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The Concept of the Prophet in the Church of Pentecost

Article · January 2011

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye
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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

Abstract
This essay examines the concept of prophetism as obtains in Ghanaian Pentecostalism. In
this paper the Church of Pentecost is the case study for delineating different levels/types
of prophets in Ghanaian Pentecostalism. Through interactive and discursive methods the
paper examines empirical data on the topic to bring out how the prophetic ministry is
generally conceived among Ghanaian Classical Pentecostals. It shows the significant
role prophecy plays in the life and ministry of the Church of Pentecost and concludes on
the circumspection its leadership attaches to the person and ministry of the prophet.

Key words:
Prophecy, spiritual gifts, prophet, guidance, identity

Introduction
While New Testament teaching tends to indicate that all Christians may engage in
prophesying, Griffiths (1986) insists that there are people who seem to be recognised to
occupy the definitive office of prophet. This submission of Griffiths provokes an
examination of the whole idea of a prophet in a church like the Church of Pentecost
(COP), the largest Pentecostal denomination in Ghana. Consequently, this paper will seek
to answer the question: What are the ways Classical Pentecostal churches such as the
COP conceive prophetism? Therefore this paper will examine and delineate the various
types of prophets discernible in the COP in Ghana.
Pioneered by a former Apostolic Church (Bradford, UK) missionary, Pastor James
McKeown, who came to the Gold Coast (today Ghana) in 1953, COP has succeeded to
become the largest and fastest growing Protestant/Pentecostal church in contemporary
Ghanaian church history. Today, COP is in over seventy countries represented by
National Heads and pastors who work with able lay leaders (Elders, Deacons and
Deaconesses). With a strong missionary drive and focus it expands through the initiative
of lay members who migrate or relocate to new areas or countries. Also its various
groupings or movements provide outreach hands to achieve its apostolic raison d‟être. As
at the end of 2007, according to the report of its immediate past Chairman, Apostle
Michael Kwabena Ntumy, with 13,418 congregations worldwide COP boasted of a total
worldwide membership of 1,695,412. The total number of local assemblies in Ghana was
10,634 with a membership of 1,488,728 (The Church of Pentecost 2008a).
COP is significant for a study on Pentecostal prophetism in Ghana because of a
number of reasons. Firstly, as the leading Pentecostal church in Ghana COP stereotypifies
Ghanaian Pentecostalism in scholarly work in recent times. Secondly, its phenomenal
growth, coupled with its unique administrative system, ethos, organisation, missionary
and eschatological teachings, and its Christological emphases makes it paradigmatic for a
study on church growth in contemporary Ghana. Thirdly, its strong emphasis on prayer,
and the power and operations of the Holy Spirit, has resulted in discernible levels or types
of prophetism useful for examining Ghanaian Pentecostal conception of prophetism.

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

COP is one church where everyone may freely manifest and operate in his or her
spiritual gifts and prophecy is one gift that serves as a live wire in that church. At any of
its gatherings it is not unusual to allow for time to „hear from the Lord‟ because of its
strong belief in God‟s omnipresence. In the past some people felt disappointed when no
prophecy was given at service. Some even placed greater premium on a prophecy than
the sermon. Again, there were times when some people sought for prophetic direction or
guidance on personal matters. Though such practice is not encouraged officially by the
church yet there are those who still think it is necessary, and indeed imperative, to „hear
from God‟ on such lifelong issues.

Methods and Sources

Though this paper is restricted to Ghana, excepting a few references, most of the data is
obtained in Accra or nearby Kasoa. The underlining rationale is that COP is well
represented in Accra which as the capital of the country serves as a microcosm of the
entire country. Accra is also the nerve centre of religious activities with the bustling of
COP prayer centres. It is also in Accra that COP is headquartered. This therefore afforded
me the opportunity to obtain COP‟s leadership‟s ideas on the topic.
The main sources of material used in this paper were local COP songs, testimonies,
cassette recordings of sermons, crusade programmes and prophetic meetings of COP‟s
prayer centres. The main tools used for data collection were participant-observation and
interviews. Sometimes the interviews were informal taking the form of personal
discussions in offices, public transport, church services or the lecture halls of my
university and bible schools. Also I consulted a number of literature on the topic to
augment the primary data I collected. The interviews were dispassionate and they aimed
at eliciting vital and authentic information as far as possible from the heads, leaders and
key practitioners in the movement. Observations were done through visitations to prayer
centres of COP. By this method it was possible for me to approach leaders of the prayer
centres for instant information of some occurrences during their meetings. It also enabled
me to have a personal feel of what went into the activities of the groups. Furthermore, it
afforded me the opportunity to interview clients/seekers of their experiences and views
on the activities of the centres and their leaders.

