The Church of Pentecost is a
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement denomination that originates from
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. The Church currently has a presence in more than 135 countries globally. Its current Chairman, who happens to be its highest officer worldwide, is Apostle
Eric Nyamekye.
History
The church has its origins in a British mission of Rev.
James McKeown (missionary) in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
in 1937. In 1953, The Church was founded as
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
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. Through foreign
missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
work and establishing relationships with other Pentecostal churches, the Church of Pentecost expanded into a worldwide movement. The Church of Pentecost currently operates in 105 Nations headed by
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Senior Pastors throughout the world and about 21,802 local assemblies in 2,381 districts. In 2018, global membership of the Church stood at 3,257,943, with children constituting about 1,056,062. The Church of Pentecost had 137,862 church officers and 2,492 ordained ministers in 101 nations.
[The Church of Pentecost]
Statistics
thecophq.org, Ghana, retrieved February 19, 2020
Church Leadership
Chairmen of the Church of Pentecost
*Pastor
James McKeown 1953–1982
*Apostle
Fred Stephen Safo
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rodr ...
1982–1987
*Prophet
Martinson Kwadwo Yeboah Martinson is an English surname of Scandinavian origin. Notable people with the surname include:
* Allan Martinson, Estonian venture capitalist
*Connie Martinson, American writer and television personality
*Edwin Joseph Martinson, American politici ...
1988–1998
*Apostle Dr.
Michael Kwabena Ntumy
Apostle Dr. Michael Kwabena Ntumy is a Ghanaian Pentecostal televangelist, an Apostle and the fourth Chairman of The Church of Pentecost (COP) from 1998 to 2008.
Early life and ministry
Michael Ntumy was a teacher in Yendi in the 1980s before ...
1998–2008
*Apostle Prof.
Opoku Onyinah
Apostle Professor Kwadwo Nimfour Opoku Onyinah (born July 22, 1954) is a Ghanaian theologian, a televangelist, a composer and the fifth chairman of The Church of Pentecost from 2008 to 2018. He founded the Pentecost International Worship Centre, a ...
2008–2018
*Apostle
Eric Nyamekye 2018–Date
See also
*
World Evangelical Alliance
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is an interdenominational organization of evangelical Christian churches, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, founded in 1846 in London, England, United Kingdom to unite evangelicals worldwide. WEA i ...
*
Believers' Church The believers' Church is a theological doctrine of Evangelical Christianity that teaches that one becomes a member of the Church by new birth and profession of faith. Adherence to this doctrine is a common feature of defining an Evangelical Christia ...
*
Worship service (evangelicalism)
A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...
References
Bibliography
* An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity – Allen Anderson –
* Religions of the World, Second Edition – J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann -
{{Pentecostal World Fellowship
Protestantism in Africa
Protestantism in Ghana
Pentecostal denominations