[1] Despite persecution by the government and the dominant Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Pentecostalism relied on youth and technology to spread its practices throughout the country.
[3] After gaining religious freedom in 1991, churches began preaching prosperity and growth outside the government and to discuss fighting corruption.
[2] Worship services include the practices speaking in tongues, divine healing, exorcism, prophecy, and powerful prayer.
[3] In 1951, Anna-Liisa and Sanfrid Mattson traveled from Finland to Ethiopia and established a Pentecostal mission in Addis Ababa, the country's capital.
Pentecostalism, during the 1960s, attracted many students, and the movement grew enough that the Full Gospel Believers Church (FBGC) was created in 1967.
[5][6][7] Finnish and Swedish missionaries began the first Pentecostal initiatives in Ethiopia, largely independent of influenced by American practices.
[2] The Pentecostal movement has mostly affected urban settings where young, educated, and middle-class people have been its main converts.
[2] The mobility of the youth and the similarities between their modernity and traveling allowed Pentecostalism to fit their lifestyles more than other Ethiopian religions.
[9] During the Derg period, Pentecostalism was targeted with the goal of stopping its practice by closing churches and beating and imprisoning practitioners.
[2] During the time when Pentecostals had to practice in closed areas, radio was one of the few methods they could rely on to spread their messages.
[2] In 1979 Gudina Tumsa, Secretary General of the Mekane Yesus Church was executed, further forcing Pente groups to move their activities underground.
This governmental support of the Orthodox Church has led Pentecostals to structure their movement around national unity and to use to slogan "the Gospel for Ethiopia by Ethiopians".
[10] The belief that Pentecostalism is both engaging and uplifting attracts people to the practice as many citizens have looked to enhance their lives.
[12] Because of separation of state and religion, Pentecostals have relied on public initiatives and a societal presence to continue their influence within the political sphere.
[12] According to Pentecostal teachings, spiritual growth is paired with economic progress to show the result of living righteously.
[2] Some pastors have begun preaching against repressive tactics of the government and highlight accountability and stopping corruption in their sermons.