The Vice-Chancellor of Pentecost University, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, has called on scholars, researchers, missionaries and church leaders to bridge the gap between academic research and practical mission engagement in reaching Africa’s unreached people groups.
He made the call at the 2nd International Conference of the Pentecost Centre for the Study of Unreached People Groups (PCUPGS), Africa, being held at the Gomoa Fetteh campus of Pentecost University from September 8 to 10, 2026.
The conference, hosted by the Pentecost School of Theology and Mission (PSTM), is being held under the theme, “Reaching Africa’s Unreached: Research, Praxis, and Missional Transformation.”
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua emphasised that while evangelism remains central to the mandate of the Church, effective engagement with unreached populations requires a deeper understanding of their cultures, languages, belief systems, histories and socio-economic realities.
He therefore urged mission practitioners to move beyond assumptions and develop strategies grounded in credible research and a proper understanding of the communities they seek to serve.
According to him, the conviction that mission must be informed by research led to the establishment of PCUPGS, Africa, by Pentecost University in partnership with the Home and Urban Missions (HUM) of The Church of Pentecost.
The Centre serves as a bridge between academia, the Church and the mission field, generating knowledge to support informed missional engagement across Africa.
“Research matters to mission,” the Vice-Chancellor stressed, noting that the Centre has already facilitated studies into mission approaches, discipleship, pastoral care, socio-cultural realities and community development among unreached groups.
He explained that some of these research efforts had progressed from field investigations to academic publications, contributing to a growing body of African scholarship on unreached people groups.
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua described the conference as more than a platform for presenting academic papers, saying it provides an opportunity for ideas to be tested, methodologies strengthened, findings interrogated and new research collaborations established.
He encouraged participants to pursue scholarship that does not remain within academic circles but translates into practical interventions capable of influencing mission practice and bringing transformation to unreached communities.
The Vice-Chancellor said the conference was also designed to strengthen research and publication capacity, promote interdisciplinary inquiry, facilitate collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and advance contextually relevant African scholarship that serves both the Church and society.
He urged participants to keep the three key elements of the conference theme—research, praxis and transformation—at the centre of their engagements.
Research, he explained, must deepen understanding; praxis must translate knowledge into informed action; while missional transformation must remain the ultimate goal.
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua expressed optimism that the conference would generate new knowledge, strengthen partnerships, shape mission practice and inspire scholarship that contributes meaningfully to reaching Africa’s unreached peoples while advancing The Church of Pentecost’s “Possessing the Nations” agenda.
The three-day international gathering has brought together academics, postgraduate students, researchers, ministry practitioners, mission leaders and professionals from various countries, participating both physically and online, to explore innovative and research-informed approaches to engaging Africa’s remaining unreached communities.
PENT NEWS.
