Magdalena Slavkova (Pforzheimer Fellowship for Bulgarian Senior Scholars, Oct ‘25 – Mar ‘26)

Gendered Charisma and Roma Female Evangelists (20th-21st century)

19 February 2026 (Thursday), 16:30 h.

Moderated by: Zornitsa Petrova

Abstract: This presentation explores gendered charisma within Roma evangelical communities in Bulgaria, examining how women exercise spiritual power and negotiate authority in male-dominated religious environments. Through preaching, testimony, prayer leadership, and everyday forms of spiritual mentorship, women legitimize their presence within frameworks of charismatic authority. The materialization of God’s grace, understood in evangelical terms as spiritual gifting and divine calling, becomes embedded in local leadership dynamics. Importantly, this charisma is not confined to Pentecostal settings but is also evident in Baptist and Methodist contexts, a feature that appears particularly significant in the Bulgarian Roma case and remains underexplored in academic scholarship. Historically, Roma communities in Bulgaria became a significant target group for both foreign and local evangelical missionaries. The initial aim of these missionary efforts was conversion: to shape Roma believers into what missionaries defined as “righteous” Christians, thereby fulfilling broader proselytizing goals. Missionary engagement expanded beyond religious conversion to include social, cultural and educational support, with the intention of helping Roma establish a recognized religious presence within Bulgarian society in a context where Roma were not regarded as equal citizens. Far from being passive recipients of missionary influence, Roma women acted as pastors’ wives, missionaries, preachers, and mediators between Roma women and missionary organizations. This presentation examines various cases of the exercise of spiritual power and authority by Roma women affiliated with different evangelical traditions, including Methodist, Baptist, and Pentecostal churches. Special attention is given to the activities of women in the First Roma Baptist Church in the world, founded in the first half of the 20^th century in the village of Golintsi (today a neighborhood of the city of Lom) in Northwestern Bulgaria. The research draws on ethnographic fieldwork, a review of Protestant periodicals, and archival materials.