Members of The Church of Pentecost (The CoP) have been advised to uphold and jealously guard the Church’s core values and rules of conduct to help safeguard the goodwill of the CoP brand.
The General Secretary of the Church, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, gave this advice on Monday, January 23, 2023, in a presentation on the topic: “The CoP Brand – Rules of Conduct and Core Values of the Church” at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.
Addressing the Heads’ session of the 2023 Global Ministers and Wives’ Conference (GMWC’23), Apostle Kumi-Larbi explained that churches and denominations are known by key distinctive attributes and core values.
According to the General Secretary, the Church, being of divine origin but composed of humans, is characterised by Biblical ethics and ethos, which it is later identified as its culture.
“Like every other Church, The Church of Pentecost has her own culture. Our foundational beliefs are at the heart of our theology. Over the years, The CoP has built a Christ-centred brand with our core values, culture and rules of conduct handed to us as a legacy from our forebears,” he said.
He noted that the distinctive character of The CoP was steadfastly created by the forebears through selfless service, sound biblical teaching, good leadership and succession, evangelism and discipleship, sacrificial giving, and fellowship and discipline.
“It thus behoves this generation to know, uphold and jealously guard these time-tested Pentecostal distinctive attributes as we seek to reposition the local church for maximum impact,” he stated.
He further noted that these attributes do not only give The CoP an identity but also shape people’s perceptions about the Church, which greatly impacts her influence in society.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi mentioned evangelism, church planting, discipleship, mentoring, trustworthiness, practical holiness, prayer and fasting, punctuality, respect for authority, discipline, and the expectancy of the second coming of Jesus Christ, among others, as some of the long-cherished core values and practices of The Church of Pentecost that members must be taught to uphold.
To preserve the authentic Pentecostal experience of the Church for posterity, Apostle Kumi-Larbi advisedchurch leaders to emphasise to members the importance of manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, as well as participating in the Holy Communion.
“The CoP is a respected brand in the world and these are the various variables that affect The CoP brand,” he stressed.
The General Secretary revealed that in the spirit of preserving and promoting The CoP’s brand, the leadership of the Church, through the National Discipleship and Leadership Development Committee (NDLDC), has come up with Bible Study lessons for the first three months of the year (January to March) based on the core values to educate and instill these time-tested values in the members.
He, therefore, called on ministers of the Church to actively participate in these sessions and ensure that they are effectively organised.
Commenting on the presentation, the Chairman of the Church, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, posited that the core values and practices of The CoP are still relevant in the contemporary generation because they are premised on the unchanging word of God.
“In our bid to reposition the local church for maximum impact in the nations, it is incumbent that all Church leaders and members are taught and encouraged to uphold these core values and rules of conduct of the Church,” the Chairman added.
PENTECOST NEWS.