Biblical Basis of Prophetism

Prophetism is what provides the Old Testament (OT) religion with its divine imperatives
and social interpretations. This means it is the writings and actions of the OT prophets
which provide the basis for understanding God‟s righteous standards for his covenant
people Israel. Through the prophets Yahweh made his will and demands known to Israel
as his covenant people. Israel became the people of Yahweh at Mt. Sinai when Yahweh
„cut‟ a covenant with them. It was a normal practice of OT prophets to consult God often
to hear from or speak for him in the trying situations of the people. But due to their
unique position in God‟s relationship with his people, a culture of consultation with the
prophet emerged for the purposes of knowing God‟s mind and will. The importance of
the prophet in Israel‟s life is brought to the fore when we consider that God delivered his
people from Egypt through a prophet, Moses (Hosea 12:13; Psalm 105: 26; Numbers
33:1, 2). Moses enjoyed a special place among God‟s prophets because God spoke with
him face to face (Ex. 33: 11). This Moses admonished Israel that God would raise for

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

them a prophet like himself, a prophecy which is acknowledged to be messianic in

purpose (Deut. 18: 15; cf. Acts 3:22-26). Moreover, lack of prophetic ministry in Israel
was understood as a time of spiritual famine since it was the prophet who held the key to
divine knowledge, insight and will for the people (Amos 8: 11-13).
But prophetism in the OT receives an extension in the New Testament (NT)
through the ministries of such prophets as Ezekiel and Joel. The latter spoke specifically
of the distant future when God‟s Spirit would be poured upon all people. Consequently,
there would be the bestowal of gifts of prophecy, dreams and visions to inaugurate the
Day of the Lord (Joel 2:28ff.). It is with this understanding that Luke interprets the
phenomenon in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when he quotes Peter‟s message and
links it to the eschatological outpouring of the Spirit. As Onyinah insists:

That Pentecost marks the beginning of the new covenant has not been a problem for
biblical scholars, but what has been a problem is the quintessence of the outpouring
and its significance for the New Testament saint….[Indeed,] many scholars, including
Lampe, Schweizer, Stronstad and Menzies, have insisted that the Pentecostal Spirit in
Acts is the Spirit of Prophecy prophesied by Joel (2004a:11).

In Biblical thought prophetism defines God‟s activeness in history through his concern,
purpose and participation in human affairs. Prophetism therefore gives meaning to
history. Israel‟s prophets were seen as Yahweh‟s messengers or spokesmen whose
languages were often characterised by “Thus says the Lord”. Similarly, in Pentecostal
prophetism the supernatural power or force is the Holy Spirit whose direction, guidance,
will, intentions and purpose operate vocally, intuitively and visually (by dreams and
closed or open visions) through the chosen human instrument. In this article, I refer to
Pentecostal prophetism as that phenomenon in the Pentecostal church that claims to
reveal the mind of God to his people in their existential needs of here and now. This
prophetism seeks to speak to situations now rather than in some eschatological future. It
has as its focus the material and physical concerns of clients/seekers. God‟s activeness in
history, according to Ghanaian Pentecostal prophetism, is achieved through the mediation
of a „man or woman of God‟. This divine spokesperson discloses God‟s mind on clients‟
problems and concerns, and also offers healing solutions to them.

The Etymological Definition

It is not easy to define who the prophet is in the COP. However, one may identify four
types of prophets in it. Like all Pentecostal churches in Ghana there are two Akan names
used to denote a prophet in COP. These are nkōmhyēni (prophesier) and odeyifoō (seer-
revealer). Odeyifoō etymologically may have derived from two Akan words for
divination, namely, adehunu (foresight, implying foreknowledge) and adeyie (revelation).
In traditional Akan religion suppliants may go to a diviner (a traditional priest(ess) or
medicine man (a Muslim religious leader or an expert in traditional metaphysics) for
telepathic/therapeutic knowledge on their existential problems (Larbi 2001; Baëta 1962;
Asamoah-Gyadu 2005; 1994; Asimeng 1995). Such experts are expected to have
„foresight‟ or „foreknowledge‟ of the causality of clients‟ problems. This implies they
should be able to „diagnose‟ or „reveal‟ the causality and „prescribe‟ or „speak forth‟
solutions to problems (Cf. Dube 2001). This combined expectation about diviners impels
them to function in these two roles. Thus the diviner becomes adehunufoō and odeyifoō

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

at one and the same time.

It is this primal understanding that is transferred into Christian faith by most
Ghanaian Christians and which makes them search for seer-revealers during their times
of need. Such needs may range from ordinary mundane problems such as joblessness,
marriage issues, spiritual protection and security against one‟s perceived or imaginary
enemies (Gifford 2004; 1994). Actually, some seekers of prophetic revelation may not
have any real need for it at all. Their tendency is an unconscious resonation of their
primal cosmological understanding. Below I proceed to discuss the various levels or
types of „prophets‟ discernible in the COP.

