THE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIPS
AND THE CHARISMATIZATION OF GHANAIAN
CHRISTIANITY
Abamfo O. Atiemo
Abstract: Contemporary Christianity in Ghana is dominated by
Pentecostal/Charismatic culture. This has attracted attention in
several scholarly works and analyses have been made of the
historical factors that have been responsible for this
development, However, an important phase in the history of
the development of the faith in Ghana - the phase of the
evangelical Christian fellowships - seems to have been largely
ignored. This article draws attention to the significance of that
phase for Ghanaian Christianiry in general and its importance as
the watershed in the transition from the dominance of the old
mission-instituted type of Christianity to the current dominance
of the Pentecostal /Charismatic lype.
Introduction
The Charismatic movemeht in Ghana has attracted widespread attention in
scholarly works, The various branches of the move- ment have been well
studied. Dovlo,r Gifford,2 Larbi,3 Omenyoa and Asamoah-Gyadus have all
' Elom Dovlo, 'Comparative Overview of Independent Churches and Charismatic
minish'ies in Ghana' Trinity Journal o/ Church and Theologt,2:2 (December, 1992),
pp. 55 - 73.2 Paul Gitlbrd, Ghanab New Christiani\): Pentecostalism in a Globalising African
IE c ono m1, (London: Hurst & Co., 2004).E,. Kingsley Larbi, Pentecostalism: The Eddies o/'Ghanaian Christianity( Accra:
Centre fbr Charismatic and Pentecostal Studies, 200 I ).
aCeplras Omenyo, Pentecost Outside Pentecostalisnt: A Study of the development o/'
Charisruatic renewal in the Mainline Chtrches in Ghana(Zoetermeer: Boekencentrum
Publishing House, 2006); See also, Cephas Omenyo, 'From The Fringes to the Centre :
Pentecostalisation of the Mainline Chr.rrches in Ghana' Exchange,34, / (2005), pp.38 -
60.
s J. K. Asamoah - Gyadu, African Charismatics; Current Developments within
Independent Indigenous Pentecostalism in Ghana(Leiden/Boston: Brill. 2005)
Ghana Bulletin of Theolog, Vol. 2 43
Abanlfo O. Atiemo
studied and documented various aspects of the movement, Its history,
theology, impact, and so forth have been well discussed. However, the
crucialphase of the evangelical fellowships, which formed the main link in
the transition from the dominance of the old form orthodox/mainline
christianity to the current dominance of pentecostal/charismatic
christianity, has been virtually neglected. Most scholars only mention that
phase in passing. For example, Larbi,6 omenyoT and Asamoah-Gyadus
devote only small sections of a few paragraphs each to the evangelical
fellowships. Yet the fellowships, more thin any other factor, have been
directly responsible for the fast and widespread growth and acceptance of
the Pentecostal icharismatic culture in Ghanaian christianiiy. rney
afforded a smooth transition from 'westernthe predominance of the old 
forms of christianity to the general acceptance of the mainly pentecostal
fonns by the Ghanaian Christian public.
Up till about the late 1960s the main renewal movements known in
Ghanaian christianity were the African Independent churches (AICs), the
classical Pentecostal churches and the prayir Groups within the mainline
churches. The prayer groups within the mainline churches had not gained
any significant influence, and were found only in a few places. Most of
them operated without official approval oftheir churches and often found
themselves in conflict with the official church hierarchy.e The Classical
Pentecostal and the African Independent churches themselves were, at
that time, generally regarded as 'strange sects'that intruded on the serene
and established christian culture of traditional westem denominations.
whole families, and in some cases, ethnic groups had come to be identified
with one or other denomination, I0 and any member 
ostrange who converted to anyof those sects' was regarded a renegade who disturbed family
i'cl [,r*
Larbi,_Penrecostalism: The Eddies of Ghanaian Christianity, p. gB
ephas *, omen,vo. Pentecost ofiside pentecostuiism: A sntdy of the Diietopment of
Charismatic -Renewal in the Mainline Churches in Ghana, p.95. 
s.Asamoah.-Gyadu (African charismatics, p.t0fffl pays greater attention to the subject
than the other scholars.
eAbamfo Atiemo, The Rise of the charismatic Movement in the Mainline churches in
Ghana (Acxa: Asempa Publishers, 1993), pp. 46 - 47 .
'" Abamtb Atiemo, christian Denominations and Ethnic Identity: An Assessment of the
lmpact of the Missionary Movement on Aspects of Ghanaian social Life., Eddy A. J.
G. Van der Borght et. al. (eds,) Faith and Ethnicity, vol t (zoetermeer: uitgeverij
Meinema. 2002), pp.2l7 -229.
44
Th.e Evangelical Christian Fellowships
solidarity and identity. These churches were also regarded as churches for
people of low socio-economic status. Of these Churches, Larbi writes,
Without despising the dedication, commitment, and achievement
of the early leaders, it is not an Overstatement to indicate that
their previous educational background did not prepare them for the
elites of society....It is therefore no exaggeration to state that the
impact the Church made upon the higher echelon of society was
minimal.rl
Many educated young people, who by birth, belonged to those churches,
were not willing to identifu with them. The mainline churches had
remained very nominal and had lost the confidence of the young peopie. In
fact, leaders ofthose churches had begun to express concern about the drift
of their members to the 'Apostolic' (Pentecostal) and the 'Spiritual'
lAfrican I ndependent) churches.
Then in the 1970s, through the influence of movements such as the
Scripture Union (SU), the University Christian Fellowships or the Ghana
Fellowship of Evangelical Students (GHAFES), and Campus Crusade for
Christ, which had been operating mainly in second and third cycle
Educational Institutions, non-denominational evangelical Christian
Fellowships sprang up and started to spread in towns and cities
Of the country.13 These fellowships sprang up spontaneously and
spread very fast. They could be found in almost every city, town and
neighbourhood. There were also lunchtime fellowships in many
workplaces, including the government ministries. Apart from the town and
neighbourhood fellowships, many'evangelistic' groups were also fonned.
