Pastors must live above reproach— Rev. Prof. Pashington Obeng
Pastors and messengers of the gospel have been urged to live above reproach to manifest God’s tangible love, care and comfort for the poor in society.
According to the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Head of Department, Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ashesi University in Accra, Rev. Prof. Pashington Obeng, the ministry of God is a calling that is devoted to ongoing growth and readiness to exhibit Christlike qualities in how the pastor empowers others to be useful citizens.
Speaking on the theme, “Challenges and Opportunities pastors face in the ministry,” Rev. Prof. Obeng said that “in an age when knowledge, experience and presumed access to the word of God and its interpretation have been demonopolised, nobody can claim to be custodian of all wisdom”.
He was speaking at the seventh graduation ceremony of Bethesda Centre School of Evangelism and Bible Training School, at Anomawobi, near Bawjiase in the Central Region yesterday.
Rev. Prof. Obeng told the graduating pastors that the pastor was the servant of servants who had a prophetic ministry; always operating from the margins to bring sanity, healing and wholeness to society as a whole.
Prosperity gospel
“In a period of prosperity gospel some churches highlight a magical God with whom humans bargain for their physical needs including visa, lottery numbers, spouses, successful exam results, within specified times outside of God’s own timetable,” he stated.
He further said that those smack of spiritual arrogance saying “This God of magical does not require anything except followers lining the pockets of the ‘prophets’ preachers, apostles, bishops and those who act as indigenous priests and priestesses used to do in our country.’’
Rev. Prof. Obeng added that the pastoral ministry is a calling but not a profession.
He, therefore, encouraged pastors to seize the opportunity to invest in and develop people along Christ-centered ministry using forms of social media, the pulpit, bible studies and written material.
For his part, the Administrative Manager of Bethesda Centre of Evangelism and Bible Training School, Mr Gabriel Brew, stated that 68 students from Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya and Malawi had graduated from the school since its inception.
According to him, the board members, lecturers and staff of the school believed in discipline and would continue to impart it into everybody who attended the school to study.
Mr Brew revealed that since education was the life blood of mankind, the centre had plan to establish a basic primary school next year to offer education to children in Bawjiase in the Central Region.
On behalf of the graduating students, Mr Benjamin Donkor, expressed their gratitude to the school for the sound teaching it imparted into them and added that they would also impart same to their congregants.
In attendance was the chief of Anomawobi, Nii Nai Tetteh Brang III.