The Prophesier
The prophesier is the most common type of prophets in COP. Prophesiers are commonly
known as nkōmhyēfoō (those who prophesy). A prophesier is a person who exhibits the
gift of prophecy to edify, encourage and exhort the church. The act of prophesying is
known in Akan as nkōmhyē (that is forthtelling), so the nkōmhyēni hyē nkōm (the
prophesier tells forth God‟s mind). Actually, nkōmhyē derives from the traditional
religious practice akōm whereby the traditional priest(ess) tells forth the minds of deities
to the community or individuals. Whereas in the traditional setting such spiritual
benevolence is attributable to the abosom. It becomes consecrated and Christianised
nkōmhyē in the church where it is attributable to the Sunsum Kronkron (Holy Spirit) (Cf.
Levitt 1990).
Like other Pentecostal churches in Ghana prophesiers in COP may be members of
the laity or ordained ministers. The significance of prophecy in COP is typified in Apostle
Ntumy‟s (2005) personal experience. According to him during his send-off service to
missions in Liberia, a prophecy was given. On one hand it was ominous, forewarning
about future dangers that awaited them in that country. On the other it was promissory,
assuring of subsequent divine honour and promotion. The eventual fulfilment of this
prophecy was two-fold. Firstly, he and his family got caught up in the Liberian civil war.
Meanwhile unknown to them a prophecy assured his home church of their eventual
escape. To cement the divine promise a prophetic song, “Nyame ne yēn wō hō nnē nso…”
(God is with us today too) was received by the church (Ntumy 1994). In our discussion
on singing prophets we shall see the significance of such prophetic songs to COP‟s life.
Secondly, the prophecy was fulfilled when he was called to apostleship and eventually
elected as the youngest chairman of COP.
Prophesiers in COP, therefore, are people who bring forth an „inspired message‟
during times of corporate worship or prayer service. Sometimes the content of the
message may be individualised and personalised and thus be quite problematic.
Nonetheless, the message is acknowledged to possess the basic elements of edification,
exhortation and comfort. Normally, prophesiers prefix and suffix their messages thus,
“My children, My children, I, the Lord, Am in your midst...” and “It is I the Lord who
speak to you”.
In COP worship services it is normal for someone a prayer leader to request the
congregation to wait quietly to hear from the Lord. When this happens the congregation
interprets it to mean readying to hear a prophecy or a revelation through members
present, but more especially through acknowledged prophesiers. Such occasions
engender high expectation of spontaneous utterance of inspired messages. COP believes

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

that 1 Corinthians 14: 29 limits such spontaneities to not more than three prophecies.
A Deaconess Comfort Agyeiwaa typifies how some prophesiers initially experience
the prophetic gift. Her initial experience was more like an ailing person. In the process of
praying for divine healing of her „apparent ailment‟ she felt reinvigorated and began
prophesying (Personal communication, 2 October, 2005). Some prophesiers claim to
receive an inner knowledge or „witness‟, or „seed word‟ about the prophecy. As they
yield to the Spirit, the message flows like a light that shines in their spirits till it is fully
delivered. However, there are occasions when prophesying is more a conscious process
that involves the prophesier‟s mental faculties though the prophesier may not retain the
content of the message. In such instances the details become known to the prophesier
later via the congregation audience. Some prophesiers insist that sometimes a prophecy
may be received prior to going to church (Eyiah, personal communication, 7 September,
2005; Cf. Turner 1996). Thus prophecy among Pentecostals is characterised by elements
of spontaneity and divine determination of its content and timing. In other words, it does
not lie in the prophesier‟s power to determine when and how prophecy is to be given or
what its content is to be.
Furthermore, according to Pentecostals God speaks through dreams, prophecies,
closed visions, inner witness and audible voice. Deaconess Theresa Eyiah, (personal
communication, 7 September, 2005) for example, explains that she either receives
prophetic messages through inner witness or hears distinctly the word before
prophesying. By inner witness she means an unambiguous precognition that God has a
word for his church. Indeed, dreams and visions played prominent roles in the
deliverance of Ntumy (1994) and his fellow hostages in Flamingo Camp during the
Liberian war.
Finally, Pentecostals insist that faith or doubtless submission and openness to the
Spirit are prerequisites for benefitting from prophecies. Nonetheless, caution must be the
watchword in attributing every prophecy to God. Hence the gift of prophecy must always
be balanced with the gift of discerning of spirits. This latter gift helps to identify the kind
of spirit behind a prophecy and helps to avert deceptions of false spirits.1

