Methodist Church Ghana history and structure
The Methodist Church in Ghana is one of the oldest Protestant churches. So how old is the Methodist Church in Ghana?
Methodist Church Ghana.
Its history dates back to 1835 when a group of local dedicated Christians formed an alliance with the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society. Since the deciphering of the bible was a bit hard for the locals, they requested for assistance from the missionaries.
There were several envoys of missionaries sent to the locals but due to diseases like malaria many of them died on their way. It was in 1835 that the first missionary docked at the Gold coast, Rev John Dunwell. He was later followed by Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman who campaigned for the spread of the faith to other parts of the Ashanti Region and other parts.
The church grew popularity in most areas as it was a district under the British. Later the chairman Rev. Thomas was replaced by William West. The church was turned into districts that operated in most parts of the modern Accra and later it made its way into Nigeria.
In 1942, the church formed an alliance with the Evangelical Presbyterian Churches, where they worked together to form the Trinity Theological Seminary where aspiring ministers were trained and equipped with the relevant skills in their fields of specialization.
The Methodist Church Ghana achieved full independence in 1961, during the British Methodist Conference and stopped serving as a district. The evangelization of the Methodist church in Ghana was spread in other parts like Nigeria. This was after a series of conflict with the British Colonial Government.
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The church also underwent transformations in 1991. They developed a new biblical pattern of Episcopacy. The head title was changed from the usual ‘president’ to ‘preceding bishop.’ Also the title of ‘district chairman’ was shifted to ‘diocesan bishop.’ Both the preceding bishop and diocesan president was handed a lay chairperson to act as their assistant.
Based on the deed foundation. It was renamed Methodist Church Ghana. The deed of foundation was enshrined in the Methodist Church Ghana Constitution. The Methodist church in Ghana started incorporating education and medical care as a means of growing their faith base. They offered formal education to the locals and even trained some of the locals in the medical field. It set up its first formal teachers training college dubbed Wesley College. The college has been in existence for 80 years and still operates up to date.
Mission of the Methodist Church Ghana.
The Church also established the first church-initiated university called Methodist University College in 2000, where they offered different courses and programs. This institution grew widely as is now established in other countries. They also had a school for the visually impaired people in society. This among other things made the faith of the people in the church grow stronger and stronger.
Being an established Pentecostal church in West Africa the church aims to spread the faith and values they hold dear to other parts of the world. It strives to change the society into a holistic framework where the members share the love of Jesus. Also to help the weak in faith to be strengthened and grow strong in Jesus. The church works under different boards such as the education, ministries, youth and administration.
Methodist Church Branches in Ghana.
The Methodist Church in Accra, Ghana has many branches. The church has a total membership of over 500,000. It has a total of 15 dioceses, over 3,000 societies, over 1,000 pastors and over 15,000 local preachers. With over 2,000 churches in Ghana it’s one of the strongest churches based on faith.
The church also accepts membership from new Christians. For more information about the services offered by the church, you can visit the Methodist Church Ghana website www.methodistchurch.org.gh
READ ALSO: Political history of Ghana in brief
Source: YEN.com.gh
