Form alliances under one ecumenical platform - Archbishop Okoh tells Christian bodies
The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has suggested to the numerous church organisations in Ghana to form alliances to come together under one ecumenical platform.
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That, he said, should be based on common history, tradition, numerical strengths and financial capabilities. That, he said, was to ensure that the number of blocks were reduced and be the pillars of the new organisation.
"This must not take away the autonomy or identity of such organisation," Most Rev. Okoh stated at the opening of the 2024 Ekklesia Roundtable Series in Accra last Wednesday.
Ekklesia Series
The event, a conference for the various religious bodies, is being organised by the Kingdom Equip Network, a network of individuals and organisations seeking to promote good governance within and among churches, para-church institutions and society as a whole to facilitate Christ-centred values across borders.
Among the participants were the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, Most Rev. Paul Kwabena Boafo; the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye and the immediate-past Chairman of the church, Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah.
Leaders
In choosing leaders of the proposed organisation, Most Rev. Okoh said it must be those who were credible, competent, must have antecedents of self-respect, respect for others, self-dignity and level-headed.
"This proposed organisation must avoid elections and allow the various blocks to provide qualified leaders in turns. It means that leadership should be rotated not necessarily through election," he said, adding that "because elections divide organisations and take away the focus of leadership.
"So who would be the leader is encouraged to consult always to make sure that when you make a public statement, you would not begin to have dissenting voices within," he said.
He said the church must take advantage of the relative peace in the country to gain mileage on the journey towards Christian unity at all cost.
The Director of the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Translation (GILLBT), Kofi Otutu Adu Larbi, who chaired the event, stressed the need for the Church to be one united body to give direction to the nation amid the ever-evolving dynamics of the religious, economics, social and political front.
He said the ecumenical bodies needed to have a stronger voice and that "there should be no anxiety and no ambiguity about the prophetic voice and authority of the Church in the shaping of the country's direction and development.
"We should be willing to downplay parts of our cherished denominational boundaries where necessary to achieve a common front, more powerful and impactful than what we have had so far.
Goal
Mr Larbi said the Church's primary and non-negotiable goal should be to promote kingdom values in a nation that would be prosperous in all dimensions -social, economic, political and spiritual.
The dividends, he said would be peace, justice and righteousness. He congratulated the Kingdom Equip Network on all that it was doing to bring the various bodies together.
Commitment
The Chairman of the Board of the KEN, Rev. Dr Oppong Adu-Gyamfi, said the church was commanded to teach the faith and reconcile those who had alienated from one another.
He said the roundtable was the expression of members’ unequivocal commitment to enhancing Christian values and cooperation which might open a new chapter in the history of the Church in Ghana.
Other speakers included the Dean and Senior Fellow, of the Business School of the Wisconsin International University College, Dr Bright Gabriel Mawudor, Rev. Dr Casely Essamuah, Secretary, Global Christian Forum and the Convenor/Executive Director of KEN, Rev. Dr Emmanuel Ansah.