A Theological Reflection on The Development of Mission Models In The Church Of Pentecost And Its Implications For The Future Of Pentecostal Mission In Ghana

Abstract

The Church of Pentecost (CoP) has been identified as the fastest growing Christian denomination and the largest Protestant church in Ghana since 1989.1 Even though the CoP is grouped among the Classical Pentecostal Churches in Ghana, together with the Assemblies of God (AG), Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) and the Apostolic Church (AC), some scholars tend to describe it as an indigenous Ghanaian Pentecostal church for various reasons.2 For example, Asamoah-Gyadu indicates that - although it identifies with the classical Pentecostal tradition, the CoP has acquired a unique indigenous character, marking it out as different in outlook from, say, the Assemblies of God, whose American imprint after sixty years of existence in Ghana is still quite obvious.3 To some extent, some of the leaders of the CoP also seem to have similar view that the CoP is an indigenous Ghanaian church. Writing the introduction to the ‘History of The Church of Pentecost Volume 1’, Apostle D K Anan, the then chairman of the History Committee, points out that ‘The Church of Pentecost, from its inception, has been an indigenous, a do-it-yourself Church.’4 This assumption agrees with the claims of Rev. James McKeown, the first superintendent and chairman of the CoP that he wanted to plant ‘local species’ in African soil, since he believed that a British oak is more likely to struggle in Ghana.