The Singing Prophet

In the early part of the foregoing section I intimated on how Ntumy‟s home church was
assured of his eventual deliverance from the Liberian crisis through a prophetic song. In
this section I proceed to discuss the nature and ministry of a second type of prophet in
COP, namely, the singing prophet. From its earliest beginnings COP has benefited a lot
from „inspired songs‟. These are songs which are received spontaneously during prayer or
worship services and are believed to come from the Holy Spirit. Like the gift of prophecy
they are meant for the church‟s edification, exhortation and comfort. As such they qualify
to be part of prophecy that operates in certain individuals who possess the spirit of
prophecy. As in Judaistic understanding it is by the „Spirit of prophecy‟ that Ghanaian
Pentecostals are enabled to sing these „new songs‟ to the Lord. As Turner (1996) points

1
For example there is a story in Acts 16:16-18 about how a slave girl by a false spirit, the spirit of
divination, gave a prophetic message about Paul and Barnabas. Though the content of the message was
true the spirit behind it was devilish and sought to distract people‟s attention from the apostles‟ message
and associate their ministry with that of her own divination, and thus discredit its divine origin. It took the
gift of discerning of spirits for Paul to detect and rebuke the devil behind the hoarse.

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

out OT Judaism perceived God‟s Spirit as the „Spirit of prophecy‟ through whom God
communicated his will and mind to charismatic leaders of his people. He also
acknowledges that the Spirit “invasively inspired charismatic praise and worship”
(Turner 1996:10, 11). In this paper those who receive „inspired songs‟ in COP are
designated „Singing Prophets‟ or „Pentecostal Psalmists‟. Yet this designation is not
restricted to COP. Broadly this designation may apply to composers of Pentecostal
choruses in general. The Pentecostal choruses or spirituals are usually not the ecstatic
types but are more reflective. They emanate from the inner self and they recount the
great mercies, provisions and deliverances of the Lord.
These Pentecostal spirituals are normally received during corporate worship services
or prayer meetings of the church, especially during conventions. Or they are received
when the individual prophet is alone serving the Lord through worship or prayers.
Sometimes the prophet may also receive new songs through the study and meditation of
scripture. This may underscore why the songs have strong theological content. Reception
may take the form of audible hearing of a song or a feeling of an inner bubble of a new
song. The psalmist would then rise up to sing. The songs may be received at any time or
place. Reception becomes more pronounced especially during times of fasting and
prayers. They may also be received during crises or joyful moments in the prophet‟s life.
Reception is not restricted to only one sex; both men and women may operate in it.
Neither is it restricted to those in the sacramental ministry. Though COP believes in the
divine origin of these songs, yet it holds that as a gift of prophecy they are subject to the
judgement of church leadership. Consequently, some spiritual songs have had to undergo
amendment of some form. But this is in no way to suggest that they were not divine in
their original givenness or diluted in their final state.
Indeed, COP takes credit for many of such „Pentecostal spirituals‟ in Ghanaian
religious life. Unfortunately, for a long time the church was inconsistent in documenting
them electronically or in writing. The first attempt to write them was in 1963. The
upgraded second edition was published in 2003. Hence most of these songs are hijacked
by people who are not very conversant with their origins and contents and thus distort
many of them. This adversely influences the singing and theological import of the songs.
The importance COP attaches to the correct singing of its songs cannot be captured any
better than what Apostle Onyame Tsease stated in the preface of the Pentekost Asōre
Nnwom:

In order to obtain the exact and correct lyrics and renditions of the songs as the
pioneers received and sang them we invited church leaders who led the church to sing
the songs during their youthful days to help us in the compilation process…Therefore
be careful not to debate the lyrics of the songs; make sure you do not alter any of
them. Sing them exactly as you see in them” (2003iv). (My emphasis)

This concern for singing the songs correctly is reiterated in Ntumy‟s “State of the Church
Address” presented to the 37th Session of the General Council Meetings. According to
him the National Music Committee recorded the church‟s songs electronically, “so that
Church members and other users of the hymnal would learn to sing them correctly”
(Ntumy 2008: 37).
Ghanaian Pentecostal songs contain various themes and moods that express and
reflect Pentecostals‟ self-understanding of God, the Christian life, the world, Satan and

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

evil. Like the Psalter they:

Reflect a God who hears the prayers of individuals in whatever circumstances they
find themselves. The [Pentecostal] psalmists [understand] God to be sympathetic to
the plight of the helpless, a protector of the troubled, a companion to the lonely, and a
forgiver of the repentant sinner. He is a person‟s greatest source of joy. Almighty, all-
knowing, and altogether good, he is [the believer‟s] glorious and eternal king. And he
alone is worthy of [believers‟] trust and praise (Dorsey 1999: 186).

