Pentecostal transformation in Africa: The rise and growth of the Church of Pentecost

Abstract

The emergence, growth and development of The Church of Pentecost (CoP), Ghana is a demonstration of a new era of African Christianity. The Church of Pentecost was listed as the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Ghana by the last empirical church survey of the Ghana Evangelism Committee. In 193 7, James and Sophia McKeown were sent by the Apostolic church in the UK to the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) as missionaries. Working in partnership with the indigenous converts and personnel, McKeown worked tirelessly in Ghana to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the country through his emphases on the word of God, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and holy living. In 1953 McKeown was compelled to come out of the Apostolic Church of the UK and get along with the indigenous people under the name 'Ghana Apostolic Church' which was renamed 'The Church of Pentecost' in 1962.