The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has stated that the newly-unveiled theme of the Church places a great deal of emphasis on the local church because it is the strength of the Church and the place where real practical ministry and congregational life take place.
“Actual church membership is found at the local level; district and area membership are only a culmination of membership at the local level. So, the real action is at the local church; this is why we are going back to the grassroots,” he said.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi said this today when he shared the rationale for the Church’s 2023 theme – “Repositioning the Local Church for Maximum Impact in the Nations” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 and Colossians 2:6-7) with members of the Atomic Hills Central Assembly.
In his presentation, the General Secretary explained that the annual themes of The Church of Pentecost in the last four years were carefully chosen by the leadership of the Church as building blocks towards realising the five-year strategic vision of the Church, dubbed: “Vision 2023: Possessing the Nations.”
He said that the 2023 theme, the last of Vision 2023, is a continuation of the previous themes, all targeted at equipping and unleashing members into the world as change agents.
Reading 1 Samuel 30:1-25, Apostle Kumi-Larbi explained how David and his men returned from battle to find their camp at Ziklag raided by the Amalekites. Subsequently, David saw the need to deploy some of his men to guard the camp while the others go for battle.
He said that the leadership of the Church has taken a cue from David’s case, and has therefore made this conscious effort to strengthen the local church, which is the strength base of the Church.
“We do not want to only focus on the front line, but also pay critical attention to our rear, which is the local church. The evangelism outreaches and social interventions are our front-line efforts; however, the local church is our rear. This is why we are repositioning her for maximum impact,” he said.
The General Secretary further explained that repositioning the local church, means creating the needed atmosphere for church members to be built up and made sharper for the task of influencing society with the principles, values and lifestyle of the kingdom of God.
He, therefore, called on church leaders, particularly ministers and officers, to be intentional about grounding members in the Lord, equipping them with the needed resources and unleashing them into the world for maximum impacts.
“The local church is expected to be a vibrant centre for equipping members to possess the nations,” he said.
The Chief Scribe also threw more light on the eight sub-themes that have been adopted to guide church leaders in their efforts to achieve the desired set goals under the 2023 theme. The topics are: “Stoking the Fire of the Holy Spirit,” “Living in the Fear of God in the Local Church,” “The Local Church as a Family,” “The Local Church Upholding the Value of Godliness,” “Sacrificial Giving and Tithing,” “The Local Church in Evangelism,” “Visitation in the Local Church,” “Raising Family Altars to Strengthen the Local Church: Lessons from the Puritans,” and “Encouraging Personal Devotions and Small Group Prayer Meetings to Strengthen the Local Church.”
PENTECOST NEWS.