Ghanaian Classical Pentecostals in particular are very specific with what song they
choose for various occasions. For example, The Apostolic Church, Ghana, sums it all up
in its acclamation of Pastor A.K. Anderson‟s songs when it stated among many things that
they are spiritual songs meant for glorifying God‟s holy name among God‟s people
during their worship and evangelistic services (The Apostolic Church n.d.).
Actually, the ability to create new religious songs for a religious community is not
confined to COP nor is it restricted to Christianity. Most of the songs Peter Anim‟s
organisation sang before the advent of James McKeown were native or translated
Western hymns. The African Initiated Churches (AICs) that preceded modern
Pentecostals are also characterised by their unique „African spirituals‟. Thus for instance,
the Musama Disco Christo Church (MDCC) is noted for its creativity of „spiritual songs‟.
Its music school at Musano is one of the best in Ghana. Similarly, Duncan and Kalu
(2007) report that researchers have translated 173 choruses of Garrick Braide, composed
in his native Kalabari language. Meanwhile Adogame and Jafta (2007) note that among
the Roho spiritual songs and hymns are revealed through the founder, prophets and
prophetesses. Similarly, among the Celestial Church of Christ all hymns and songs in the
hymn book “are believed to have been revealed to, or channelled through certain
individuals such as the pastor-founder, prophets and prophetesses, from a divine source,
that is the Holy Spirit” (281). Even mainline churches like the Methodist Church, Ghana,
possess African musical creative songs called Ebibindwom (African/Black music) deeply
rooted in biblical motifs. Indeed, in Black Africa it is not uncommon to hear religious
songs sung in praise and honour of deities and even national heroes. This is because in
Africa, music and singing offer a religious channel for expressing and declaring the
prowess, benevolence and nature of a deity.

Grassroots Prophets
A third type of prophets identifiable in COP‟s life is those I designate in this paper as
Grassroots Prophets. They are called lay prophets/prophetesses by Onyinah (2002) who
links their prominence in Ghanaian Pentecostalism to the emergence of what he calls
„witchdemonology.2 He argues that the activities of these prophets in the COP are a
reinvigoration of what emerged in the 1950s but which eventually resulted in secessions
of the prophets/healers from the church. Perhaps the identity of Grassroots Prophets is the
most controversial in COP. This is because there is much ambiguity on how to define
them. Official definition differs from ordinary church members‟ definition. Grassroots
Prophets operate prayer centres/camps. Deliverance from demonic oppressions and
manipulations, which the masses find responsive to their existential needs, constitutes
2
Witchdemonology is Opoku Onyinah‟s own coinage to denote the fusion of Christian demonology with
Akan exorcism.

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

their major focus (Kodua 2002). Unfortunately, their activities and operations are
perceived to promote witchdemonology that the authorities do not encourage.
COP officially is careful does not designate the title „prophet‟ to everyone who
exhibits some spiritual gifts. This may stem from its past experiences. Such gifts include
word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, gift of faith, miracles, gifts of
healings, prophecy, speaking in diverse tongues and interpretation of tongues. Thus
Onyinah (2002) intimates that due to the rise of „unscriptural practices‟ of the
prophets/prophetesses in the 1950s, McKeown personally outlawed the use of the title
„prophet‟ by lay healers/exorcists in the church. The reactivation of the activities of the
prayer camps/centres came about when Prophet M. K Yeboah became COP‟s chairman
because he perceived them as „gifts‟ to the church.
Actually, Onyinah (2002) insinuates that the secession of the lay prophets in the
1950s was underpinned by a number of factors. They wanted the church leadership to put
them on the same pedestal of honour as the pastors. They also felt cheated that the pastors
left them to handle the healing and deliverance sessions during conventions. Furthermore,
they claimed healing and deliverance sessions were not long enough and so many sick
people went away unhealed. Finally, failure of the church to define their position in the
church necessitated their secession from it. Meanwhile the church authorities felt the
prophets/healers promoted a lot of „unscriptural practices‟ such as the use of blessed
water, blessed handkerchiefs and Florida water. Prophet John Mensah in particular was
known to bless his picture and ask his clients to place it under their pillows as protective
objects against witchcraft and magic. Brother Lawson also in addition to some of the
above made his clients practise the use of crosses and crucifixes and face the East during
prayer. Perhaps the prophets‟ agitation for recognition should be appreciated that even
today it is to the prophets, but not the pastors, that the masses mostly turn in their search
for spiritual solace.
Clearly, those that ordinary church members may recognise as prophets are not
officially recognised as such. To the ordinary church masses the Grassroots Prophets are
easily accessible and show much „spiritual‟ concern to their plights. As anointed men or
women who officially lead prayer centres they exhibit telepathic/therapeutic knowledge
and abilities that help to reverse clients‟ negative circumstances. The ministry of
Grassroots Prophets like their counterparts in neo-Pentecostal circles affirms the
conclusions of Mark Cartledge‟s recent researches (Massey 1996). According to
Cartledge, NT prophecy is fundamentally of revelatory impulses such as dreams, visions
and words given within the congregational context. It has the sole purpose of making
room for evaluation, especially, if it is true that prophecy has “„only an authority of
general content‟” (Massey 1996: 76).
The attitude of the masses towards Grassroots Prophets is similar to that of the
Samaritan woman in her encounter with Jesus at Jacob‟s Well (John 4: 1-29). They
become overwhelmed with the telepathic and therapeutic gifts that operate in the prophets
and so stick to them no matter the consequence. Majority of these seekers and clients are
women and men in search of successful marriages, businesses, foreign travel, good health
and fruitfulness in marriages.3 However, a few go there for spiritual renewal and
3
The desire to have good and successful marriages, succeed in business, undertake foreign journeys, enjoy
good health and fruitfulness in marriage mostly came up during my interviews with leaders and seekers at
both Elder Andoh‟s Down Town at Kasoa and Elder Okyere‟s Salvation Prayer Centre at Mallam, Accra.

