University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Sl HI~.\l~ IN I Nt. ":VANG[L1CAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (E, P. cm'RCH) 1939- 1991. REV, G EORGE KWASI AMOAH A DISSERTATION PRESENTEO TO THE OEPART'1EST OF THE STUDY OF RU..IGIONS, U~IV[HSITY OF GHANA, LEGON. IN PARTIAL l' UU'IL..\1[ST OF TIn H.J:o.QllH.1-: \1ENT ItOK THE ,~W.-\RD Uf" THE \1Asn:R OF PHIL.usOPHY m :GREE DEPARTMENT OF TIIF. STUDY OF REUGlO~S FACUL 1 V OF ARTS ( '!'I!IVt:RSITY OF GllAJ'oriA "[GON University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DEClARAn oN IhcrdJydedarethatintheptepu1llionlndpracntaaionofthis;wtlfk.lhavenot~ght assistance from anyonc except as indicated in tbe refcrence ltisthcreforem)'ownorilinaJ Ji~'OAH) ~~ DR. ELOM ()OVLO) SUPERVISOR ~ (Rrv. ('Ef>IIA~ ()\{[NYO) SUPERVISOR Depart menl for the Study of Relilions.. Fac::ulI)' of Arts., University of Ghana. lqon University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh UEI>ICATION Thiswcd isdedic.t~lothcGloryo(v..Jd lhe falhcrtht SOIl and the Holy Spirit In "hom I am what I am. (I Corinthians IS:IO) University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TaNtofConlellb. LiII of tablo ~~:~:~, ~~~::kd,m(nl lal.l'1l4actioll ... .. TMP~ ...... . Wbali5S~hism ... . Sc: ........ tME.P.Chrch .. ~~~~~:~e~b:~.n orlhe.~.I.udY ~':.'::~.I.~.~:'. ~~.I.~. ~.~:.~.~.~~. .. SclliMl,'aIIME.P.CIr'lIrcb·IMHiuorkalorilClooo' ~BrHk away" Our(hu from Iht' E. P. (' hun:h Mctlll,dul0D' ... S~8".SlHlrce PrimarySourfe ........ . OrpaiullollllfSIMy .. Importanceof"eMudy. Hlslnrical B8ckl!:round "flbe Eungelical P=I'::n~.~~~.~.~~·.~:~·)·· 16 16 TIM Rtf.r-.lT. ....i liu ••. ~r:::~~d " C"nnrnsions. 08 F_ofG""enl_I .. 08 TbeRoleofPIIJfors ........ . TbeRt'fll,...tdTnldilINIIMSO(~ly " Rdo. ... cd and Alwlly. Reform ................... . ,". ~;r~h:::i::~~~~~:~~~~~c~I' ,. CTbe Brtmen I If; Doctrtul Chlll"M1m.dn .. " TbtAllltricanMillo'o• . "» J6 Scbi5msi.nlht'~. P Church·Itrict. In 1961, the late Sam John Amedzro a member oflhe Blenao E. P. Church estIhlishcd the Lonfs Pentecostal Church. In 1964, Mr. I·mmanuel Ntumi Atiegar one of tile founders of the Accra ~c"" ·1 uwn E. P. Chun:h, estal:alished the Evanselical Pre. . bylerian Refonned Church {Christ hangcJical Mi~ion. Lastly. in 1991 •• section oflhe E. P. Church becamethecon:of1heE.P.ChurchofGhana The study aRempts to establish the causative factors of these connic15 lind their COflsatur:nt 'Splih II -.«k:. 1,1 e~Jl:aIi~h thai the conflieu were the resuh Dr not • sina~ fKkM" University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh bul a combinallOl'1 offKkln. Finall). the study Mtcmpts 10 gi\C' "UggC'lh,"~ II\aI "oukl possibly n:ducetheoc:cum:nccuffulurcdi,i .. ionsofthl:Church. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER ONE INTROO1;CTlO!'" I he F.vangelical Pn:sb)1erianChurch (hcfafterrefm'cdtoathe E. P. Church)isa Miniooar} Church, founded by the NorthI:m Bremen \1issioMry Society. (hereafter refern:d 10 as the B~en MIS)IOflJ. II ~as established fIrSt among lbe Ewes some of who occupy the Volta Reaioo orcihana This explains why the bulk (lfils member!> are Ewes ~rom 192210 1936, the E",c P~b)lerianChurch mthe British Mandatory Terriwryand L"llln> '0.1" \ cry important developments. 1b: rapid Srowth of the Ewe Chureh within the unity ,'Ilhe Gold Coat Chwch and its SI\I(f chureh of the French MandatOI"}' Territory necessitatcd the e,t.blishmenl ofrno \cparale .dministralive machineries. Rev . David Benuh was elected \1uJerator for lhe Ewe Chun:h in the Briw.h '(one with Rev. Robert Kwami liS ils Synod Ckrk (1923).1 The French zone alsoclCC:lcd Rc\- . Andreas Aku as ModentlOr.nd Re\l . Robert 8acca &5 Synod Clerit. Thus the 1"0 chun:hc. .. in the British and French zones b«ame autonomous. COIIICqueftliy, the need .rose 10 prepare II mon: cnmprehcnsive document that would take can: of the '"0 SiSler churches in the Gold Coast and Togoland. 'l"he resuh of this need was tbe comins into being of "hat IS. called• .1 hc 19] I Constitution" 1 of the f.we Churches orthe (j,IM Coast and T 080. This ,,·as a document wrincn \llholly by the African te.ders ofthc Chun:h Inc E. P. Church Iw conlribulcd immensely 10 the development oftlle Volta Regton and the natll)f1 a .. a "'hole in lbe areu of education, heallh care and agriculture. amoog others. The ChuKhhasthusbuihanimaacrofllselfbothalllomcandabroad. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In 1926. the Churcb' s name was changed from ',he Bremen Mission" 10 "the Ewe Prcsb)h:nan Church" I in consonance "ilh the e,tablishmenl oflhe Presbyterian polity in the lin: L. P_ Church. has been experiencms occasional clmtltcls whtch often resull in ~tions of its membcn. leaving it to form new churches. These conflicts in lhc Church hnc ~j\en it a chc:qoered history ofachkvements and failure) . The main e!fIX! ()fthe~ conflicts and Ihe re'i.ullant .. pins is thallhc g(xxi image ohhc chun:h is eroded at home and abroad. in addition tnthl.' brl.·akdownofthc unity and peace in the Church. Since unity and pC'xeare important laclor; tllat promote devc!opment and growth. Iheconflicls and Iheirconseque ntdivlsionsalTccl lhe dcvcl,'pmcnl and gro\\th of the E. P. Church in particular and the nau"n t.han a in general. If _u the splits wilh healing gills had remained in the E.P. Church. rather than :.I.~cdin& 110m it. lhere 'hould have been grcaterphysical and spirilual growth in the E. P. Church than it has experienced. Some of the conflicts and their resultant "break.ups- were violent. There were pruper1) and financial IOSSC5. Like all contlicl$. rebuilding after conflicls means the retardation ofunstllRt!dc\'clopmeniprojlXts. Montes used in Jitigationscouldha\.e becn used forpro\'iding the baslf': nc:-cd) of the memben. 1l\esc contliels in the ("hurth a lSlI showed that the Christian \'irt..eoflo\'eandforgiveneSJis~weUeslablishedinthechurch. 1.'''1':'1111111'$ Dictionary of Contm'Iporar) I:nglish. New [dltion. defines schism as ~_ !ioC1*1Ition between parts originally ofthc same group. npecially in the ChriMian Church''"'_ The ·'.~,'~c(t'~I~N:....&iIm,I"'.~'lJ; University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh AdvancedLeamer'sDiclionaryorCuf'fefltEnglish.l50defi~il as ""c:ausin,lheseparallon01 an organi)"llton (especially .. church into 1.. .. 0 or more groups. usually through differc::ncc::~ or Ilpinion"~, The rwodeliniliun!r. agree that there is a scpatalionofwhal was once a one whott', The scconddefiniliooadded lhe eauscoflhe separation as "ditTc::rencesofopinion". Relating these definitions to schisms in the E. P Church, Ihis ~tudy reler.. 10 !icpar,III1'11' that occum:dmlhehi!r.loryoftheChurchulhernultorditTncACcsofopintonuflvarltlU""uc, In 1942, the: E. P Church at NeM' Tadzc\lou under the leadership of Mr. Charles \lulClrnUisi Wovenu, became the Apostle: Revelation Soc:iety. This separation was the result of lhe disagreemenl bet\loeet1 Wovenu and the!:.. 1'. Church Disl,ici hcadquaners 811 Abor In 1960. hank Doh, Ilf[lllrdome E. P. Church, establhhed;1 '>Cpanlle Church, the While Cross SociCf)'. He fell he \loll!> empc-owcn:d by God to use pra}cr and herbs to heal. He was abo convinced that his practices were biblK:al incontcnland ootTraditi,mal A fricanpracticesas the E. P. Church and its Icadersh'pthoughl. TheChureh, on lhe other hand feillhal I)oh'\ praclM=c:sconlradicted itse~lablishcd tl"tc::ol08kal position In 1961, Sam Arncdzro established the Lord's Church .... i'h the majority of il!> members rrom the BIen&o E. P. Church. Likc the Tad.zewu and Etordomc eonnielS, Amcdzro's The Lord·s Pentecostal Church emerged as a result of differences in conviClion and Pf"KIK;CS hcl\loccnhl .. l-'taycrGroupandlIKBtc:ngoE.P.Church In 1'l6-l, M,. Emmanuel Ntwni Aile. ..... one of the leadina rounders of the Ac«:ra New 11"'n L I' ClIOgrcgalion broke ;1\\.1) from it with a seclion of ils members 10 form a new ~hurd.lheE P. RefonnedChureh. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh InIWl.ua:tDlor1heLt'. UudI"r.:tlnbt::abt.'\:runt-e-ffh.'I.4ihIe~· n1PnryerFctkJtMlip IBSPF.) m~,,"OIY to inn iI: E. P. OudIdo.... Thesr: IRak up!ioflhe tb.n:h ~ mo;ared: l-( ,~...,-as""'\.TIIbpal.Oxviml.pji...").dch:alisIIG. ThedivNcmlx:::c:trn:dinttrOllvchaC\·eral actors and elUlCerbatedby snCRlehoicesandckcisions. AltOOughconOiet is univoKtable and thcrefol"C", inevilable. mechanisms mu!ot be: found or devised 10 keep it within limits. " What Al}'ee means by the above. is that human beings live togelner but Ihey differ in unde~tandlng and action. therefore conOiet is bound to occur bUI society must find means of wntrollins conflic15 so that they do IKM b«omc violent. destrucIL\·C and dl\isivc. lagrec\\Ilh ,\1')" . ... HC" as above and I aim al cumininsthc causes ohlle: Church's conniets and comins out with SUggC!ollllnS lNtl will help the church to contain fulure conflicts. managing tncm to fulfil Ihc dem.and .... goals and aspirations of her members. In the: E. P. Church from 19)9 to 1991. the congregatIOn of lhe E. P. Church a, Tadzewu. Min Ihc casnofElordomc. Blcngoand Ace ... Nc" To"'ncongrcgation!o and some members in many coogregalions of the E. P. Church .U over Ghana, h.d disagreemcnts with the church at various times and places. The disa~reemenlS were on doctrinal i~ .. uc5 relating to Reformed Practices and Pmlecoslalism (charismatL": phenomenon). Some of IN: <:onflicls wcre Church University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh pollt) relalins to organisation. admlnlstrallon and COftSIilulion. among others. There we~ also dl""grccmcnls on LiturgiCilI i~~ue~ rel'lling to ~ling.1aboos and prayers. There were also diYgrtt~nb on ethical i~ relaling to finance. moral conduct. accountability and personal i»)ucs. But tile core i~ue of the conniets ~\'ellsthe nature of ,harismatic spirituahl) in II Reformed Chun:h II is the: WI) the E. P. Chun::h of the Reformed tradition rca"stowanis Ptlltccostal,chammatieappeals in thc: chun::h throughlheyear5undcr rc\·icw. A'> a Refonncd. and alwa)s a Reformed Church. onc \HltIld think that the E. P. Church woukl be accommodatina to charismatic Ilares "'hile the Rllman Catholic tradition with ils dosed polity shall be ho .. tlle to charismatism. In real life as the study would show it wa.s the Opposite; the E. P. Church was inimical 10 charismatic prctenuons while me Roman Catholic IraditlOn i .. hospi&ablc 10 charismatism. The aUlhor .um .. at linding oul why the E. P. Church ,,'uld [I<)ttulcnlepcntccOSlaVcharismatic:flares 1111 ..:~'igate the history of each conflict and its resulting division. trnd andeumine factors. which contribule 10 each oftheconOicls. Frnd (lutthccommonpanemoftheconfliclS. Finally. m.kesu"e"lion~'ha' "'ill help to mllnage future";(lRflictsand thcreby f'1:duccthccw;currcncc,>llldl\,isionsinthefu ture AlIhouJ:h ~chisms ha\e fX:curred in the E. P. Church, (here is VCI')' little cb.:umentalhIR on them. Evcnlhc little thac exisb I) t'ragmcnted. Thu5 the study attem~ to in\c:~tigatc: the: fivc schi,ms and document the findings for fUture U5C or Kholan and the general readin8 public University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The SII.cI} mtmds to review literature under the follo"'ing categoru:" 31 hi"loricalonginoftheE. P,Church. t'li ",hismsingcnen.IIAfncanchurches). c) historical ofl~intlflhc ··t'lrcU away churches" under l"C'Vicw by thc author' ,I) Penl«OSUhsm .1nJ Charisnwicism in Ghana. Historical Ori2in ofF.. P. Chu(l.'h AgbC'lI. J"hn Kofi., ~1~Prc,t'I~terianChUICh Ghana, 184}:.1~ 1990, Accra. ""i$workPfO"t&:dtheauthorwilhskeIChcl>~flhch"loricaloriBin~nddevclopmenlofmet:. P Church. It supported the work ofa ~rman missionary, Paul \\ .cgrabbe. t\\C_M I.. ... i~u~!'!Y!. 1146.19)6 (The History of the E~c Mi~:'iion) . I, being an t:wc, used Ihe first ItandW(lrk of Wicgrabbc 10 cros.scheck Agbc1i's histone.1 narration since \\Icgrabbe's wort. ended up in 11116. and Agbc1i's ~ort. pro,"ldcd aconlmuallon vfthe hi,.IOr) uflhcChurch as narrated by \\H:~rabbcurt"thc 1970·s. Thc next work b) \1e)er olsocontinucd the narration through lhe Ihe 1:1'1 cnnfllct in the E. P. Church. Mc)cr P'"c • t.ckground hiuOf) of the North Stemm \1""I<'n. ,In Uetic IraJith)R. Me)Cf's "ark rrmided JlfCfl'iKS to .S\C,,> the ~ays in University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh worte. wpported thc author·s assenlOn that the "cultural and lingui51ic boundary that separates them {the Ewt$ and their alii..: .. , from Ih..: m ..... lunarics··. wctC the iniliaJ source o(confliC:1 t>.:1\\cen the mission Christianlo. The author attempts al finding oul why mcmbcn of the E. P. Church are eager for pra}er group~ :and sometimes go 10 traditionali~t!o after thun:fl attendance Eugene Grau. 1%4. l.!t~!s~U~~,. . ~vtcrian Church about the E. P. Church. He was able 10 use rrullluscriplS wriden in German about the E. P. Church. He therefore. m.e \1eyer, had II deeper kno""ledgc about both the missionaries and lheir work In the Gold Coast and Toao. His w("Irk sub-litlcd"CongrcgationBccumcsaChurch 1922·1926" gave an inlloight into Ihc origin and rok of the S}ntJd Under "ml~undcrstandings- Grau pointed UUI that the Gennans did nfli agree to the Presb}1Crian polity of church democracy. lie quoted Reveridlc, a Scottish Missionary' .. art$v.crtoaGerman's reSCnlmeniota lo)'nod's authorit)' 8S saying: ltisannoyinitotindpaslOrSandevenmissionaricsare ready to weaken the authority of Synod Committee. 111" I' an indintion Iholt all was not well with the Presb)lerian polity of church democrat) from the time the (icnnans returned. The 5tudy s..:ck~ 1(\ tind (IUt "hal was wrong "ilhlhepohl~ thaI C'o'en the Germ3n Mi~iiln.1ricsrc:;ented it 1 nJer <;l.hllol11". the author revtewed two \\orks, first. Barret. D . B. Schi!l.ms and Renewal 111 ,\'rl ••I . 1963. In the aulh.lr·~ stalement of his problem. he tc-Ilthat the: phenomenon of schism \\4!; pcculiarlo Ihe E. P. Churchjusl as Bam:! thought it "'M to Wcstern Kcn~a. BlITC1's \\...,l. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh however. showed that the phenomenon "was a uni\lersaJ one in Africa With a hiitory of O\'ef one hundred}cars' • Barret as"cd. "\\ hl:thct' hard experimoc of crises from one region 01 the wortd can be oll u-.cd 10 a\loid the: rccUrTellCC of similar crUes in &flOther regionr IlK answcr to this question the aulhur hopes will tJelp other missionary cstabhsh\:d I:hurthes in partu:ular and Chrisliani in gcnc:nd(oa\loKllhcf~ucntoccurrmccsofdivisionslnthechurches. r~canmt.kctlle avoidance \\hen they Slud}" the ClIU!oC~ uflhcconflicts and thc pattern the} follow critically. Barret deduced Ihal every MissKmary Church in Arrica has the potentiality of schism when he Tbc Schismatic bodies are thercfore only partofa much larger movement ofdissidencc, the bulb of \\hichn:maininam(lrphousfonnwithinthe ProtcstanlandCatholicChurc:llc:s. Conditions \\ilhinlhcschislOricalchun::hcsremainsufficienlly ,"ho~itahlcforthemovC'mcntstocontinucbrcakin,off. ..q Iltis warnin, by Barrel had caused the aUlhorlo find oot what wcre the "conditions in thcl::_P. Church.ahiSioricalchurch.whichsctolTschi:.m.!l. It is aJsoa warning tochulChesnol ", he l:ompliJl:ent but he on thl~ alert Schisms in the . :. I'. Cburch • the Historical orilEia of "break awar' Cllurrbn from tile E. t. G. BaC'la. in Prophetism In uhana was the first 10 be reviewed under Ihis c:alqOt')'. Published in 1962. it is oncof the oldcst to ¥Io-riteon Ihc r\.poslles Re\lclation Society and the While Cro!>,·Society, two of Ihis study's subjects. His interest was in idenlif) ing lhese two I:hurches b. ty~ of Christianity In Ghana. He did not show intereSl in their kCc!osion from the 'rmidll. .r -t1 1%1. ..... h,...",;anJk('1\"".I"'.Af'''''"'~atrlIhi.(,.,fordtln'\ft'IiIy'''-p,\\i. 'Wp,XVII University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh E. P. Church. 11i~ l.I.ork ho",evcr. provided some of the causative racton ufthcir ..:onRIt;t with the E. P. Church. For example, W ovcnu was accused of pnclisin, eX.(lfCism. ritual sacrifice and polygamy amOllg others. The SNdy will inv~liplc lhe causes recorded by C (j. Blelll and uncoverothc:rslhtoutthfwtherreadingsandin1Cntic:ws. Agbo, F. D. K. wr~e. Charismatic qualities of a Religiou~ Leader - Case Study of Af?Oslles Rc .... e~81I~I~ Society (A R S) 1975. His main thrust was to prove that Wovenu ..a s calkd and chosen by God to do what he was doing. Agbo's chllri~matic;: a~Krtion is similar to o.vid Haln:'l~ "oR. 00, "JohaNl O~i.l .. "00 left the Church Missionary Society in Kenya. 10 form the Moniy. (god has given me. revelation) too Missionl. The meaning of Moniya - (jod has given me: a I"Cvelation is parallel 10 Agbo's defence of Wovenu' s Apo~tle'!i RevelatIOn Society. Agho ' ~ work baJ given a pauern, which runs parallel Ihrou~h all the five major I A member "I the E, P. Chureh. in a congregation had3"calr from God through a dream or vision IO~lartaprayer.nd healing group to help the people who are in bondage II l"he group stans a!i a pan. of the E. P. Church. It starts revivals and innovations and pr"':Ii..:c~ lhal a~ al"variance" with the laid down practices of the E. P. Chul'\:h III lbe E. P. Church, In hcrpietl!itic position rearedlhat her idcnlilY asa memberoflhe Refonned Tradition is being threaacncd by Pentecostal f1arc~. She Ihcr..:fore prohibits the: deviantpraclisc'!i IV Leade~and lhelr followers on dOClllnal grounds left the 1::.. P. Church rather than for-go ",h .. , the E. P. Churchcallcd deviantpracIU:C~ Ihcstudy sets out to find out 1hC" p;:Ir.lllei oflhl" pancm in thc fi'le separatist churches ·\n• • therhleratu~rc\lev.ed is the ",'ork ofAtakro MacWilson, 1996. I~.~~ Ilc\'elopment of the Coru.tllution of 1991. M. Phil. Thesis (unpublished) I'niversity •• fGhana University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh lIis main emptw.i!> "'as on lhe 1991 schism. Ihis schism is the fifth sub;", oflhi. study among four o\hers, Secondl). Aluro's mam thrusl was that lhe: C.m'i,titulitlfUll issues were the major caU!>C ofthc: 1991 connici and division. This $ludy anemp" to shov. thal the constitutional MUC!> \\ere the immcdiaae cau~ and that other fac:IOB such as issues of polity. ethic!>. and dtll.:lrmchllvecquallycontributedlolhc: 1991 conflict. Alakro'S work gives a detailed account ofthe~unslitutional issues there(OfC this study will de\otc: more time and !>pace to the other factors that his work did not Ireat in detail. ·\takr"', ",ott.; had alS!.. reconted the occurrence of the !irst four ~ontlictsl<" and divisions as hl'I"ru;:.leH~nls in the life of the E. P. Church Amed70 F K .. 