LATEEF, PAUL AYOBAMIDELE

This study aimed to appraise the transformation process of Christ Apostolic Church in Nigeria from an Indigenous Church to a Pentecostal Model. This has become necessary since the Church founded in the 1940s as purely an African Indigenous Church has acquired the features of a Pentecostal Church to the surprise of Church historians, theologians, and critics alike over the years. To achieve the above objectives, the study employed three major research methods in religious study: the historical, phenomenological, and evaluative. The historical method used to obtain information about African Indigenous Churches, Pentecostal Church and the Christ Apostolic Church. The phenomenological method was used to gather information from the members on what the status of the Church was before now and her present state, while the evaluative method was used to analyze the information from the members. The questionnaire was administered on a simple random sampling method. Those who were issued the questionnaire are members of the church, the clergy in particular. The findings of the study were; from the onset, there have been some Pentecostal features in the doctrine and practices of the Christ Apostolic Church, the Youth are attracted to Pentecostal Churches because of the glamour and social aspect of their worship, and many orthodox Churches now emulate aspects of Pentecostal worship to improve on their liturgy, to avoid the exodus of their members to other Church groups, emphasis on prosperity, healing, deliverance and to have solutions to all life challenges are major attraction to Pentecostal Churches. As change is the only constant thing on earth, it is recommended that the administration, while embracing reforms, the foundation of the Church must not be distorted. Proposed reforms in the Church liturgy and polity must be critically examined before they are implemented. The Church is a spiritual entity; therefore, its managers must not be swayed by sight but constantly in tune with the Holy Spirit. Dynamism is needed in every organization- socio/religious, political, and economic; otherwise, such a body may not be able to meet the challenges of the ever-changing needs of the changing world. It is needed in every field of human endeavour but this must be well articulated and coordinated otherwise things may begin to fall apart, and copy-cat could cause an organization to derail from its mission statement.