Spirit and Mission: the Church of Pentecost as a Growing African Pentecostal Denomination

Abstract

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 discussthe factors which promote this growth. This has been done through using a qualitative research methodsuch as interviews and reliable literary works.The research has shown that in the CoPparticularly, the religious factorsaccuntingfor 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 internationalmissions 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 endeavorsThere 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 discussthe factors which promote this growth. This has been done through using a qualitative research methodsuch as interviews and reliable literary works.The research has shown that in the CoPparticularly, the religious factorsaccuntingfor 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 internationalmissions 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