1986. ~I'!.~i~~~ati(~~ \\.ithin the E. P. Church Ghana. In his long Essay for U. A. (Ift ins) Degree. Universily ()fGhana . Amedzo reviewed the iluitude of the indigenou:, ,\frit;an Church. Apinst thiS hackdrt>p. the author tried to sec how successful this intention was Ihe author. with Amedzo's ""tKk as t.:kground knowled,e. reviewed Dzobo's indigcni7ation moves, ThequeSiion Ihc &utht>l' muSI answer is, "if lndigeniz3tionstarted iongbefore Dzoho. why then was a section ofthc: E. P. Church against Dzubo's indigeni7.ation moves? In order to know and Unck:Nand the founders o(lhe Pra)cr and the Healing groups under \lud~. the .uthot revtcwed two ~..,..ks on PenteCOSlaIi:,m and Charismatism. The first is PcntC'Co,taJ,sm: A Study o1.the appropriation of the Christian ~pel in Twentieth CemuEt Ghana Seni~.G. with special Rc:lc~e_~~) ~ ~·.~r!,';_l Apostolic Church the Church of I'e~h:~.~ and the IntcmaliQUI Central Goserl Church. 1995 Unncrsit) of Edinburgh, Although Ihis ~ork o\bl \'".\ ., I>. 1<,. ... p ... lrr":1&,",c.>nd~~""-,",.!!!!..!!flhc("""!I!u!,,.n"t!h~1 I' !hll,<-h •• ' .' • ..., ... .,'~tr~,.I ... jl ..... l'Illlt.c..tl~tl.c:.;.I.qp1Jl~ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh "".I" h.ned on lhc Akan c\lncepts and woOdvicw. il his iu paraUeiamoos I~ 1' "10:5, The hl"tOflcat h.:I'k~nlUnd of the ml~Sk'" churches ~alCd putly ~emcd the :lUlhtlt .. "ort as in the caK ofthcGennan 8rcmcft Society end its .. \n 10 lhc Trans·VolUi Arc", Mute imponanlly ;H 'hcl'en't'\:t~taIChurches{pagebOl b) thcci\amm;JhCSlnlftemalnlinc:chun:hcs(pacc72) c) ~lcct~lIolist Pra~~ Camp' (page i2) l.arbt', ","I~ helped the author 10 find eM.: pwallel ~nlcc~al ethos in the subjects \11" his sI!Idy andthcirinl1ucnc:nintheE.P.Churcbcascs. lIans. W. Debrunncr. in his book. IltslOf} of Christianity in Ghana, hill> written a few IhlnSl about the Aposiles Revelation Society. He did not write aboul the (ltlilin ,.1' Ihc society h\!t ",rotc on \.omc ofthctea:hlnpoftMSlXte1y,ThI\ helpcd thc author of this wurk to observe thc t,.Ie, ,If the: Yen:(xm!>lble tur c,il acts on earth. The plellSts believed that all non-Christian rehgion) arc the domain orthe University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh People whose beh3\iourdidnoc.oontorm loplCli"t ~tandards were assumed lobe ruled b,.lhcDevil. They. thu. ... :n.:ounterSatan din:cll,. Ihroughpeople. For example. peopk: who lead IhelrfrtencisinlOevilkh The only \u,. to cscapeSalanand iuagenlsWMto acceplJeSUl> Chrilil ali Lord and S.. .. iU\lr and be baplized in his name. People who fell into satanic bt1ndale \\cre freed through exorcism. HerlheorytsthatthepietistshadpersoniliedSAIanandcn::ateda dualcosmology.onebelongin~to(judandChmllan .. andthcolhcrbelongingtoSatanandhis a~enI.S. The: author, ikme\cr. wants 10 find oul In the: field the role of African traditional worldvie-.andideolog,. ase:"\preslOedinthc:E.P.Church. \1c~erhoweverdid 001 treat the other connicts, which occurred in thc: Church outsk1e Pcki. For example. the -I adLC\\u. Etordome and Accra New Town conniels and Ihe .. Iudy allcmpucoveringthc...: Agben)cnu (ju\1\\ln· .. work. Appnir.al urlhe Cunniel in the E P. Church Ghani \\'as dc\oted 10 the 1991 Schism in the E. P. Church that involved a section of the E. P. Church. It altirmcd the author's contention that connlClS in the E. P. Church are a combinalion of many t.ldOB. Agbcnyenu has mentioned Wovenu and Doh's connict ali pasl historicnl events, which shookl hive anracted reconti liatOl')' c:cmmltttts but did not. He, oo\\evcr, did not write about Ihe conniet .. of Amedzo and Aticgar Thc !>ludy used boIh sccondaryand primal) wun.::es SttoadarySource The stud) staned with the SC(ondary Source. Thiswalilheaspcctofthcdocumentary rc'>Carch. whtch wali done in the Iibr&rie5. archivc$ and offICes. The relevant boo"~ and d.lCumCnl!; 00 the study were sought and read. Some oflhese were mentioned in the Iit.::r,ltu~ r,:\,cv,.andthcrntfonnedthccon:orthebibliograph,. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ik :iCcondaI) WUR:C provided lhe study with !he bKkgroond knowledge of the various ~1\)uPl>andpcfS(lf\alnics. ItWlSaI~luscfullaterinckatingdoublsinsomcarca,cncoun1Credin thcr.eIJ hcnahkdthrrnean::hl{l,onfinnlde~andwordsot .. cholats incorporaccd intlle llUdy. rhne acknuwledgmrnls formed the bibliograph~ of this work. Primary Source: The E. P. Church. Ghani and the live chun:hn. ".,hkh emerged from it, provided lhe primal) SOUI'\:C for this SlUdy. The chutchn II PeLi. Tadzcwu. JOfdan. Accra New Town and Ho. the head llfficn of the "'0 E. P. Clwtchcs. lhe Chrisl&an Council of (jhana. and lhe Volta Rqion.al Hou)C of Chiefs (hereafter. V.R.H.C) have documenb hl>e seuion minutes and ct'flllmlleC reports on the .. arious connicl5 and thClr K:loullanl divisions. The documents "'"Crt' Ctl"ecled. Sludtcd and anal~sed . They included the various commi"ec and synod minutc\ and IYport!lo on the sludy. N~~rqJOf1Sonlhe5ludy. allhoughoftcndillOf1ed.helpedm Identifyinathc .... ariOUICYCIlll&itruehi. . loric:alcvcnls. The !Iotudy used interview ~hcdulc§ as thc mcthod for collecting the core of ils data trom leaden.nd members ,.ho ""Itnessed the events under .. Iud) a ...... cli as from c:\pcn:lo on the hecauK III least one 01 them comes up with the answer wl\cn ~Ilers fail. The indivKiual lAlcn,c\\ .. \\crchclpfulwhcndclicatcandcmolionalissucs,,·crebeingdealtwith. Itrnadethe mlcr\lC"ee lell tri:c to gl~c personal "iC"~ without the infl~ of the presence of another Ihej.:te.uestadvantllC°flhciNerviewmcthodisthalitcnabkdthercwan:hcrtocolkct 1II1,lnnall,m from all mcmbt:f!lo '1f the group under ,rudy; adults. children. lilcralc\ and illll~·r .. IC .. b«ause il in\olved .. CfbaJ response .. which all. except the .... ctbelly h.ln,JI~arPCd. !;ouki do University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh II'. greatest diMd"antagc on the other hand is that it cost more tnOne) beause it involves much travelling ,,,~~,k~uI~al"CVle\\oflherck:vanll!(eC)1uren:frnettnblo&Y. Chapter 2 deals with the histOfical ha..:kg.round of lhe E. P. Church. from ih e .. lablist!mcnl in 1847 up 10 date. It seekslo"'atc thct:thos of each missionary group that "oded in the E. P. Church and h(l\~ thc: .. c tcachint,:!> moulded the Church into a panicular form. Chapter 3 dc!>Cribeslhe firsllhrecconOicls in the Church involving Wovenu, Doh and AmedlTo and the resultoftheK'cootli":b.lnthcdcscriJllioosthestudyseeksto linkthcc:risis with Ihe mls. . ion heritage and the African worldvie" Chaplcr4 deal5 with lile conRkhand Ihc consequent divisions between AticgarandE, ".ChurchofGhana Chapter 5 deals wilh thl!'arrralsalofthe stlidy Chapler 6 co",lude, the ~tud~ "ilh summary and sU~8eslions 11\I1I'OHTANCt: OF STUD\ r Ill' ~tudy will serve as a documenl on the Churches under review on which fulure 1,",,~ .. If~ho .,luld dflllw Draw,", from Ihl!' study Q. document will point to rcscatCher\ ar~as t" ,I Ihc 'Iud~ had left 001, thus pro"iding nc .... areas for future researches on the five ehurches ilndun'Of1tlictandconmctl't'SOlu(ion~ I'rildl\,;ally. the study liS 1I docwnenl woukl aDempilO sensitiu the churches on factors thai ~cnef8te conflicts and e\'enlual divisions. This a"areness will, it is hoped, minimize the: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh OCCUlT'Cf'lC« o( dlvl~tons In the church. II i'li .Iso hoped to ~~j(IZC' on human rcl.luons and conflict manaaemenl and rnoIlII)Oft~ 1ne findmg\ ,,( 1M study woold lUI"e apphabllily 10 \)(hC'r hi .. torical chun::hC's in Ghana .md n,'uld enable them 10 learn from the mistakes and effects O"conll~lS University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER TWO HISTORICAL BACKGRO~D OF THE EVANr.rlJ(,A1.PKFSu\'TUUA~lHURCH.GHANA INTRODl:CTION The E. P. Church as like the Biblical "Mu~tald Seed"':. It evolved from the infant stage ufaMissionPoslall'd• • UI.:ngoin 1847 loan inckpendent indigenous church in 1922.ltwenl Ihrouah the ateful IUlclage oflhree different missionary groups. Thesewerc; a) The Nonh German Miss.ion Societ) (the :">Iorddcntsche Mis\iCln)'I, • "nineteenth cenlury pieli';l ..ociely."" did the pioneerin. "Ink I.f planting the Church in Eweland (1&47) unlil 1916when ils. missionaries were arlnlcdand deponed durinllhe Fir~1 WHrldWar" b). The United Free Church of Scotland inconjunclion with the Church of Scotland It.OKOVeflhepalronaseandcan:ofthel:..P. Church inlhc English speaking nreasoflhe tunner German TosolMd and lhe Goki Coast Colony. Thi, was I' the request of the 8ritish Colonial Otlice. London in 1923. Laslly. l1'Ic: Evangelical and Reformed Churches. now members of the United Church of ChriM.. U. S. A .. look over the missionary work in 1946 when the Germans "ere deponed again as I resull of the Second World War · Germany beinglhe a8grc$SOl'. Duringlnee\oolulionar) }'ean. 184710 1960.thcE.P.Ch\lf("h.lhrou~hlhc[c.1Chingsof lhe Germans. Sc;onish and American,.. c\lolVU! 10 ~c a member orlhe Reformed family of [hC' P~~b~lC',.an type of Christiani!). The E. P. Church became an indi(!eTJ(lUS Church .lMidJ:l,w I):lll'vlin..t.11 ,lwI11·' " AIJfIcU..Jot., ..... ri I ''''''£,.,:, ...: P,,~~'c'wn Lh1.lr .. ".lJl' .. ,,~I. • 47·1'N~. A,~~ IUlOI'ia/ ( ..l k,,, PublicatJon ... t990.p21 ., Mc:,a'·=r~~~.u;"I~"n.' ,I><" lle:, ,I -\n A.n. .... "M'"'''I'''I.Il''''' ur I'Jrt!M PruInun'$ffi. AmiC\:fd.m. Doa.wat ' .. Iq11IIIe.P ..... 1 1,,,\I,u,. .... NII .. n111:....!.!£..t9!f>.ThcRt""d"'ln~ ..o naI\-lit.liorl.IJSA.p ... 8 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh independent of the missionat) bodies ovcncn that established it but remained a member ofthc Afncan and thc World BodtesoftheReformed rroWlllI,m THE. REf'ORMED TRADITIOS One commun denominator of the three missionary societies that moulded the I: P Church into Ihe Pre,byterian brand of Chrlstiani!) wa~ the Reformed Tradition. The thr« m ... sionaJ) !IoOcKtlc,"ere members of the reformed funily . Being members of one and the same lraditmn enabled them 10 ~u~tain and anain the ,oal of establishing an "indigenuus" church, an nl're~sion of the distinctive Bible centred Church. Iiee from Europe's direct denominational ":IJnlwl 311dyet not i .... )laled from the Universal Church. II> Thus, even though Ihelhrec missions and §I)Clclic~ u§ed ditTen:nl awuaches, thc), wOfil.ed to\\ards a common goal a!. members orthe The Reformed Tradition hid its I'OOls in Martin Luther s Proll:':stant Reformation in IS 11. \1embers of this tradition bear a variety of name<:. notably: Presbyterian. Reformed and (,ongregallonal. Thus the EYangelical Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church of (jh~na are expreuwM of the Reformed Tradition. I ' At this point, it is apt to describe the main h;d..:hln~" of the Reformed Tnldiltcn. This is because s-ome of Ihe~ teachmg .. are Important to .,.'me uflhe conOicu. It 'MMIld also show which oflhesc teachings the superintendlll~ ... ocietics mlroducc:dandsustainedintheE.P.Church. The Refonncd lradilion is founded on two bai"= principles. First. that "~alyalion is by ~r.ICethroughf.ilh inJ~usChrislllSaPersonaISaYiour"_ Secondly. "the Scriplure{lhe8ible)" "- . 'Th.:Rdormcdl",.,.ilaftln{,~andlOftlc"fil,Challrnf~' Th~"I"C, \,,1 J.[1o;o;; I99J ,,"U ~ . p 11 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1\ tht only source of authorit~ 1('If" all mallcrs of flith In Chtisliin thout:ht IftCI ac:tjon", lhe!tC ''''\,I rules J"I'O"lcX lhe: ha~lS. ft'" all other principl~ ufthe Rdonne:d Tr.dili()n Ap8n (rum Ihe: aho"c bute princip!c!> tllere arc the lallowing discinctive fcaturt$ ofthc= III 'r'l~ "! I" . ,,: " ,'1_,''''11' ",Ihln the Kel"rmc=d family. the followins chal1lclcriscics apply to hi, It tcstifics.to the centntlil~ and authoflty of the: lJiblc: in ('hriSli"n laith and practice: II empn.\lLe~ the Importance ofpenonal and corporate prayer, d), It emphasil.e\ the !>ingingofpsalms. and other hymn~ that depend hca"ily on the Bible e) Rc:(ormcd wor.hip c:mpha\iz('i! the Imponance o fprclching as a mc~~ urgnee, Ch'hl,;,n f.ith and Iofe ' ~ ('reed, .. nd l:untessionalst.11emcnb are pan of the Reformed rraduion , Ilu: "pmtles Crtcd ;lnd ('oofn"ion durine the: Lord'\ Supper arc the common cr«d and ConfesSion In the: E . p , (hurch The:" authonty ~ rrom Jesus Chriu. the Lotd of the: Church 1('0 ".,h(lm they point dnd Ihc~ :tf'C intct'pf'Clations ofbiblic:11 truths Ihe Relunm:d Tradltmo docs nOl. 01110 .... ce:ntcring authoril) in one person M the CatholiCi do In ~~'.:II'I o~ t.he Pope. At the: ~e lime: It doc\ not allow 100 open a tklTlOl;rxy. that is. 'Y..alla:o:\1 \I~, ... 1"'''{.'.!!.!S!eJ2J!:!!r...!~!:f~: Th.c(lIlO. .. h,IotI"K"",I·rn, "I~la.p Il2 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh abwlute I~ 10 ..1'1 .&\ une rlc.&,n In other words, democracy shc"dd noI be taken for In,'ln"ncu. The Rcfurmed I r;Wlllon therefore. has a government thM emphasizei lovernm),! bodies. (,ourh) Rcpn:scntatl\les at these eO\cming baches art' cie.:ted by members and an: held to be lint and t"tm:mo .. t rcspDnslble to God and then to the people who elected them. These ..:ouns in thc largcmuturity of,a..esarc the Sessinn. thc Presb)1eries and lhe Synods . I:..a,hcoun rM Reformed T...tillon emphawc~ the pt"il'K:lplc: or ''"the priesthood of all believers"l • •h .&II,.thcminisu)"ofChrist is gi\lennolonlyw. panicularpcrson or gruup ofpeopJe, but to the entire Church and is di!olribuled among many officers. With the aba\lc principle in mind, the Rdllrmed Tradition upholds pastor5 as ''teaching elder. ... who ha\·e been called and trainc:d to pn:M:h Ind leach the word or God, to admlnl~'cr the ~ramenb and lead in pastOfll1 ,are. To enable them to..:arT)' oullhe~ ~e<:i.1 dUlies, the tradition Slrictl) re<:ommend~ ,h.t pastOl' must he full)· eqUiPped spiritually, academicall) and emotiOMlly. Hence the tradition puts premium on hiah quality and thorouJh Iraining. The gO\lcminS ,ouns continn their call and monitor thei, The- Rdormcd Traditio. a.d Sodety I he I radilion does not ~ ~halion as an end in ilKlfbu, 'alhe, as a means to an end. II Iherelort:uph(lldsthe\l~"'thathumanbcingiareSlivedlo5en·c.lhali,.illn\·ilr:sllihersiniothc ... mgdom of(jod (e\langclism) and 10 re~pond to the needs of the society in which thc~ Itve In <'Ihcf "",d,. l"hriSlianspnih&ality includesactioo thai IS rck\lllni to society. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Reformed aad Alwa,.s Rdorming. The Reformed fradlMn is not static . Setri Nyomi puts it like this: " II is not atradihon care(ull) jlt"OtC"C1ed from adullef1lllon for 1M past four hundred years. It is a living heritage Mhich contmuC$ 10 be buik upon 10 mcellhc needs ofevery time and culture''''''''''. The Reformed Iradlilonisthcrcforesupposcdiobeopcneduptochingessoastomeetthevariouschallengc!> of the time . I:achofthe missionary groups that nurtured the E. P Church laid emphlsis 00 thcsc lI:aturc!>olthc Refonncd fraditlon . They put in place ~tnJctures that would facilitate the de,·dopment. growth Ind sustenance ofthcsc (eatures. For example. the Ewe nih!e and Hymn Dook are to facilitate the Reformed Tradition amon, ocher things. Tile Church's Constitution .;t"lrllaimlitur~),cthicsandpolic:yoftheE.P.ChW'Ch. THE NORTH GERMAN \1ISSIONARY SOCn:.TY n HE UREl\1t:N \1IS~ION) for a deilrer undentanding uftbe E. P. Church a~ an mstitution, that h,\) stood the test of time. it is apt that a retrospectivc fC\,)ew is madcofthc Founding !oo.ociety (Ihc Norddenlsche Mission) which had its headquarters first in lIamburg, Illen mO\cd to Bremen in North ('conan,.··:1 Ilistorical teCordscited by J. K. !\gbeti. Birgit Meyer and Williamson respectively assert thai from 1700, Procc:stant ChriSiians in Noeth licrman) decided to send missionaries to CHuntries that were not Christian. The emphasis "iI\ on tvangelization. thai is, 10 bring Christianity to peopk who were not Chrisli.m:: The Nonh Gcnnan Mission Society was formed on tile 11th April. 1836 with Rev. John Hartv.ing 8rauer iI\ II, tiN ,"~pector. The main bdidofthe founding members of the society as ~taled in the Enc)clupcdla of Reli~i(ln is," (0110"\, "Meaningful religiousness must in\lolve the c!lmplete ~ligious reflt:\~.al or lite mdi\idual bchc\c:r. The fruit of such renewal musl be visible University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh inlhe lormof·piety·,lhal Ill., hfe exprcslI.i"ely of love for God and man buill 0fI vivid scnseof the rcality or God'!> pre!>encc in all sitUAlion oflifc"':'. This t)pe of Christianity demands Ihal C("If1,crt.' mu~1 dcdll:.lte tllclr IoIallife 10 the Io-..e of Go of Swabian pietism underscored the etho~ of the Bremen \1I!o'lon be1wun 1847 and 1~16. This pielistl)'pC ofChriSlianit) is rooted in the socio-economic Nd..~roUnd of Nonh Gcnnan~ in Ihe eighleenth cenlury, The 1800'~ "ere the period of Industri.1 Re\lolulKIn and urbanvall\'n in Europe. It was a period of transilion (rom traditional nperoltive agrarian 5O(;1el~ 10 m..:rc:asingly ~rn. democralic industrial ones. The change ·'In.~oI1II:ipm.Vd.2.~'r'ak. .. bmIirt~nu~.I'IIn".3 ·(;. ... ~196I. ~, ~Pt.1h. . '"_A~~lnlhc .... ,,,\;,,I\lI,,i<.1l.I "'"hd!!!E.P.Churdlli"-"_~r 71 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh brought.k:In,itsnegaljvelifeplittems.1bcpu;II)llc.bcingmoraliU$.abhorredthel~ustrial urban life such as grttd and scrire. cheafing and oppressKwiorlhe poor.ndexlJav.ganccof.1I I..lmh In)lead.Ilk!)advuc:ated3\CelictypeoflifeandIOlidempha5.isonBlblc"tudy:" l .. ifl~ t~ Great Commission. Mal1hew 28:19. "Go. thc=:n. 10 all peOpklo nerywhcrc and m3ke tbem m) dlscipks ..." .s baSIS. the pu:tist deemed it a solemn dUI) 10 bring "peopk of Ike "orkt-J' 10 Christianity. They ",rnlcd re\i\al ~rnups, some of which bc:camc founding membe:rs The N"nh <..io:nn:m \11 .... ionaty Society's aim was to send missionaries to other lands to c\ aniteh£c. Rev. John Han ..... I!; Brauer, its lirst Inspector assigned to cOccI the evangeliLlltion t.)f tither lands KI up a flll"lun.ary ~hool in H.mburg on 10th October 1837, The school was moved 10 Bmncn, which I.ter bcume the hcadquaners oflhc ~\"'Icl~ . liremen as the headqu.ancr1 acwunled for the SOCtel)' being kno\. .. n .nd called, the Bremen ~Iinjon. The fUlme al!>O refened to converts oflhe Bremen ~iet)"s affirmed by Paul Wiegrabc In hi~ book. i':~ ~rislo Harne Nul;n,'''; "Bmncn Hamea'" (Bremen MiSSion) fOf' the Church established by the Htemen Mission. wBrcmcn MiSJilln lIamctorno" (Members of the Bremen Mission Church) for membe~ oftJ\c Church established h~ the Bremen Minion!'