Bridging the fire: A Wesleyan lens on Pentecostal Theology and its implications for discipleship in the Methodist Church Ghana

Fiifi Afenyi-Donkor ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol. 12 No.2 2026 Issue Article 4 pp.64 – 76
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261224| Published online 31st March 2026.
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Views: 22
47 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

This study examines the growing Pentecostal and charismatic influence within The Methodist Church Ghana, with specific attention to renewal movements such as the “Prayer Tower.” Its purpose is to explore how Pentecostal spirituality can be constructively integrated into Methodist discipleship without compromising Wesleyan theological identity. The research adopted a qualitative, literature-based methodology grounded in hermeneutical and theological analysis, interpreting key Wesleyan and Pentecostal texts to identify convergences and divergences in doctrine and spirituality. Although limited by the absence of fieldwork, the study’s conceptual aim was to develop a theological framework for Spirit-led renewal within Ghana Methodism. Findings reveal shared emphases on sanctification, experiential faith, and openness to the Holy Spirit, alongside differences concerning Spirit baptism and glossolalia. The study proposes contextual strategies for integrating Pentecostal vitality through “Prayer Tower” fellowships, pneumatological education, and Spirit-empowered discipleship within Wesleyan ecclesiology. It recommends intentional theological dialogue, leadership training in charismatic discernment, and structured incorporation of spiritual gifts into Ghanaian Methodist worship and formation. The study contributes to scholarship by advancing Wesleyan–Pentecostal dialogue in Africa, providing a framework for charismatic integration in historic mission churches, and offering a model for Spirit-driven discipleship that bridges Wesleyan holiness with Pentecostal fervour for transformative renewal.

Keywords: Pentecostalism, Wesleyan theology, Methodist Church Ghana, Holy Spirit, discipleship

Aboagye Mensah, Robert K. John Wesley the Charismatic. Accra: Adwinsa Publications, 1992.

Anderson, Allan H. An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.

———. “Pentecostalism.” In Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 3rd ed., edited by Daniel J. Treier and Walter A. Elwell. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2017.

Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena.  African Charismatics: Current Developments within Independent Indigenous Pentecostalism in Ghana. Leiden: Brill, 2005.

———. Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity: Interpretations from an African Context.  Oxford, London:

Regnum Africa, 2013.

———. Sighs and Signs of the Spirit: Ghanaian Perspectives on Pentecostalism and Renewal in Africa. Oxford, London: Regnum Africa, 2015.

———. The Holy Spirit Our Comforter: An Exercise in Homiletic Pneumatology. Accra, Ghana: Step Publishers, 2017.

Baeta, Christian G. Prophetism in Ghana: A Study of Some “Spiritual Churches.” London: SCM Press, 1962.

Bryman, Alan. Social Research Methods. Oxford University Press, 2016.

Collins, Kenneth J. The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace.  Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007.

Cox, Harvey. Fire From Heaven: The Rise Of Pentecostal Spirituality And The Reshaping Of Religion In The Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1995.

Creswell, John W, and Cheryl N Poth. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches. Sage Publications, 2016.

Dayton, Donald W.  Theological Roots of Pentecostalism. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987.

Dieter, Melvin E. The Holiness Revival of the Nineteenth Century. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1996.

English, Donald. “Wesley, Fletcher, and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.”  Journal of Pentecostal Theology 30, no. 1 (2021): 181–205.

Fee, Gordon D. God’s Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul.  Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994.

Fletcher, John.  Works of the Reverend John Fletcher. Edited by Jackson.  London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1984.

Gadamer, Hans-Georg.  Truth and Method. Edited by Joel Weinsheimer and Donald G. Marshall. 2nd ed. London: Continuum, 2004.

Gifford, Paul. Ghana’s New Christianity, New Edition: Pentecostalism in a Globalising African Economy. Indiana University Press, 2004.

Healy, Kendell. “Wesleyan Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation).” Accessed March 18, 2021. https://kendellhealy.com/2021/03/18/wesleyan-ordo-salutis-order-of-salvation/.

Hollenweger, Walter J.  The Pentecostals. London: SCM Press, 1972.

Jeanrond, Werner. Theological Hermeneutics: Developments and Significance.  London: SCM Press Ltd., 1994.

Johns, Cheryl Bridges. “The Spirit and the Word: A Pentecostal Perspective on Pneumatological Hermeneutics.” Journal of Pentecostal Theology  1, no.1(1992): 73–96.

Langford, Thomas A.  Practical Divinity: Theology in the Wesleyan Tradition. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1983.

Lindström, Harold. Wesley and Sanctification: A Study in the Doctrine of Salvation.  Nairobi:  Evangel Publishing House, 1996.

Methodist Church Ghana. “Annual Conference Theme Document”, Accessed via Church Archives, 2021.

Newbigin, Leslie. The Household of God. London: SCM, 1953.

Omenyo, Cephas. “Man of the Spirit: The Life and Ministry of William Egyanka Appiah.”  Studies in World Christianity 8, no. 2 (2002): 145–62.

Outler, Albert C., and Richard P. Heitzenrater.  John Wesley’s Sermons: An Anthology.  Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991.

Powell, Mark Allen. Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2009.

Thiselton, Anthony C. The Two Horizons: New Testament Hermeneutics and Philosophical Description. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.

Vondey, Wolfgang. Pentecostal Theology: Living the Full Gospel. London: Bloomsbury, 2017.

Warrington, Keith. Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter. London: T&T Clark, 2008.

Watson, David Lowes.  Class Leaders: Recovering a Tradition. Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 1991.

Wesley, John.  A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. London: Epworth Press, 1766.

———. The Character of a Methodist. Philadelphia: Johnston & Justice for William Glendinning, 1793.

———. The Letters of the Reverend John Wesley. Edited by John Telford. 8 vols. London: Epworth Press, 1931.

Williams, Collin W.  John Wesley’s Today: A Study of the Wesleyan Tradition in the Light of Current Theological Dialogue.  Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1960.

Wood, Laurence W. “The Wesleyan View” In  Christian Spirituality: Post-Reformation and Modern, edited by Louis Dupre and Don Saliers. New York: Crossroad, 1989.

Yates, A.S.  The Doctrine of Assurance. London: Epworth Press, 1952.

Rev’d Fiifi Afenyi-Donkor, M.Div. (Distinction), Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra, Ghana, is an ordained minister of The Methodist Church, Ghana and Personal Assistant to the Presiding Bishop. His research centers on Wesleyan theology, New Testament studies, Mother-Tongue Theology/Translation Studies, and discipleship, emphasizing the integration of personal piety with social and civic responsibility. He employs hermeneutical and historical-theological methods to articulate a biblically grounded, contextually relevant African Christian voice.

Afenyi-Donkor, Fiifi. “Bridging the fire: A Wesleyan lens on Pentecostal Theology and its implications for discipleship in the Methodist Church Ghana.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 12, no.2 (2026): https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261224

© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Articles in this Issue

About Journal