THE GENESIS OF THE LORD’S PENTECOSTAL CHURCH INTERNATIONAL

Reformed and Lutheran Christians. It was one of the many societies formed in the early part of the 19th Century, inspired by the Pietist Movement and the Christian Awakening of the 17th and 18th Centuries. Due to the change in the attitude of German

Protestants to the evangelization of non-Christian communities, the pietism of the time was understood in relation to evangelization: leading others also into living holy lives. This resulted in the formation of missionary societies by German Protestant Christians. Most of the mission societies formed in the northern part of Germany merged and constituted the North German Missionary Society with the aim of sending missionaries to non-Christian lands.

Four members from this society namely Lorenz Wolf, Luer Bultman, Karl Flato and James Graff landed in Cape Coast in the Gold Coast now Ghana on 5th May, 1847 to explore the possibility of establishing a mission field.

On their coming to the West Coast of Africa in 1847, the leaders of the society planned to do mission in Gabon in West Africa as a way of extending their mission to the West Coast of Africa. Upon recommendations by the Basel Mission Society which was already in the Gold Coast before their arrival, the Bremen Mission under the leadership of Lorenz Wolf went to Peki. This was at the invitation of Prince Nyangamagu, a son of Kwadwo Dei II, King of Krepi in the Volta Region of Ghana. Their intention was to start missionary work in the Ewe land.

In the midst of initial challenges, the Bremen Mission established a mission church which later became the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (hereafter known as the EPC). There were some schisms in the EPC which resulted in the establishment of some African Independent Churches (AIC’s). One of such groups was The Lord’s Church (Agbelengor), now The Lord’s Pentecostal Church International established in 1961 by Apostle John Sam Amedzro from Peki.