They included the Youth Ambassadors for Christ Association (YAFCA),
Christ Reminders, the Ghana Evangelical Society (GES), Hour of
Visitation Choir and Evangelistic Association (HOVCEA) and the Volta
Evangelistic Association. The most influential of them was the Ghana
Evangelical Society (GES).
" E,. Kirrgsley Larbi, PentecostaLism: The Eddies oJ'Ghanaian Christianity, p. 179.
I2 
See Omenyo, Pentec:ost Ottside Pentecostalisnt, pp. 102. 128.
'' Some of these movements, e.g. the Scripture Union and the University Christian
Fellowship. had been in the country for a long time but their activities were confined to
educational institutions.
45
Abamfo O. Atiemo
Nature of the Fellowships
These fellowships were non-denominational in nature and were careful not
to align themselves with any denomination; though they had a clear bias
towards churches they considered'spiritually alive'.la Theywereallnot
the same. There were distinctions among them. They could be classified as
follows:
. Town and neighbourhood fellowships
. Work place fellowships
. Evangelisticassociations
. Fellowships with international connections
Town and Neighbourhood Fellowships
These were found in most towns and neighbourhoods throughout Ghana.
By 1980, only a few towns and villages in Ghana wer. without such
fellowships, Many of these fellowships feil under the scripture Union
(SU), which until the emergence of the town fellowships iestricted its
activities to educational institutions. Aduborfour reports tirat the SU was
initially reluctant to establish formal links with these fellowships.rs
Among the reasons for this reluctance was the fear of losing the goodwill it
had built between itself and the churches over the years. The leadership of
the SU feared that church leaders might misinterpret the fellowshipi as
attempts to 'poach their members to establish rival churches.,l6 However,
the SU eventually saw an opportunity in the emergence of the town
fellowships and appointed a full-time secretary to serve them. It was the
first time such appointment had been made by the SU anywhere in
Africa.r'
Ia Such chttrches were mostly evangelical ones like the various Baptist communities.
Pentecostal Churches like the Assernblies ofGod, Church ofPenteco;t. and the various
Apostolic Chur"ches. They co nsidered the Mission-instituted churcires as otlicially
sound in doctline but rnostly t'illed with 'church goers'rather than born-again believers.
Members of such Churches needecl to be evangelised but when they wlre converted
they did not need to leave their churches since ihose churches were already sound in
doctrine and practice. The Afiican Independent churches were regardei by the
f'ellowships as 'demonic' or 'f'alse' churches and people in them needei to be rescued.
on conversion they were made to leave their churches andjoin ,genuine'churches.
'' Samuel B. Adudorfour, Evangelical para Church Movemenrs in Ghanaian
christianity: c. I 950 - Early I 990s, (phD Thesis, university of Edinburgh, July. 1994),
p. 84.
I6 Adrrborfour. Evangelical Para Church Movements, p. g4.
'SU Afi'ican Regional council Newsletter.4. 19g1. p.3. cited by Aduborfour..
Evangelical Para Church Moventents, p.86.
46
The Evangelical Christian Fellowships
Work Place Fellowships
Many work places became centres of vigorous Christian evangelistic and
worship activity. Members of the fellowships went to work earlier than the
official time of reporting so that they could spend some time together in
prayer and reading of the Bible. Lunchtime on specific weekdays was a
tirne for a more elaborate prayer and study meeting. Sometimes, top
management personnel were involved in such meetings. At the Ministries
area where most of the government ministries and departments were
situated, fellowships in the various ministries occasionally converged at a
central point for special programmes, such as to listen to a specially invited
speaker or to pray for the experience of the Holy Spirit baptism.
Professional or occupational fellowships such the Nurses Christian
Fellowship and the Armed Forces Christian Fellowship were also
establ ished.
Evangelistic Associations
Although all the various types of the fellowships were evangelistic in
orientation, those designated as evangelistic associations emphasised
evangelism and actively engaged in vigorous evangelistic activities,
travelling across the length and breath of the nation. There were two kinds
of evangelistic associations: those with an orientation to use many different
methods, especially open-air tnass preaching, street and market-square
preaching, and house -to-house preaching; and those who aimed at
evangelising niainly through music and preaching. Examples of the
former are the Ghana Evangelical Society (GES), National Evangelistic
Association (NEA), Christ Reminders, and Holy Power Evangelistic
Fellowship (HOPEF). Others were the Volta Evangelistic Association
(VEA) and the Christ is the Same Ministry. Among the latter were the
Hour of Visitation Choir and Evangelistic Association (HOVCEA), Joylul
Way Singers, and Calvary Road. These fellowships did not form their
branches with the converts they made through their evangelistic activities.
They directed converts tojoin any ofthe churches regarded as'genuine'or
'Bible believirtg.'r8
Fellowships with International Connections
Fellowships that originated from outside Ghana but were in close
relationship with the evangelical fellowships also existed' Two most
r8 
See tbotnote l4 above.
47
Abamfo O. Atiemo
prominent ones are the Youth for christ (yFC) and later, the Full-Gospel
Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI).
Unity
classifying the fellowships into types does not imply any marked
distinctions between them with respect to beliefs and pralticer. ih.r" *u,
a tremendous sense of Christian unity among them and members visited
each other's fellowship without inhibition and there were great
collaborations to organize evangelistic outreach programmes. Bible
teachers and evangelists moved from one fellowship to-ano-ther to minister.
Atternpts were made to unite them into ecumenical bodies. For example, a
coordinating committee of christian Fellowships (cccF) was formed in
the Greater Accra region, and a National union of christian youth
(NUCY) was formed by Rev Abraham De-Love who was the pastor of the
Philadelphia church in Accra and one of the most prominent leaders of the
evangelical fellowships._ln the countryside, many of the fellowships that
had affiliated to the su formed what they called, ,Area committees of the
Scripture union.'Such bodies brought the feilowships together in a formal
way to jointly organise evangelistic crusades, seminars,ltudy and prayer
camps, and rallies.
The Theology of the Fellowships
The fellowships had no officiar set of articles of faith. Their attitude to
logrna may be captured in the words of one of their most popurar hymns.
