The Church of Pentecost
| The Church of Pentecost | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Pentecostal |
| Theology | Evangelical |
| Origin | 1 August 1962 (renamed) Accra, Ghana |
| Separated from | Apostolic Church Gold Coast |
| Congregations | 20,000 |
| Members | 3 million |
| Official website | thecophq |
The Church of Pentecost is a church originating from Ghana. This Pentecostal church claims worldwide about 20,000 congregations with more than 3 million members.
History
The Church’s beginnings are linked to the ministry of Pastor James McKeown (1900-1989), an Irish missionary sent by the Apostolic Church, Bradford, UK to the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1937 to help a group of believers of the Apostolic Faith in Asamankese.[1] In June 1937, Rev. James McKeown was seriously ill with malaria and was kept in his room at Asamankese for some days without medication in accordance with the rules, beliefs and practices of the Apostolic Faith. The District Commissioner took McKeown to the European Hospital – currently, Ridge Hospital – in Accra where he fully recovered. On his return to Asamankese, he was confronted by the leaders for having violated the rules and principles of the church by seeking for medical attention at a hospital instead of depending on faith healing. In June 1938, a general meeting was held by all members from the country to discuss the situation but the leaders at Asamankese refused and condemned McKeown for lack of faith in prayers for healing. Due to doctrinal differences based on divine healing, the group split in 1939 into the Christ Apostolic Church and the Apostolic Church, Gold Coast. The latter saw great expansion under McKeown. In 1953, a constitutional crisis led to the founding of the Gold Coast Apostolic Church led by McKeown.[2] After independence of Ghana in 1957 the Gold Coast Apostolic Church was renamed the Ghana Apostolic Church. The split in 1953 did not end the crisis. New conflicts compelled the then President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to advise the leadership of the Ghana Apostolic Church, to adopt a new name. Therefore, on August 1, 1962, the new name, The Church of Pentecost, legally replaced the Ghana Apostolic Church.[3] The Church of Pentecost is the fastest growing church in Ghana.[4]
In 2015, the Church has 3 million members, 20,000 congregations, in 90 countries. [5] [6][7]
Organization
The highest decision-making body of the Church is the General Council, which heads a five-tier administrative mechanism. The General Council consists of all confirmed ministers of the Church, Regional/Area executive committee members, national deacons, trustees, chairmen of boards and Committees and Movement Directors.
The Executive Council, headed by the Chairman of the Church, sees to the day-to-day administration of the Church. While the General Council elects members of the International Executive Council, all other officers of the Church are appointed by The Executive Council with the approval of the General Council.
Below the General Council and the International Executive Council, we have the Area administrative structure. The Area is headed by the Area Head, who is either an apostle or an experienced senior pastor. He is assisted by a six-member Area Executive Committee in the day-to-day running of the Area with the Area Presbytery as the highest policy-making body in the Area.
The Area is further divided into districts, each of which is headed by a District Pastor who administers his district with the support of a six-member executive committee, which depends on the District Presbytery as the highest decision-making body.
Finally, the district has a number of local congregations headed by presiding elders who implement decisions of the District Presbytery with the assistance of their local presbyteries.
The two principal financial sources of the Church are tithes and offerings. As and when necessary, special funds are raised at all levels of the Church’s administrative structure to meet very crucial financial commitments.
Church doctrine and beliefs
The church of Pentecost's doctrines and beliefs are based on the following tenets:
- 1. THE BIBLE: The divine inspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures. That the Bible is infallible in its declaration, final in its authority, all-sufficient in its provisions and comprehensive in its sufficiency (2 Ti. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).
- 2. THE ONE TRUE GOD: The existence of the One True God, Maker of the whole universe; indefinable, but revealed as Trinity Godhead - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - one in nature, essence and attributes; Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent (Ge 1:1; Mt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).
- 3. MAN'S DEPRAVED NATURE: All people have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are subject to eternal punishment and need repentance and regeneration (Get. 3:1-19; Isa. 53:6).
- 4. THE SAVIOUR: Man's need of a Saviour has been met in the person of Jesus Christ, because of His deity, virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death, resurrection and ascension, His abiding intercession and second coming (Mt. 1:21; Jn. 4:42; Eph. 5:23; Phil. 2:6-11).
- 5. REPENTANCE, REGENERATION, JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION: All people have to repent of and confess their sins before God and believe in the vicarious death of Jesus Christ to be justified before God. We believe in the sanctification of the believer through the working of the Holy Spirit and in God's gift of Eternal Life to the believer (Lk. 15:7; Ac. 2:38; Ro. 4:25; 5:16, 1 Co. 1:30; 1 Th. 4:3).
- 6. THE ORDINANCES (SACRAMENTS) OF THE CHURCH: The Ordinance of Baptism by immersion is a testimony of a convert who has attained a responsible age of about 15 years. [Infants and children are not baptised but are dedicated to the Lord].
- The Ordinance of the Lord's Supper which should be partaken of by all members who are in full fellowship (Mt. 28:19, 20; Mk. 16:16; Lk. 22:19-20).
- 7. BAPTISM, GIFT AND FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit for believers with signs following; and in the operation of the gifts and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers (Mk. 16:17; Ac. 2:4; 1 Co. 12:8-11; Gal. 5:22, 23).
- 8. THE SECOND COMING AND THE NEXT LIFE: The Resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved. Those who are saved to the resurrection of life, and the unsaved to the resurrection of damnation (Mk. 13:26; Da. 12:2; Jn. 5:28, 29; Ac. 1:11; 10:42; Ro. 2:7-11; 6:23).
- 9. TITHES AND OFFERINGS: Tithing and in the giving of free-will offerings towards the cause of carrying forward the Kingdom of God. We believe that God blesses a cheerful giver (Ge. 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Mal. 3:6-10; Mt. 23:23; Ac. 20:35; 1 Co. 16:1-3; 2 Co. 9:1-9).
- 10. DIVINE HEALING: The healing of sickness and disease is provided for God's people in the atonement. The Church is, however, not opposed to soliciting the help of qualified medical practitioners (2 Ki. 20:7; Mt. 9:12; Lk. 10:34; Col. 4:14).[8]
References
- ^ Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2013, page 117
- ^ Sandra Fancello, Les aventuriers du pentecôtisme ghanéen: nation, conversion et délivrance en Afrique de l'Ouest, KARTHALA Editions, France, 2006, page 58
- ^ J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, page 698
- ^ PENTECOST BOOKS: The Phenomenal Growth of the Church of Pentecost
- ^ The Church of Pentecost, Statistics, Official Website, Ghana, retrieved September 17, 2016
- ^ PENTECOST BOOKS: A History of the Church of Pentecost
- ^ Dominion University College
- ^ The Church Of Pentecost
Bibliography
- An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity - Allen Anderson - ISBN 0521532809
- Religions of the World, Second Edition - J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann -ISBN 1598842048