Perez Chapel International co-founder Charles Agyinasare has been elevated from a Bishop to Archbishop by the authority of the Episcopalian Council of Perez Chapel International and the leadership of the Global Charismatic Ministers Network at a ceremony in Accra on Saturday, 2 April 2022.

The elevation ceremony of the former Presiding Bishop took place at his branch, Perez Dome, Dzorwulu, on Saturday, 2 April 2022, a little more than a week after he celebrated his 60th birthday on 22 March 2022.

Bishop Kyle Searcy, the Presiding Bishop of Fresh Anointing House of Worship and an International Director of the Global Charismatic Ministers Network, led the consecration service in the presence of Bishop Joseph Imakando, Zambia; Bishop Gordon Kisseih, Ghana; Bishop Gideon Titi Ofei, Ghana; Bishop Fred Adetunji, USA; Bishop Yaw Adu, Ghana; and Bishop Ohene Benjamin Aboagye – who replaces Archbishop Agyinasare as Presiding Bishop.

“I Bishop Kyle Searcy, Presiding Bishop of Fresh Anointing House of Worship and an International Director of the Global Charismatic Ministers Network and also representing the college of Bishops for this consecration service, on the authority of the Episcopalian Council of Perez Chapel International and the leadership of the Global Charismatic Ministers Network, do; hereby, elevate Bishop Dr Charles Agyinasare [to] an Archbishop in the universal church of God and over the above-named institutions”.

“Dear Bishops, fellow clergy, brothers and sisters in the Lord, we present to you His Grace, Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, a man whose physical impact has been experienced in 91 nations and whose influence is felt around the world”, Bishop Searcy said.

In his inaugural speech, Archbishop Agyinasare said: “As I cross 60 years and [am] aware that the retirement age is seventy for PCI Bishops, I intend to give room and space to grow more bishops and senior ministers”.

“On this poignant occasion of transitions, it is appropriate to refer to and draw from the statement Samuel made on the day he handed over his leadership of Israel to Saul: ‘And now, here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grey-headed, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you’. And they said, ‘You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand’” (I Samuel 12:2-4 NKJV).

Read Archbishop Agyinasare’s full speech below:

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus!

In 1987 when the Lord called and sent me to start this church in Tamale and to plant other churches, I fully obeyed, and Mama agreed to go with me. On my 25th birthday I asked God for souls and my wife, and I sponsored an evangelistic crusade to start this church. On 29th March 1987, the church was officially inaugurated at the Warders Canteen in Tamale with more than two hundred souls in attendance.

For two years after the church started, we lived in a house without electricity and pipe-borne water, with about eight people in a two-bedroom and living room house. To the glory of God, our story is now different after thirty-five years. From that seed in Tamale the Lord has continued to bless this mission with tremendous growth and expansion, spiritual, institutional, numerical and others.

After 35 years of leadership and still counting, Perez Chapel International (PCI) has:

•​Hundreds of branches across twenty-three countries,

•​10 Bishops and more than 350 Ministers and Pastors,

•​More than two hundred Elders, Deacons, and Deaconesses

•​More than 60% of our churches own the branch premises.

•​We have established a tertiary institution – the Perez University College

•​We have a television station – Precious TV

•​PCI remains a strong brand among the community of Churches in Ghana and abroad.

These did not take a walk in the park! Collectively we have all sacrificed to bring PCI to where we are today

The multi-dimensional growth of PCI has necessitated structural changes and a plan to take the church forward as an institution. We are preparing to launch our 10-year Strategic Plan to guide us through to the year 2031 with a clear image of the future we desire.

Following my announcement last year of changes in our operational architecture to reflect current realities and demands of our church, I have accepted the new role of Archbishop of the Perez Chapel International. Upon my elevation as Archbishop, please be informed that I am relinquishing the position of Presiding Bishop. As Archbishop of Perez Chapel International, I shall continue as the Prelate of the Dzorwulu Branch, (the Perez Dome), and would continue to take charge of regular Sunday Church Services and all other activities as I have always done. This time however, I shall devote more attention to visiting other branches across the nations to ensure greater presence in our national network of branches, while ensuring that I am sufficiently present at the Dome.

As I cross 60 years and aware that the retirement age is seventy for PCI Bishops, I intend to give room and space to grow more Bishops and senior Ministers.

