Pentecostalisation as Social Reform: The Case of the 2014 Malekula Revival

“Pentecostalisation”, or the spread of charismatic Christian ideas and practice, is altering social and political landscapes in many places in the world, including in Vanuatu, where the number of Pentecostal churches has increased markedly since the turn of the 21st century. This chapter examines how Pentecostal-charismatic ideas of “breaking with the past” appeal to ni-Vanuatu who desire radical social change, a task that post-colonial leaders and institutions repeatedly fail to achieve. Scholarly work from across Melanesia shows how desires for radical change often lead people to break away from established colonial churches and institutions in order to start something new. However, on Malekula, Vanuatu’s second largest island, the colonial Presbyterian Church has in many places come to represent kin, community, and local identity. As a result, attempts of social change often take place within the structures of the established church rather than by breaking with them. By taking a Christian charismatic revival movement that developed on Malekula in 2013-2014 as my vantage point, I show how local Presbyterian churches are currently adapting Pentecostal-charismatic techniques to balance people’s need for change and maintain social cohesion. I further show how the revival has brought Pentecostal and mainline Presbyterian churches together to form a potent grassroots movement aiming to transform Vanuatu.