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

empowerment. These prophets tend to offer hope to the suffering masses.

The ‘Institutionalised’ or ‘Official’ Prophet in the Church of Pentecost

In the foregoing discussion on Grassroots Prophetism I argued that despite the fact that
proponents enjoy lots of goodwill from the ordinary suffering masses church leadership is
pessimistic about their activities. Hence in this section I intend to discuss COP‟s official
conception of a prophet.
Apostle Opoku Onyinah (personal communication, October 20, 2005) defines a
prophet as someone who is sent to speak forth God‟s mind and who does so through
directive prophecy or revelation. Such persons should have the gift of prophecy,
discerning of spirits and must also possess the twin gifts of word of knowledge and word
of wisdom. Additionally, such fellows exercise gifts of exhortation and teaching (Baidoo,
personal communication, November 11, 2005). The rationale for the need of the twin
gifts is that they insulate the prophet against deception and provide guidance to his
prophetic perception.
Furthermore, Onyinah (personal communication, October 20, 2005) opines that in
COP prophetic gift is not directly associated with the power gifts. Therefore we may
argue that COP officially attempts to delineate who a prophet is from the normal
grassroots‟ definition which associates power with the prophet‟s ministry. It also seeks to
explain why the „Institutionalised Prophet‟ may not operate in power gifts and still be
regarded as a prophet by the church‟s leadership.
In its 2005 Constitution COP‟s General Council defines the person and functions of
the prophet thus:

[Prophets] are Ministers who exercise the Prophetic Ministry and are called into the
Office of Prophet. The office of a Prophet is complementary to that of the Apostle in
calling, directing and ordering Ministers and other officers of the Church (1Cor.
12:28; Eph. 4:11-13). The Office is distinguishable from the exercise of the gift of
prophecy which edifies, exhorts and comforts the saints (1 Cor. 14:3-4). [Prophets]
dedicate church buildings (The Constitution of the Church of Pentecost 2005
n.p.:39; The Church of Pentecost 2008b: 24).

This is further elucidated by the Apostle S.K. Baidoo (personal communication,

November 11, 2005) thus:

[Prophets] are ministers who exercise the prophetic ministry and are called into the
office of prophet. This is one of the high offices in the church. [They] are Spirit filled,
proclaimers and interpreters of the word of God. [They are] called to warn, exhort,
comfort and edify (Acts 2:14-36,1Cor 14:30). They exercise the gift of prophecy and
sometimes foretell the future (Acts 11:28) (emphasis mine). They expose sin, proclaim
righteousness, warn of judgement to come and combat worldliness and lukewarmness
among God‟s people (Luke 1:14-17). True prophet of God operates in the following
gifts: words of wisdom and knowledge, discernment, prophecy, gifts of exhortation
and teaching…The Office of a Prophet is complementary to that of the Apostle in
calling, directing and ordaining Ministers and other Officers of the Church (1 Cor.
12:28; Eph. 4:11-13).

Also most testimonies during prayer services showed how testifiers had had their prayers answered along
those lines.

