Church must be active voice in society — Rt Rev. Dr Dogbe
The Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rt Rev. Dr Hilliard Dogbe, has urged religious leaders to be the active voice in society and instil ethical values in their followers to help ensure integrity in both public and private spaces.
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He said, “with the high rate of corruption, moral decadence in society, one was tempted to ask if the church has failed”.
He said it was, therefore, necessary to prioritise ethical leadership to bring transformation to the Ghanaian society.”
Rev. Dr Dogbe added that it was important to uphold values and morals that build communities and supported it with scriptures from Proverbs 3:27 and Micah 6:8.
It was therefore the role of the church and the state to educate and enlighten church leaders on ethical leadership.
Rt Rev. Dogbe said this at the 2023 National Leadership Conference of the CCG in Accra on the theme: “Ethical Leadership and National Transformation”.
Dr Dogbe, who is also the Presiding Prelate of the Western West Episcopal District of the AME Zion Church, said the CCG was into educating the nation before independence and continued to do so.
The Programmes Director of the All-Africa Conference of Churches, Rev. Dr Ezekiel Lesmore, said it was the time to tell each other the truth through love with regard to leadership on the African continent.He quoted John 10: 7-18 and spoke about two types of leaders: Thieves and Good Shepherds.
Chieftaincy
The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Asamoah Boateng, said money had taken over the country and that everyone wanted it by fair or foul means.
He added that there was the need for all to go down on their knees to pray for God’s direction in our quest to succeed in life.
Ethical leadership, according to him, meant to be compassionate to others.
Mentor
“If we believed that Christ sent us here then we should start doing what he sent us to do.
Let’s do our best to mentor the youth and pull them along,” he said.
A former Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, said it was necessary to get involved in political issues since it involved everyone.
He told the leaders that identifying themselves with a particular party was not good and could end up dividing people.
He said Christians should have critical collaborations and speak against the ills in society.
A former Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Ocquaye, posited that principles were the hallmark of societies and an important foundation for the church.