. Lutheran and Refonned Groups li.lundedfheliremenMission. Ii slartcd a,> a non-confcssional <;(x:iCf} \I.)a)o not tn produce "rinle !;opte~" c I· ... " ur "I r ,~ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1 nlortlln"lcI~ fOf the !>OClet~. !t(JOn aftn its organ~ion. man~ uf the Lutheran groups became 'tn.::l1~ lutheran SOCtc1le1o ~nd I4lthdrcw their suppott fOf the Nooh Gennan Misston Thcincldcnloflhc:I udlCfW'l .. ithdrawallcftthcrestofthernembergroupsoflhcsocietypurel) Rcfonnc:devcnthouBhilcMtmuedtopurllucthenon-dcnomiMltonalpolicy. 1bc sociel~ ~t QUI m lirst mit.!ilonanes to New leal3nd on December 2511> 1842. the second 10 India on May. 26- 11W1 and the third to \\e. . t Africa on Marc:h 18th 1847. It was this third crouP maOc up of I.orenl Wllif. Iller Bultman. James GrafT and Karl Flats thai eventually ended up at Peki in 1847. They arrived mCapcCoaslon Sth Ma~, 1847. Bultman and Wolf left lOr Gabon two weeks later. 10 c:\plon: the pouibilit,. of upcmn~ a sWkln there. Their anempl "a~ un~uc,essful ; Dultman died !o(JOn after their arrival there and tnc French Authorit ies in (iabon \\oold nOlI aI~ ri"all") bc!\\«n then Roman Catholic Misstonarics \\orkinJi' there and the German Protestant Mis!>ionaries. Wolf returned to Cape Coast h' learn that "'Iab too had died They. hoY+e\in. lam! about the work of Ute;r compllriot)l,. the Basel Missionaries at Chrillianborg. Wolf.nd Graft therefore Y+cntln Acc~. At Chtistianborg. they leamt aboot Peki in Eweland and the desire ofiu ChtcfK",adJ'o Dei II for Misslun.mcs. Wolf, auided b~ Prince 'unday the 14th of Novembcr 1147. I.orenz Wolf was thus the l-"int MissKmary of the Bremen MI\\iunandhe··plantedthcgospelsecd"thatb((:ametheE.P.(·hurchtoday Although the Bremen Mission started the E. P. Church as a non..denominaliooal mis~ton. it dNi not lose siJht of its Reformed hadilion. The malA PUrpoK of the miuWn in cominl to Ey,eland was to invite the peopleoflhe land intotbc kingdom nfGod. that is tn c"angclizc and "'in the peoplc O\in to Christ In the Refurmed vein. therefore. the Bremen \1is~ltJfl P'" a premium on e...anseli1.alum. !"rOO! 1147 to 1918 when the last missiooal) ofthc society left lhe lick:! fOf Germany. the scx:ict,.·s cmphasis v.a\ un ~aching and teaching of the word of (jud, the Rible. The mission schools bC'came effccli"e tool. of cv."gcliL.1tion during their stay in Ewe University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Church. Agbcti recotdcd thai Man Ihh February. 1848. Wolfopencd a school "ilh 14 boys. He laughllhcm Biblical Hisaory, Ruding. Writing. Arithmetic and Sin~ing ... "'" and from that time Ihe lJremc:n Mis!>ionefTectivc:l, used both the fonnalllnd inforrnal schools 10 build up the Ewe ( "hurl:h hom a mission posa in 1847 to an indc:pmdcnl indige:I1\JtJs church in 1922. The formal ,.:h".,h rnadc usc o(thc childrcn v.ho are more leachable lhan adults oflhe society. Theywc:re l. .. ughIBibli,~ltextsloticsandhymnsinlheschools.ndthe) in lurn taught Iheir peers and adult members al home. This heritage has provided Ihe E. P. Church with qualil) leaders. lhc African AS)i'lanb v.-ere inSlrumenlal in c:\angehzation and in helping 10 bring more: people: to Chrisl as ~nbyTherollov.ingslali~li"lnrablelbelow: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh S'atis.ics of ... ~ Evaqdical Presbyterian Cbun::h. Gold Coalll of Tee· Year PeriodfroDll890to 1910(1'13) y,,, Europeans G:::Of (lOyrs.) Bremen Interval Calt.>chists Christians Missionaty Schuol 19 16 71 58 3 62 .316 1.296 ~8 8.274 5.895 8 40 1 244 11.341 .11 15 Source: West African Church HlstOI)'(·hri~llan Missionary Training. 18-1:l· 19 .NewYork. E.J. Brill, 199I,p.63 The ~1.a1i"11'\ aOO"'e demonsttaU'd the (onowing trends: A careful look al these ligure!> revealslbaliheincrCaKSinlhcnumbcrofAfricanAssiSlanlcouldbcaeonlribulingfaclorofthe spcctacular increases in membe~hipofthe Chun:h from 1890101910. There was an increasc o( 197 Afrkan Assistants in 1"'0 decades "ilh 8 corresponding increase ofChrisaians numbering Tt!eSlaliscicsal50showcdwttherecould bcolhcrcontribulory factor.. like increase in the number of European missiofll.rie,. ""hoy.ere SUperviSOrs. Thus one can memion increasing supervision as a contribuling factort"lhe mcreaseofChrislian!io. Thcslatislicsalsorevealcdan incn:asc In graduanls fmm the Mission Schools. rhis could also partly account for lhe Cor1'nf'ondingincreJ.\Cln(hmtlanssincclheschoolgraduanlscouldbeemployedasleachers Tnc Bremen Mi!>"lUn complemented the formal eduealion with the infonnal schooLs a. . agenls of evangchzaaion. Some of Ihe COUBei pu,sucd al the Milo\l~m ~t.'min.ary were Cathccism. the an 01" supcn-i\ing. counselling. and fosterina peKe to menlivn tout a Il.:w. These VIo-erealsotaughtinspcc,alcatcchumencla!l.~forbcginncn,layperson~andbclic"c:rs. Special syllabi ""en: designed tu provtde special cduealion for cunven:!. before baptism. Belie\-e,,.. VIoho Wl:relobcc(lnfirmcd~fulimembersofthcCburch..hadtogothfOUghconfirmaliOf1le,-.\.)O\ Cnuplcs getting rcad~ for marriage ¥oent through r;oun!>Clling. la~ members were chosen 10 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh hecomc elden in lhc Church A~ membc.-r. of the Reformed TradilKm with high ~mlum un ~uaht)- and lhoroughness. the missionancs.tnd !~ir agcnh !f. ... k lhe"l! clas\C~ \efiou)l~ and !hell produch. 'III.-h as Aku. It. e.n.1: and K \umi \I pro .. ed 11M: worth of Ihe effOft. They lived accordin,lo file IcnC'I) of the '\":abian pietism quoted above. People who upheld the Bmnen Missionary "jews .. f )lrt(1 dl~ Iphne and thoroughness often ~ame INO conniet with pcopk whu held opposing lIC'" l'hc mll'" df«tive means insllluled in tnc E. P. Church by lhe Bremen Miso;.ion that '>COed to unlle the conF8a1ions inlo • united chueth we~ tt..: liturgy. the Hymn Book and lhe l hun:h Order.The lilurgy was translated fwm :a liturgy produced b~ Ihe Basel \h'<'M\)f1 in South IndIa h) Lodbolz in 1875. The first part dealt wilh worship services. the second pan wilh Uartl~m. ConfiRMlion. Communion. Wedding. funeral and OrdlnatUln. It .1., hid a list of InHlCations and the Ap05lks' Crecd u Thclilutg) cnsuredunifonnit)- of\\on.hip Inthc Chureh and brought into the Church a universal identity. A devialtan from this fann of worship. Ihe elderly members fear, would make the E. P. Chun:h k»e Ihc church'§ inhcnlcd tradilion, Either the ~hurch'~ 8nempl 10 maintain thiS mode {If \\onhlp as in the liturJY be .. ..lme a raclot (If ~onOiCI Of the ancropt to dc\iilte from their mode of \\orship became a fKtor of conflict. The second edition. or lhe Chur~h's Hymnal b) J Knu~11 containin& the ~ nllm,," ofh}mM was edited b) Burgi, 10 conlain 2S1 h)mM with not:es and was publisheJ In t K% -\gain hymns are peculiar Reformcd fealum.thus Ih possnsion bn.lUghtlhe E. " . Church I"I~' umon with the Reformed famil). hmtatte or h~mns and hymn singing al'M) ~"ntrlhuted I.· "lOIt of Inc connicu in Ihe E. P ' ·~~~~~~tclDlUsmt(_h:\\eDt~II(anv.,to:~ "·Kro(ljl~.I\,,'rlfVlL&>l,,:a"'1D,'I('bl.IUnI~~I"'" ~~.=:~ ~,.~;.~.~, r'~ ~uoknt "I !he .",~.n !)~"""I 'n t,..,.,.,..,., '>' Ihe Ii,,, ') ou,J ( lnlr. ofthc University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ( hun.:h . .11~ the stud) ..... 11 dIu" In CNp&en J and 4. The firsll'hun:h Order. "hleh e\"olvcd to ba:('lffiClheConstitutionufthcE .. ansclicaJ Presb)tetlanChun:h.(jhanaand 1'.liKEv&ngcliq uc Ptnb)1elTleMC du Togo. was produced by 7.ahn. the Bremen Miuiun Inspector (1900). The \11)MOn ( 'ommincc In Bremen accepced 11011 FdwuaIy 28. 1876 wilhthccxprcs.sed wish Ihalll be re"l~d every three: ~ean . Daubk:. Schreiber. Schlunk and Spielh revised il in 1914. a true revi~ionl:lCuu,cll3djuslcdZahn ·!.rrincipk:tolhc~· "lluationbrouihlahoutb)amuch hlrScr mcrnhcr .. hrp. Dauble's 1914 Order remained in force unlllChe revision aceeplcd b~ General Synod .111 Kpalime In 1931. 1t was the revision of the 1931 OIUn:h Orderlhlrt becamethc ma.fOt IOKII>I' In the 1991 schism. 1lJc Bremen Mr.. .. ion was buih around a sCronS central committee hl',lLh:d b~ a Mission InspC'\:I'lr. I he ml\~wnane .. in lhe field were controUed and directed by the \1,,\nm Cumminee in Bremen The Missionaries had 10 leek clevante from me Mission In .. peciOf before ma~rnl a maJur decl .. ion . This direct conlrol of Bremen was 8' variance wilh the P~h~l('flan hlfm of GO\'tmfACnl. Thus when 11K Sconish \1ls~lon came to e .. tablish the P~~te"an form of Church go\emrnent tAcre was a friction bet"een the Bremen and Scouisn MiuHlnarie .. about the authority of the Synod Commiutt U 1h e Uremen Mission brought Christianity lo Eweland and found lhe E. P. Church, This 'Iud~ ~"ntends.lhaltlle E. P. ('hurch·,tradihons... practices. bcHcflystems and reactions towards ~ltuattOf'l' and pcopk 1ft to a large e"'lenlllie result of its expetlenccs with tile missionary groupsthalescablishcdandntarturcdit lomalurity The plt'·m,,\ionary OOA'rCtU of the Bremen Mi"",on like mosl Africans regarded the "Ofld .s being made up of materilll and spltilual bcinp. At the top of both beinp "as the Supt'Cme Rein!;. Ma"u. the CrcatOf of an thinp. \1alCriai things especially Ihosc wjth r!xlnordinat) al"f'Caran~c .md n. . lu~. like hu~e trees, large rocks, mounlllin~, streams and University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh h)fC"". "en: reprdcd as dwelling placn of spiritual beingsW., This beltef IiCCOlIMJ fot some , "C'. like other Africans wors'"pping rocks. and special ttcn. Ewes U50 belined that nothing lXl;urTedby chancc. IneY1:lYiiitualtOn.llwasbelievedthallhcremuscbeacau~andanenect or effecb and these: "Cf'C annbuled 10 the sUp:rMwral ot spiritual powen. This belief of the Ewe ("hn~lIans and Non.christian~ makes them to seck the f&'YOW'S of traditional good spirit!> and The carly Pietist Bremen Mis.slonarics Impressed it 00 their [we con\er1S that they "ere livin¥ 10 lhedal'1nc:uand thel' rehltoos bel;efsand practICes "ere IMt of the devilJ'. ThI:y could be sa~ only ifthc:y do away completel) with Ihclr indit:cnous way of lifc . The f.wc convcrts from the beginning had 10 choose to be eithcr indiaenous Africanllo or \\Ic~tem type Chmliam. They were lhus put between two cultures. the indiacnllu) and the foreian. from tile \.1I!»tllrl.U) Icachlng!> aboot the evilsofthe Ewecullure. iOme oflhe early Lhristians vol untanly ~paralcJ Ihcm!oC'hc~ from their non-Chri .. han compatriots and e~uabli5hed a "holly Christian ~Uf11mUf1ltIC". Thi~ clIn .. cpc and pra .. tl .. e of discrimination set up a panem of conflict and dl\I .. ..,n among the Ewes.. O\ri"ians ... c~us the "heathen" (pagans). This discriminatOf}' tendency in latcr )car'lo of the r I' ("hurch devcloped amona members of the church ..... ho ac.:u~ some members of bnnging hcalhcn practices mto Ihe Church. Chaplerii Three: and Four Ihe "phml1f1{' and "parcnlal" RIles of the Bremen Mission cnded \\hen the fi rst World "ar !tuned In PH" . me British Govemmenl deported the Gennan Missionuies. Allhough the Bmncn MI\\lun aimed .. ~tabhshing. llOOCf and Schroeder represented Dremen \~hlle Wilkie and Beveridge repn:SCnled the Scottish Mission«l. Be\etldge who opened the Synod slid this amona oIMrs. ,hc Ewe Christians. no longer children. had ad\ancat from a Miuton to a Chul'th. with a name of ih ~n. the Ewe Church .... 1 He cxplalf~ lhe Scottish policies 1 Vlitlt powen. to o.:arry (lut or del,,), deci~ions. It should hne "'>nOO Comminee to IIC1 in ils name. The meeting dec;ided on a Synod Committee of Ii\!: members. Re\lerend, Ben...ah. Hmder ..m d Kwame were elected (as Ihe African nlcmbcn of the S)n\>d (\.mminee) wilt! pastors :alone ... ocing and the whole ,,'nference &pprU\lng lkn. ... h 10 be MolrcprC'~(nlaUOn for the Church IS I whotc. I~ .ulhorilY of the Holy ScripllU"ts, the wpremac)' of the Iioly Spirit in mailers of lallhand ordc:, u In lhe bool..ll. P. Church ISO Yean, I.. T. Beveridge in his addn:n 10 lhe hrsl Synud 01 the I P Church isqoocC'dl! y)ing. MYouhavcjoiMdlOdaylhellreal fanlll~ ufthcPrcsb)lerian Church . Do eVCf)1hmj to \oCt lhe ,,·hole wCM"\ on I hip standard .. : ' The $Iud)' willancmpllo ihow In chapkno three and foof how k.eepmg the Presbyterian form and ,tandard became a {(I the a.rowtb oflhe E. P Churdllhat .Iso p.,dy concribulrd to the popularlt) and mlensi!) of lheeootlicts in the church was education. Tile foliowinldcclarntioooflheForeign \ti~!'>lun · ..... ,,· ..... 't' -. pl ll. ' hJ"LI University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ("ommll1« tlflhe Chun:h of SCofland ~ the imponance of education 10 the ml~''''" Board. II 'laIC~. "The mml Imponant thin, for the GokI Coast after the: First Wor~ W~ ",as 1hclXveiopmenlof ... ellil:lcn1primaryeducalion. TheremustbellwundlounJationlaidbefore hipruaininitan bcu-.efuJandeneclive",'· Wilkie and Beveridge in concert wilh British Colonial Go\ thai nurtured the 1:. P. ChLm;:h, CAme 10 lhe Gold <":ouI Miuion field m 1946. after the Second World War when the Germans were .pm deported and the Scon,~h declined to takc: over the E. P. Church. Tbc "middleman' in thai nCl;~lUiIl,on "'as Dr, E. Voehrlnger. ... Inc new partner of thc F P. Church was thc prodUl::I "I' OJ u",un e\LIbll\hcd al Cle~eland. Ohio on June 26. pn". It was betw"n I"u Chrisclan budlc'lo Ors"IU and German background . 1llcy were the l:.\angellca' !'I~nod ofNonh Amenca and the Rc:1ormed Church in the Untied State\ of America'" Thc:hangche.1ISynod.lhe)OUngcf"rlhct"ll.",asaproduclofaGcrmanMissiolW') "'>O;lel~ that ~..:nt agents to America in the 1840·\ hi \\\lrK .unon~ (iennan speaking Lutheran and \1 Sf 1.0UI". II Ioul.. up the name. Gennan l:.v.1l1~ehc~1 Synod of ~lJrth Amc:riCli. II I"fllled the I \angcllcal S)nod with fourothcrs with similar bellcfand polic~ Ihc!>C were the l,.-r!n.1IIh"nt-:chcal( hurchAssuciation;IheGc:nnanUnitedEvangelicaISynl>doflheE.1!>t,Ihe I \ .LIIgcl,cal ')nod 01 'JorthWest and the United hangclal Synod ofthc Ea .. t Ihl'loback8fOUndundcN.:cwcsinnosmalimeasureacloscoricknticaln:lationshipofthe I ungellcal S)nod with the Hmnen Mls~ion thaI started lhe Ewe Church and tile United Free: <. hurch of ScoI\8nd. 'rbc:) ~en: German and n:lilrmed traditlOnali) though American in namc !hey WCfC asked to come and help develop into mililiullt, The: Reformed hCf11age was n:tained. The \C\:ond paoner to lhe unton was the United Free Chun;:h of America The Oflglnal mc:mben of the RefOrmed Church were Gcrm.1l1\ "h" ,"1~ralCd to Pennsyl~ in the (It-:hln:nlh ,entuf) . The e~l.ilbh~hmenl "f the Refonncd Church "as -!l- \',-"",""I'<1''' .. 'lhc\.a'-lI'' ..... cnm,,, .. .:.tc"'(io6dl'_dl."n~'hcSc:g;'nJ ... rt:"' ... 'k:_tunlllh;(idl( .... ~(~n·. ......... .-..........~ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh attrlooted til ~lch3e1 Schlatler lie "as ~t b) the Dutch Reformed S}nod of South and North "lllland as a missiona~ dmonl the Gennan Immipanl'lo- The Church then look the name (jennan Refonned Church in 1793. The ''Gcnnan~ was dropped in 1869 and lhereafter called lhe Reformed Church in the United SCateS.41 The Gennan !)(nUlge "as ~ •• mmon to the N.cfonncd Church u il WllSlothe fwcChurch Aglin, the contents of the Ewe Presb~lerian Chun:h's Hamedodo (ConstituIlOfl) 1931. "as similar 10 the bclteh and Articles of faith of 111< Reformed Tradition a .. clled elrhe, in this chapicr. ilspolitywuPrcsbytcrian (he tim Mi""IUnaJ1 of the bangehcal and RefllTmed Church was Re ... . Eugene Grau. who was bom In ticnnan} 4. btU brought up In Ihe tiS. A. We can say. thmfOfe. that the Evanaelical and RcfufTncd Chun;h and Ih li,. .. 1 Missionary hid a Gennan bec:kground thai c:nsurcd the continuil} of miss ton work in Ihe E. P. Church. The American had provided the fi r~t high InSliNlloftofllainin, (ormiddk: pOW1:r personnel and §OIT1e of These were aciors intM 1991 c(lnflici and dl'o'ision. By providing fund" and personnel in Ihe fie lds of education lind hc.J.lth.lhe ·\merican Mis. .. ion helprd the f .P Church 10 reach malurity . The mismanagement of wme oflhe"" lI.nned the <,uoJec:I •• 1 accu~tllln ... levelled aGainsl the Church in the 1991 conflict The thn:c MI .. \ion group ... prt"oCnlcd the \.olmc me ... \oage of God's lo'·e for humankind in the life of Je .. us l hri ... l . The mcs.sage bc(~me Ihe !;ommon denominatOf" bul their approaches made the dllTerence While the 8~men Sllt:;lct) used a morah~II'; approoch stres.s.ing on the doland don'ts University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of Chrislianiry. the ScoItiUi used the democratK: approrICh of equality of humankind in c.rrying nul dulle~ for God and our neighbour.._ The: Ameri<:aM ;t<: ChampiOR!i of freedom. put in place. In)truments or structures that would enable Chrislians to be self·sufficient by being wholesome Christl.ns ph)!iic.lll~. morall~ ;tnd IIlcntall~ Taking some ofthei, predcccssocs as role models and menl(lrs.IM le.1dcr~ of 1M E, P. Chun;h lOOk to polic.cs. which accounled forthc ir d itTerenl a"rr";tchc~ In ";"nicJllr"'ral) i)slK$ of their members. The different approache~ accounted for ~,'me uf the connlcl<: In the Church. The study .... ill soow how ~trict adherence 10 the Church Ordc:r or extn:me democrac~ n:~ulred in conflicts. some of which resu lted in major schim~ ,be next chlptc:r will deal \\i lh the lir. . 1 1\\1I major schisms at Tadzewu ( 1942) and Hordome. The chapter .Iso dl-.cu)sc) a temporal) break off from the E.P. Chun;h by members r'ilhecongregauonsoflhcBucmKrachiarea. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER TlIKU. S(·H IS'l~ I ~ ritE E\ A~(jfUCAL pRESBY ( ER IA,"" CHl KC II 1939· 1962 In the introduclion in eMpIe, One. I poinled out the SIIlieRI points ofthc genc5is oflhe E P. Chwdt tM: fot a reminder and as an inuoduction to the tum of events in the Church. I wish 10 reitaale that from 1922 to 19]6. the Church boIh in the Gold Ca.S1 and Togo ~.w very imponantdevelopmenu. FiM, the raptd growth of the chuR:he's both in the Gokl Coasl and Togoland neces~ltatc:d The c\tablishment of '"0 ..eparatc adminisuativc machineric" Second ly. tbe Church's name in Thc (ioki L'''!l.t '"I'If1~ was ehanJcd from the "Bremen ~hSlilon Lhurch" to the: "Ewe l"re..b)'tcrian Church·' m line with the establl~hment of the Presb~tcrian polity Introduced by the supcrmtcndmll~coCll!ohM'!O!Olon lhc'>C \lc..,.· .mJ"'l.lfUnl dc\clupmcnts in the Ewe Prcsb)1erian Church were clouded by '"0 unfoounlllC h'''lOl'Ic.l e .. cnb lhallM.:(urred in 1939. The nrsa was 11K Second World War. The involyement (If Gcnnany &5 the aaarcssor rcsult.ed in the second deportation of the German rnlssioMrics from the Gold Coast and T 010. ..., fThe fint dcponatlOn oceurred in t 9 t 6 during the Flr'SI World War). The sa:.md hl~(lfiul eyenl"&5 ...... in 1939. Mr. Ch.ulc~ K\\ .. bla !'IIutoruti no" ~f~d 10 by his follo"en. as. " \lawu fe ame-. (man of God) (lime from Akwalia and c,t::toh~hed the ~nsblp and Ct.rii1a.n community of New Tadtewu; an (,\t('nl thai had left an mdeht'llemm in the history of the E. p, Church. """'1'hct,,,,, 'ri,· ..... ~ ["".km "'1 \1 PrenI.W.t96:Zp.19. