SPIRIT AND MISSION: THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST AS A GROWING AFRICAN ...

374 Pages·2017·5.9 MB·English

SPIRIT AND MISSION: THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST AS A GROWING
AFRICAN PENTECOSTAL DENOMINATION

by
AMOS JIMMY MARKIN

A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR of THEOLOGY

at the
SOUTH AFRICAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
JANUARY 23, 2018

SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR J. KWABENA ASAMOAH-GYADU
The opinions expressed in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of the
South African Theological Seminary
.
DECLARATION
I hereby acknowledge that the work contained in this thesis is my own original work and has
not previously in its entirety or in part been submitted to any academic institution for degree
purposes.

……………………………………. ……………………………….
AMOS JIMMY MARKIN DATE
(STUDENT)

……………………………………. ……………………………….
PROFESSOR J. KWABENA ASAMOAH-GYADU DATE
(SUPERVISOR)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My utmost gratitude and appreciation is extended to the Lord God Almighty and His Son, our
beloved Jesus Christ who through His Holy Spirit has always been my great guide, teacher,
counsellor and motivator. It is He who through grace and mercy picked me from humble
beginnings that He might demonstrate His love, kindness, and inexhaustible goodness
towards me. I acknowledge that every provision, protection, health and care especially,
towards this study has come from Him.
I am grateful also to the Executive Council of the Church of Pentecost for selecting me and
granting me this unique opportunity through sponsorship and scholarship. Specifically, I
acknowledge the Chairmen of this Church with whom I had the rare opportunity to be
associated through divine connection: Apostles Dr. Michael Kwabena Ntumy and Professor
Opoku Onyinah. Their inspiration and motivation towards theological scholarship in the
Church of Pentecost have inspired me greatly. I render special gratitude to Apostle Professor
Opoku Onyinah for specifically picking me up for this scholarship and also giving his
personal books to guide my studies.
This work has been inspired first and foremost by my inclusion and encounter with the
International Missions Board of the Church of Pentecost. The privilege of being a member of
this august board for seventeen years and the insight of knowing and associating with the
International Missions Directors, their Secretaries, missionaries and gaining knowledge of
general trends of affairs in CoP Missions spurred me on. In this regard I am most grateful to
Apostle B. K. Arthur who spotted me from afar and probably instigated my inclusion on the
Board.
The second source of inspiration is the work of Reverend Professor Johnson Kwabena
Asamoah-Gyadu. As a Methodist minister, his writings on Pentecostalism in general and
issues on the Holy Spirit, and writing on the CoP has challenged and inspired me to this
undertaking. By divine design when the council or academic board of South African
Theological Seminary proposed a supervisor for my studies, he was the one chosen. His deep
insight and knowledge of Pentecostalism, especially African Pentecostalism, has guided this
study right from the proposal stage. I can emphatically state that, the choice of the topic for
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this study has come out of discussions with him. I am therefore grateful and very appreciative
to Rev. Professor J. K. Asamoah-Gyadu for his great supervision and personal interaction
which has guided me.
In this academic journey many have been of great help to me and are worthy of appreciation.
Significant among them is Rev. Professor Elom Dovlo, my former supervisor and lecturer at
the University of Ghana, Department of Religious Studies, where I studied for the M. A.
(Studies in Religions) Degree. I am thankful to Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Anim, Rev. Professor
Peter Ohene Kyei and Rev. Dr. Lord Abraham and Mrs. Joyce Elorm–Donkor for their
contributions. Rev. Dr. Lord Abraham Elorm-Donkor and his wife Joyce hosted me in their
house and also introduced me to the library at Birmingham University. He read through my
work and offered very insightful suggestions and encouraged me to persevere. I appreciate
also the hand of kindness extended to me by my dear friend Pastor Michael De-Heer and his
family in the UK. Pastor Michael bought many of the books which I used in this research and
paid for my stay in the Regent Theological College guest house in Birmingham. Thanks to
my brother and his wife, Reverend James and Mrs. Emily Quainoo and their family for
hosting me in their house in Canada in 2016 and reading through the work and offering his
suggestions.
My profound indebted gratitude goes to the staff at the CoP statistical department, Elder
James Tetteh and his team, the Secretariat of the International Missions Directorate, Mrs.
Victoria Kum-Woode and Pastor Anthony Kwarteng and the Secretaries at the General
Secretaries’s office, especially Pastor Abraham B. Agyemang deserves mentioning. My
personal Administrative Secretary at the Evangelism Ministry Secretariat, Miss Theresa
Louisa Obadzen is to be commended for her tireless contributions and errands. The
Publications Department team headed by Pastor Isaac Annor and Brother Prince Asare needs
commendation. I am grateful to my precious colleagues and friends Apostles David Nyansa
Hayfron and Samuel Gakpetor who inspire me academically. I am thankful also to my field
pastors at Bolgatanga who offered a great deal of help in data collection and other
discussions: Pastors William Appiah Briten, Peter Blood Afful, Simon Agyei, Gideon Boadu
-Yirenkyi and Mrs. Esther Akay. My regular prayer intercessory team: Deaconesses Betty
Armah, Eunice Obeng, Bright Ntim and Samuel Arthur deserve thanks for their unfailing
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support. The list include my precious driver, Cosmos A. B. Kwaw, and my assistants at home
Madam Victoria Okobea, Richard Danzumah and Sarai Addai.
Finally, I am eternally grateful to my dear wife Mavis and our children Loretta, Jeshurun,
Coretta and John Kingsley for their patience, sacrifice and tenacity in these seasons of long
hours of study. It is indeed worth it that this entire thesis be dedicated to them because it is
their sacrifices that enabled me to complete this study.

