holy Spirit poured upon all flesh that democratised the charisms of the Spirit, enabling the priesthood of all believers. It was the Holy Spirit that empowered the New Testament church to accomplish what ordinarily they could not have accomplished. It was these extraordinary accomplishments that caused even their enemies to confess that “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6, NKJV).

The 2023 JMML is under the theme, Maximizing the Impact of Pentecostal-Charismatic Ecclesiology and Mission in The Nations. This theme aims at stimulating research and conversation among scholars and practitioners on the need to maximize the church’s missional impact to positively transform the nations of the world through the values and principles of the kingdom of God. Although this need has long been felt by Pentecostals generally, its articulation among key stakeholders of the movement has been slow. This conference is an attempt to engender such conversations in ways that can inform the future of the church’s visible missional impact in the nations, where all believers are released into their spheres of life as agents of transformation.