The Contribution Of The Church Of Pentecost (Cop) To The Growth Of Christianity In The Upper-East Region

ABSTRACT

The Upper-East which was predominantly indigenous and Islamic prone region is now a mission field for many Churches. Different Churches have registered their contributions towards the expansion of Christianity in the Upper-East Region of Ghana. The Church of Pentecost (CoP), being the largest Pentecostal Church in Ghana, is the second largest Christian denomination in the region after the Roman Catholic Church. The study in this light, tends to investigate the diverse impact of the CoP towards the expansion of Christianity in the Upper East Region by examining the strategies the Church adopted to aid them in the contributions. It further answers the issues which amidst the contributions hindered the expected growth of the Church in the region. Methodologically, the study employed the historical and henomenological approaches to data collection and analysis. The historical approach was adopted to recount the historical antecedents of the Church and the other Churches in the region. The phenomenological approach helped the Researcher to gain deeper knowledge about the mission and evangelistic work of the Church in the area. The Researcher made use of documents from the Church and interviews of the three Officers of the Bolga Area CoP. The four church models as employed by Martha Frederiks were discussed and engaged as the theoretical framework for the study. Consequently, the Researcher found that the CoP’s contributions spans in four main areas of church growth, namely; mission and evangelism, renewal in Christianity, ecumenism, as well as social services. Revealed in the study is the fact that the missionary strategies the Church employs have at heart; the Clergy, the congregation and the community of engagement. Constant motivation and orientation for the Clergy who are in the region, which leads to a deep teaching and guidance for the Church members to be able to engage the community in diverse ways. Though the Church of Pentecost, COP is experiencing growth and expansion numerically and spiritually, the study discovered that factors such as migration, illiteracy, tribal conflicts among other reasons are hindering the wider growth of the Church. Finally, based on the findings, the study recommends that a comprehensive understanding into the missions and evangelism strategies of the whole northern part of the country. The study should be extended to the other four regions of the North.