Evangelism Practices of the Church of Pentecost in the Afigya Kwabre District, Ghana (1962 To 2016): Towards Designing a New Missional Strategy

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the Church of Pentecost in the Afigya Kwabre District of Ghana, evangelism practices between 1962 and 2016, and develops a new missional strategy for the church. The research literature review surveys educated articles, books, and other credible scholarships that focus on the spectrum of evangelism, missions, and church growth. It also includes a biblical and theological assessment of the early church's evangelism in selected chapters in the book of Acts of the Apostles that can be applied to all evangelism praxes. The purpose of the study is to begin to create awareness in the church about declining problems. The survey asks to what extent evangelism practices contribute to the church's growth and how the church is experiencing a decline. This analysis assists in facilitating the design of a new missional strategy. The findings showed that they made an innovative contribution to the unprecedented and phenomenal growth of the church and made the church become the leading classic Pentecostal in Ghanaian society. The research shows factors responsible for the decline are obstructing and influencing the development of the church. Additionally, the study further examined evangelism in selected chapters of the book of Acts and analyses; the mode of evangelism, manifestation of God’s accredited power and miracles performed by Apostles, combined with the empirical and literacy findings to facilitate adopting a new missional approach. The significance of this study is that despite the phenomenal growth, it informs the theoretical awareness and understanding of a decline in the evangelism praxis. Thus, recommending a focus on a new missional approach to evangelism hitherto lacking. Finally, it informs empirical understanding to mitigate and overcome the decreased challenges to foster a better way of evangelism practice, sustains the gains and keeps on spreading the Gospel in Ghanaian society.