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh INrRUDU(IIO~ <91,Apo50lkNutomuaias<.et1ed )to.h forh.ea1inl . Another was thC' 'l -byGodIOpmonn.dUIY_AShe ... . II..,. ........., . \~ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh (HAPflK THREE SCHISMS IN THE [V ANGELICAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1939·19'1 INTRODUCTIO!'i Inlhelntr,,,lu..:lioninChapterOne.lpointedoutthesalicnipoinisofthegencsisoflheE p, Chwch but fOf a rcmlnder and b.m Introduction 10 the tum of evenu in the Church, 1 wish 10 reiterate that from 1922 to 1936. the Churth boIh in the Gold C~t and TOaD saw very IInpo.untdnelopmenls, 11"1. the rapid gw\o\th of the churches both in the Gold Coast and roSoland necessitated the e\tabh .. hmenl of two ~eparale admml~tr.ati\'e machint'rin SC'Condl~, the Chwth's name in lhe Gold Ca.sl ..:olon), \\.1' ..:hangcd from the -Bremen Mission Church" 10 the "Ewe Prcsbytnian ('hurchM in line with the e_l.Jbl.,hmeni o(the Prnb)1Crian polil~ introduced by the: .. uper;ntcndingSConiUJ\1i .... lun Ihcsc very important de\dopmcnt§ in lhc b\oe Pre\b)ICrian Church \o\ere clouded by 1\\\) un(onunate historial c\cn~ ttyl occurred in 1939, nw lir,;' "11~ the S.:cond Wood War n.c in\,ol\,emcnt o( German)' a, the aggressor resulted in the ~ deportation oflhe German mis.nann from thcGoklCoutand flljO."l(Thcflrsadeportaiionoc:cum:d in 1916dwinlthe 111"'>1 World Wit), The second historical event \\&5 that. in 1939, Mr. Charles Kwabla Nutoruli 11,'" rclerred to by his (oUowers u.. - Mawufe arne", (man of God) came Iiom Ak""alia lind c\labli§hcd the township and Christ"n community elf N~ l"ad.l",u; an event Ihal had left an Indcliblc:man:inthchistoryoftheE.P.Chun:h. """I~[k\kI""lt~>t>o·ln~~~Q~London.S.C.M,""lId,.I96~p,N University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ~utomu!l ~tarled the Tadzev.u prUject as a perwnal rnpon'oC I.) a rc .. c:I.ation he had from iod 10 k.,,\e hi) lo~n. An)'ako, to. -prorni~ land"" Just ~ God called Abraham out of Ur to ~':, He volunlarily put the Chun:h he c" .. tablishcd. under the E. P. Church. in the Abor )i~lri{;t, However in 1942 he brokca"'iI} from the supervisionoflhc: 1:.. 1'. Church and became lit independent Church. the: Apostles Revelation Sociel)·. This di ... iston is the first major conftk:l lfId permanent brab"a, from the: E P Church. f"mrn 193910 1991 •• lime span of fifty-two car.. thcrc h3d b«n si, major schi~ms multin, in the: cstabli .. hmenl of the: Apostlc);. Revelation ""'Cl~ (1942). the Prc:sbytcrian Evangelica' Church of Buem Krachi (1954). the White C~s .... l<.:lel~ (1960). the lord's Pentecostal Church (1961) ClviSl Evangelical Mi~~ion (1964) and thc P. Church of Ghana (l99I). The E. P. Church did not only lo)C members but many oflhese nembers wenl a"a, "ilh lhe: gifts of the Holy Spirit thai woukJ Ilave cnnchoedthe Church iflhcy The study anc:mpu 10 sbo\\' that the cunflicts under review were the products of untr,'\{;r)i,lno\erthc:foliowina:" 011 ll"ncrshipofpropcrtie.\lllt!m'JfiC).land,building", hI doctriMI inun like m,.,jc "I ",K'Ship and UK of n:ligious artifacts c) Constituhonsl ,,,uc~hlc"fllendmentsandtenun:orofficeoflhc:executive. d, adl5hofpenona.lilies.persoMlitYloalsanddream);. In the foIkNoin[l: chapten uhn:c .and (our). lhe discourse" ill show how the: inlerpla> of he above fact0r5 produced the \phh mcntioned abo"e. startinG with lhe first, Wovenu. al University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh fHE APO~'TLES' REVELATIO!'Ii SOCIETY (A. R. S.) I Ap.:r.lniowo Fe Dedefia Habobo) Tadzewu. The Aposd",' Re:h:i.ll1<'11 Socidy (AposIuknHl Ie: Dedctia habobo) wilh it~ hcadquanCB I Tadzewu was founded b}' !oAr. Chariel Kobll Nuttlmuti Wo\-cnu.') lie: i~ gencrllill ,.Ikd mphct WO\'CrlU and hi .. t'ollo\\cn call him. "Ma\\u fe arne" (man Il( (100). According to him lC,...-ne. Wovenu, maning "he has received mere) ", \\a~ revcaled to him by God in I dn:am,'" .~~"fdinB 10 WOVCRU. the establishmcnt of "iC\\o 1 adrcwu 3nJ his life IS a prophet were his :~r<'n~to(jod'srcvc:lalions. \\lwcnu was born al An)ako in the Kela Distril:l in Decemt'Cr. 1918. His falhcr was 'ulomuci KluvlI and his rnOChcr \\IS Mika)aml\\u_ They were frallltiul1Alists. Kluvia "4'1. lCsRake-cull) Hi .. re\calcd surname, Wo\,enu (he who has received mere}) is .. ianiticant in relation to 1\ hk hi~tory, npc:cially his earl) ,hildhood. II is .mnned bl Wo\'enu)< that his life was roulh It!hl from the womb. He asscncd thai hi .. malcrNll grandfa.her. D.l.1kpata Scwornu drove .1lhn. Klu\'lI. had not ,u~tomarily married her. He contended tMi he "-as bom in the bush. \ncr his ~Irth he had to stay away from his parental home and was clred for by Cephas Gorder 1\ fO~lC'r lather'" It wa~ at the inll!f\'ention of Re\. Raben Oomm~o Bacta" lhal he "'IS .lr11 7l:J ill Adzanu in TOCOOl'l Second Ad\'mt. 28th No\'cmbtr. 1"16 Ib.8.L(.(~plb :~CKN-Q:iap.t2 ~ut.~;,..rc::~ ~:~~={;;;~i~~':,~,n~, ,~:~:.:~f>;':~:_:;l\\ ~ 1!18p.lI,-,,-, 1' 38 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Wo\,enudidnoconlyl.ckthcpaiCfNllovcofhistalhe:rbutlackcdhi. . \:aIelOO. He ~>c:d ""m \1r. Alfred Kpodo. In unc:k. III Kibi and between 19)0'" 19)5 aucnded the Kibi juvemment Bo)"'s' School. He w.s lhen la~en to Anyno. his hometown. 10 continue: his ·ducahon.sloppins·tSI&ndatdFivc. r-.:e~ fadlCl'llu \U~ .. itcd .. the easICm part of Old Tadle .... u. The nlmc:. ladzt'Wu. ........ lerived from two Ewe .... ords. .. Tadze and Wuti". Tadze mean!> red pond and Wuti means !oilk· I"ton tree (< tog.tller in the pond,ives it the colour. The ,II .. conon.uec serves as a landmark for tra\lclkrs coming tolhe 10wnu Incidenlall},therc was a silk (ol1on tree alltu: place where \,"ovenu ~ile:d his township Ihu~ '·ne"'·· "'.) added 10 Wovenu·, Tadze ..... u lodiffercntiatc it from .hcold 0"nship~9.Tadze\\u "ccra·An.o road abot.ll twelve kilomelre:~. north-e.~ of Abor and the ~!'Imc di .. lance from 8cforcWOYCnu·sarriv.lin 1939. Old rad.ze: ..... uhadneithermarkcl.Sl.:hooI.PosIOff'ICC. 'olice Stalion nor a Clinic, It had an inlen!oC perennial ..... Ier pn1blem that made: the Catholic IUernpt 10 eungeh/c tnc arca fail. Thc"·.lerp. . ,blemal'oOCd but iKcepted il. Someone ,uRlabout the putchuc and "'entlo the owner with a much higher sum. The owner "as said to lAve been ",amed by God in a metation thai ntKht not to accepl the r\C\\o oller cl!Oe he would he. Thus by ~lation fmm Gud. Wrovenu owned a large Slrct.I:h orland .• o\er a Inlie Mluan:, "rom the school eastwards through the missioo It, th1:- CA\t"aRl cn\'irons of Ncw Tadze\\ou ~CIIli", CC"nt~. God's prumi...e I:hichMSa:ond ~')ilc:r.na.fingofU:rl·~\\ffit.Hc:r.M:lbiast.-il'>',MJli;na.;nJn.UUilaJp.flilsltrhtoscluJl.f.\G}'41i:w ~mvd"""Ihedk.uluntiJl'»5v.b:r1WtMrIUfiIf1ltD.tJIOOlmlwllhkEwel~Chm:h. TIl: 'rt'..,n"'. .. (.. .. cra~dl'"'l"l,(~-li-It:~(tS5)~l>h:NcwT~udnll~k~'>f1tr;: "IuUIa.·\b. .. IdI1ll.Nmn:lRb"fa"dl wrI.ail his ,,"owini influencc I»CI' the pawing church there WO\,':IIU', ~hkcdhimlOintrodllCCpaymcntoffees,aconciilion W'O\'("RU wouLd not accepI nor efTcct During the reriod orthe conflict Wovenu ,,"as alleged ttl na\e had re\leiatulAs from God :n'~lu~ing hUn 10 gu un:d'I the: ~hnol project. forGod ..a s in full COItIroI and that the school '~--I'lo-""'''*" "',*I"\I,JI"Um.ll(.h:\{t~Ibdam"Wu!:.JT~'tIdIt~_t1'tW" University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh wid flOC M ~ failurt" ft' The: people pmooiJ:cd WO\'Cftu's school and that ufttlc Church flZZicd .II. Allhc:beginninl:orWu\"f:nu ·seunseliulKJnofTadzcwuandilSen'"itoM.hc'~lhc :ople 10 hccome mcmhcn of Ihr E~ P.aby&crian Church. After preparing the peopk in the 1t«"-nm. he In\ lied lhe Pastor ofthe' E. P. Chwda. Abor to beptiz.e them He 'o',>rii.ed \1n his own (Of" two )ears OI"Janillng the people to pro". IMmsel"cs with .;..:upalion.ll skilllandli\teaood li\les as Chthlians. Wo\tenu'sworil then full) b«amc: part tIl ~ t ... " Presbykf';' Churcb"s 0fI2ni~hl'l'l This was in agreement with Rev. Elias W .Im.lklac·s suggc~lil ln thai WO\lenu'~ lad7c\\u wurL. ihould be pOitI of the [~ Church". hur~h . When hedlcd. Rev. O. K. Amclerclooko~randwasalw fricndlyunlil lhe¥ranl i)\uc .. me up. After WOVC'fW won Ihe Irani for his schoof over Iftc Abot Chun:h. Amelclc' s att itude lWards WO\lCt1U changed, II il> alleged thai Amercfc felt Wovenu WOI!,! hc..:tlmint; luo popular II 1olllkcl; .P. Churchin"mete/e'slimcpuICCI'1,jlln..:,,..,.ioMbetOrehimlfltlrJerlowcri;undrr ·. . ~menloflce"ln"islChooIlJ,diKu"scdabowe ' tt WAS mcnttoncd carl"" thac W(l\'cnu was called by G(\Ij In perform .. duty, As he has taled inhi§(;,)ldcn Jubikc Rn-...:hurc University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Es.i YmfI)'C Wcwenu fe)'O)'O esi Ychowa nUla Ie nlo na de naM'Wo'" ta ... ~ kekledeme na WO\'CIIU kaba be woan~ac be. fofoo NUIOmuli ..... KluYia Ievivili .. pIe Sa&ana fe babU me. cyMa woavli ade fofoa ISO ,. si me. Enumake Ma",u na nUK Wovenu be wohla akpal .... ' Anyako heva (Since Wmcnu was called by God for a ~pec~1 purpose that is. his (atkef NulomUli Klu\ ia "as in datknen and hnund ~~~~;o=:~~ri;~~i~g:~=~.~\\ercd Wovenu 10 Ica"e WO\'CflU con~idered him..clf a, an iMlrument of God thus he h:td no allefnal."c but 10 obey -iod', c"mmand;md Ignore Ihal o(mco no matter the outcome(\" He Ihus made up his mind on jmn& what Gud h:n a:!>"ed him 10 do. Wovenu established a pra) er and a healing camp where he lC'aktd man~ ailments inc;ludinS insanily through prayer and lfiling and the UK 01 herb\. lie 'WK"tiscd SoKriftces as atoncmcnl (or the sin~ Ilf his clienls. lie introduced the observatiun .. (If 'otld and prohibitiom, of sclI.ual mtercour\(. Hi~ "''''ISIant!> ""ere forbidden to ~ food pre~rcd ,~ women in their menstrual pel"toch MemtrlUtinl women and those who had just given birth ,\erc: not allowed at wonhip grounds untilthe~ had undergone purification rites. Polygamy was 1,lt fvrbKJdcn pnn-ickd the "omen wcre ma"ied traditionally and at church. These practices radilions. llie E. P. Chun:h di-.couraged iuc:h praclicei v.hereu Wovenu enc;ouraged chern rhcre "b therc:fol'C a doctrinal oonnKt bet\Oocen Reformed Tradition practised by the E. P. :·hun:h and Pa1lCCOslAlism as practiced b)- WO\'cnu. The E. P. Lhurch administration at a point University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ofthtconfliclPVC WO\'tftU a transfer from Tadzewu _ The idca behind thc transfer was CO cripple the l'Io~ fadlCwu project The Church ho\4e\C~1. Met forJontn th8t NC"A Tadzcwu. land. !.Choul.nd church wert Ihe brain-child of W~U. 8nd il would be lmpo.l"'lble 10 deprive him of hi'lorighttohisproper1) Con..cquently. Wo\enu and hI .. group .. Ncw Tadzewu broke away from the Ewc una..:..:eptatllclomc"'" l"he cOffllng of Wm enu co TtldLewu brought many changes. Fct"hi'lom ami idolatry gave: wa,. In Chmll.:lfUly·l _ Chl"lsiianity in tum laught the people rH."" "a),s (If living. Robbcfy. chuting and other ...." 1011 crimes In the community were reduced and in tMir place came formal and Informal eduallOO. Fanners wert encourased to Improve lheir techniques of produclion. OrpnlLed communal I.bour fOf the provision of SO\;Io11 arnenllie .. like public toilets. ,ood drinking \Uler. schools. roads. a markC1 and a clink became Ihe accepted norm to mark ,he bti:innlns"(,,,haI TadzewuisIOOa). WO\lCftuhadaive:nthepeoplca ne" ~cn-.cofidcnllIY and rnpe'tabihl)' I~. It lhereflll"C .. lands to rt'a~lQ that the people wpportcd him. IIi, religious poliq rt'laaln, to OIJani'loattoo. cdIKa'ion, and admmislraiion added to his charisma1k leadership. These salisficdnccdsofhisgcncralionandh"pcoplcga\·ehjmpow~andauth(lrityoverandabove the E.P. Ch&rch hcscncd ,ua local calhccl .. , The E. P. Chur,h failed to win the §uppon of the people. The mal '>Chool il tel up to oompdIC widllhlll ofWo",mu for the purpose ofsccurin,tM: IO\·emmcnl cranl failed ti'r lolCk of p.ltlonasc_ The school grant of Clghl)-jj\lC p()und~ from ehe DistriC1 Commissk>ncr \/Ircn' Iu """"'cnu', Khool Neither did lhe Chun:h su"ccd In makmg Wovenu stop his prayer hcalinp rk\f "'llki It take WO\'mu 3"11)' from hi .. ra.i/C"u propcn) b) trying to transfer him. Strict "'."." .. I ... .... opClllp.11 . ....f tUlr ..... n.qtCi.P. .. I."'-21 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh oJJtH:I't'fKC 10 the Church' rules and lack of diplomx)' b)' lhe CtM'ch mulled In the hreaking a~A~ of Wo\,enu and his follo~'cn. WO\lcnu's contliel occUlTed under lhe modetalOrShip of Re\l AmegMhie (1940-J951). Amedzo in his "ork, I~'ion \\oilhin the E. P Church. wriles Ih~ aboul AmegDhie. -He ~~ a disciplinarian and rnainWncd rigidl) the ChrisllaR tradillon uf the Church and prevenled lhe Church from unc:o;amined cullures and Iraditiun!>, which wuuld poUuce it."n .h~ policy c~"ltdd panl) accounl for the condilloolO ~I~en tu \\ u~cnu and his ICII\linJ lhe fold oflheE. P. Church qutclly. On the odIerhand.lhc seemingly hiJht'ducattoru.llc\lcl of the clCl"g)' ofthaltimc as compared with , ..... of the lail) made the power of the ruling clerJY undispucablc. There was link ur no chaUcnic to their power and authority at thai lime Furthermore. il was Wovenu, an indi,tdual, ~Irugghng agam!>1 an organised church. WO\'ft1U named the new Church; the AJXKIIn Re\fC"t,on Socict). He however .sHfted tta.llhere .... ~ no diffcrmcc bccween the doccrinc oflhe A. R. S. and that of the E. P. Church. He cOnlended lhal food laboo~ of A. R. S. ~ those sUiled in the Old TI:5{am~I.·· They pracllloC" (aslin, and allow pol)J&R1Y; the laner the) conlend ha~ basis in the Scriptum." Althuugh lhc'y abhor loose morals in scxUIII maIlers. lhey do nul permanently excommunk:8te members who \liola&e the norms ofthc ChwdJ. Another (actor lhal incrcucd the dl\apeemcnl between Wo~nu and the E.P. Church al "bar __ Ihc ~chool Granl ii. . ue dl~u~!oCd above. This ethita.l iuue although remote contI"ibuuIdtolhebulldingupo(tensioobetweenWo\lenuandlheE.P.Church. J' (hur~h. 1986.1 (j P ~1 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Ille Immediate I'(&)(ln why WO\'cnu ~bmIr;c a"a~ " frwn the E.P. Church in 1945 was thai. he:"n tJcaJing with herb~ and roots: a practice lhat IS ~ImilM to !hat of African Tracfittonal healmg prklM:.CS. He "as praell~inp. exoccism &nd observinG labooli lhal were al~ observed hy the traditionalists. InMiKr,",onh.hcwasaloloumcdlohavcinuoduccdht!athcnprocticcsintolhe E.P. Church practices [hal the pictl'l mlS\KlRIIies IIIUGhl their Ewe Christians to avmd 31 all co~l . I he: rexCKwI f8CtOr came Into pla~ "hen the Abor Jc .. dcrshtp uil:d to intimKtatc Wovet1u by transft'rnnt: him from Tad1:e"u .. lid hl~ sub~uent refusal In gil lin lransftr from his own ~qulrrdproptrt) A. J*km I) being established Ihat "ould be fullowed up in all the five major schisms that occurred in lhcE. P. Churd!. Itrunsasfollows a) A fa) member of the: E. P. Church started a ,roup \\ithin Ihc E. P. Church set up. b! .~tJme"mrSlth:crnfI·s ~cmnc:IW>IXI"Ifli..'\\1Ihthe"Tiar:ntkMn~onS JWmItXl~t ...... bI:tlQ.'Il) c) 1lJe E. P. ChuII.:h [ncd to protect her Presbyterian and Refonned tradition b} pmhibilin,ntln-rcf.'nTlcdpraclices d)n..I"dc'Ofrh,grouPand""h'"'"",~or't>a"dO"··P'OSC'ibcd .. pr."r"c, because ofthclrconviction thai thc pt.lCIKCS "t't't: biblically based and uscfuflo e) Incvitabfcsplilollhcchurch occurrcd and thc practitionersofthc·onew" faith becomm~ IndcrendcnloflheE Il. ("hurch ~"" and again thiS phclwlncnon occurs in the E. P. Church !"'he church should ha\C used ,J'.lI"~uc and d'rfomae~ and atlempt at reconciliation falht'r than the use of open cOflfrontalion; a r.lllcrnthat "a" IU.1Pf'C.1(ln Ihc nexteonflicl involvingano(hermcl1IbcrofthcChurch.. Frank h"h University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh IIiE WHITE CROSS SOC IETY (Etordome, Vordln HaboM) TbC' While Cro!!.!!. Society saancd at EI~lNomC rll:,u Hid!. un the Anyrnm..lsc-Kpedzc o..i~lnall) II wa:o. knuwn as E1Of'domc Nyanyue Pre!ibytcrian Hame {jbcdododa kplc Doyofe, (The Prlycr and Healin~ Group oflhe Evangelical Presb~terli!m Church)'", 11lc While CIU\" S". . :rc~· WiiI" founded in JanlW) Ilf 1957 by the lale Fran" K"adlo Doh. He was born.I rlnrd"me rn 1910". He Ii"ed "11h his uncle who "a!!. a tkl\prlal di .. pcnscr aI Lome. The laic ";l\IOr Andreas Aku oflhc EM' Prtsb)1era.n Church at Lome: baptized him on the 18th of December. 1915. Dohauendcd school at Lumc from 191810 1927, finishingst Kpalimc. the uncle's ncw pl,..;c of work. Doh contended that .t the end of his educatwn at Kpahme. one Pa\ll.r. QUist thre" iii '>I1liilll Bible IU him sayin, thlt it should be his workrng tool in hie. He bclte\ed thaI the Bible gift from II Pastor was • cIIi from (jod to heal ,,~ Ihe power of God's "'on.l. Doh like Woyenu.took his nangciizalion and healingao; his rcspon:o.c to God's callthlt mu,. 1".1 he disobeyed at any cost. After hi!!. lioChoolina at Kpalimc he became an apprenlkc to \1c:w~ Allred lAwson and Lasscy II Kela in brick-lay in, for three and a halfycal5 after which he Will> empto)ed b) tttc French TOJllland government to ,on'ilruct wells and to do oIher m&"Iot)flf) ",orkmrural area:o. "ftcr ·,...,me yean in TOIO. the District Commissioner It Ho reql.tested that lloh be rclU'iCd to Rrlll\h fogoLand 10 do the same work. He worked.t Ho and lateral Ziofe. Atliofc. Doh !ilaned a loaJ Evanaehcal Prcsby1crian Church in one BcmanI Alipoc ' s houIe. During a h~mn praclicc one Sunda) .nernoon. Atipoc's ton. TOJbui fell very ill Mel "suddenly stiffened and §«mcd about to die"". Doh pra)ed o\I"J~ "f!~(" I"~' ~. l FlAr.q,a:.J.~I._ \u ' " ~: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh I"ice 8ftd Ihtc'\\o hI'!. l\andkcrchl(:f on hIm To gbui ""'~ miracutously restured 10 life. Tht Incident. according 10 Doh. ",a. .. lhe t.cgmninJ of his hcalina career. He also aUcged thai from thai day on"",ard ... he began I" see visions and !\ad dreams thai were instruction!; from God. The IlC"S of this CM:cpclonal hc:IIlina power spread far lind wide. He was regarded IS a man of spirilUlI po""'cr and many MBan 10 send cases ofailmen .... lo him'" Doh left Ziofe for flordcme. his homdO"'" and e\labh~hed it pra)tt and hulin. cmln: . He prcpucd a prayer ground on the \I«pand woodcd hIIlMde that is Itthc north ofthc "illaMC school playincaround· Thcplace ",a. .. dc:1:onted "'ilh Mlural f1Uv.crs and nw1f.cd with a cement cross as a sitc for ChriMlan ",,"untup Ite buik a scalemenl for his 'flock'al Turdome similar 10 what Wovcnu did aI TadLCV.U 1lIe scnh:mcnt Ra.s • waler rc:seno., and an elccuic lIencrating plant. A malemilY clini~ anJ a Dolt ~ every effon 10 1C*t his people and clients to COftlOult God lbout their affairs rMhcr dwln eonsuh traditional ~1d1. of Yewe. Afa, KoRdc Tigare. Trowo and anti-witchcraft ,hrn\C\· Doh affirmed In fbeta that. "If asked. God would himself '!oupply .11 the knoYo ledge thai profile nc:cdcd tu havc'" He lell that il "J.