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

From the above definitions we may deduce what COP officially regards as the office and
ministry of a prophet:
1. A prophet is a high profile office-holder in the church with complementary
ministry to that of the apostle.
2. To occupy the office one must be in the five-fold ministry in COP. The prophet is
a male pastor.
3. The prophetic office is distinguishable from the exercise of the gift of prophecy
which edifies, exhorts and comforts the saints.
4. A prophet exercises some spiritual gifts such as gifts of prophecy, words of
wisdom and knowledge, discernment, exhortation and teaching. In this regard,
the ministry of the prophet is not restricted to just the revelatory gifts or the vocal
gifts. Rather, it includes the gift of teaching and exhortation which fall outside the
purview of what are generally regarded by Pentecostals as spiritual gifts in 1
Corinthians12. Again, it is by the addition of these other gifts in Romans 12:6-8
that the credibility of a true prophet may be established.
5. Though not a prerequisite of his office the prophet can sometimes predict events
or things.
6. A prophet proclaims and interprets God‟s word. Thus in COP the prophet is more
than a seer; he is also a teaching prophet who reveals and imparts God‟s mind by
teaching the Bible.
7. As a high ministerial office holder of the church the prophet provides direction to
the church and like the apostle calls and ordains people into the ministry (lay or
sacramental).
8. It is a prophet‟s duty to expose sin, proclaim righteousness, warn of impending
judgement and combat worldliness and lukewarmness among God‟s people (Luke
1:14-17).
The ministry of the Institutionalised Prophet has aided the church in a number of ways as
suggested in Baidoo‟s definition above (personal communication, November 11, 2005)
and affirmed by Onyinah (personal communication, October 20, 2005). As we have
observed despite COP‟s high regard for prophetism not all who exhibit prophetic gifts are
officially considered as prophets. Generally, those who exhibit revelatory gifts or vocal
gifts are expected to maintain a certain standard as becomes of „a prophet‟. This implies,
inter alia, nkōmhyēni nkasa bebree (a prophet should not be a talkative). Thus the prophet
must desist from unprofitable chatter that could potentially „leak‟ the prophetic anointing
or colour the prophetic word. Rather, as God‟s mouthpiece the prophet must observe a
life of meditation on divine matters.
But apart from this general expectation of all „prophets‟ there is a higher standard
that the official prophet is to attain. Hence it is not every ordained „prophesying‟ minister
who rises to that high office in the church. The Institutionalised Prophet must live an
impeccable life of integrity that corresponds to the spiritual gifts operative in his life.
Integrity here means living blamelessly before church members and outsiders (Barlett
1993). This means integrating words with trustworthy actions to avert suspicion or doubt
in people‟s minds. Therefore to be called into this office one must live an untainted
transparent life. Similarly, it is a high expectation of the prophet that he maintains a high
level of prayer life. As Horner (2008) observes such a life thrives on fasting and the study
of the Word of God. This is very vital so that his judgement is not beclouded by personal

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Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

weaknesses and biases like partiality, nepotism, favouritism and clientelism (cf. Gifford
1998). Thus COP ties responsible stewardship to the prophetic ministry and gifts (Inrig
1994; Sunukjian 1994).

The Importance of Prophetism to COP

COP‟s history shows that it has been associated with prophetism since its inception. The
gift of prophecy and the associated gifts of visions and dreams play prominent roles in its
ministry even today though they may be carefully tested with the Scriptures. New songs
continue to be received through prophetic utterances in COP. This is one reason the
church continues to be significant and prominent in the Ghanaian socio-political and
religious life. For a very long time people‟s call into COP‟s ordained ministry either came
through a prophetic utterance and direction or was confirmed by it. Indeed, Onyinah
(2004) indicates that up to 1961 people were called into the offices of apostles and
pastors, and transferred often through directive prophecies. However, McKeown believed
that his own ministers often manipulated prophecies to suit their own premeditated
decisions, and so he demanded that all prophecies be tested.
It is the church‟s constitutional provision to allow directive prophecies in its
decision making especially, when choosing leadership for the church. It is on record that
both the late Prophet M. K. Yeboah and Apostle M. K. Ntumy were called into the
church‟s chairmanship by directive prophecies. Nonetheless, the General Council
validated the prophetic direction by means of the ballot box (Onyinah 2002). One may
surmise that in both cases the results of the ballot box were conclusive since few people
would be „unspiritual‟ to challenge what was perceived to be a divine submission. At this
point I wish to underline Campbell‟s advice on how a church should deal with prophetic
directions as a great necessity for a church such as COP:

Prophetic people are not necessarily responsible for the interpretation of their words.
They are definitely not responsible for the application of their message. That
responsibility lies with the leaders, or with the individual(s) to whom the prophecy is
given…Prophetic people need to know that they are only responsible to give what
they feel the Lord is saying. They are not responsible to see that directive words are
carried out. These words may, in fact, be rejected (1998:12, 13).