Amos Jimmy Markin
[Date]
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
ACF African Christian Fellowship
ACG Apostolic Church Ghana
ADB African Development Bank
AFAM Associations of Evangelicals in Africa and Madagascar
AIC African Independent Church/African Instituted Church /African Initiated Church
CAC Christ Apostolic Church
CM Charismatic Movement
CoP Church of Pentecost
CP Classical Pentecostals
EFK Evangelical Fellowship of Kenya
ELICOP Elim Church of Pentecost
FAD Finance and Administrative Director
GCOWE Global Congress on World Evangelisation
GEC Ghana Evangelism Committee
GHAFES Ghana Fellowship of EvangelicalStudents
GPC Ghana Pentecostal Council
GPCC Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council
ICCC International Christian Chamber of Commerce
IMD International Missions Director
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IFES International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
ITI-PENSA Inter-Tertiary Institution PENSA
KNUST Kwame Nkrumah University of Sceince and Technology
LIC Legon Interdenominational Church
LPU Legon Pentecostal Union
NRTVMC National Radio and Television Ministry Committee
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
PAUKE Pentecost Association of UK and Eire
PEMEF Pentecost Men’s Fellowship
PEMEM Pentecost Men’s Ministry
PENCO Pentecost Co-operative Mutual Support &Social Services Society
PENSA Pentecost Students and Associates
PENTSOS Pentecost Social Services
PENTWAS Pentecost Welfare Association
PENTYEM Pentecost Youth and Evangelism Movement
PIWC Pentecost International Worship Centre
RCC Regional Consultative Council
RF Reverse Flow
RM Reverse Mission
SATS South African Theological Seminary
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SC Spiritual Church
SU Scriptur Union
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

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SUMMARY
There is an acknowledgement in the 21st century of Pentecostalism’s phenomenal growth and
influence which has affected global Christian outreach and missions. African Pentecostalism,
as part of global Pentecostalism is envisaged to have played an important role in this
observation. The main focus of this thesis is that the experience and transformative factor of
the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual adherents and the corporate church is the major
factor among other religious, missiological and theological factors promoting this growth.
This thesis has engaged a historical-theological analysis of the growth and missions of the
Church of Pentecost, an African independent indigenous denomination, as a local version of
African Pentecostalism to generate and discuss the factors which promote this growth. This
has been done through using a qualitative research method such as interviews and reliable
literary works.
The research has shown that in the CoP particularly, the religious factors accunting for its
global growth include its: Functional Ministries, Church Governance, Administration and
Finance; Pneumatic Phenomena (Holy Spirit Baptism, Signs and Wonders and Prayer
Camps), Indigenous Leadership, Manpower and human resource development, Training and
Education, Social Services, Print and Electronic Media, Estates and Ecumenism. The CoP’s
major strength and focus for growth has been on “conversional” growth through soul winning
evangelization. The success of the CoP’s international missions can be attributed partly to
the conscientious supervisory role of the International Missions Director in terms of pastoral
care, effective administrative and monetary. The pattern of CoP’s missions abroad is
observed to go beyond “chaplaincy” and an intention for “reverse mission”. The trend
suggests a deliberate intention for foreign mission. The CoP uses its presence in the Northern
hemispheric locations as a platform to launch missions in other locations in the global
divide.Theologically, the CoP bound up the experience and theology of the Spirit, with other
Christological teachings expressed in its tenets of beliefs, practices and other characteristic
ethos expressed as its spirituality to promote her growth.This thesis has drawn attention that
in this era, Pentecostalism, such as is practiced by the CoP, is moving beyond translating the
message into transmiting the Spirit in its global missionary endeavors.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 6
SUMMARY 9
TABLE OF CONTENTS 10

CHAPTER 1: Pentecostalism, Mission and Christianity in Ghana 21
1.1 Background of the Study 21
1.1.1 Pentecostalism and Global Christianity 21
1.1.2 Brief Historical Trajectory of the Growth of Christianity in Ghana 24
1.1.2.1 Roman Catholic Church 25
1.1.2.2 Protestant Missionary Enterprise 25
1.1.2.3 African Independent or Indigenous Churches in Ghana 26
1.1.2.4 Classical Pentecostals and Charismatic Churches in Ghana 27
1.1.3 Focus of Study: The Church of Pentecost 28
1.1.4 Defining African Pentecostalism 31
1.2 Statement of the Problem 31

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