~ proper to cstabh .. h. special place of wonhip and prI)er ",herr God'\ peop!c couki lOud t,all., "Ith their maker. He was tl)ing 10 meet some upecb of rclllKKls Reeds of tile people: • !>en u.:c th.1llhe E\angcllcal Presbyterian Church was unabtc to offcr ils mcmbers At the beginning. Ooh was helped b} Messrs. Erasmus Motte and Trauiott Keli. Motte ¥Ioho al ... , nxcl\cd \ is""", ;h.:lcd u the lC*ter In)timc Doh was awa). Kell was Third In University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ~"rnmand lbe: Soctd) hlld II commlllcc t'l ~nen In consonance v.ilh Acl!o 6:3 ",hich stales, "so th,..n. hrL>lher. d)(xl'tC seven men .Im"n!! you "'00 arc known to be full (If the Holy Splnt 4llnet Tllc,. pra~cd fOf God's guid3lll;c and empo\.\ermenl before all OK:ti .. iln:s. The Soctc1) enpFd in exhort4iltlon:-. encouragement, IIlble Stud)', exorcism and heahng. They pracli~ IDling and ob!.cned tabo..)~ " .. )pecificd in the O~ Testament. EKh day of the week wu sci ClIutofdliya:ti\me.alE:lInIomePI"1l)'erandH~('mln: -=~~~~~··r-...- roc~ In additionlothedailyactiviticsabove,thereisrastingonlhclir,>1 runJ.I),oreac:h month for thcnnlrcsocic1.~ and on thc 15"',,1 each month forlheleadcrship. ·I hc-.ocidyobscrvesthc foI~intc tabno\ It doc\ flOC 01110\.\ 1"001\.\e4llr of 4IIny kind to be liken inlo all places ofwcnhip be it buikiing 'If an open sp.aI;c a\Siped. for \\oor~hlp and pr.l.}cr. Pastor Tefe tracc:~ the practice to bodus 3:5, \I(»C) a, the: Bwning Bush. It .. !atell· ·Tak.eoff)our~nJa l .. hc..:auseyouarc"landingonhol)'ground5· refit nplaincd that the: praCllce dcrwtes rc~ct for God by His crulurcs and II ... .11 .... , to aHlld brincinJdinonlheir'>o1nd.l1s to the holy presence of God. Thctoc:idyalroo forbid~ toringing into University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh a place of Monhip dod\es u"cd at niP. in • mwimonwl bed. 'iuch ,Iolhes. it ASsetts. ue ulKk.., Md become an abomination before the Lord . .\ ntlcher taboo of the society i$ Itw women in their menstrual period an: not alio"td at places of .... ,,(,hip Women who hlvc gi ... en birth an: like women in their menstrual period. Menstnaal ,,"om<1l are ho .... e\Cf ckan to attend worship without an, cleansing ritual after Kven dlys. Women ""00 gi~ birth have 10 undcrao a c1cansins ritulIl in ,onsonllnl with Lcviucu\ Cl\aptcr 12 ~Onc wh"gives birth 10 a m.k undergoes purilication on the fortiC1h(.aOth)day" C1c\ t~ l4) "andtheonc:with.rm..k. ontheelghticth(8Oth)da~··(Lev . 12 : S) . Menofthc KlCtc:ty would not eat food cooked by such women. not even their wi ... es. The WCIet) heals through prayers. fasting and tile use of herbs. TIley Ilowever do not f''I"bid the usc of orthodox medICine. The group u~s holy walCf and oil in healing .nd anulnllng ('".ndlesof".rtouscolours.re.lsouscdalle~edl) to enhance ans,,"en 10 prayer. Durin~ ",,(ship. pra~er and healing seuions. partn~ipants are exhorted to remove f.I'lChood and prc1nK:C bum lhen [jvn; parents are to show rcallmc to their children; children an: taught 10 obey their parents and elden; unfaithful wives and husbands are made to confess andrcform . Hlbk studies and prayer form an lAlegral pari of each day's IIctivity of tile society. Chmh In the he"lm~ centn: an: encouraged to pta) and fa!>1 as pan (If the hcalin~ therapy. l"hey an: taught nib Ie le\h and gi"en sp«i81 portions from the Dible. npecially from the 1'~lm!o, 10 rad at rtlular pcfl,ldC 11 believes that partkipatioo in the Lord's Supper enjoins Christl. responsibility on lhe panlcipanh On Sunday~. ChnstlartS. other than thow from the E P. Church, Arc' asked to ~n 10 thelf chur.;hc, I'remantal KX is discouraged. Polypmy is forhldden. There are stringent ...... n.;llon' 'Illr"l'-.co on members \\ho indulge in adultery and formUllOfl F:Uf example those: "h" IIIJul~e In adullery and fomKallon are made 10 leave the University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh pB)cr camp for three monlhi. TMy an: re-admiacd onay when the otTcndcr.. iho_ remor-.c and rqx:ntancc . These measure. . we aimed It impoVln1 Chriscian lilC style of members and peupk Alltk: beginning, Doh and hl~llroop'oIalongwell wilhlhc local cont:relallon and the Churt:h al large. Baeta as~nll IMI scvcnr.l people were leaden ,n bllth the socict) .nd thc local Consrcpllon8~ . The Central authority of tM: Church. 8ac. . conlinucd. held a moderatc VICV'- abouI the group from the kKinninG. I his might comc (rom the (Kllha1. ils activities were, at tbc bqinnina. Ioc:alil:cd and wcre unknown to the Church Author-iUn. lIowc\tr. in 195Q, d .... ynod delcg.~ from Xlcfi District made a formal complaint .bout ·\ ... ,",dInG w f'a!otor Tete of the White Cr()cUllale::!"lnvcstigatcthcdoctrincandpractic~ollhe::j.:r'lupandreponl0IhcChun:h.Pastor I de:: ,onlirmed thaI the said commlRCC ,"I~itcd the I:,r'~r then al Hurdomc in 1959. The commlttec'", report could noc be traced It Ho. and the Vc::ry Rev . Abuliatc. unfOrtunatci) il de.t In 1960. thl:Chun;:h sent out circular, Ref. ~o CHIIS 1'~ltl of~rnbCf. 1960 10111 .:"nj.:n:j.:alLlIm,: thc summalion ofwhidlsl.alcs· ~~no\\I:;:7;::,C=~!,!,~hc.!:~~Fh Pastor Tefc ohhc White C~\ Soclct) , Jordan, .~'iCned lhat at an anniversary of the E P. Church at Agalc. In the same ycv, Re,". F. H. Buatsi, llle tllen S)nod Clerk (1954·1962) rcilCraCed the content, oflhc circu]ltquoted abovc . I~e also enumeratcd some orlhe practices termed earlier as ""Ncw (1J5WfnS', Tefe Jtalc::d thAt thc E. P. Church refusc-d to administer ,,;rnmunion. baptism and buri,lto the ElOrdomc E. p, Chun;:h because of the practices of the J>u~t"r Group. Thi~ "'Iud) noted lhIt thc:: Church followed up its strategy of isolation ofoffcndeTs Yollhdcnaalofpa51Oralc.are.Thcsocicl)· hadnooplklnolher!hanloperformlhescfuRctionsand performlRB !hem marked Its break away from the i:.vangcli(al Pre",bylcrian Chun:h. ThcE. P Ch~hha~lhu",\uffcrcdan"lhcr5plit.Thccau'tC"forthcdi\isionfollowcdthc I*ItftI of 1945 .... hen Wovcnu and his Healin, Chun;:h became the ApoItks Revelation Soctcc) Dohcstabiishcdapra)"Cfandahcalinlccntreat ElOfdomcasahcalinlcentn=oflhe toeal E. P. Church. Iii!> gr"up and the Church co-nisled aI the bcgiooinl. 1Re IfOUP ~Ith all intcnlKlns Hied It, re::mam pan oftbe Church. Hut intulerance:: (rom a section orthcChurch especially the dderl~ ,'nc::, Yolth mi\§IOfW) tra"htillfl cauloCd the lc.1dcrship to place restnction .. on the group University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh With the feeling of Ch&nl~ and s~mpathy to the sick and the spirilU.II\«d), Doh. li~~' Wovenu., ¥lOlIki no! SlOP hiS mode ofpta)ln~ not SUIp "ling throuah prayer, The ('hurch orckred lhal the E, P. Church Membenhlp Cuds of the IfOUP members be withdrawn and Its members mould not be liven the: lord's Supper b) the E. P Church. (...alated b) thc E. P. Churdt AdminiSlr.lltloo, the Prayer (jroup in lne Etontomc E. P. Church rtoI'JAIlilcd ibelf into an 'lluntc. ...1 lns the ,solelton by lhe E. P. Church. The E. P. Chul"(:h. In l.Ncr to pn:"cnt oeMn Iwm rcpc It diqpPf(lwd, pronounced s.anchons 00 Ihe group. Wovenu and Uoh dtd nol pushlhcir cases '":Ir but decided tl' ,0 their own ways 10 CUNil their connlCls wllh Ihe E Dob. likc WO\lcnu felt hc had aservic:e 10 rendcr, Ihill is. tohcal,andlhcE. P.OM.tn:h ¥lould not anow him CO render this service 10 lbe Church. Tile only option left for him was to nn: WRI),SPl-Nrr..corrALl.1IUROI (AGBElENGOR) ThcdocllllLllpractICCichafOKICrI,llcofPrayerltoohealinsan,upl>describedabove prmcdlobclhcleading (actoro(thcnnlconnic1thatistobcrcviC"'cd fhc lord's Pentecostal Church al iu illl;:eption was known as Ihe lord', Church. II \IaI1cd as a prayer group at Blengu Pd.i In 1959 within the Evangelical Presb)1crian Church. The laiC Samuel Y",-. Amcdzro. " mcmber of thc Ulcngo E P. Church, founded il. Meyer dc",ribed AmW.lo il) .1 .. nun· .. ..: .. "e .. mcmber "I the ("hurch. Tbc a~senion, if true, docs not dcn~ the (KI lhal Amedzro \\.1\ InlrodlKcd 10 Lhmtlolnit,. through the E. P. Chun:h; and. thcrdufc.\\,,\amemberoflhell'.Church University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Amcdzro was the son of a poIyg.amoos falher and a motMr who W." II member of the ApostolIC Chutch of Ghana. He w.s bapCil~ in the E. P Church. "Iengo and .ttended its \.Ch\Ild cutt: Amt'dzro. he \\b Taken to Tekrom. I vill:lg( near (juaman . A"'lln, in the J.sikan District, There was a Healing Centre established by Mr. T. K. Bokuma llpersting II Tekrom. The Ilcllin~ ('enm: "'IS a Prayer Group within the l: , p, Church. Bakuma healed the .. il;l.. b~ pnY'"~ and I.~ in~ of hinds, u~ the lime Amedzro was healed at Tekrom he learn! the practices of the He.ling Camp At fdtlOm he had two vision), In lhe firslvision, he daimcd (jod g.ne him a new name. which v.,,~ "otten on hiS forehead in the vision . His new name \"a~ ,nhn. From then on, Amcdzro was known .... ~am (Samuel) JI.hn Amcduo -1 hus. he gave: up Yan. which was his hll1hday name: The change: ofnamc, Sam John, )m~lllzed 01. new Idc:nlil) . neing given a n&me by God, mlldc him God', property; I servant of God," Accot(hngtohim, in Ihe « hooK', \icmbcn. 01 hi" family 3nd fr~nds joined him. Prominent amana them "en: hi' t'NO dOle friends. MeSo"rs. n. A, Y. Menka a member of IIkn"o E. P. CflurchanJt.K Wuaku." Mr. l:mmanud Kwaku WUlku ITslrifo Kwaku)ofPeki AVC1ilc ,,-as a Methodi .. 1. Ile .... A) Arncdzro'!> ,hildhood friend and foocbalilcammale. Wuaku affirmed lhat 1M} did Ihings in common "hen they "'ere in w:hooI and U lcammaln. Inculentall)', Wuaku's \Ioife also fell sick .and "as taken to Tekrom when Amedzro was slill receiving Ifealmenllhere Ihe IW(l friends "1ft broughl 10Bdher to e'pcnencc God's healing power and learnl 10 commil themselves 10 Ua .... at Illeng", Amaizro. from hi!> reborn e"pcrll::'nce. ~I up a prayer group. He c\uhh .. hcd J prayer ground in the bush akin to Wovcnu', In Tadzewu and Doh's II Elordomc. Hebcgantl,hcaltltcsH:klhroughpra)er.exorciseevilsplritsandperfonn·wondcrs'.1neIfOUP 'lu~kl~ alttklCd proJIlc from and arounJ Pckl who heard about the healing powers. of member of.he group atlribuled this trend to lhe Riblicallexl. which states: ~o .. remember .... hal )OU were m) brothcn"henGodcallcd)ourrom tbehumanpoinlohiew, fcwofyou WCftVtisc or po .. edul or of high soci.1 -.ding," '""N" il I liM '", "'~.)I:I'J.), University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Con«quently, the social structure III the Blengo ,roup. stmll,lr lu thai orTadlC'W\l and EkJrdomc underlined tM nc:cd for bcalj"~ :.~ities. The healing act 5C'n-ed as a SC'(urity against the mldY .!I-.c.s .... ' Ih. threaten the survival of some of the membcn of the Church. II b true thai tilt AccordlAG 10 Debrunn.er. mankind's fourexpect3uons from rchgio.>n:.n: !\(X;ialfcllowship rmotHIO:.lnpcricnce licaling Sccuril) &pinstrcalorlmagllw:de\'iI fon::es.·' OUI ofthc above, the Historical Churches provide only the lirsltwo tuving out the tWO ... hleh to the Af,ic.tn arc alw \Cf) impottant. The chuteh p'\)\ldc~ ph)Mcal healing but, KCO'''Iitna to follo\\c" uf \he Prt)'n and Huling groups. fails to provide spiritual hnlln~ t-ellc\c~ thai the ph)"icat world 1< controlled by ~h good and evil spiritual forces and man mu)tbc:pnltcctcd ..a inSlthceviloneswhiic""tr..,ngthc&oodwilluflhcgoodspirils. SincclN: MISS;"'" Chwcla do not providt sources of Inrllrmallon through which to get this treatment, mos& of her members s«k Ihe5C' cI!<"here. \er} utlen v.ilh the Spiritual Of PentetotUl Wuaku Il~d thai the ,roup was noc II its beginning I Church. but • pn~CT ,roup "'Ithln the E. P. C~. The majorif) of II, memben. "ere members of the BIenIO I. P Cong~ptiOil and man~ 'A-CTC communicants and cider, IR the Blengo church. Meyer affirmct.l thi" .... hen she quoted from 81cn~0 E, P. Churth 1Jiaf) lIf a mCC11"g hct,""ccn Me\ L Y Tawia u.d lhe "lcn~ •• Church SesSion 1111 20th Apc-il 1960 under the lorl\ rckrom tJh'Up. Again like \I,"HnU,"lOO Ilrt..h. Amcdzroatthcbeginnin.dW:tnotaimateslablishi"lachutchbUlaaroup •. tlth\nu.ll I'*'\ ''P .... f\.DJ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh \lCknt\)bonde(I by Satan and ibevilfon::n \nuSm1ft!t...~tujil\,l.moWiI)MhW(Jl,~;n1n.ttlld~:rult"tJrtn:6. I "",mCf1 i:n their menstnul pcn.>d ""ere noc tu .,I11Cnd prayer m«Iinp.; la"'e WClolern mcdh:InC but 10 rd~ onl~ un pr.l~ cr rh.: ~ Jrum. clap their hands and dan..:c .II "orshlpi. U)C) ha\c praycr and hcaJin, '-C'~I,"I'. ""htt:h arc pnK:liccs thai the: patent church. the E. P. Church does not al~w. The group. hke the Apl.I'~tlc~ Rc\Clalwn StlClny and the While Cron Society, uses malerials wh~h they -n.:w ""e~ ,andln of various COitlUtS. The Cross.. florida ",Bt(r. perfumes and IIKe11SC and lOIlme ptXlK:Ctll Ihcpra)er,rOUplhllsbccamea factorofconflielMIWttnthoegroupandlhcmothn ehurch .11 8lc:nao. The connict became the problem of the: entire <.:hurch becauK the prlCtice. it .... "" f(oarcd. could e,cntu.1!!} sprud In oche1 coogtcJl.llOOS of the: enlnt: Church if nol slopped 'Thearoup . .1ftera)'e&lOfll5exisaeoce.incurredthehl,)lIlit)ofthelocalcongrcg;atIOil. Mc)cr re(>.lrdod lb1t In 1%0, the casc orthe Teluom Prayer Group appeart:d fout tunn In the Dknao E. P. Church Se55ion Minuw. Blcngo f-.. p , Chutth was CCN'ICCf'I'k'd becau.se the founder of the ,roup. Amcdzru. ahhough a nommal Christian. was, ~Ihele~s. a member ofthc Blenaa .' P ( 'hurtt!. In additIon. the m.joril~ oflhe membersoflhe group were members orltlc Blmgo (hun:h.lndlhe~ In..:ludcdr~\h)tch _ 0 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Membcn of the E. P. Church out~iCntall\c meeting on the Peki l"ekrom Prayer Group. coupled with the fa~1 thlt the: minUin 01 lhe meeting "'~ rcalfded. showed the magnitude of the threat the fWOI)et gmup JIO'C'd 10 the E. P. Church. TIK meeting underscores the supposition ohhe: leaders of the Church lbat the pnlytr poup "\iolated the Church's rules Ind ncalec:tcd the Chun:h's monopol), on the (lrpmyuono(Chnstianlife·· .... Thc Ulcn!!" Church at that instance was claiminl Ihe Church' s right ofaulhor ityandits I«ntit) as J hralk. .. ofthc unl\'erul f>rtllCSlanl family. Wuaku in I research mlenlcw wilh lhe: aulhor .tlirmcd MC'yer's .coont of Rn F Ia"iah's meeting "ilh the Prayer Group, which h ... ,. . rlKeon 29'" April. 1%0.'" She stated thai Rev. Tawlah,11 that Instance wanted Amedzro to declare where Ihe gmups .neglanu "U. fOf the Church or agamst il. Amcdzro did not make ,1n) declaratIOn but insccad 1U0000tcd his Tekrom npcrn:t"K:cs. While lhe E. P. Church would not compromnc hcr Reformed University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Tradil~ with PnltCCOSUhsm, lht Prayer Group Oft !:heir pan "ould I'ktt al~) give up their Pa\tC'Cmul fi~ fOf the old Rcformed T~ilKJn. 11U11 mceling cndC'd ",thout a meaningful compromiJ;e I he Church's intetc5i and cmrha~i~ ""as on its 1001 tradition with set Nk.s and "min modes of I;onduct durini worshiP A Ir~htlon lhat the Church al all IImei protects and maintains. Hll\loC\Cf Iht African Christian heatcd.thcpnysic.ll hcllhng,"llhe hl.l~plt .. l, arc inl;llmplc'l; Thl\ factor of ~11~llIU' JI\..oItisfactllK\ I) a major i!>~uc In the E.P. Church conOirtl; ... African cncOWl~rwilh Chrisllant~ Debtuncr(I962). p. 30. BKta(19). p. and larbi (1995). p. JI.agrced\Mlousl) .... lIhMargarct ... icldthat Ihcpt'imaryvulnenbllil),ofthcpalicntlothedl)clIse 1\ ofsupcmatutal Ori,m and Imtil. tcdm'IpllVC ritual has bccnpcrf,.rmcd.thellolpitaleff'onsarcf"'lk. ... Tlus Primal \\orkSvtcw til' the African and. fot I"'" 11\IUft. Chrit;lian1 will m:al.t" them IC'Ck ~I prtMC'Clionand hulln.as amatterof.rcat importance.nomatterlhC'conSC:"Iucnces. The r;ft)'er CinlUp phenomenon \10,11 e),i~t ~ long aJlhe Mission Churches do not offer altcrrWivn or ""(W'dmg to \\'uaku the group's convlcll"n m the po. ... cr of prayer and fastina: under the the rclilklUS pncIK .. , .Jujuircd at T drorn. Our persuasion was. "it is better to Irust in the lord lnan kl ~I conftdcn.;:e In nwt~'" he emphalllcd. " ' llh that in mind \.hey defied the Ch~h and C4lftlinucd with lheir Tekrom praclices and al the urne lime t,ied as be~t to remain members of Ute InI.JChc, church. The Uknl;lt ,tlnnlel slal1cd with a lilu"ltcal iuuc but ended up a doctrinal IltIC, an I\\UIt I~t neither the I·,. P { 'hUl'th nor the Pr.ycr GnMlp "ould compromise on University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Wuaku affirmed Ihal al an E. P. Church Anniversary at Tunte, oo:!Oth Novemher. 1960. R~. Ta. . tah publicly read a circular sent from the Church's HelIdquancrs. Ho." 11 ~Icd 11\11 an~ mcrnbcrofthe E. P. Church who conlinued to belong to the Tekrom t'r.l)erGroup ccaKd to I'f" mcmhcr ofthr Church unle!OS Ile or she \topped the prkuces ofloud payina and fasaina· In ;,ddltK>R. such a member muM de)l)t from ,~rvinl the tabrn» of not wearin~ .Jwes or ~ndals 1,1 \Oo,lfihip. "omeR in !.heir mcn)lr\I.al pt'rII..Js rklt CRtering the Church or Prayer urounds and not U\lng\Ooolcmmcdicincwhcnsick. The l. P. Church. in reaction 10 the lilengo reborn Group, adopted the !>arne method or ~h it used AI Aaale again~llhe While erm,s Societ). She declared them n-(:ommuni~atcd TheChurchadoptedthcpoliC) o(lsoiattonismagainst pcople or &roup of people who violated its f\l1n and regu"'ions or challenged its authurlt~ and identity. Again the outcome of the ("hun:h', fca..:tlt1n lAU, as in the t\HI rrc\-ulUs instancn ullder review. a (ounter reaclton. Amcdlrll and hi\ srour and some sympatizerii oraanised themselves into an mdependent rch~lIlU't;roUp. The PraycrGrouptookthcname, "'rne Lord's Church" \\ \la~u l'C'Counted some ilKidcnts that markcd tM group's bR:.l~ ""way from the Church; t In Ik,embn. 1959. when the son of Christian Sai Kwadzo died.. the E. P. Chun:h Olenao said it would bury the boy only iflhe fatherpromiscd to break .l4a) fromthcPra)cruroup.'"Tht Churchdidnocoot)lhcboybn:auw:Sai KlAadz~ would .nol denounce the Prayer Group. llJe performance of bur"'l and bUrial oks IS one of the funelKms of 1M: Church that it uses as a sanctton againstdefaulters,m Ih" '-'~I~ "u mappropnatc b«.lIU~ il dKt not make Sal Kwadzo denounce the Rlcn}:o le~r"m Group. nor did It make the Group \top (he: practtcn. The sanction ralher ga\c (he Group dlt ,hancc 10 exercise the fight to perform bu,.al nles. The: group thercfcn became IRdependent asllotasthcpcrformancc:oflhc:Chrl\lIanntcortouriall\COfKemed ....... , • ... ~-m,-~~"I). .... \~~I1"U1"tu.