Modelling Urban Mission among Unreached People Groups

The Case of the Home and Urban Missions Concept of The Church of Pentecost in Ghana

Abstract

The Pentecostal missionary enterprise has attracted scholarly interest for some time, mainly due to its commitment to penetrating various sectors of society while upholding the Great Commission. The Church of Pentecost (CoP) plays a significant role in this endeavour. Its mission structure is transitioning from a disorganised fringe to a more systematic and intentional missional framework in Ghana, thereby facilitating the development of an urban mission concept. Urban mission is primarily focused on cities that have been identified as underserved by Christian mission efforts. This article presents a case study involving interviews and a thorough analysis of the Home and Urban Missions (HUM) target group document. It aims to reveal how the CoP perceives urban missions, particularly in relation to urban social features, with a special focus on four administrative areas of the CoP that target unreached people groups (UPGs) during the first year of this concept’s implementation. The HUM model defined by the CoP emphasises an urban mission that responds to urban social dynamics, aiming to engage diverse socio-demographic segments of Ghanaian society with the Gospel of Christ. This approach diverges from traditional notions of urban missions and aligns with emerging trends in urban life elsewhere. The paper recommends a flexible definition of the scope of urban missions to effectively reach out to UPGs.