Hymn numbered 291 of Golclen Bells;
My faith has found a resting place
Not in a lorm or creed
I trust the ever-living one
His wounds for me shall plead.
Chorus
I neecl no other argument
I ncecl no other plea
It is enotLgh that Jesus died
And that he diedfor me.
And also, in the words of the popular chorus,
Only Jesus can save!
48
The Evangelical Christian Fellowships
Only Jesus can save!
Halleluiah!
They emphasised scriptures and experience more than dogma. However, it
is possible to outline their teachings and practices as follows:
Centrality of the Scriptures
The fellowships were virtual Biblicists. They focussed, almost entirely, on
the Bible. Their meetings were marked by vigorous Bible study and
ernphasised the importance of committing Bible verses to memory. They
promoted what has come to be known in Christian circles as 'Quiet time'
by which is meant the setting aside of a period of the day for prayer and
rneditation on the Bible. Devotional materials produced by the Scripture
Union(SU) and the International Bible Reading Association (IBRA) were,
especially, recommended as guides to such meditation.
The New Birth
Fundamental to the theology of the fellowships was the doctrine of the
'new birth' attained by believing in, and confessing Jesus Christ as 'Lord
and personal saviour'. They taught that there were two types of people in
the Church: 'Church goers' and 'born-again' Christians. 'Church-goers'
were not genuine Christians and needed to be re-evangelised. Many of the
people that filled the pews of the traditional mainline Protestant and
Roman Catholic churches were regarded as belonging to the former. The
person who was not born-again but went to Church was a 'carnal
Christian' and the religious services such a person engaged in did not
please God. For without the 'new birth', all human efforts to be righteous
'are like filthy rags'(lsaiah 64:6).
Jesus, the Only Saviour
Their theology of God was the orthodox Trinitarian one. However, the
focus was on Jesus because of their emphasis on'salvation'.'Only Jesus
can save' was a recurring refrain in the preaching and admonitions of the
fellowships. Jesus and the events surrounding his life and work was the
reference point of their preaching. New Testament passages such as, 'l am
the way, the truth and the life...'(John l4:6) and'There is no other name
under heaven, whereby we may be saved'(Acts 4:12) were cited in
support of the teaching. This saving power of God through Jesus Christ
was set in the context of the love of God which was deemed as
49
Abamfo O. Atiemo
unsurpassed by any kind of love known in human experience. This is
illustrated in the words of the popular chorus,
Your Jather may love you,'
Your mother may love you.
But none can die for you.
The love ofJesus surpasses all.
The Holy Spirit
Their view about the Holy Spirit was, originally, very orthodox. with the
exception of the GES and a few others who started as pentecostal
movements from the very beginning, most of the,fellowships did not have
an explicit Pentecostal ethos from the start.'' The Hoiy Spirit was
considered the main agent of the 'new birth' and also the unfailing
'companion and Teacher' of the believer on earth. The pentecostal
understanding of the Holy Spirit was embraced much later. But when it
was embraced it quickly became the main view in their teaching and
practice. Speaking in tongues and prophecies were the most popular
manifestations that believers sought after.
Frorn that point on, the Pentecostal understancling of the Holy Spirit
became the standard for measuring the soundness of a denonrination,s
doctrines and spirituality. From the point of view of many fellowships, the
GES for example, most of the existing Churches had the right doctrines
and practices but what was lacking was an adequate understanding of, and
the correct attitude to the palpable manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the
believer. They organised special prayer meetings for what they termed,
'Holy spirit baptism'. At such meetings people who were berieved to have
received the 'baptism of the Holy spirit' manifested the gifts of speaking
in tongues and prophecies. Healing and exorcisms (or what they call
'deliverance' in the contemporary charismatic Movement), though not
Ie The Scripture union, {br example, initially, resisted the charismatic influence.
Pentecostal influences in the t'ellowships came indirectly fiom sources outside Ghana
such as the ministries of American evangelists such as T. L. osborn, Gordon Linclsay.
Oral Roberts. Kenneth Hagin and Morris Cerullo. However, the most direct vehicles of
its spread in the t'ellowships were f'ellowships such as the GE,s and rhe university
christian t'ellowships at the Universiry of Ghana and the university of Science and
Technology and the existing classical pentecostal churches. of these the most
influential was the GES. (See Samuel B. Aduborfour. Evangelical para chtrch
Movements in Ghanaian Christianity, pp.192,215 - 220).
50
The Evangelical Christian Fellowships
unknown, were not promi- nent in the activities of most of the fellowships.
They were so concerned about the spiritual status of the individual with
respect to the 'new birth' that many, from the start, did not pay any
significant attention to miracles, demon-possession and other themes that
have now become central to the teaching of the Charismatic movement.
These were to become predominant later.
Salvation
The salvific goals of the fellowships were more other-worldly than this-
worldly. They therefore emphasised denial of self and the world as a
means of pursuing salvation. They regarded life as temporary and therefore
less important than 'eternal life' which was a central theme in their
preaching. This was captured in the song,
I have another world in view, in view;
I have another world in view.
My Saviour is gone to prepare me a place-
I have another world in viev,.
And also stanzafour of Golden.Beiis numbered 3I which was one of the
most liked songs of the fellowships:
Then let our songs abound;
And every tear be dried.
We are marching through Immanuel's ground
To fairer worlds on high.
Chorus.
We are nrarching to Zion
B eafifu| beautiful Zion
We are ruarching upward to Zion
The beautiful city of God.
Every -Believer Ministry
The fellowships were lay-movements. Their non*denominational status
meant that they did not depend on ordained ministers to minister to them.
Individual Christians were imbued with the sense of responsibility to do
some service for God. The teaching was that every believer had been
called to be a witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The 'Great
Commission'was said to have been given to every believer. So one-on-one
sharing of the gospel, street preaching at dawn which they called 'dawn
51
Abam.fo O; Atiemo
broadcast', mass open air crusades and visits to schools by vorunteers to
preach the gospel became very common,
Teams that brought together people who believed they had identified their
coulrron spiritual gifts were formed in many of the fellowships. For
example, there was the prayer team, which was variously referred to as,
'Power House', or 'Prayer Tower'. There were also personal or house to
house evangelism teams, worship teams, choirs and hospital/prison
visitation teams.