On this poignant occasion of transitions, it is appropriate to refer to and draw from the statement Samuel made on the day he handed over his leadership of Israel to Saul: “And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grey-headed, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.” And they said, “You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand” (I Samuel 12:2-4 NKJV).

By the grace of God, throughout my tenure as the Presiding Bishop, I built my branch from when I was in Tamale and when we moved to Circle in Accra, and finally here at the Dome. In all these places the work was not at the expense of any of our branches but from my local branch. I have never taxed any of our churches to build my local church. I love my work as a servant of God and would continue to do it without necessarily expecting a reward, except what the church decides is my due. When I moved to Accra in 1994, for one year I took no salary, and I paid my own rent for two years. Since I moved into my own house in 1999, I have never received the rent that was due me, honouring the promise I made to God that if He helped me build my own house, I would never take rent from the church. In 2012 when I turned fifty, I stopped taking a salary from the church and decided to pastor this church for free and to live by faith.

I owe no church member, and neither have I borrowed from any member. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold. I have never had any inappropriate relationship with any lady in or outside this church.

To the best of my knowledge and ability, I continue to be a moral example to the clergy and the flock. We continue to raise our children to walk in the knowledge of the Lord and in our footsteps. I continue to be a faithful tithe payer and amongst the top 5% of our financial givers.

We shall continue to fight battles for the survival and growth of this ministry.

Today, as I am elevated to the position of Archbishop with expanded roles and responsibilities, I am pleased to announce the appointment of a new Presiding Bishop. However, in line with our new structure, functions, and tenure of the Presiding Bishop, he would operate from a new PCI headquarters outside the Perez Dome, in Dzorwulu, which is just one of the PCI branches. The idea is to have an independent PCI headquarters to enhance the supervision of all branches, including the Dome. The Presiding Bishop will have responsibility for the efficient management of all our branches, both local and abroad. He would also assist the archbishop in providing adequate leadership presence in our network of local and international branches. 

The position of Presiding Bishop shall have a tenure of 3 years but subject to renewal based on a criterion which has been developed by the General Church Council.

The first Bishop to take this onerous role of Presiding Bishop, aside from my good self, is a fine Christian gentleman, a man who joined me when the church started in 1987 in Tamale. I pastored him; he rose through the ranks as my praise and worship leader, then cell leader, and one of our first branch pastors. He is a man who has pastored a number of our branches, from Pong-Tamale, Nkawkaw, Circle (Accra), Takoradi, and La, amongst others. He has been my resident pastor in the Dome, Administrative Bishop of PCI, and Assistant Presiding Bishop. He is one person who has been there from the beginning and seen our development till date. He is a selfless man, who is neither materialistic nor overly ambitious. He has manifested trust, consistency, commitment, and love for the works of God and PCI. He has made my leadership easier because if I assigned him any job, he did not ask to go and pray about it but only asked what was expected of him and did it to the best of his ability. He made it clear that concerning the vision or where we are going to I had the road map but concerning how to get there we must discuss it. He is therefore not a yes man but one who can express his opinion freely and disagreement and how we should get something done.

It is my greatest pleasure to announce our new Presiding Bishop, Rt Rev Ohene Benjamin Aboagye. From today, he is given the authority and mandate to shepherd this great organisation for the next three years. I have no doubt that he would excel. I ask all of you to cooperate with him to lead us on our development and growth trajectory over the period and what God has purposed for us as a church.

By the nature of this new role Rt. Rev Ohene would not be pastoring a local church dedicated to him but would oversee all our PCI branches in Ghana and abroad.

By the grace of God, a businessperson and his family have built a modern state of the art church building at Ojobi a walking distance from Bishop Ohene’s residence where he may want to often fellowship when he has no Sunday obligation at any branch across the country.

I ask that the grace on this Commission would work for him and may the good Lord be with you, Rt. Rev. Ohene Benjamin Aboagye.

I would remain the Prelate of the Perez Dome, the Chancellor of Perez University College, Founder of Precious Television and above all the Archbishop of Group Perez and the Global Charismatic Ministers Network (made up of hundreds of Bishops, Apostles, Prophets, pastors etc who oversee their own churches). 

May God bless Perez Chapel International