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The Church of England’s Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (The Anglican Church)
This mission society was founded in 1701 by the Church of England for the purpose of sharing the gospel. By 1751, it established its presence in Ghana through Rev. Thomas Thompson (1708 – 1773) who served as a chaplain and missionary121. He came to Ghana at the request of the Royal African Company (RAC) to help introduce the natives to Christianity. He served in Ghana from 1752 to 1756.
According to Hastings, Thompson could not make much impact among the indigenous people for two reasons. The first reason was that he was first and foremost a chaplain rather than a missionary among the indigenes of Ghana, which meant that his attention was focused primarily on the Western workers of the RAC rather than on sharing the gospel of salvation with the indigenes. The second reason was that it was very difficult for him to associate much with the local people, because of his faulty view of the religious inclination of the people.
After four years of an unfruitful mission, he left to go back to his home country, accompanied by three Ghanaian boys of whom two died – the only survivor, Philip Quaque, successfully completed his education in Britain and returned as a fully ordained priest of the Anglican Church to work in Cape Coast in 1766124. But he also could not convert many natives in Cape Coast, where he worked until his death in 1816. The reason for his limitation was that he acted more European than African, due to his long stay in Britain and the influence of the British education and culture on him. His main contribution, however, was the school he established and ran till his death.
The Anglican Church’s influence did begin spreading through the activities of African believers such as Prophet John Swatson (1855 – 1925), who worked in the Western region of Ghana, as well as a group of Yuroba migrants congregations whose presence were felt in the west-southern Ashanti region. The third was a convert of Swaton at Dunkwa who had migrated to Domi Bipposu; and the fourth were Christians who seceded from already existing denominations or had migrated from the coastal pastures. They further spread to Kumasi, Nsawam, Cape Coast, and other towns in Ghana.
Basel Evangelical Missions Society
The presence of the Basel Evangelical Mission Society in the Gold Coast (Ghana), from 1828 – 1918, was as a result of the request made by a Danish Governor Major Richelieu for missionaries.
When Major Richelieu first arrived at the Gold Coast around 1824 he found that the chaplain’s post at the castle had been vacant for 15 years. He also observed that the religious and moral life of the colony was at a very low ebb. To rectify this situation, he revived public worship, which he conducted himself. He established a school in which he also taught, and his enthusiasm and concern for the good life compelled him to baptize about 150 of the pupils in the school. These initial activities encouraged the indigenes to appeal to him to bring them a minister when he was going to Denmark on leave in 1826.
Richelieu reported the request to Mr. Ronne, who represented the interests of the Basel Mission in Denmark. He, in turn, contacted the Crown Prince (one of his former pupils) about the possibility of allowing the Basel Mission to open a field agency on the Gold Coast. The Prince then conveyed the matter to the King of Denmark, who warmly gave his approval. Under these circumstances, the Basel Committee agreed to initiate a mission in the Gold Coast under the protection of the Danes. Through various negotiations, four pioneer missionaries were selected. They were: K.F. Salbach, G. Helzworth, J.G. Schmidt and J.P. Henke. They landed in Christiansburg in December 1828. Two of them concentrated their efforts in Christiansburg, while the other two moved along the coast towards the East.
Unfortunately, in August 1829, Helzworth, Salbach and Schimdt died and on 22nd November 1831, Henke dies as well. Though their deaths seemed to make the mission a disappointing venture, the Basel Committee again sent three missionaries – Revs. P. P. Jager, Andreas Riis, and C. F. Heinze. They arrived at Christiansburg in March 1833. Within four months Heinze and Jager were dead. Riis became ill, but he was saved by an African traditional medicine man (herbalist). For years Riis was compelled by the Danish chaplain to restrict his activities to the coast to help improve the immoral life of the people.
In 1836, Riis and a Danish merchant George Lutterodt entered Akropong in Akwapim and established a new station there. Riis enjoyed better health there because it was a hilly area. The re-location to Akropong provided a turning point in the life of the Basel Mission because this move meant that their sphere of work was taken to the rural people, who offered more hope. Akropong was also on the way to Kumasi, the capital of the great Ashanti Kingdom. It therefore became a strategic mission station to reach the Western and Northern belt of Ghana and beyond.
CHAPTER ONE
1.1. Research Background
1.2. Research Problem
1.3. Research Objectives
1.4. Relevance of the study
1.5. Theoretical framework
1.6. Research Methodology
1.7. Definition of terms
1.8. Limitation of the study
1.9. Research motivation and the position of the researcher
1.10. The organisation of the study
CHAPTER 2 A SURVEY OF GHANA IN THE LIGHT OF WESTERN MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES AND THE EMERGENCE OF PENTECOSTALISM
2.1. Introduction
2.2. Emergence of Western missionaries on the Gold Coast (Ghana
2.3. Ghana and the Pentecostal wave (Pentecostalism in Ghana
2.4. African Initiated Churches
2.5. Classical Pentecostal churches in Ghana
2.6. Neo-Pentecostalism in Ghana (Charismatic churches
2.7. Western missionaries’ activities and Pentecostalism in the light of the Ghanaian culture
2.8. Chapter summary
CHAPTER 3 THE MISSIONAL ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: GHANAIAN PENTECOSTALS’ VIEW AND PRACTICES
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Trinitarian Approach to mission
3.3. The Holy Spirit and Mission
3.4. The Holy Spirit and Church growth
3.5. Pentecostalism, the Holy Spirit and Mission
3.6. Baptism of the Holy Spirit
3.7. The infilling of the Holy Spirit
3.8. How to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit
3.9. Maintaining the infilling of the Holy Spirit
3.10. Characteristics of spirit-filled Christians
3.11. Chapter summary
CHAPTER 4 GHANAIAN PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES UNDERSTANDING OF THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
4.1. Introduction
4.2. The manifestations of the Holy Spirit
4.3. Ghanaian Pentecostals and speaking in tongues
4.4. The continuity of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church today
4.5. Spiritual gifts
4.6. The five-fold ministry
4.7. The supportive gifts
4.8. The missiological perspective on the gifts of the Holy Spirit
4.9. Ghanaian Pentecostals’ Eschatological view of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
4.10. Chapter summary
CHAPTER 5 GHANAIAN PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES’ MISSION APPROACHES
5.1. Introduction
5.2. What is mission
5.3. Mission and strategic planning
5.4. Ghanaian Pentecostals’ spiritual approach to mission
5.5. Evangelism
5.6. Discipleship
5.7. Liturgical approach
5.8. Diaconal approach
5.9. Mission Funding
5.10. Chapter summary
CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1. Conclusion
6.2. Recommendations for further research
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