The importance of private devotion as a means of growth
They prornoted the culture of 'Quiet Time'. Believers were encouraged to
set aside a few minutes (usually between fifteen and thirty rninutes) each
day, especially in the morning, to pray and study the Bible. Devotional
books prepared and distributed by the SU,20 and the IBRA2, and other
The Importance of Prayer
Prayer, like Bible study, was a central activity of the feilowships. prayer
meetings were unusually long. corporate prayer took the form that iras
come to be described as 'chorus prayer'. In this kind of prayer, everybody
prays aloud at the same time. This kind of prayerwas until then associated
with the AICs and the Pentecostal churches. prayer vigils or ,all-night,
became a major feature of the fellowships, with the GES and some others
making it a regular weekly affair.
Other Teachings
Apart from the above there were many other teachings of the fellowships
That give insight into the major religious concerns of this periocl
of Christian renewal in Ghana. For example, the 'redeeming love of
God' expressed in the atoning death of Jesus christ the son of God was at
the centre of their theology. Everything else revolved around this core-
theme. Consequently, related themes such as holiness, forgiveness, healing
and the 'new birth' came to be stressed.
20 The s. u. provided two books - The Daily Guirte tb, adurts and Daillt power for
juniors. Both were in English.
'' The IBRA provided Lightfor our path in borh English and the leading mother-
t0ngues ol'the country.
52
The Evangelical Christian Fellowships
A life of practical holiness and sanctification was taught as a necessary
proof of the spiritual good standing of the believer, It was taught that the
uncompromising holiness of God that led him to give up his own Son to
suffering and death on the cross ought to evoke in the believer a sense of
repentance and a desire for holy living, Such teachings generated a general
sense of other-worldliness in Ghanaian Christians. For the fellowships,
Conversion to Christianity meant a total break with the standards of the
world. It was maintained that the changed inner lif'e of the believer ought
to be reflected in outward behaviours. Fellowship members were therefore
marked by modesty in dressing, their staying away from secular
entertainment programmes, and turning away from anything that they
considered this-worldly.
But such expression of other-worldly piety was combined with a rather
unusual sense of social responsibility and practical involvement in society
with the aim of transforming it. This was expressed in several ways,
including prayers, preaching, and forms of social action. For example, the
GES had as its motto,oservice to God, Service to man'and saw its mission
as 'rebuilding the broken walls of Ghana'. The intense prayer sessions held
for the country sometimes produced prophecies about the political future
of the country. For example, there were prophecies that were interpreted as
predicting the various political upheavals that occurred in the country, in
1972, 1979 , and 1 98 I as well as events in other parts of Africa. 22
There was a strong belief that it was only the gospel of Jesus christ that
could save Ghana fron-r the political, economic and social crisis of the
period. The conviction that conversion to Christ and prayer held the only
hope of salvation fbr the nation, partly inspired enthusiastic evangelistic
activities, including mass open-air crusades dubbed with nationalistic
descriptions, for example, 'Ghana for Christ Crusade.'Arnong the leading
22 Aduborfuor quotes t'rom a Memoranclum on Charismatic Christianitv in Ghana in
u'hich the author'. a tbrmer stlrdent christian leader. shares his experiences of
prophecies. In the document tl're author claims to have fbretold the overthrow of the
civilian government ol Ghana's flrst republic as well as Iater developments. (See
AclLrborfuor', Evangelical PcLra church Movements, p. 209. In a written response to
enquiries I made. the Rev EnochAgbozo, fbunderand leader of the GE,S, ctaimed that
there rvcre prophecies predicting the election victory of President Limann" the fall of
the Apartheid regime in South Africa. and the fall of communist Russia. other
proplrecies concerned the Rawlings'revolution of 1979, and he Liberian war.
53
Abamfo O. Atiemo
Inspirational songs at such crusades was what came to be regarded as a
national prayer for revival: the Ghanaian classical pentecostal hymn,
If you believe and I believe and we together pray;
The Holy Spirit will come down and Ghana shall be saved.
And Ghana shall be saved! And Ghana shall be saved!
The Holy Spirit will come down and Ghana shall be saved.
The belief that the hope of national salvation lay in the hand of God
seemed to have been shared by many. The Ghana Evangelical Society
preached the message of surrendering the nation to the reign of God and
discarding elements of traditional religious spirituality such as pouring of
libation at state functions. The society used to organise, on its own
initiative, an annual 'national week of repentance and prayer.' In June
1977 , through the influence of some religious leaders, an official ,National
week of Repentance and Prayer' was organised by the government of
General lgnatius K. Acheampong, The speaker at the ecumenical church
service that crowned the activities of the week was the Rev. Abraham De-
Love of the Philadelphia Mission and one of the frontline players in the
evangelical movement. Though he was the pastor of a church, he preferred
to describe himself as an'international evangerist'since ine title
'evangelist'was the most respected title in that era of christian renewal in
Ghana. Established ecclesiastical titles such as, bishop, archbishop,
minister or pastor were not fancied since a rnajor criticism against the
established churches by the fellowships was that they had become more
concerned about formalisms and worldly glory than the eternal salvation
of people. Then also, there was the general belief thatthe Second coming
of christ was imminent and the conviction that the conversion of many
Ghanaians to christ would lead to God's blessing for the nation, raised the
work of the evangelist above all others.
The selection of the Rev. De-Love to preach at a state function was
significant. It was the first time a preacher outside the mainline christian
community had been featured at such function. previous governments had
used, mainly, ministers of the mainline Protestant churches and the Roman
Catholic church.23 But the use of De-Love, a prominent leader of the
evangelical movement on that occasion, did not indicate the acceptance of
" J, s' Pobee. Religion and Politics in Ghana: A case study of the Acheampong Era
(Accra: Ghana Universities Press. 1992) p.S.
