Uncovering Institutions for Youth Mentoring: A Case Study of Some Classical Pentecostal Churchesin the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana

Richard Thomas Sarpong, Francis Appiah-Kubi , Peter Addai-Mensah , Emmanuel Kojo Ennin Antwi & Jonathan Edward Tetteh Kuwornu-Adjaottor  

Issue: Vol.7  No.1 May Article 2 pp. 18 – 32
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/pecanep.2026712  |   Published online 18th June 2026.
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This study uncovers the institutions for youth mentoring among some Classical Pentecostal Churches (CPCs) in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, including The Apostolic Church – Ghana (ACG), Christ Apostolic Church International (CACI), Assemblies of God, Ghana (A/G), and The Church of Pentecost (CoP). Using a phenomenological research design, a pragmatist philosophy, and purposive sampling, fourteen participants from each Church were interviewed to gain insights into the institutions. The study findings revealed that all the Classical Pentecostal Churches have Youth Departments, indicating their interest in developing young people. Nevertheless, most of them who do not recognize it as a suitable mentoring institution have established either a Youth Church or an Educational/Developmental Committee as a complement. Since the study revealed that not all mentoring institutions have a proper structure for mentoring young people, the following process is recommended to structure a youth mentoring program. They include defining a mentoring plan, selecting and connecting the right participants, providing adequate resources, enabling learning, training, and development, and evaluating the program’s success. It is worth mentioning that by uncovering these institutions of mentoring, there will be an evolution in scholarship from a simple psychological study of friendship to a complex sociological and educational field, where structures, policies, and cultural norms are uncovered.

Keywords: Mentoring institution, Classical Pentecostal Churches, Youth Church, Educational or Developmental Committee, Youth Department.

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Richard Thomas Sarpong is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST). He holds an M.Phil. degree in Religious Studies from the same institution and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Education, Winneba. His research focuses on Contemporary Christian Leadership/Education and Classical Pentecostalism. He is a Reverend Minister and currently the Minister-in-Charge of Citadel Chapel Assemblies of God Church – Bosore, Kumasi.

Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Francis Appiah-Kubi is an Associate Professor at the Department of Religious Studies in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST). He holds a Ph.D. degree from both the Institut Catholique de Paris and Catholic University, Leuven, and a Master’s degree in Theology from Facultés Catholiques de Congo. His areas of specialization are Ecclesiology and Studies in African Traditional Religion. He is currently a Parish Priest of St. Anthony Catholic Church – Kwamo, Kumasi.

Rev. Fr. Dr. Peter Addai-Mensah is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Religious Studies – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST). He has a doctorate in Sacred Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, a Master’s in Education from Boston College, and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology also from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, all in Boston. His specialized areas are Religion, Theology, and Spirituality. He is currently a Parish Priest of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church – Anwomaso, Kumasi.

Rev. Fr. Prof. Emmanuel Kojo Ennin Antwi is a Professor (Associate) in Biblical Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi. He holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology (Old Testament Literature and Exegesis) from Albert-Ludwig University, Freiburg, Germany, a Certificate in Theology and Religious Studies from the International Graduate Academy, University of Freiburg, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast. His area of specialization is Biblical Studies. He is currently a Parish Priest of St. Martha Catholic Church – Antoa, Kumasi.

Rev. Prof. Jonathan Edward Tetteh Kuwornu-Adjaottor is an Associate Professor of New Testament and Mother Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics in the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST). He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies (New Testament Interpretation) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and a Master of Theology (New Testament Studies) from Trinity Theological Seminary – Legon, Ghana. His areas of specialization are New Testament and Mother-tongue Biblical Hermeneutics. He is an Ordained Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) and currently serves as an Associate Minister of the Christ Congregation of the PCG, KNUST-Kumasi, Ghana.

Sarpong, Richard Thomas, Francis Appiah-Kubi, Peter Addai-Mensah, Emmanuel Kojo Ennin Antwi, and Jonathan Edward Tetteh Kuwornu-Adjaottor “Uncovering Institutions for Youth Mentoring: A Case Study of Some Classical Pentecostal Churches in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana.” Pentecostalism, Charismaticism and Neo-Prophetic Movements Journal 7, no.1 (2026): 18-32. https://doi.org/10.38159/pecanep.2026712

© 2024 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/).

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