~h·1 1"hr.!h"'\.f1I1rI .. \{'f11'. ... ·11 ..... c.k~,"',',,,"I:·' University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh On Ch,i\lma\ day, 1960. IhI: Group orpniscd liS lirst indepmdcn' Sundav '\cnice,lnl This was an indicalton thai the Group had separated from the E.P, Church 8lcngo and had rejected chc condilionssi\enlolhemb) Ihc:Churc:h 3 Un 29th October. 1961 , dar Peki Prayer Group spiff decisivel) from the F.nasc1ital Presbyterian Church when for the first time it baptized OM~flumtmbcn in the ' Amimli' Slream. n,.: The Biens" Pr.. ~.:r Group had perfOf'JTlCd lhe religious rile of Baptism which was lhe preserve of ont) lhe: ."lfdamc:d c.>n of the E. P. Church. The dn. .. ' 01' Ilk impor1ant !>Crvice of BapCism, the hallmark of Chri~Wtity . 00 ITIOfC servn a' a mechanism formakinglhe GnJupobcy the Church's rules and regulatiuns Sewndly. abc Group decl\ivcly broke: away from the E P. Church duclrinally in the ritual ufbaptlml It broke awa} from the Church' s tradition of clTusion a!i a mode of baptism. It "duped ,he Pentecostal mode of baplism by imme"iun Ihu~ hreakmg the Refonnc:d Tradition. I he aOOplfon of lhe Pentr:cosuJ mode ofbapl)m 1\ an,'lher c •• mnwnalil} of doctrinal pnclice: "I Ihc:: Lmd's Pentecostal Church with the ApcHolle~ Re\'elation S •. ..:'ely and the Whilc Cros.s ! in Ewetranslatc!oas·aabelc ngO!' • meaning the '~ar life il> ahead, This name has become the affectionate name for the IfOUpcspcciallyinthe~kiV.I~, The nublishmenl of the Lord's PenlC'('ostai Church man..ed the third strand IIf a c.hun::h that Ytascs&abli .. ~d by a memheroflhe E, p, Church: The A.R,S, ""AS tM first followed by the White (''''ss SocH:t) and then the Lord's ~nlecostal Church. The main is.sue of tile conflict was lhequesciOflofaulhoot) , Whetherthcyhad toobcy tllal of God as in the Bibk or that ofthc chutth'sasinliercon!>lilUliOft,lIwasPenlocos.tali:.mversusthe Reli.lrm tradi( ioo, The ("lIowin. are idcnlifiahle simil:lfllin and differences that II bea~ with boIh the I ~lmjLarities a) founder ""as a member of the E, p, Church; founder was called by God in a viSion. Belief in hc.1I1n~ Ihroughprayerand fasting b) Hasahealingcentre c) CooOic' "",ththcl:hurth involved Mode of Prayer dedckbetween the t'AoO e) Establi~hmcntof;ndcpcn,r':lIcCiisthclas(~ 2, Diffm:nces Doc:trinally.lhe Lord's Pemecost.al Church was "Pentecostal" rather than in the African Inckpendenl Chun:h mode as ""as the Apostles Revelation Sodcty andr.heWhilc('nMChurch. lk Lord's Pentecostal Churl:h I~ ecumenical, in that it bcJon,.o; to the Ghana C"UI1"II I.fl·entc.:."lal Churches but hc AJ)O\IIes Revelatton Sncielyandlhc University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ~ Me (r\l~' Chun::h do no( bdoo& 10 «umenical unions At the ~g'nn'nll- die Lord's Pmk'costal Chuteh followed the Llboo prac1KeS p:cuhlr to A I;'can lndq>cfMknt Chur~ such ~ not wearin, sandal' to worship. restnctlOn of mcns(f'Ual ",ornen Irum allenJ'RI worship and pnyer sessions and the usc of ~liglOus artefact". 0I11 ha\',"~ \.C\ual jnecn;ounc on the nl~hl ~fore I't'hglOus SCf'\'iccs and cemnontn Of ntcs and the usc of candles and Flofid4l! water. Wuak:u.ffirrnc=dlhatrcli,1ousitymustbc"plrltualratherthan.physical Tllough the Lhu,,;h 'Iill considers prayer the ml,)~t effective remedy .pinsl "II human problems. mcmt.c:~ arc anow~d to supplement il with wutcm medicine when appropriate. Sci", a mem~r oflbe Council \11 (jhana Pentecostal Chun:~ has brought It from bein. II. local Chan:h 10 a member of. nah ... lIlaJ.nd also.n intemalion. . lm(.\crncnt.lth.sch.ng~ its cheo~.ndattitudclolhc:R,"'k Amcduo the issues v.ere pan,ally thole: of Polity where the po\\cr and authority of the E.P (hun..h"ercchallcn~cdbytheg,owlRginnucnceoflhethrtecharisrnaticleaders. Therc wu the 'Hue III ('th,n in the c.~, o( Wo\'enu and Amedzro Wovcnu was involved in a etlAn,C! over lin.lt\Cc. the tlXe,pt of e'shl~.five pounds f'lIm the EdItC.IKln AJmlnlstrauon while Ihe Abot ... P Churth feh the money wu meanl not for Wo\,cnu's s.c:hool but ralher for her s.c:hool. IlhlC~"I). the- Church II Hlengu kit lhe: poly~ Amcdzro \\'&\ not qualified to be a leader or .ln~ wlft In the Church or. leader of. group in the Church . All Inc three "'crt ho\\.ever involved "",Ih the i,WJC'S ~lating to liturgy. healing. ta~ and prayer. The lilurgiul iuUiCS ha"e become cIac1nnaI whcR the E. P. Church', Reformed Tradition came inco coonict with the flare of PCftkco5Wism in 5Offi( of her conarcpaions. Thew c~lfI8reptions thus dKi .11 they cou'd to I'UVi the pt'f'peV&Iun out. "Om sanclion ~ from misSionary heritalc, lhe Church Order now , .. lied the ConstJ1utlOn. SectIOn 1 on the adm,"i\~1On ofChutch PCNllle\ \tales University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ... ShouklthcyslicktotheiropJlOSilion.Iht.-ntheyhave dearly shown that ~ have sC'\'erN lheir membership formllwchurch . . .. ' 11M: miuton.riestaught Ilwirconveruandllwchurchthallhc E~e) anJ lbelfcuhural practices ~erc ·dC"vllish· and ·healhen· Members orlbe Church shoukl noC indulge in them and mtmbers who indulaed in an) facel ofthc: E~e culture mUll firs1 be .... amcd and "'hen persis1enl shoold he com.idcn:d IS non-member.. of the E. P. Church. The Missionaries dtd not penni! hc.thng "ilh herbs. Neither did they pemul e~"rcism. The Prayer tiroup~ under rcvle~ used n.:tbslOheal.pracli~C::X(lfCl\mandobscrvedlilbol.!)lhalwere pen:em:d b) the church as Afrh.;antradilionai religlOuspracltces. To the Church Ihcsc Pra)er<.iroups\\erepraclisinl EYre tradltwnal ritn . The: ( ·hun:h therefore appltcd the '3n.;lion) it felt were appropri.te 10 lhe n!TeRCe they hIId commincd. 1lJe Church vie\ll-ed thelle pratliccs under tridi(ional pre-missionary r""itl.ttc<:s wilhoul Looki", as their scriptufll' contexts. If the Church had viewed these pracdccs ...:rip'urall) and poo.itively. the .. ituatlOfl would Ilave been dillt-rent . The next conflict and division to he rnlew~ clear!) demtlfl\1rale~ thai dialogue is an elTcctlve mechanism in solving conntcls. This wuthe secc~~I(ln ,)!"the: Bucm Krachi congrcsalion .. 01 the E. P. Church in 19'4. 1m· 1'm. ... nnlHIAN t:V. \!\LWCAL CHI KCH O .. 'HlJI-'\I .... H.AOIl,19:S1-1964 I he r[~'e[\l r:.l[],": ohhc Church. [\langehL:dJ IJre~b~lerJan ChW'Ch was given to i, in i'l,,", ",...-[ III\! .. u!on. under ~vicw. 1lJe E. P. Churth.then called Ihe Ewe PreSb}1erian ( ·hurch. lhe congregationS involved in lhe ~'rjsis were amona ,he lifteen eongrc: ••l lun!l. ,he Basel \11""," handed over 10 the 8n:men Missll>n in 1903 In a resuil of. Cotonial dcmarL:atiill1 of University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 104 TOloland between cllt' j()n. For the Ewe spraking congrcgatil'n~. tM change was acceptable but fOt lhe con~rtgatioos who Spl1~<: ~kony .. LckfTll lind Akan lind for whom Akan !lad been u~d b) the Basel \AI'>'I"" agents. ilwasfd~Yln:q13hlc. lh=yprcll'"lT\.uCOu.g:AkaniR 1W.~dud1lifetTd~ctn~'-'S ~"m:I\.-k.cmIl:lI8:I:.~ . • Aronll\:.,RC\tI'n(,Ar"IR,Itc~IftJBu.Tll..::cq71.~didlJJl.tikelhclrlCofb\\etuhinduldl inJJ1tu!iCkds. l~....-ncu~iY1ddcOOedl:lbmti'nl.Mnc:tuchin"hchd'C) y,oUdU!CAkIwL 1lEy I. The t'l)flvention People's Party (C.P.P.) which WIS nationwide, in the Gold Coast and ~ "bionic which was pro-Toao and E"e. It y,.~ c\-Idcn!!hen thai some Oflhc church's cxeculj\"e mcmbns such as Rev. Ualevo alld Rev AmeIOl"WoblA.1he It.cn S)nod Clerk were members oflhe Ablodc Pa"). Since Ihe Nkonyas and the 8~s were not in fnour of only E"e in the church .nd "ould no! "ani La be politically UM~d .. ith the Ewc~ in rf'go. 'hey suPl"'oned lhe c.P.P. which was anli·I ugo unification. "'" University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In 11IS4, the Hucm K,..d" COftSrqllions ofthc [.P. ( 'hurch, c,\.cf!4 WOf"il .... on DiscriC1, dc<:1arat lhe,r autonomy and established. cllureh unckr lhe name. ~Presb~ttr!.ln E"anscheal (P.I·. . ) Church ofBuan K~h, wilb its Headquancn II Guaman. Aceordin~ 10 Rcv. Danic'1 Yao Aglubic,oneoftheptorlC'tl"pa5UlnoflhcPE.Church.thc·break.awa)· group asked one Rcv. f-. P K ••f o,.3 rei Ired paSIUf nflht Prcsb~1crliln Church ,If the Gold C",,:!ol to ordain ra~\)f"\ for theehurch. Thn!'C~StOf1o. Re\ercnd!o Ed .... 'n AKUIO, W.S. Nyarl.'l and Coleman .... crc 8C(Otd,nl'l~ otdalnrd '" 1960. Colem.lJl Jacd. kYr months after his ordination and RC1f. Aal\IIbC frum "l.'ln~ .. \\"~\ ordained in 1961 b~ Rc\-crends KWlfo' ''' and Nyarko'l"la -\.;(\)rdmg to Ansrc. bnth the DaloCl and Bremen Miuton Churches in Accra and 1-10 were no( happ> about the lurn or e\ cnb. me two churches. the Prcsb~ Icnan Church Ill" the Gold Coast md lhe ["c Presbyterian Church met unde1' lhe (o-chairmanship orRt. Rev. Odjldj .. h and Rt. R.n. Ga1c"o and dilCusKd the arieviloces ofthc P. E. Church. Finally at the E. P. Church Synod ChUfth. to ~i~ it. unJversal outlook that would include non·Ewes. In addition. the E. P ("lIurch "arced 10 1I\'e equal opportunitin to all mcmbers of the Church in matters of education .. mJ .ordUt;ltIOfl indiKflminative III ttibe'.I<}I II also agreed to usc Aklln alongside Ewe al WorshiP andehurchfunctlom II lIlsoaarttdlOabsotbthtag('nlsofthc P. E. and re·educalethem as mcmbenorwE.p Church. The BU('"Jf) Kl"Khi crisis was solved through diak>&ue and ncaOliation. One factor that lhe- authoJ th'nUcOfIlnbuted 10 the wlulion of the crisis was lhe victory or the C.P.P. over Ablodt in the 19S4 PleblscilC that united Brilish Togo 10 lhe Gold Coast. The rear of the Buem KtKhi people oftnclr unitina with TOIO \l,lIS removed b~ Ihe '''lOI)" of1he {" P.P. Tbey (cit University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh the) had a role in lhe CP.P gou:mmenl. ltowevet.1he "nl. ..~ e problem remained in the Church and kepi 00 shov.ing upal \\.or!!.hip">and ehun:h runclion~ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh CHAPTER FOU R (f.VA NOn:RU-f) 1964·1992 The s.ch,'imS diKU!osed 1ft Chapler Thlft O(:cumd In ruf'ill areas. in the Va,", RqKw1 The ne~1 coonicl however look piKe outside the Region. II happened in Accra the upital of (jhanain 1%4 ntabh!ohcd al Accra New ·1o wn (LaSOS Town) in 1%4."" Christ EvaniCliCIIl Mi'ioslUn,likc the: Apostks Re\Clalton ~tcl}. the: While Crn" Society and the Lord's Pentecostal Church, was an lllJ--.hooc of the [vangehcal Presbyterian Chu~h. lis establishment lilr.c lhc: aforementioned ,hun:hcs ~ as a result of the conniee ttw ItUSC in the E. p, Chwch. A",a New Town., cooarc:plion between a seclion of ils mc:mbers and Mr. Emmanuel Nlumi Atiegar. Mr. E. N. Allcgar IS a nali\'c of toi.pando. Hi .. father KYIoeku Adlah ~Iuml was a linguist ofchc Kpendo Paramountcy. His mother died when he "a" }IIUnll ." I 80m on 51h FebruaJ). 191). Mr. Alqar \fIobcducau:d at the: Hohoc Ewe \1 ..... ,\'" Senior School. He became a pupil teacher of the Ewe Church in 1933. He 'sush' in Ihe EVoe Presbyterian ~hoob and later left to pin the Catholic Mis .. ion School at Jas'~an AliegaJ" said he left the Ewe Presbyterian School brccaIIC he rcr~ 10 pay a k'i)' .mpmcd on ib tc family and. few fnerwh \\h. .. "~ f"'e5 and member<; of Ihe , '"e Presb,lerian Church met OIl Sundays and "orvuppc:d in Ewe ill .. member, ohhe E\\e Church. This group Will. . laler jlllncd b)' a group of l-.",C50 who lett the ·\dahrakaPresb)terianChur..:hin 1960.11 ) The poup had \\or.hlppN at Adabrak.a Presb)1erian Church of Ghillna for. until then. thetc was no Ewe Prcsb)1criu Church In A.:r.:ra and the Ewe Presb)terians in Accra who sought 10 continLtC' active life as Christian .. joined the Pfcsb)terian Church ofGkana. As Davia puts it. ,h,s ",u nonnally an uncomfortable: alllan.:e bccau~ chun:h Kn'iccs were carried out in the: loul lC1"nkUlar. m..inly Ga and Akan. ben "'here the~ (lhe r\\e mcmher..) r.:ould ~ak these University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh languages. thc1e was still a feeling of being ((>n:igncn. havinl bclonacd 10 an KUlCly ethnic Church inthc tint placc ",hich carriai out ih lire in E",CMII'. l1tc,ncldcntth.1lprcclpiwNlhcirfllA-.. \e~odu,",'Uasal'C$UltoraslJpposcdl)' Jcr".:;tlnry n;m,uil. made b~ the lhen '1odcrator (,(the ~sb)ICrian Church. Inc R1. Rc\. Max E. j)(~lO, ",hen he vi .. ltcd the Adabrak.a branch on 13th March 1955. Wuaku writes that the Rev. llodo• . H:asllgated t~ mlnl!>tcr. thc Rev, I. T. Laf)e8 for alkwtmg the u~ {I( [we. On the day in qUCSItcn Meun. Doku and \I. UOiku rCOId the day's Ic.'\1 in 1·,\\(' altlng ... idc (la and Akan"~. The l-.Vllnlo!akeadn:l1>ion Th('nc\l~unda)'2OthMan::h,19.55 •• resoJutitln'lf\CCessionbythc E~ members was served to the rre,byterian Church AUlhoritie .. '" l})cK aggne\ed b\e membe~ of the Adabraka l'rc~b~1erian Church of Ghana Jtllned AtlCgaJ" in hl~ hou'-C to wor'iohip on 1>ubscqucnt "'undOlY,. The E\\c Church in ,\tiegar's house was under the leo\dcNUP of Atie.., buc the Rev. E. K. Paaku, a PUWr of the Ewe Church in rogo "he W~ then lI"inl in Acel'l, served it on put-time basis. Atlegal" also invited E. P. Pastors ","rlung in Accn like L G. Baeta of the University College of the Gold C("", and G. K. -\ml"lllfo. who_as ",Ith the Dep.anment ofSoci.1 Wdfareto support Rev. Paaku. AltMuSh the I "c" broke a\u~ from lhe P~ .. bytC'rian Church of lihana their re lat ion to Itcr was not (ompletel)' se"e~d. In April 1960. Ihe SynodCkrk Rev. I. A.I\"ansa, Rev. S. S. (Jdonkorand Mr, JUitKC Nii Am.r Ollcnu \'lined the ·'break OIWII~ .,:ruup" al the house of Mr. Allcgar. Mr. JUllicc Nii Amaa Ollenu ofTned to pay the transponahon or Rev. Paaku so dw he might University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ~.lfllmuc hi~ pan-lime services to lhe new I::.",e Chun:h. giving him one pound (£ 1.00) fOr that rurp~·forastan."· In August of 1955. Mtssn. Jolin Alorvor and G. M. K. Wuaku were delegated 10 Ih<' S)nod ,,(Ihe Pfnb)lman Church a' Odumase to request (or an Ewe !iopell.kin~ Minister 10 ~erve noI only Ihc NC'W T~"ft Church but also the 11e""Y founded Nima [we congregation. fhe Re\ E. A. Caesu. an E~c speaking Vlmisler (trained al the Bremen MisSKln Seminary .. Ho) ... a!io appointedtodothisjobinOc(ober,l96'and~edtiliJanual"},1962. InJanuaryCtwycar (1962). Atleg" announced 10 lhe congregation that he had stopped Rev . Caesar from wor"m~ "'llh the NC"" T"",n Church on lhe groundsthaC he was not fully committed ttl the [we Church NOOMnpcnl) challenaed Aliegar rotdecidina for the whole church because he li.}Undctllhe Church. This was one o( Ihe problems thai Dovlo later mentIOned in his work quoted above 1~1 thechurchesest.ablishedb, uMilviduais In lheir home:s ",ilhthe,rmonicslat theirbegiMinpI VoI"IUld nalural!) ha\e 10' bear these founders' influcnce!io and dominan.;;e. This ownership loituatton O\.curred m ,,"ovenu and Doh's connicts with the Chun::h. Atiepr replaced Rev. Caesar With Re~ K\\.1"'u, a relired paslor ,I' the A. M. E. lion Church who was an Ewe. It is alleged thai AlIe~ar ilssc:rted Ihal he asked Ihe E. P. He3d uffice al Ho 10 provide his Church "ilh a paaor but il "ould not do Kl 00 lhe grounds lhal Iherc was a genlleman· .. agrcement bet"ftTI the f P Chwch and the Presbyterian Church of Ghan. nOI h' Ire~p3~" inlo one another's area o(opcraIIOfl. ThcPresbyterianChW"Chconl,",ledAI~gar'srighlorc\labliihing In EM Church on the ba ... ,o; {I( Ihe arorementloned unwritten agreemenl. At the arbilnltion. AI. ts alkJcd to ha\e ..:onlendcd lhat the so--caUed agreement was a pre-independtrxe arran~emcnl between the miuionann dw Md ~n imalidated b, UhaBl's Independence, Hi~ c:ontenIion at§(l a:s~ tllat the E. P. Chun:h beln~ a rcligltlu~ organlLation In Ghana under Inc comIituhonor(i~na. hadthc (reedomlOoperalcu~~herc m Gh:moJ.. Alieprwon his case and ·tnb,I. .... p.«I University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ~ thus bf"ke the n:hgiou~ restrICtion of churthn 10 'ipeCifw; Ian&~ .rca~ l"hi s problem of cxpamllJtl uuWdc the Vol. . Kelton was fill&lly rnolved on 13th July 1988 by a Joint Synod C"mmlll" mc:fling oftlle E. P. Church and the P'rTsbyterian Church of Chana III ("he fU'Sl balch ofF.. P Church. Accra New Town's confinnal,on took place in 1959 with s.evmly-nine (79) continnallts ~pan:d b~ Mr. John Yuo Nutty"ilo was also a teacher III lhe l hun;h's School. Atacgar made thc!>C cnnlirlll,lnb Ihe loundmg memtlCr~ of a pra}er gmup in the Church. Atiepr's basis fur e~tablillllnK a pta}er ~rllUp in the Chun;h "as to encourage Ih members 10 tum to the Almlghly God in lime~ of need and doubt and Ihw discourage them from con\uUlng rradnlOn.l gods. He IIlsistedon.;onstantprayerandper.,onaIlYl.1ught lhemhowto pray . I hi) pta)cr group became lhe backbone of Alicgars new church, the E. P. Reformed 11lCd a<; an n~u,e. [he ..:h .. llcngc of the youth and stancd a church ofhiscnolce University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In 1962. Aliepr went to Britain for a 8 . 0. A. C. Coone Durinl his absc'nce. the Christiln Vouth Builders (c. Y _ B.) the Youth Wing of the E. P. Church was fonned in the Aa:ra Ne" Town Church. It ",as 10 lead a "f"C\oIC' against Aliegar the f(lllowing ye..-. Apln In hi~ absence. lhe New TO\\n E. P. Church secured ownership documents 'X' on the land bought from one Mr. Gbeblewu . The plot ofland purponed to belong 10 Ihe Osu Stool turned out to t>el{ln~ 10 the Gbcse. 11 was the Gbe!tC '1<>01 which sigMd 1M (lwncnhip document, 1M the Ncv. Town Church . l"he (onnalion of the C. Y. B. and lhe procuremcnt of IhoIl undc-nnllK'd 1M continued IClldcn.hip of Altegar and his claim over the church and Ih Jl"lf'C"ntn "'htn he rc1umed from "ritaln I he C. Y. B. led a revolt against Atiegar's eontinued "t>\(llule leadership Ilflhe Ne\\ Town E. P. Church and the New Town Church used Ihc land ,'"l)Cnhlp document procured to oust Atiegar in the court of la ..... When Alicgar returned from Iir,l.lln .mJ Ciennall). he initialed ~ changes in the Accra New ·'o\Oon 1:.. P. Church. He m''''cJ Iholt members kneel do"n during prayers. He "ent round 10 mll~e sure members ~"mrhed l,I.ilh thl\ In"",,atKln_ He all;O iMiscaian Ihc usc oflhe litany ever)' Sunday. The usc of the hl.