54
The Evangelical Christian Fellowships
evangelical values by the General Acheampong's government. It appears
he was the one with the strongest pretensions to intellectualism among the
assorted cohorts of religious advisors that the general had gathered around
himself. Most of these advisors belonged neither to the mainstream
mission-instituted churches nor the classical Pentecostai traditions but to
'fringe groups'24 that did not also quite fit into the then fast proliferating
African Independent Churches (AICs).
Most of such pastors claimed to have been trained in Europe or the United
States of America (USA) and adopted forms of spirituality that couid be
placed between classical Pentecostalism and the AICs. They included
Bishop Blackson of Bethany Church, who was rnade the Chairman of the
Councii of the University of Science and Technology, Rev. S. T. Afutu,
Rev'Yeboah-Koree of the F'Eden Mission. Some of these pastors were
also the first to preach the American version of what has come to be calied
the 'prosperily gospel', which is now associated with the Charismatic
churches. In those days, the pietistic message of -the fellowships did not
allow the admittance of such teaching as authentic.t' What De-Love had in
collmon with these pastors was not evangelicalism but their suppoft for a
regime that had serious deficits of credibility'o ancl Arnericanisms in
language and fashion. The credibility of De-Love himself as a Christian
leader was swept away together with the general with the fall of his
regime.
Nowhere was the belief that the transformation of the country could be
effected best by mass conversion to Christ more strongly felt than on
university campuses where two main routes to national salvation were
being adveftised to the youth. Young intellectuals were generally divided
between 'scientiflc socialism'and evangelical Christianity; though some of
thern tried to combine the^two views and preferred to think about Jesus
Christ as a revolutionary.-' [t appears the general disenchantment that
followed the failed attempts to transform the society through violent
revolutions in 1979 and 1981 left evangelical Christianity in its dominant
'o J. S. Pobee. Religion and PoLitics in Ghana. p.9.
" When later. Bishop B. A. Idahosah of Nigeria visitecl Ghana and preached a message
in the veirr of the prosperity gospel several sections of the evangelical movement
rebuked hinr and disassociated themselves tiom that aspect ofhis teaching.
r6 Sce Pobee. Religiott ancl Polirics in Gltarta. p.9.
-' Ahamfo Atiemo. 'Singing with Understanding: The Story Gospel Music In Gl.rana'.
StLLdies in llbrld Christianity Vol. 12, Part2, 2006, p. 153.
55
Abamfo O. Atiemo
Charismatic version as the only real option open to most youngrspeople
concerned about the socio-economic transformation of the country.
Evangelical Christians were also involved in various social services. The
best organised of social service activities was 'operation Help Nima'
(o'H.N), which was started in the 1960s by evangelical students of the
University of Ghana, Legon. The project was devoted to improving
environmental conditions in the twin-slum suburb of Nima-Maamobi neai
Accra, the capital city. This project included student volunteers devoting
some time to clear heaps of refuse, providing technical services in thi
building of places of convenience as well as education and advocacy
through the publication and distribution of literature, documentary filmi,
and discussions on radio, with tirne it became a national programme of the
evangelical christian movelnent, with support from government and
i nternational partners.
The scripture Union Prayer warriors Ministry and 'Deliverance,
The spread of evangelicalism to towns and neighbourhoods meant that the
middle and lower level artisans and other people of low formal educational
background became targets of the evangelistic efforts of the fellowships.
This development presented challenges of its own. In the first place, ihe
rather abstract and intellectual message of evangelical christianity had to
be presented in the various mother-tongues in a way that would be
understood by everybody, despite the level of their formal educational
training. Initially, the SU was reluctant to take up the challenge. As a
result, some former members of the su forrned the cooidinating
committee of christian Fellowships (ccgF) in Accra to give direction to
the town and neighbourhood fellowships. 2e
But the most dramatic developments in this direction occurred in the
inland regions of Ashanti and Brong Ahafo. A movement, dominated by
mernbers of town and neighbourhood fellowships, dedicated to prayer as
mQans of fighting against spiritual powers that are believed to be
responsible for most of the suffering in the world emerged. This movement
came to be known as the 'Prayer warriors Ministry' and was a movement
within the SU. This movement was one of the movements responsible for
the spread of the 'deliverance'ministry in Ghanaian christianiiy. Later on,
28 It is mostlv that generation that supplied the initial leadership and membership of the
Charismatic Churches.
2e Acluborfbut Evangelical Para Church Movements, p. 85.
56
Th,e Evangelical Christian Fellowships
Emmanuel Eni's book, Delivered from the Powers of Darbness3o which
was a best seller in Anglophone West Africa, and seminars organised by
Derek Prince,3l served to make deliverance more widely accepiable to the
elite evangelical Christians in Ghana, who are currently mostly found in
the Charismatic movement.32
Evangelists appeared whose speciality was 'deliverance,' They organised
mass deliverance sessions at which they openly preached against the
practice of witchcraft and the use of juju and invited their hearers who
thought themselves witches or wizards to come forward for exorcism.
They taught about how such things as ancestral curses, worship of idols,
and involvement with the occult could affect people's fortunes in life,
rnaterially and spiritually and urged people to seek 'deliverance' from
thern. The foremost of such evangelists was Evangelist Akwasi Amoako.33
Such teachings accorded well with the temperament and world- view of
the less educated, in particular, and Ghanaians in general. They squared
with the general ten^dency to attribute events and occurrences in Iife to
supernatural agency.'o 'Deliverance' is an irnpo-rtant feature of what paul
Gifford identifies as 'Ghana's new Christianity."'
The Fellowships and the Churches
The fellowships discouraged the starting of new churches and insisted that
their members remained with their original churches and serve as a
'leavening influence'. Their central concern was evangelism and renewal
of the existing churches, especially, the mainline churches established
through the activities of the 19th Century missionary movement. They
considered these churches lifeless and in need of revival. Their n-rain
r0 
See Abamfo Atiemo. 'Deliverance in the Charismatic Churches in Ghana,'Trirtity
Journal of Churc'h oncl Theologl,, Vol. IV, December/January, 1994-95, p. 44.
rr Abamfb Atiemo, 'Deliverance in the Charisrnatic Churches in Ghana.'p.43.
