The Church of Pentecost
| The Church of Pentecost | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Evangelical Christianity |
| Theology | Pentecostal |
| Governance | Presbytery |
| Chairman | Apostle Eric Nyamekye |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | Accra |
| Founder | Rev. James McKeown |
| Origin | 21 May 1953 Asamankese, Ghana |
| Congregations | Over 20,000 |
| Members | Over 4,000,000 |
| Official website | thecophq |
The Church of Pentecost is a Pentecostal denomination that originates from Ghana. The Church currently has a presence in more than 151 countries globally. Its current Chairman, who happens to be its highest officer worldwide, is Apostle Eric Nyamekye.
History
[edit]The church has its origins in a British mission of Rev. James McKeown in Ghana in 1937.[1] In 1953, The Church was founded as Gold Coast Apostolistic Church. Upon the country's attainment of independence in 1957, the name changed to the Ghana Apostolic Church. In resolution of a conflict with the Apostolic Church, Ghana, the then President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah ruled that the church adopted a new name, thus, in August 1962, the name Church of Pentecost came into being.[2] Through foreign missionary work and establishing relationships with other Pentecostal churches, the Church of Pentecost expanded into a worldwide movement. The Church of Pentecost operated in 151 Nations headed by Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Senior Pastors throughout the world and about 21,802 local assemblies in 2,898 districts. In 2022, global membership of the Church stood at 4,203,077,[3] with children constituting about 1,307,157. The Church of Pentecost had 137,862 church officers and 2,492 ordained ministers in 101 nations.[4] The Church saw an increase of 7.9% with regards to the total membership of the church and now operate in 170 nations across the globe.[5]
Church leadership
[edit]Chairmen of the Church of Pentecost
[edit]- Pastor James McKeown 1953–1982
- Apostle Fred Stephen Safo 1982–1987
- Prophet Martinson Kwadwo Yeboah 1988–1998
- Apostle Dr. Michael Kwabena Ntumy 1998–2008
- Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah 2008–2018
- Apostle Eric Nyamekye 2018–present[6][7]
The Church of Pentecost re-elected Nyamekye as chairman of the church during an election held on May 4, 2023 at the Pentecost Convention Center at Gomoa Fetteh as part of the 46th General Council Meeting.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2013, page 117
- ^ J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, page 698
- ^ "The Church of Pentecost membership hits over 4.2 million - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ The Church of Pentecost, Statistics, thecophq.org, Ghana, retrieved January 29, 2024
- ^ Attoh, Joseph (1 May 2024). "The Church Of Pentecost Present In 170 Nations". THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "Church of Pentecost: Apostle Eric Nyamekye is new chairman". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "Apostle Eric Nyamekye re-elected as Chairman of Church of Pentecost". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
- ^ "Apostle Eric Nyamekye Re-elected As Chairman of Church of Pentecost As He Secures Majority Votes". 4 May 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
Bibliography
[edit]- An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity – Allen Anderson – ISBN 0521532809
- Religions of the World, Second Edition – J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann -ISBN 1598842048