Rt. Rev. Dr. Abraham Nana Opare-Kwakye elected new Presby Moderator
Rev. Dr. Abraham Nana Opare-Kwakye has been elected as the next Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG).
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The new moderator will lead the Church when the tenure of the current moderator, Rt. Rev Prof. J.O.Y. Mante ends in November 2023.
Rev. Dr. Abraham Nana Opare-Kwakye will leave the current role of Chairperson of the Ga Presbytery and take over the role of Moderator in November 2023.
His election took place at the 23rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) in Abetifi Kwahu in the Eastern Region on Thursday evening (August 17, 2023).
The General Assembly is the highest decision making body of the PCG where commissioners meet every year to set the agenda for the Church, prioritising its development.
This year's meeting, took stock of the stewardship of the leadership of the church, looked at the finances and statistics of every aspect of the ministry and set targets for the subsequent year.
How the votes went in the first round
- Rev Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye - 119 votes - 52%
- Rev Seth Kissi - 54 votes
- Rev Kwabena Opuni Frimpong - 22 Votes
- Rev Dr Amfo Akonnor -16 votes
- Rev Gideon Pupulampu - 4 votes
- Rev Ayete Nyampon - 4 votes
- Rev I.D. Asare - 3 votes
- Rev Dr George O. Kwapong - 3 votes
- Rev Kofi Antwi - 3 Votes
- Rev Sule Saa - 1 vote
- Rev Ashitey - 1 vote
Second round
After the first round of voting, the top three candidates, Rev Dr Opare Kwakye, Rev Seth Kissi and Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni Frimpong were due for a second round of voting.
Rev Kissi and Rev Dr Opuni Frimpong however withdrew.
After their withdrawal, Rev Dr Opare Kwakye polled 220 YES Votes and 6 NO votes to emerge Moderator-elect.
Moderator
The moderator is the spiritual head of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and has oversight of the whole church and speaks and acts in the name of the General Assembly.
He plays advocacy role for the contribution of the church and presides over meetings of the General Assembly, emergency meetings and meetings of the General Assembly Council.
Brief Profile of Rev. Dr. Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye
Rev. Dr. Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye is the Chairperson of the Ga Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
He started his education at the Deks Preparatory School, Tema; Tema Secondary School, Tema; Presbyterian Training College, (now Presbyterian College of Education) Akropong-Akuapem; University of Ghana, Legon and Trinity College, now Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon.
He started his working life as a Teacher at the Presbyterian Junior Secondary School, Agona Kwanyako, between 1991 and 1993. After his ministerial training at the Trinity College, he was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana into the Holy Ministry of Word and Sacrament in 1997 at Kaneshie and was ordained in 1999 at Odumase Krobo.
Rev. Dr. Kwakye has served as a Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in the following areas
- Probationer (Second Minister) La Bethel - 1997 - 1999
- Minister in Charge, Christ Congregation, Adentan - 1999 - 2002
- Minister in Charge, Calvary Congregation, Haatso - 2002 - 2007
- District Minister - Madina - 2007 – 2011
- District Minister, Osu - 2011 - 2013
- Minister in Charge, El Shaddai, Tesa Adjiringanor - 2014 – 2020
- Chairperson, Ga Presbytery - 2020 to date
Apart from his Congregational experiences he has served the PCG in other capacities. These include the following: Youth Co-ordinator, Ga Presbytery, Assistant National Secretary, PCG National Ministers Conference, National Chaplain, National Union of Presbyterian Students of Ghana, Member, PCG Youth Education Committee, Lecturer, Ga Presbytery Bible School, (now School of Ministry) Recorder, General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Vice Chairperson, Board of the Presbyterian Women’s Centre, Chairperson, PCGTV Technical Committee,
Rev. Dr. Kwakye holds a Post-Secondary Teachers Certificate ‘A’ from the University of Cape Coast (through the Presbyterian Training College, Akropong), A Certificate of Ministry from the Trinity Theological Seminary, a Diploma in the Study of Religions, a Bachelor of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy, all from the University of Ghana, Legon.
Between 2013 and 2014, he was appointed an ESKAS Scholar (Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships) in the Faculty of Theology, University of Basel, Switzerland.
He assumed appointment as a Lecturer at the Department for the Study of Religions, University of Ghana, Legon in January 2014, and was promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer in February 2020.
His research interests are in Church History, African Christianity and Missions. He is a part-time lecturer at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Akropong-Akuapem. Since 2021, he has been on leave of absence from the University of Ghana.
Rev. Dr. Opare Kwakye is married to Mrs. Benedicta Kwakye, a Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Accra. They have three daughters; Adina Naa Shormeh. Kwakye, Trish Afua Kwakye and Danielle Oparebea Kwakye.
Writer's email: [email protected]
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