" When the 'deliverance' teaching began to spread many mainstream evangelicals
opposed it. The SU. especially, resisted it and opposed the lbrmation of the praver
Warriors Ministry which was dedicated almost entirely to 'deliverance.'
r-tCephas Ornenyo & AbamfbAtiemo.'Claiming Religious Space: 1'he Case of Neo-
Prophetism in Ghana.' Ghana bulletin of Theology. (New series. Vol,l. No. l. July.
2006). p.59. Adrrborfour. Evangelical Para Church Movements. p.362.
'0.1. M. Assimeng. SaLvation, Soc:ial Crisis ancl the Httman Coidition (Accra: Ghana
Universities Press. 1995), p.33. See also. Stephen E,llis & Gerrie ter Haar. Worlds of
Power: Religious Thought and Political Practice in Africa (London: Hurst & Co. .
2004). pp.25.26.
tt Giilbrcl. Ghana's New Christianity, pp.83 -102.
57
Abamfo O. Atiemo
message was that the 'new birth'was a must for all who would be saved. A
recurrent theme in their teaching and preaching was, .no church, no pastor,
no rite, can save you. Only Jesus can savel.
There was also a deep mistrust of the ministers of the mainline churches.
The liberal theology most of them subscribed to, the formalisms of their
liturgical traditions, and their general opposition to evangelical revivalist
and Pentecostal ethos caused members of the fellowships to regard them
as neither'born-again' nor'spirit-filled'.39 Members of the fellowships, for
such reasons, also became suspicious of theological education in general
and the major Protestant theological seminary the Trinity college in
Legon, became a virtual 'no-go' area for them.
The churches, in most cases, also viewed the fellowships with suspicion. In
certain cases conflicts ensued between congregations and the fellowships.
Initially, such conflicts occurred rnainly between the fellowships and the
mission-instituted churches, which seemed uncomfortabre with the ,bom
again' message, and later their charismatic ethos which seemed to question
the effectiveness and the authenticity of their work and tradition.
with tiure, friendship was lost also between the felrowships and the
Pentecostals, especially some congregations of the church of pentecost. It
is not very clear the issue that sparked off the conflict between them;
especially, since those churches benefited most from the activities of the
fellowships. The fellowships viewed the pentecostal churches, especially
the church of Pentecost and the Assemblies of God as their natural allies.
Therefore, they normally directed converts made in their evangelistic
efforts to these churches. And in most cases, such converts were nominal
members of the mission-instituted churches or belonged one of the AICs.
Sonretimes, if they were sure the pastor of the particular mission-instituted
protestant congregation was 'born-again,'they counselled the converts not
to leave but stay and serve as agents ofrevival.
It seems that the Pentecostal churches felt a sense of competition between
them and the fellowships, especially as the latter turned more pentecostal
in ethos and grew in influence over Christian young people. The
16 Abamfo Atiemo, The Rise of the Charismatic Moyement, p. 47. See also Abamfo
Atiemo, Aliens at the Gate of Sodom and other Reflections (Accra: Presbel Printing
Press. 1997). pp. 28-41.
58
Th.e Evangelical Christian Fellowships
Pentecostals wanted to exploit the new situation of increased respect and
wider acceptance of Pentecostal culture, which had begun to elrrerge,
especially alrong the young and educated, by attracting their youth back
and integrating therr properly into their churches. This desire led to the
strengthening of existing youth and student groups and the formation of
new ones, organised along the lines of the fellowships, in congregations
and on school campuses,
The Fellowships and Spread of Pentecostal /Charismatic Culture
The importance of the fellowships in the Pentecostal/Charismatic renewal
of Christianity in Ghana has not been given sufficient attention in the
discussion of the subject. Yet, it was the fellowships, which more than any
other factor, helped remove the image of 'Pentecostalism' as an expression
of Christian spirituality, belonging mostly to people of low socio-
economic status.'' Most of the leaders of the f'ellowships, especially the
type referred to in this work as 'evangelistic associations,' and rnajority of
the members were well educated: university graduates, graduates of
teacher training colleges or, at least, products of second cycle institutions.
Initially, they used mostly English as the rnediunr of expression at their
meetings. Messages were translated into the local languages when
necessary. Students on holidays and those who had completed their studies
found the fellowships their natural places of worship.
With this development, Pentecostalism increased in stature as a genuine
and respectable expression of Christianify, and educated youltg
Pentecostals, who previously had felt not very confident to identify with
their own denominations and of whom the denominations were
suspicious, became bolder and began to iclentify with the tradition.38 This
was natural since the feilowships normally regarded the pentecostal
churches as their natural allies.3e The Pentecostal and some Baptist
r7 Accorrling to Larbi, the Churcl'r of Pentecost. for example. was rrp to i970. 'basically.
a grassroot movement,...The movement as a whole was basically etl'ective in reaching
onegroupofpeople-theilliteratesegmentsofsociety.'(E.K.Larbi, Pentecostalism;
The 
tt Eddies of Ghanaian Christianity, p.197).
T'he Ght,ro Evangelical Society Story; brLitcting a Nation for God ancl Christ( Accra:
Churtu Evangelical Sociery. 1998). p.39.
" Although the t'ellowships accepted the rnainline churches as churches rvith soLrnd
doctrinal heritage. the general view was that such chlrches had too manv nominal
members who r.r,ere actually. not 'born-again'. They categorised church people into
'church- goers' and'Christians'.
59
Abamfo O. Atiemo
churches were regarded as churches that were'alive'. During this period,
youth and students move- ments in the existing Pentecostal churches were
established or strengthened and their influence extended to campuses of
educa- tional institutions.aO The Bible study and prayer grorp, in the
mainline churches also benefited greatly frorn this respectability gained by
the Pentecostal/charisrnatic culture.u I
Through the influence of the Ghana Evangelical Society (cES) and others,
rurost of the fellowships came to emphasise the importance of the 'Holy
Spirit baptism', stressing on speaking in tongltes and prophecy. The
weekly Friday 'all-night' prayer meetings organised by the GES, for.
example, were patronised by people from all over the country, and from
different fellowship and denominational backgrounds. They also came to
emphasise the doctrine of charismatic gifts and ministries, and encouraged
christians to identify and develop them through prayer. opportunities
were created by the fonnation of various ministries to enable those who
had identified their gifts and ministries to use thenr to serve. In that sense
the fellowships became virlual Bible schools that trained the youth for
church-life and the spread ofthe gospel.