In this regard COP‟s use of the ballot box to determine the authenticity of a prophetic
direction, especially in electing people into leadership positions, does not in any way
depreciate leadership‟s awesome responsibility in handling prophecies. The church‟s
developmental process is chequered with secessions by people who were regarded as
prophets by the laity and who at one time or other enjoyed the goodwill of the church‟s
leadership. COP‟s emphasis on the foundational role of prophecy in church government
and personal direction places it in continuity with Bradford Apostolic tradition and
weakens its founder‟s pessimism about the gift.
I have already referred to Apostle Ntumy‟s assessment on the significance of
prophecy. Together with other examples it is clear that prophecy provide divine warning
signals about impending dangers and disasters. For example, the COP in Liberia was
forewarned ahead of the civil war that devastated that country (Ntumy 2005). Thus
prophecy among Ghanaian Pentecostals holds promise of divine faithfulness and
dependability. Notwithstanding, it contains both positive and negative elements: it may

11
Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

inspire hope and faith; embolden and motivate believers to face difficulties; and also
forewarn believers and thus prepare them to face future eventualities. Actually, prophetic
warnings pose serious questions on theodicy: whether they provide adequate grounds for
defending and/or justifying the incidence of evil and suffering vis-à-vis God‟s existence
(Welz 2007).
Our discussion shows that there is no easy way of defining prophetism in COP.
What comes out clearly is that the phenomenon is identified with the gifts of prophecy,
discernment, words of wisdom and knowledge and may or may not include power gifts
such as faith, healing and miracles. Discernment, words of wisdom and knowledge may
be received through inner knowledge per visions and dreams and may be termed
revelatory gifts. The gift of prophecy is oracular in nature. Prophecy may be interpreted
as a liturgical instrument that manifests through prophesiers and Pentecostal psalmists. It
is also a charismatic empowerment through which healings and miracles may be
wrought. Moreover, it provides a decision-making tool and an arm in church polity and
leadership. A prophet in COP then, in the light of this paper, is someone who is endowed
with the supernatural gifts of prophecy, discernment, words of wisdom and knowledge
and may or may not exhibit power gifts such as faith, healings and miracles.
An important observation is that in COP prophetism may be perceived in two
ways: institutional prophetism and grassroots prophetism. Institutional prophetism
comprises those levels or types of prophetism such as prophetic singing, the gift of
prophecy and institutionalised or official prophetism of ordained ministers of the church.
Institutional prophetism enjoys official recognition and acceptance with little or no
difficulty unlike grassroots prophetism. Ironically, although institutionalised prophetism
enjoys much respect and reverence, yet it does not carry the same awe and direct impact
as „grassroots prophetism‟ of the so-called Prayer Leaders. In fact, the masses resort to
the Grassroots Prophets because they perceive in them the similitude of what they believe
to be marks and signs of a biblical prophet. This may explain why the „troubled‟ may
frown on official prohibition to „consult‟ with Grassroots Prophets. Of course, there is the
need to be hesitant in accusing the masses as gullible minded. The bottom-line is people
will always disregard all forms of condemnation to „consult‟ with prophets if they are
assured of receiving the answers to their problems. Finally, this may explain why these
prophets defiantly thrive on despite „institutional persecutions‟. And what is true of COP
is equally true of prophetism among other Ghanaian Pentecostals.

Conclusion
Throughout this paper I have sought to answer the question: What are the ways Classical
Pentecostal churches such as the COP conceive prophetism? From the discussions so far
it has become obvious that prophetism plays a prominent role in COP‟s life and ministry.
Yet there are differing levels of understandings held by its members. Just like in many
Pentecostal/Charismatic groups in Ghana there are people who prophesy and others who
sing new songs or „spiritual songs‟. All such operate at one level or other in prophetic
gifting and by their gifts edify, exhort and comfort the church of God. The third group,
Grassroots Prophets, may not „fit‟ into official mould of prophetism yet the church‟s
leadership has „managed‟ to accommodate them within the system since it appreciates the
possibility of divine origination of their ministries. Leadership‟s desire to turn Grassroots
Prophetism into assets rather than liabilities makes it approach it tactfully so that past

12
Joseph Quayesi-Amakye, The Concept of the Prophet in Ghana’s Church of Pentecost,
ORITA, Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies, 43/1 (2011), 1-21. (Original text)

conflicts would not recur. The discussion has further shown that even with official
prophetism COP‟s leadership is careful with whom to include or exclude so that God‟s
name and the church could be protected from reproach. In the final analysis we may say
that the Pentecostal prophet is a Christian whom the Holy Spirit enables to gain spiritual
insight into spiritual mysteries. Thus equiped the prophet is able to communicate the
mind, will and intentions of God as well as forewarn and offer guidance and/or directions
to individuals or the church. The goal is to offer supernatural comfort, encouragement,
guidance and assistance to individuals or a church. In Pentecostalist understanding the
prophet in addition to the gift of prophecy may possess either or both the gifts of words
of wisdom and knowledge as well as discerning of spirits.

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