The Church of Pentecost explained

The Church of Pentecost
Imagewidth:	210px
Main Classification:	Evangelical Christianity
Theology:	Pentecostal
Governance:	Presbytery
Founded Date:	21 May 1953
Founder:	Rev. James McKeown
Leader Name1:	Apostle Eric Nyamekye
Leader Title1:	Chairman
Founded Place:	Asamankese, Ghana
Congregations:	Over 20,000
Members:	Over 4,000,000
Area:	Worldwide
Headquarters:	Accra

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

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

Chairmen of the Church of Pentecost

• 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

• World Evangelical Alliance
• Believers' Church
• Worship service (evangelicalism)

Bibliography

• An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity – Allen Anderson –
• Religions of the World, Second Edition – J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann -

Notes and References

1. Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2013, page 117
2. J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, page 698
3. Web site: 2023-05-05 . The Church of Pentecost membership hits over 4.2 million - MyJoyOnline . 2024-05-11 . www.myjoyonline.com . en-US.
4. The Church of Pentecost, Statistics, thecophq.org, Ghana, retrieved January 29, 2024
5. Web site: Attoh . Joseph . 2024-05-01 . The Church Of Pentecost Present In 170 Nations . 2024-05-11 . THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST . en-US.
6. Web site: Church of Pentecost: Apostle Eric Nyamekye is new chairman. www.myjoyonline.com. 2019-03-28.
7. Web site: 2023-05-04 . Apostle Eric Nyamekye re-elected as Chairman of Church of Pentecost . 2024-05-11 . Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana . en-US.
8. Web site: 2023-05-04 . Apostle Eric Nyamekye Re-elected As Chairman of Church of Pentecost As He Secures Majority Votes . 2023-07-02 . en-US.