This approach of the fellowships produced an army of young, enthusiastic,
and gifted christians. some of these people became itinerant teachers and
evangelists. They were well educated. They earned the descriptive title,
'free-lance evangelist'. Since the emphasis at this point was on
evangelism, other titles such as'pastor','bishop,,,reverend, and the rest
were not attractive. They were actually derided, in sorre cases. It was,
ou [t appears. at a point. some classical Pentecostal churches began to resent the
inf'luence o1' the f'ellowships on their young people and designed slrategies. such as
fbrming students ancl youth movemellts to counter it. Some of these .or.,r.,.,t, *...
the Pentecost Students arrd Associates (PENSA), which later became pentecost youth
Evangelistic Movement (PENTYEM) and rhe Apostolic students Association
(APosA). There were occasional reports of conflicts between the f'ellowships and
Pentecostal churches in several parts of the counh-v. Reports tiom f'ormer members of
the f'ellowships in the central Region. tbr example, indicate that mernbers of the
church of Pentecost u,ho belonged to the t'ellowships were at a point given the option
to choose betu,een the fellolvship and the church. But this was difficult for most of
such mernbers since they actually joined the Church afler they had become convertecl
through the work of the I'ellou,ships.
ar 
sr-rch groups experiencecl steady growth beginning rrom trre early 1970s and born-
again members of their congregations fbund comfortable company rvith them. (See
Atiemo. The Rise of the Charisntatic Movement.p.29),
60
The Evangelical Christian Fellowships
mainly, these people that became the founders and leaders of the
contemporary Charisrnatic churches.a2
The independent charismatic churches were the direct offspring of the
fellowships. Due to their non-denominational nature, rnany of the members
of the fellowships were not seriously committed to their own church
denominations. The denominations themselves were suspicious of thern
and were not ready to give them space.a' Many of the young people with
fellowship background, who felt called to be full-time church workers,
were not easily accepted into the ordained ministry of the mainline
churches, so such members of the fellowships became the natural source
of the initial leadership and membership of the then emerging ,charis-
matic ministries.'44 Several of such people eventually found their ways
into the ordained ministries of the existing mainline or mission-instituted
churches.as
This development has been significant for the unprecedented sense of unity
among the various Christian traditions in contemporary Ghana. The
a2 Among sLrch people who have become inuuential leaders of the charismatic
churches are. Rev. Tackie-Yarboi of victory Bible church, pastor Ben coleman of
All People for Jesus Mission. Bishop Agyin-Asare of word Miracle church
lnternational. Revs. Steve and Stanley Mensah of charismatic Evangelistic Ministry,
and Rev. Ransfbrd obeng of the Calvary charismatic centre in Kumasi. These either
belonged to the GES or, at least. occasionally visited its weekly 'All-night prayer,
meetings. others are Pastor Mensah- otabil, of lnternational central Gospel church,
who belonged to the Kanda Fetlowship and Archbishop Duncan williams of Action-
Faith Ministries. who announced the launching of his ministry at the GES all-night on
the Friday preceding rlre Sunday of the event.
" Omenyo & Atiemo. 'Claiming Retigious Space,. p.67.
'" Initially. the churches that are now ref-erred to as the Indepenclent charismatic
Ministriei prel'elrecl to be called.'Ministries'.
"'Among contemporary leaders of the mission-instituted churches that belonged to the
evangelical fellowships are, the Most Rev Dr. Robert Aboagye-Mensah, presiding
Bishop of the Methodist church p- Ghana. Rt. Rev.yaw Frimpong - Manso. Moderator
o1'the Presbyterian church of Ghana. Rt. Rev Akrofi, Accra Bishop of the Anglican
church, and Rev Steve Asante of the Ghana Baptist Convention. others are Rev.
Herbert opong. clerk of the General Assembly of the presbyterian church of Ghana,
Rt.RevFred Nnuro.BishopoftheKofbriduaDioceseoftheMethodistchurch, Rev.
Godfied Banrfb, Director of E,vangelism and Missions of the presbyteririn church of
Ghana. and Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asante. former president of the Trinity Theological
Seminary, Legon. There are countless others in the ordained miniitries of these
Churches.
61
Abamfo O. Atiento
presence of former'brothers and sisters in Christ'in the various
confessional traditions, bound together not only by history but by common
evangelical convictions and commitment to Charismatic/Pentecostal
spiritualify, has served to further boost Christian unity in Ghana. The
previous mutual suspicions, which in some cases bred mutual contempt
because, denominations regarded each other as either 'non-spiritual' or
given to 'ridiculous or false expressions'of spirituality have faded away.
Another contribution of the fellowships was the strengthening of the
existing prayer groups or charismatic movement in the mainline churches.
Some of their members, as well as people with sympathies toward them,
who had gained some influence in church and society lobbied church
Ieaders and influenced decisions that contributed to the gradual acceplance
of the evaflgelical messdge of the fellowships, and the eventual
sympathetic appreciation of Pentecostai/chaiismatic culture with in those
churches. Rev. Peter Barker, an English minister of the presbyterian church
of Ghana, Mr william ofori-Atta, a prominent statesman and a presbyterian
lay-person, affid Rear Admiral P. F. Quaye, a respected naval officer and a
member of the Evangelical Presbyterian chdrch are a few of such people.
Mr ofori-Atta became the chairman of the Ghana Evangerisrn Cornmittee
(GEC), which was tasked by the Christian Council of Ghana ro promote
''evangelism thi'ough its member churches. Mr Enoch Agbozo, a former
s6nior civil servant and founder and leader of the GES, was the secretary.
A laity-based evangelistic programme designed and run by this committee,
the 'New Lif'e for All'(NLFA) became an effective vehicle for renewal
and church growth. Although the GEC did not deliberately promote
charismatic spirituality, its message of 'new life' was so similar to the
'born-again' message of the fellowships that its programmes became the
natural favourite of rnembers of the feltowships which belonged to the
n-rainline churches. Eventually, sr"rch n.rernbers also came to be counted
arnong the main agents for the spread of Pentecostal culture within the
nrainline churches. uo
The evangelical fellowships, with their non-denominational orientation and
their message of the new birth, which required faith in Jesus christ alone
and not the membership of any church, helped slow down the drift of the
* Atiemo, |-he Rise of the Charisntatic Moyement, p. 30. See also, Omenyo.
P e ntec ost outs ide P entecos tal is ru. p.277.
62
The Evangelical Christian Fellov,ships
membership of the mainline churches to the Pentecostal churches. Their
stand that it was more prudent to stay in your own church and help revive
it than to leave for another one created a sense of mission in many young
tuiembers of the rnainline churches who decided to stay and work towards
renewal.
Ascendancy of Charismatic Spirituality
The iate 1980s saw the beginning of the gradual fading away of the
evangelical fellowships, the reinvigoration and spread of the charismatic
movement within the niainline churches, and the eutergence and growth ol
the neo-Pentecostal or Charisnratic ministries. These developments
plovided the context for the crystallisation of elements drtrwn from
clifT'erent eras of renewal ancl traditions in the historical evolution of
Ghanaian Christian faith-expressions in the Pentecostal/Charismatic form.
They also led to the fading away of the doctrinal, litmgical and other
distinctions that previously characterised Christian denominationalisrn in
C hana." '
The development represented the culmination of a long series of waves
and strands of renewal in the history of Christianity in Ghana. The
evangelical fellowships constituted the watershed in the process'toward the
charisruatisation of Ghanaian Christianify. The fellowships' acceptance
and promotion of the Pentecostal /Charisrnatic ethos led to the effective
'de-denominqtionalisation' of what Pentecostals call 'the Holy Spirit
baptism.' A major characteristic of the evangelical fellowships was their
insistence on a personal relationship of every believer with Jesus Christ
rather than the membership of any denomination as a necessary condition
fbr salvation; and the Holy Spirit baptism whiclr was said to be a distinct
second experience subsequent to conversion was said to be available to
every believer, ilrespective of one's denominational background.
The ethos of the evangelical fellowships had four significant results, which
had special implications for the Charismatic movelnent in particular and
Ghanaian Christianity in general. First, most of the youllg people who
belonged to those fellowships did not have arry serious cornmitment to
their own denominations and were more ready to accept other viewpoints
on the prirnary basis that those viewpoints were biblical, than to hold on to
t7 Kwame Bediako, Christianitl, in Africa: the RenewaL of Non-We,ttern Religion
(Edinburgh: E,dinbulgh University Press. 1995), p.66.
63
Abam.fo O. Atiemo
the traditional creeds of their denominations, which were mostly couched
in phrases that were difficult to relate to their contemporary situation, and
which they also viewed with suspicion.
Secondly, many young Christians became equipped in preaching,
witnessing and counselling. They grew enthusiastic and were searching for
opportunities to use their spiritual gifts. This created a widespread culture
of voluntarism among the youth with respect to evangelism and other
forms of Church work. Young people, at their own financial expense,
embarked on evangelistic activities without expecting any imrnediate
material or financial reward. They did not even seek to be recognised by
the official church. The converts made through such evangelistic efforts
were directed to join any mainline Protestant church or one of the classical
Pentecostal churches.
Thirdly, the relish for charismatic gifts in the fellowships marked the
beginning of the wide acceptance of the Pentecostal ethos by young
educated christians, thus leading to the speedy removal of the prejudices
generally held against that type of christian faith-expression. Fourthly,
though due to the links between the SU and the GHAFES, many sections
of the evangelical fellowships were regarded as movements for the highly
educated, the neighbourhood and workplace fellowships served as the
channels through which evangelical christianity was made accessible to
rural communities and lower and middle level artisans and workers such as
'auto-mechanics, dressmakers, petty-traders, taxi-drivers, untrained school
teachers, office messengers, and factory workers.,48 This was the case
especially in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo. Many of such people were not of
any high level educational background, yet, the combined influence of
evangelicalism and Pentecostalism generated sufficient enthusiasm in
some of them and they became involved in the founding and -growth of theneo-prophetic movement,ae which they currently domin-ate.s0 
Conclusion
The fellowships were the melting pot in which the differences between the
various traditions were removed. Certain factors, all linked to the
f'ellowships, made this possible. In the first place, worship forms of the
oo Aduborfbur. Para Church Movements, p. 83.
a'Omenyo & Atiemo. 'Claiming Retigioui Space'. p.58.
soPaul Giftbrd, Ghanab New Christiinie,, p.89.
64
The Evangelical Christian Fellowships
fellowships, which later became mainly charismatic, but included aspects
associated with the mainline Protestant churches, such as their hymns,
came to be seen as neutral and gradually came to be accepted as normal in
the various churches.
Most of the elements of contemporary Ghanaian Charismatic liturgy and
other practices, such as 'praises and worship', 'testimonies', 'healing and
deliverance' were nurtured and made widely acceptable through the
fellowships. Even though some of these and practices such as everybody
praying aloud at the same time at public worship, the use of drums,
rhythmic clapping of hands and dancing at worship already existed in the
prayer groups, they were deemed as practices mainly associated with the
Pentecostal and African Independent churches. Such practices came to be
accepted in almost all churches, including the Roman Catholic Church.
The practice of creating 'teams' for various ministries, which is now so
popular in Ghanaian churches, is also a legacy of the fellowships. Teams
for special ministries such as 'praise and worship,, ,prayer,, :personal
evangelism,'and others became popular with the spread of the fellowships.
These have been inherited by the charismatic movement and have gradually
spread within the various denominations as special lay-ministries.
65