\n~ 00 Sunda) was new in the E. P. Church and would not be • cau~ for conflict but the m~l~h:nce on kntthng at all pta)C' pe'lod\ was not • Pre:.byterian Practice and could spark "II rncntmcnl Un Sunda)·, the 24th of MafCh I9()J after the opening prayer and first hymn. 8 ~ofthe ~'lUlh n:adout ancightttn-point quc~tlon(ln the rollowlng A Church matlen: o Organi73tlllnaJ mancr~ l - Si:hool mallCr~. D M.t~onacl.:(lUnb University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh SInce: lnese matten coukl not be sol ... ~ there and then. a Committee of scvcnlCl:n (17). twelve nKft vtd five women .... as Sd up II) InvC'Stigate UK alkgations and report rts findings 10 the Churchl!1 In additKwi to lhe eightccn <1lkgations. lhe Committee al~ .. look action on an anoo}mous kncr from a member 10 the Bremen Mi~sioo about Mr. Alicgar l'he Committcc begun ils .... ork \\ith seventeen memhers bUI finished wilh tift«n. Two orthe mcmbc~ \\ef'C a\ked 10 Slay away becau~ Ihe) "cre alleged 10 be involved in some oflhe .llegOllions(the),",en: found 1.ltrlo be innllo,;enlt Mr. J. B. "kle chlilrelilhe Committee. Mr. M W Olon sen'cd .s its secrcwy and Wti a .... I$lCd by Menrs. /\ . A. K. Tsc and E. K. Gaga. It held len sc!t!tKlnS and five executive scuion~ and consulled lhe E. P. Church Head Office, Ho on 7th April. 1963. before suooutting ih report 10 the congregation on 21s1 April, 1963. Mr. 8 . (' 8 . NUI!tu.:.v, received the rcpof1 on behalf oflhe Congregation. The Committee met Mr. Alie..,. durinl lh.escuions.JKI1cachquestiun or allegalion 10 him a nd received hisexplanal ions and put doo;.n lheir findings and com menu under each topic treated. The que!tlions pulto Aliegar by the: yauch of Accn Ne" Town congregation wen: issue!> involving Polity, Lilurgy and Ethics. For cu~ idenliflC'll{ln ('1' Ihe i!>suc:s llf Ihe conniet and fulure comparisons" ilh Inc other conflicts thai occurred in the E. P. ChUKh. the questions put to Atiegar are packaged undcr the h!tuc!t 'Tht Inun were related to Churc h, Church I'olil); organization. administralionm. C1hnicity.(oondtfllndchammahcleadc:r~tllp .) The ~irst queslion was why ltM: Ne" To ",n congrq.lion had no Prc:Sb)1Cf'S as patalr'lcd in the other E. P. Church Congregations. Aliegar's answer was Uw he proscribed the consertrahon of PreSb)1trS in the COf1pS'lion bec.use il had N:plive results at miln~ pl.c~s. However. he would allow il if the congregation desiredil h) Another que~lion on Ihe organiwton of lhe New Town COII~re~.lllOn was why the congn:gat~ons has t. ....o Church Choirs inslead of one ... practised by .11 the ClW\~ptlons of the E. P. Church. His answer was lhal hl\ Inkntion ,...s to --~ --- University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh promoIe a5 many poups in ~ ~grcp'ion ~ possible s~ as to pro\'tde platform, fore\e~ membn'lo fully J*f.1C1~te In wOfshlP and servICe .;, fhc third question ~as "hal difTef~nce was then: ~wccn Accra Ne", Town Con're&atK>n and 1M E. P. ChLU"Ch (m the Voh~ Region)? To this he said there ~asnoditTcrenccinlheareasofteachmgs(doctnnc ... ) Theabovequc5lionspointtothcfollowingf.cts I rll:tth:AcaaNewT(Mn~JIl\\a-I)('q;I"W:atncr~~totir ,-,f1'UlJtKlI1(1931)"wz...-alfiil:alth:tnx 2 .fa"A!i:rpru:~lhiIlIPlClofthechurch·sp:)liI\·ln:d!~~fuellhal h:n:"'25a _fi',poIIy. The next ICC of question .. put to Atkgar was rewed 10 lilurgtul issue of prayen. TIle ~uulh wouLd want to know the benefrt the cOfl,..c:ption derives from kneeling during prayen Instead olthc usual PflKticeofstandinl. In his defence, Aticprsaid when he introduced lnc'Chng. It "'&!o kl:cpubk to the congregation but If the j,:ongregatlOn felt II was 'Hong to kneel ~lIlOpra)toG ..d hca!>kcdforforgi"encss The committee noted that kneeling do~n during pra)er. \\a, nlll n ....... in the e. P. Church. Thccnur.oflhelSfolJCw8sthecompulstonattachedloil. 1hcisslJ('ofclIlllpIII"ionwasraiscdin lhcl1(',tqucsllonrclaledtopt""a)er The YOUlh.~ould like to ~now why Alieg.u had been loina round dunng prayer seSSionS. He explained thai he went round 10 ensure that each member knell do. .... n well <;0 as. to Sd eumplefor\'isilOrS The: Comminee howevu sa'A tllat Aticpr's .... al .. ing around during pRyer ,es:uoos did no>! P.1f1~~ a good Image of the congregation. especially. before visitors. In addition it wu ",I(c-d thallhe Iloor alltw time "o.U rough and thus inflicted physij,:al pain on kneeling members University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh R.el7ctcn..:c 10 ph~ slUl pain suffefC'd when member; "'nell 00 lhe rough 1101.", ..... s an C1hk.1 i,. .. uc: a leader'surn;:Uf"Il;cm for hisorhcTpeopk. ltwasthcreforcan l"lIolH: tlfa moral conducl of the .\T1<,th.,.., clhl~al ISsue raised by the youth was thai Mr. Aticpt openly dis&r~cd thtl\e ~iltl lalled 10 kneel clown. In his defencc Aticgar explained thai it wa) n(ll his intention to insult or dl~ anyone In public but II wa\ hn,jeaious}, fur God Illat made him say what he !lllld. Apan from lhe lCC\&Itions from the youth a, 'Iated above a mcmber III tile New Town c,,"grc~a1l0n. at lhe time orlhc comminee's meeting, anon)mously wrote aietter hI the Bremen '11""," lIeoMiquancn in Germany Ielling them thai Atiegar had nol established an E. P. Church congregatilln but a church of his ov-n with its own liturJY and polity. HiJ request for personnel 10 ltaln IeaIkB of lbe seMi oongrcgatton should therefore not: be considered ba:auK lhe E . P Church hid. Seminary thatt ... lncd the E. P. Church A,CflI". If lilt said Church were 10 bean E. P. l:hurch congregation, Alicpr would have requested the E. P. ChuTI;:h for personnel. The Committee did not lreal Ihe anonymous leller senou .. l) hcc.u!>C II was anonymous andthercwasno,lI1ctusupportthc....:cusalione\lCfllfitlwdtruths In It IthlmC\'crnoCcdthc contcntsuanothctsowceofaccu\&lion against Atic. ... The Committee under t"C\'iew ancstcd in lheir reporIlo the New Town conareaaCion Chal the l-. P. Chun:h Headquanen at Ho unolTtcially rec(\gnized. level of independence of Aliegar, .. the 100nder til" the New lown Church. It Mated thai .... hen il presented the new order of worship inIroduccd b) Atiegar in the Ace,. Church In Ho, it promi~d 10 comp.n: II with thai of the roco order and come out .... llh the Ideal Inlhall>cnscHohMaiven Atiepr'iorderanoqua) rc(ul:mtioo ~ilh the Church's. Tbii lapse pMly ~lributed 10 the conOiei and di\'iiion tMI IX4:umd in New Town in 1964 Alicgat fcll he Ucla,. inallcnabk: ripllo dircc1 the couru oflhe (llngrcgalll'" Ihcrerorc when he wasch.allenged and placcd in a minority posilton he left the 'c ... Il"~n CUllgft:plton. 1be noIIion of powcr and authority as related 10 polily was ~fore, University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh an undcrtyinl nuse in the Ne\\. T(Win conllk:1 ""hlle cthic..ll and Iiw'llcal ' lI. ~UC" "en:' the immediate causes. Ho""c\ef. doc[rinal dilT~~C" Wlt.\ the bedrock that Aliepr afkJ the E. P Church ""outd not c(mFJronhK on; the E. P. Chwch \\t'llid ",,')nt to maintain her Rcft)(Ttltd TtlditM:ln while At~pr woukt ROC give up his penletDSCal enthusiasm Aftcr the findin~~ ••1 Ihe Commince were submined 10 the church. some member!> SLlrted meetlnil at AllCgar '~ AccnI S..:hool o( EconomiC", IIdJaccfll to the Prima,) School . Accordins 10 M",. Gtady1. Va"". Aliro. a founding member of the New Town Church. some cldns pkadcd ""Ith Alicptto«JmC beck 10 the Chun:h but he ~fuscd . Instead. Alicgarand wme mcmbt" •• , Inc I I' Church e5pCCially mem~ of the 19'9 class of confirmanh. and the In)rf gr" ur mentioned earlier, fC"mll:d Atle~lIr ' s new church. Accordin. to Mrs. Aliro the new group lirst .m(ICsWlnl: .:Ioum that Ioamcd O\Cf the New Town E P. Church . The JFOUP ""ent to the Aburi muunt'lIIn ~ ""ith Mr Atkiar. their IcadeT in vi~ IIf the "per-.cculion" In the Church. to Sttk (jocr. support and t;u}dan.c .H ksus .. nd hi, diKlpln did on Mount Oli\ne(I '1'hc ~hlrracttCCS and Anomahtt in the E, P. Church," He wmmcd up these At'IOmiIhc" and E'i.1 I . Incc&fclessandtritlingmanncrin'Whichthclord ' sSuppcrwaJ ~lnl)tc,cdtnltk!EP. (hll,ch University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ii. TheIhaIIow~.yinwhichSunda)· andotherscrvi«~wereconductcd. iii. T'hc nib of 1lKIM)' and tKWo money mancl'§ .bsoJbcd the spiritual wonhip of the whole Church 1\ rhcmethodofelectionofChuf'Chhead!!.wa~satanl(.ndevii in the '>Cekln~ofhighplll;cs in the Church: discriminalion;uibal conSClouW\CiS and man~ ,)then which created in the Church hatred. quarrellin, and badttwughl aaam5t one another l'he!e allegations In my VICY, were ~eighly accu..auons which the Church should ha\ C' members" E.P. Chun;h in 1'il88 the fOURh.nd fifth allegalions occul'Tcd durinalhe Buem KrIdIi crisil. 1 his is • proof that they are real problems. which must be resolved in the church ""eprcOfIlcnckd In the preface of the booklctofhis accu~llon oflheChurch thai hi!!. IICYI Church. E. P. Reformed Chun:h was oul to stamp out the evi ls he had cnumcratoo and a~".:.J all ~ho agreed about the c)'u.lcncc of these evil practiCClIO join hi, cruYdc. I~(' .-:a\ (' _ide publicity to this booklet. He circubled il It Hoboe durinl thcChurc:h's Synod. This d ... liun landcdhlmalthc Hohoe Maglslralc's coort on a charCC of breach of public peace ll1 Atiegat·!> l'mC¥lcd vigour and desire for spIritual growth or the Chur..:h were expressed in the bo. .k lel mentioned above. Hi!> ar,wnenI about cv11 pnKliee~ In the E. P. ("hun:h ¥las in liAr with spinluaJ renewallrends as staled by Binlinger In The Church is Charilmllic'; 1 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh He was ad\OC'ating the rmcwtIl of the ChutCh's liturgy of pure adoration and sfoIpphcation, a leadership filled with the Holy Spim and kno. ... ledgc and method of Christian IelJ(kohip. Sacraments IhAl arc blt'olically based and effective 8fId II sharing Church should ~ppon these, He had chaUenged the Church to examine i~ life and .... on. critically, Ati.e ....· s rcnewal approch differed rrom Ihc ochers in Ihal he .... as a radkal rch-.nner Ironicall), he "as atsoaCl;used ofahe vel) things hcal;l;u~ theChun:h of. For cXilmplc-. sa:klnl:! of high pIKe and lfiball;OfIKiousncss. Not was his accountability and The E. P. Church Executive ructcd to Atiegar's general manoeuvres. Tbe Synod Clerk on 23 .... April. 1964 \('nI3 Pastoral Leuc-r oul directing Ihat Alicgar's circular 10 the pastor.> should hcJi'lorcgardedandnotdiscus.sed unlll fuflhcrnolic:e. UfUl1hcrdire,tcdthalAtiqat's Hymn Buuk§ slod.cd by pastors and the E. P. ChutCh Bookshop for ule shoukl .11 be returned to him Immc"hatc1y. On 25- April. 1964.lhc Synod Ch:rk issued a c:ircular to all conarcaattoni thai Rev. M .l ~"mprl who"u in the emplo)menl of Aliegar was no more a pastoroflhe [.P C'hun::h becaUK he failed 10 ..:ompl) With S)nod Committcc' s diJeCCi\e!!. "'hich a!!.l.cd him not to A PI-\IOt:II' teacrtoall paton oflhc E. P. Church .... b5enl oul by the Synod Clcrk on lhesame. !~'" April 1964 explaining why synod Committee m.d slrlKk 00" Re\" . Simrri', n3me from the rnll of putOB of the 1::. P. Chur,h . On 1" October 19M, the Synod Clerk -.ent a tetter of c\\..ommunKalion 10 Mr, Aticgar forlhc following reason§ lIkinslkpstoundcrmineIhcE.P.Churchandlh. ... iU1 hcr plans and ~throulh the publkation offalKhood &nd NmOUrSj employing Mr. M. T. Simpri .... hose name hu been SUUCk on-the liII of 1::. P. Church Paslors: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 1:) for esUblishina his own l:huR:h under lhe name hangclical ProteItInI ReformcdChurc:h'u. The second and third reasons were strong case. . , agam.." 4tlegar but lht author feels that thcR:'IoI.cn:INlh. . inA'trgar'spubliealionthalneededl0be.llddn:s~dinstcadofbrandjnlthcm ~f.lschoodand rumou'li.~ In rnponsc 10 Hcad omcc', promise to the delegates of the invc~igatmg Committee discussed abowc. Rev C K, Dovlo. then a Member ..r Parliament for Keta. "II~ a:!t .... ed 10 take ~h.Jt~e of the NeVI. Town E. P. Church Re .... C. K. 00'0'10 came in to inherit an ensuln, lep.l ballk between the New Town E. P ("hu~h and Mr. N. K. Alitpl'. The fil'Sllillgallon was over the owncn.hlp of Ittc place of worship or the New Town E. P. Chun::h. Aliepr broke away from IttcChun:hIn196otclaimingthelandonwhichthcl:hun::handschoolwerc:builillshi!l.personal p"'rocrty ·\s the foundl:r of Ihis church, many of the Church's documents were made in his personal rwne. Fim he removed the Church', sianpruls and landmarh L :~. On ," September, 1964. Aliepr wenl to Ihe [hureh and cau~ed damage 10 two doOf latches and forced the du\n'J> He: told the COWl lhal bolh lhe Chun::h and the land on whieh il "il!l. buill .. en: hil. personal pI'OIICI1ia and that he pvc n.lli~e to lhe ~(lmplainant5 (the E. p, ChUrch) to quit by September 1M The MqiSlrate reminded Atiegar lhat sincc the righllo ownership ease was pend ina before the lIii,h Court. he: had no reason 10 take the law into his own hand~. 1Ic: was bonded in the sum "t fjvehundred pounds (£SOO.OO) lobcofaoodbehlvtourUnlil Ihc Court decidcd on theeasc. AtlC~·ICIaim .. cowt 'ItfU another indll:.Ilion that he was not ntablishin): an E, P. Chun::h but. ehun:h ufhisown bluc-print and he dtd '100 b~ e'!ot.ablimin. the Christ Eun,clie.ll Mission "hieh ....... unhkethc I .. P.ChW"eh. I '(t"'"I'''",~'",>d(·1cr\.·.,lI'l;ul.uKd UL.ll-M", I~()aobao 1964 ." ..... ~."\I'>\, ("' ..... ;r,"foot:J.~h:.\ou:o~T •. ...,(). ....." :hm:clluO"X University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh T1Ic Accra High Coul1 menlloned aboH~ ga\c I" ludglllent in the Accra Hip Coon SUit No.L22S/64 Allegat, versus Re\o C. K. DovLo in fl¥our of the New fown E. P. ChuR:h based on the fact that the church had the: correct owner..hlP documcnt on the land from the Gbese Stool. ~lIrr"rtt'd b) an alTtda ... il from the Gbese Thai the land. me subject mauerofthe suit isthepropcny ofapplicanf,stoolasconlalnedinthedecilionofJackson J. O. 31" May 1951 andconlirmcd by the Jooamcnt of uo the West Afriun Coun of Appeal (W.A.C.A .) on 4 March. 1954 and affirmed by the Privy Council on 19th Occ;cmbcr 1960 in Kokomlcmk Consolidatcd casein The judgment of the coun appcamJ in the 26uo September. 1964 edition of the _~ (~ The New Town f.. P Church Wai fortunate that it obtained II ... ahd ownership document in its name when Alicgllr was in lIr1taln, without which they would have lost the suit and the church propc"~ lnesecondu.'>C ..... ","'"ct tilc ownership of theE . P. School. ldentiftcd •• n the Site Plan II 'A' in Appcndill.. rhe Nt'\\. Town E. P. Church sent an applKalion of o\\.ncNiip to the Acef1l Cit)' Cooncil. This case 100 was decided in favour orlhe New Town E. P. Church. Thu!. lilt choU CClUns ga\c owncf$hip or the Church. land Ilnd school 10 the Accra New Town E. P. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The coun CMCS between At;ega, and the Ne~ Town E P (huh:h - In that., He, as an indi\idual. \tartcd or founded his thun:h throuJh his penonll elTorts rather thu thruugh the Headquancn. at Ho_ It bepn in his home. He used his penonal rc~,un:es 10 nurture il until il became well established. True 10 00\,10.:1 he (Alle,ar) thousht thai: he had In inalientblc right to.un hi.!oChurch and when he was opposed he broke Alicpr. like lhe other three schcmall.;.!o under discussion aimed .. rcvilalizinl the church. He introduced new measum to bring renewal into worship, purity of the s&cramenl.i, spiritual it) of the ordained minislcn. and qualil) oflifc. His praclices were not overt as the ronner. His recognitIOn of demons, evil Dnd ~atan In the life of the Church and ilS membcn. His rcncloloal efforts WCR acarcd lO~ards the-I' eradication!"" University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh lie. ho",oCt'. differed from the first thrtt in his approach. He was .. nMhcal reformist This attitude CtlukJ he auributcd to his Ie"el of eduutton. his contact!> with foreign cullure!i and pocraphfcallocalioDofoperaiion. (This area will bedc:alt with in the next chapter). He,unlike thc:lhrt'emen . .Jiunnedand forbade the use ofrcligious element!> hkehol)' water.nd inccns c. Hedidnotestahh,hahcahngccnlreahhoughhcadvocatcdhc.linamrouppra),er l"heR was .Iso di'lo'lolmllanty of questioning or 8(:cusalton. In the first three connkts Ihc k.dc:n ofthc various gJ"OUp\ ",.a'"t questioned by the E.P. ChutCh tcadcnhip but in Atiqar' s hit aUlhoril) and splrituali1) was challenged by memhcrs of hi!> Church. His conflict was an in&crnal cOflnkt at fint and assumed ecclesiastical dimen§lon onl) when Atiegar wrole an ICcu~allOn In thai he..:hlllllcngedlhechurth kadershipforshlillov. hturgu'::lIlpr8cticcsofthcchurth,cthkal .md'fllriluallaxily of~lcrgy Illscounkr«cusation, Infcrr'cd Ihal the church Icadetshipand the ckTJ) "'Cft woncthan he had been accu'iC'd of. AtlCpr'S Khism unearthed some weaknesses of the l P. Church as follows: a theChun:hhll. . ntlltuidelineorblucpt'lOtforlhccslablishmentorplantingo(new c(lnln:~IKJfIs . nm delktenC) alio""cd would-be founders 10 opmItC. as they thought fit. Tlus I»-ingsprobkmso(conttol over thesc congn:Sllions in the future; b thereisnodefinilegUideIUlC'onlheroleofthc laltyinChun:h administnlion;tbaJ:is., then: is no unifonnmodalil> forlhc-'>Iev.ardsnorlimil'loofthclait) suchuthcitprcsenl Johdesl;riplion. Thisder.ctencyhugivcntt.c"la> leaders tooperatC' liS Ihcy choosc thus n:sulimliMO louof\-aric1i.:s in ordcr Ilf"lIr!>hipping in the Church; a breedinl ground forconmcLs; c lack of job dncnptlOfl for Church a~enb as al that time made enthUSiasts O\Icrplay their mks; University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh d r.lOl-drasglng., ct.an.clerist,,; o f church .dminillr8Cors. Man) connkts hl.c Ihe ,\,.,:r.l NcVW" fown UK coold ha\c been avoided or reiOhC1.l If the admln"lral .. ," ..l ed prompIl),anddeci,jvcl) The...: weakne»es were te!opOflslblc for anod)tf' connkt lhal Involved the whore Church and evenlUall~ resulted In ,lnother schism. lew pve binh 10 the 1.-.. P. Church of Ghana. rhe con: oflhosc involved in il .... ere members of the Bible Study And Prayer Fellowship (B.S.P.F.) nit: UIUlF STUOY AND PRA VER GROl'P (fELLOWSHIP) E.P. CHURCH OF GHANA IheRlhIcSludyandPl'tlycrGroupolilicl·. vangcl"aIPresby1erianChun;:h.S\IItedasthc Amakum Prayer Group \\jlhin lbe E. P. Church. Amakom in Kumui. Astlanli. It was started in 1%0 .... IIh fivc memhenl llored lhc con~ ...i on. The Ramsayer Pre .. bYh:rian Church has a lana hi'lIOf} of prayer croup. 11'0 praycr group stareed as fill' ha.:l. asthc IQ)O·\. -Ihus aelivilie5 of the 8SPG began in Amakom Church in the 1'160'5 md gamed a lu, uf c""perlcnce frum the R.lmsa)cr ~rnup!> . ~1r. I:. K. Hennor, I founding mcmt-c-r "\ the Ram-.a~cr gruup and a ~Icr .... as inSifumcn1al in nunurini Ihe Amakoo Inillall), they mel stronl opposition from other mcmbcr\ of Ihc Amakom Church and Ihcrt!vn' had 10 hold lhelr meetmp in private. The 1CwllJ oflhc group', Ktivities however. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh b«amc evtdC'nllO non·membe~ in the congn:gatton. Some ~amc aUracled 10 it and the group begantoJfOw. Theopennessoflhc group's lCtivitics reduccd opposition to il. By 1964lhc group was finnl~ t"'ililblishtd in the Amakorn E. P. Church congrcption and most ofthc kadcrs oflhe group bi:(U'le le3ders oflhc congn:ption. Thc grouplhcn reah.led the need for a conslitutionto gutdcits conduciand IIcliviltcs.A cummine.: oftbree made up of Messrs. O. K. Alubra. R. N. K. Klaye lind G. F. K. Ackuayi \01&5 OIPPOInlcd 10 draft lhe con!olllutl\ln which wa~ ,uNnlllai to the group in 1965. It was approved 85 the: .. ,,",lltution of the !,lruup lh11 semc :atHum 1976; 142 people repreo;enting 10 groups .1l1ended Ih~l cornenlion. Another \OI-as organized .t Hohoc the following ye.3f with 100 people reJnSCRtinB 52 group~ III ~I'flI.I ' ..... I'4,. ...... I·"A,l' .... I'7' University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Itcr3lurc (C.g. Uamcdodo) 1M non-church lileralwe 10 promote the ~I,)~ of God.lnd cdlfiUlJOn of thisChun:h and chiklren, ii. "'Jcammoreabouiprayerandprayl'1l()UelT«tivel),torc.liLc:lhepo~er of Christ in us so thai we .. hall be able to do God's will more efTcaivel), and follow the !ole"s ofou, s.aviout and M.~ter JeiUS Christ, throoJ.h pra)erandBib~stud)'lounderstandandendurepam.lI.ufTeringandneeds nfothers, III 10 Inllopirc. a\\akcn and cncouraae growth amon, member.; uflheentirc coogrcgalion'" Thesewerel.udaDleobjecti\le§.romcoflhegrolJpsaCledcon,raryhllhe~ idealswhKh mJdclhe~hun:hexecut'\C tn \Iep in \kmbcrv.ip of the amu" was open 10 onl), members of the Church. Non--church memhe .... "ere howe-ver allowed to attend meetings but could not huld office at any Jewel, In case ,uo.:h me-mbcn ~.nl to become full members of the &roup, the) were e"pected to first become '.Ii "H;l!I~"'" (If the E. P. Church kcordin!; to proccdun:s in the -Hamcdodo" 1931:28;1991 T!I"UasichitboftbeGroup: The lid!>!.. . Iililh And Order uf the ~Iudy and Prayer Group shall be the Ulble. especiall)' Uk- rnclallon of God made knuwn in Jesus Chrillol and all. inlcrpn:lcd by tile E, p, Church !\t1ee.-:hlngc:ontrat) Inlhedoctnnc:, "fE p, t"hurch,hall betokralCd inthc Study and Pn)cr Group, ' \4 Thj~ .,.,~, lhe most ~ontrtl\oc~ial area WhKh bach the ~hurch and the ifOUP University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh dl,",~U;cJ And aca&SC'd each Illher of. Whik the group K..:u~d RI. RC\' . Prof. Ozobo. the modcra&ol of the E.P. Church. of introducinl tradictonal Afnean Pra.:hccs into the Chun;h. Ihc (hur ... h dl,~' aa:used the Group of l>pirit possesSlon. beltc:f in witchcraft and dcmoM and TIw Mala Acth'Uie!i of the 8. ,. P. F: The rollowmg "c~ the main activities ufthc O. S. P. F L Arrangcl>ochtraininjl!couN."'oa,>ueneecssarybothat local UlslrictandNattonal b. arrange regular meetmgs for Bible Stud)' and Prayer in the week. in the IIXIII congregation, e. r.ise mOflty from donation, or contnbutions fRlm members 01 well wishers. d. all moncy:i and propertic!l ~quirc:d by the Group must be invesfed in the E. P. Churchthrouahiucongreptionalrepresemative!l. e do all !luch act:i and other thing:i that an: approved by the E. P. Church as incidentalorcondoci\C:tothtanainmcntofthcaim\andobjectivcsorthcE. P. (,hurch ingcncnl and the: Study and I'ra),er,roup in particular Amoac the livc activities ofthc group as abo\-c. the fourth, required that all money:> and propertles ICqIIircd by the group mUll be invcsted in the E. I' Church through its congregational rqftSCftCativn. Thi, was rC10Cntcd b~ the group and tbat sparked ofTunplca~ant reactions from the ",',utiwn of both skies. This is an indiull'lfI that liR.1nclal a..:..:tluntablhty is one of the major rt,~lcnhlnlhcE.P.Churchlhatnecd5streamlinlRll Rrlalklftsbip"iltill&el..ocOlISo'lioa: The PrayerG,oupshall be e\lablished as one of the groups in the loul Conarepltan 1bc 1.110.:&1 St!."IOR ~hallhavc full aulhoTlty over the Praycr Group based upoo"Hamedodo"or Rc~ub.lh)R!I. Prw.:licc and Procedun: The Pta).:, Group. t\(M'CVCf'. shall have the freedom to University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh h.~ .... ,th nlMr Pra)t1' Groups bolh al District and National kvell. Whc:tt difficull'n eriK rcprdmg P'XfJcC in the Group. <:Ire shall be taken 10 ~Ive this In the 'Puit of kl,·c and CC"tknes1o. rhesession5h1l1lAillll:~cn",rcthalthcBibleStud).ndPI"II)'t1Groupsarc cnf;owaced to function and OO(todiscourage mcmbers from doing so This \l.M \l.ell pul but it was ineffective bet.:au!oC the: *-1 congrcaatton ... and their ~SKlft!o up to the cieri.)' were not educated on the activities oflhe Prayer &,"IIUJ'l\. Ihe~ lhtrcf(IR be«me ~pecL1I\1" raloo than wperviw".. The church was rwl adCI.IUllleI) prcp.lrt''' rorlhi5f\C\\o· rolco(fcachln~ ;lndkadingapn)"«group. The Group· \ ufficcr) wll be IS follows I thcFathcr orlh~·Group. 2. leader. ) Depul~ le.nJcr 1 Urganlslnt:\ct.:n;ut) The COMIrtuhun 'PCU, '* the composition ofthc ExeclJejve oflhc aroup. its dul ie~ and IMtn of the other memt>.;n It alw contains the xttV ltleS of the Group. includinl how 10 Con\litUlion. It wa. . 10.> 1;,tah/ c Inc church and I" enllre rncmbcf~hiJ'l 1M DiMe Study snsions ~ncthecnllre(hurth)andrevi\'inlC1\risllanlivin8inaccordlf")Cc\\'lhthcBjblc . InChis - ..) the: BfOUP bwclalcd \~. . Ih lhe mluion.ary tradition of J'l1C:II .. m Apprai\ill ur 1M croup's University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh acliville'i.. howner. !\howcd that onl, .ill sa:IIOO of 1M Churob. lhal is. 11M: Croup memt-:r.. instead "f the entire ('hun;h was involved. This divided 1iM= church mto memben and non-members of lhegruup The Group la)~ emphasis on regular Dible Study. fasting. pnyet and deliverance from 1M nil 'PlrilS Ihal militate a~lnsI the ph)su.:al and sp.rilu.lI wcll being of mcmbcn of lhe Chun::h. Hm. was 10 r.atl"~ members' need for true spiritual fulfilmcnl.'u One: of the fealures of lhe group that corresponds with Arnold Bi"hng\!r's IllIljOf dwxtcrillics of Chari~matic RCRev.ab is its lay Initiativc_' If, The Croup al II!. begmnin" was m~ up \If lay men and women and )outh In Ihc coogregalion o,-the l P. Church. In Ama~om. from 1%0 to 1978. ",hen lhe Group was offKially KUPI~ into Ibe entire E. P. Chun:h h~ <\fl<-lthcr feature 1\ the la~ particlrat;on of the Group. the nml\ ,)f the CharismalK: ReoclAal!. b asserted by Hinling!,:r. There I" a \troneelemcnt of lay participation in sinKin&. J"'l) mg. reading of lhe Knptures. personal :r.harm& and witnes~ing. According 10 the Church. at mO:C1lnt:'. memben slOg. clap their hands and danl:e: the lasl two practices are In conAte1 with the ,. P Chun;h's normal "on-hip pnctice \1emhc .... of the group pny in uniiOn and aloud and some In !.Irange longues. Again, thi!. prktiCC connlCbwith the church's tradition of structured orliluraical prayina. Thcgruupal'i.ll ih:~C'p" Ic\limonic. . from the Indiyiduals (:oncernmg IhcI' experienccs with God an.J Jcsu!. in tlcalina. ... \lng fnlm a mnhap and answered pra)cn. Thne form rart ofthc worship service. Another rmportaftt fcahft of the Group. thai i!. ~Imllar to Chilmmatic Renewal!.. i~ the issue of IM~ lliiplfil Bapti'iltl. Great emphasis i!o laid onlhc ph)!.ical ~ptism of lmmcnion as a symbolic .)0.;1 of de,,"\lng. This is 8I;;companied by the cxperience of IBc Hoi) Spirit t.p\ism: an evenl University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh E. P. crn.nh (as in the other HistOf"K"aI churches). The Hoi}' Spirit Baptism is ac~ompamed with lhe gifts ofthc SPirit. Ill.e hC3hng. prophec~ and "isions. This has been lhe main arcaor,he group'!> conflict ,u,h the no,Hnembers ofthc Group In the E. P. Church. Members who w~ 'hom again' felt superior Co tho!>c noc given the Holy ~lrit Oapcism and thus could not speM. in "' .... J:UC'S. The non·members ofthc groop also Jooked upon the ' born apin ' as~, This ftcllna 01 supet.orlly b) thr ' born a~31n ' undcnmned lIulhN'it~ in the church. As At:.mfo Ofon AllCmOin~1'IilIlC , ~o,cment inlhc~alnlincChurchcsinGhana.I" Mid , .. u~h lUiwdc JCMf'Ilcs the problem 01 "00 wtclds "de (aclo" authorit) in the chun:h; a ~lIntlict ",voavinllhc 'bUfR "It"in". I"" IS, 8 . S. P. F. atW Ihe traditIOnally rccognll.ed hierarchy o( ordained ministcn"~ rt'all) ocurred in the E. P. Chwth. Pnisc and wonhlppinl are another fC'aIUlC: of the: O. S. P. F. Their meelmls, and convmtM:lnS~CMrw:tcri.zedbylhcpf"illSCofGodanddcc:prttO&nitionofthe"o"hi~ssor Gild and Jesus his Sontorceeive ptIIllOC. glol) andhoouur(Rev. 4 :11: 5: S·IO)Thc:yute WestCtn Ihe 1\lllo"",,nl description by Bac1a of Spiritu.1 Churdte,' 'o\onhipas quuced by l)ovl{'l l4l,) ~ "Whubk to the 8 , S. P. F In Its early years ' :~~=:p~~hquW1.llu.h. ... · . hl_~ .. a..-J:g~ . ' hJ.f\ .... University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh nus mode of Vibrant and ccsutic .... onnip or the J.fOUP ronOicts lIIilh the EP Church't 5C'\'Cf1: ~ n~linw:d rann In thit aspcc1 ofwonbip the group feU Into timilar paUcms with the A. R. "i. •• tile "-hite Cross ~lCt!o' and the Lord's PentC(:O$lal Church. ~~~elism: The group. lik(: all rc\,ltalizmg movements, attaches grral imponancc to ev.ngdi~. MembcD Invited friends to their Bible Slud~ and Prayer rnC-Cllnis on Wednesdays and Fridlys. The) utpnized Appc: or Fellowship fC3!>1S and mvited friends from the COfIKtcplions and tried .. innm~ them inlo the grouPi. Tlac) offered praYCf5 to deliver membcn and non-manbas from Sf"nlual pnlbkms and bt-.lll) sickness and railure~ The re~ull!l uflheir 3~ljvilic .. allraclcd more peuple mt" lhe ,roup. I 'I~ 1"0. although the IfWP had pfOrnolcd .. piritual gro""th in their ,-"n~rq,:,)II"n'. the Church hlctan:h) thoughl the pnyer groupi ""ere practismg ..... hat the church ~O'ornu's Church at Taduwu, Uoh '~ EUlfdumc "GbcdododI Kplc 00)0)0 Habobo" and ·\mcduo·s Tekrom Pra)cr Group at Pekl Ulcn~o It was diffi,uh 10 tell which pra,t"cs w~ Presbyterian and therefore accepted and whICh WCR Il0l. VIe'A) "n the pnctices varied. lnt~ iliac differences of opinion on this i~,uc o( the &lOOp's pract"C5. It was common to heat pcoplr ~l~, "Worne Ha Illi alCIl 0" mcanlng. flhli Ii noc .... hat lIIe h~\(' beC'n taught (II il noc our tradition). As humankind differs in uptnlofb ",oJ IIItl·f'C<;.\<. .•X lnilKt$ are lxlund 10 uist. In rc:vitalizinl the E. P ChW't;h and ih prxlK:~ the Ij .., I' " ~ .. mC' mit) conRI~1 with the pre\'aihng traditions and practices and these conOicu• .... hlCh 'iQnedculmm3lcd In thc Khiunofl99l. In 1914 tAgendiand Rcpon.s IQa.:IJ)thc Polk) and Ciuldclinc!oCommlftee(PGq""ti appoin&ed by the S}nod Committee and clwacd ' w sawjy and appnlK repclf1s from Var1ou!o Ofian~ anJ \:uun!o of lhe E. P. Cburc:h and 10 make recommendation .. hakd on the ~uhject manen of the 1qIftni:rS)"';d'!oa~ard~n University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In f~8~. PG<' ackno\\ledged spiritual growth in the Church bid .nributcd il not only 10 Ihc lCIivittn. IIf the BSI'" but also to thill of the Women' ~ Bibic Class. Church Choi~, Chrlslian Youth nu.ldees ..n d l!cncral mcmt'CMip ofthC' Church"" , It WCln on further 10 accusc the BSPF of .h'ptmg pnctK:C\ ;anJ ~Inncs which were in connict with the Reformed teaching!!. Mid ~I"C"!> ohM E. P. Church.The praclK:CS mcnhoned are: a, Clappingofhand!!.whlle .. ingingandln!!.te.dol"thls,thcgmupshouktu\C and thereby missin. thc !>Crmity when one commune\> with God . c. Baplism ofimmeni"n lO~tead ohprinkling which is the accepted mode of the E. P. Church tas a member oflbe Reformed Tradition) d. Bible Study and Pra~c:r (iroups be encouraged 10 usc Hymns from the - Hldzilbalc" ~lOce lbesc hymnsconlain lreat inspirational fcclings The minutc~ d,. nol mdlc .. le thai Synod kcepted lhe<>e rcc"mmendal.on\ as resolutions "'" il i. . an IOdl':.;ItlOn tll"thc c'lmmin«'s ohjIXIioolilO some oflhe practice50 ,)1 the B~Pf' In 1986, the: Policy and (Juiddine~ Committee recommended to Synod to change 1M name of the Dible Study and Ptlyer Group to Bible: Study and Prayer Fellowship. The fU50n o'kred you thai since 1M Group was mnnt to ""brace the entire congrcplion~ of the Chun;h the _ord vroup- in the name was causinl miwndersiandlO~ and engendering Ji\ l5oinn . The '~Ik>d oJo.:,epkd the: m:omlllcndalton and efTmcUnCil. the Synod dc$(:ribed some ohhc points raised 15: WcfinJallradU3I.lienltiontakin8Place~ecntheJ.yleadershir and the pa~ltlrs Thi!> i~ 1u unfortunate and Synod has to do wmething. In\tead "rSynodckalingpromPlly with thcdcclinina relltion belween the BSPF and Ih e hc(:uli\lc CouncIl, II passed on the ~sporlsibilll~ to the: Synod Commi"«.'·' rhe membe~ of the B"iPF WCf'C memben. of E P. Church .nd the) were entitled 10 equal opponuniltes enjoyed h~ lhe other !!TI'Urs. like the C. Y. B., Bible Clus and the Church Choir. When the Executive ("ul\\;,I"ftheChurchlrtcdtodenYlhcmthcirrightsandprivilcgesofformationofasSOCi.lions "r t-:rtlUp'. ~hoosing IheiT leaden and cnjoying good governance, they asked Synod, the highest ~utho"t~ of the Chun::h to Mnnalizc ttting\ When Synod failed to ria)' its moderalina rok. liw:nitlncvltabl),c.aUedforconflicl"lIhinitsranb, fheerisisworn:ned"ilhthea(h'enIOflhc MU6 "RcyoluhOMry Guuds and lhe ",oncemed memt1er .. M Thai "as what follo\o\'ed S)nod'5 ----- ·:~(lu!l1"'·"!'."~K.l ''''''I..,.1,Church',iliswrinen: f l1e concerned membcn. after deliberating on issue!. raised at the mcctinl wilh the Modcnlaor.dccidc:d 10 pres..e .... to him a raolUlion on the mantn discussed, The: ,,"ision was spontaneously 5UppOfICd by a aood number of membcrs o f lhcChurch whost.cdthc same ~~S,I.9 ~~~::==::.:-;',:':c'.~:(=~~~ .. T..,I .., ..I __. ,h' It went on Iluther 10 wspcndtbeconSCilulionofthen""JI' .. nJdissolveditsf'l:lItionalbccutive The 8. S. P. F and Dr. Sodli In separate letters demed any involvement in the dcmon"raaions. They liso KCused the Sp)od Commll1ec of nOl giving them a hearing when the B~P~ In its ~ 10 Synod in 1987 comrlaincd about the degenerating ~I.tionship bel~een il andtheb.ccutiveCouncil 11lc Chwdl on 3" July, 1988 reacred 10 the Re~oluli(l"" and rosi1ional stalCll1l!nt t,f lhe demonSimonandequall) sc .... edlhemedi.hou<;Csoftllerew!ulionsa .. 4uolcd .bo.l\ot·Ic.rcqual pu.bh~'lt~ In an antmpc to uoneralc it'iClf. the Church endorsed (he in ... itation ofille Press and University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In all the preceding four sece"Ssions IhatOC(:urred in the E. P. Church.lhaloflhc 1991 look the largnt magnitude and pubh(:lt~ and tM media hou~ played no mean a rok in the o\·ctplay oftne issue. It was givnl promincmcc. front·pagc coverage and ~en'i3ti0n8lizcd to ~ltract the reading public . The Synod Cummillee m anolherrcaction to Ihe open confrontation tried 10 proscribe t he national tilly oflhc 8 .S.P.F. bul failed to achieve this proposal . The J:ellowshipde:fiedall J"cdi\'" nf lhe ElIC'Cutivc Council from Ho and went ahcad 10 hold the n.tional r.IlY.1 Anlog. IIhtead of HlI Inc Impt.-;ition and the defiant attitude deepened the en>sion of the Ch urch 's r"o other ISSUe), which worsened the crili.;:al '11I131ion in the E. P. Chuteh, which InvlIhed the 8. S. p, F .. were Rev, Ozobo's Indlllcl1Ilalion I1blicies and a purpotted D,(ohu' l IlIdie.COIZ311On or Africanizatton Polidn: In hi, ~", 'I~ .IS the Head of the E. P. Church, Re\ . Ihobo decided to indiscniLe or Afric&nue the Chuteh. He felt thlt the African must be able to contextualize his worship. To him Africans, in thiS case, the E. P. Church, had come of age 10 develop the Christian failh for Ihml10Chn as Africans. An era as Amed:zo puts iI, My, hen: the: AfrKan IS free from thelllngical IMibitionsand prutC'Clivcncss" Inotherwords,thc E. P. Chun:h I~ ffC'e toexpn:.)~ the Christian faith in thc culture OrAmc.l.'H University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh MELAGBE University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In his "\1dagbe": theokJiy" Re .... Dzobo KIS OUlIO e"pmin and !tho", that - a tnlC African can also be a true Chri~ian wi'houllo~ing hh African ,dcnllt~ ilnd III the !Warne time keep "rthlhcl;o~pcl- . I\I In Ihl~ attempt 10 Afric' and htthum.lncommuRII) i::~:I:::~':"'::'=::~~~~~~=(=~':.'=~=: 'Ioo.r" ......... 'II:bhTtu ••I ::J>.Ou;h. ... l'. .. '" ·",...~I. ...... ,_ _ (~(·lP.17 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh In his -Melagbc" ihcolo@y. Dzobo cmphaiz;cs the moral KllOd entailed in tradilional lXIftCC1Ibandriluais bul nqlcc:t.edlhe bcltcfinlheexi§tcn<:C!'ofs.pirit possession. rnllBicand ~ Itt;hnaft, I)' According to I)zobo these do not exist but come from our imagination Uluhu' .. "'1c1agbc" Thcol~ has made him a champion 01 AfrKao T'hcototJy in whtch unOc:r..l.1nJmgofour hum.1n e'J~tenc:candlo pur..uc in valid and viable failb solutions 10 its probkm~ a .. \\'e experience II In Alfiea and OIl> Olack people all OVCf lhe world,"'''' He has put up ancw thcolog); a theoloBY lhat is asking African Christians to explain. understand and rcac:t 10 the (hnsli.ln ReliSion in Utelr (~~n ~a~, dlfferenl from the way Rome. Ucneva. London. New yon., Hn:mcn md Paris eAplaIDed. understood and reacted to (hllStiani!) ,'" In other word!>. African Christianity ~Id be genuinely African in contcx! and expcncncc and not .. phococopy of our miuionaty mentcn. He has. to thai clrcet. advanced lhe methodofinquil')'.'" 8) thiS metlwd he ad\rocates that the AfritMI Thetllogian should lr) 10 ___ therol~in8quesllons a) What J\>c .. II mean to be alrue African and a true ChriMlan at the s.ame time? b) Is then: an) ~tronS link between African .mt.I Christian apprehen~lons of spirilualllndmOfalJUIi1i~? c:) Docs the African have to IO$( hisiher cullural idenlity on bccomlnl a 1=1::~:;'II'';~~I'~:(~:~~~::I:~,I~e:~~~==''Iullhc Imprl'KlnI:J ,plcndour and grc.utl:ssinuslS .... rnc.ns?Ek.''- In~hGenous AfriQn traditions M SlOW" Pelet ~ood in hi~ Jewish uadilion of messiahship 10 .m. . cr thc que'loIIOll.··\IoOO do you Sly I 1IT1 .•.• (Mal.lb: 151 To some in the ~.P. Church. championed by the B.S.P.F .• Dzobo is !Id\ocating ReligK>u'lo plutall:!.m. ,eo.) But ochers cmtnced the Indigcniytion programme of Dzobo. \1000 was the rnodentorofthc E.P. Church Accon:hnS fO [)zllbl,. the:"Melagbc:"rheololYusc!>lhc biblical revelation serious!y Indat Ihc KmC time take equally scriou5 the mdigenous African wOIld\·ie\lo, Ihought and belief \~'Icm~. Arm:an culture. religiun and ci\lh~llOn For example. the rcliaious s)mbol'lo. myths eaiaIcntiIl mclhods of the African's ell.perimcc. and Ihu'lo, making hi'lo answers to the abo\te quc:shons. applKable to II\e real needs oflhc Afrk:an Chtistian~ In punuance of theK ob;c:clives of hiS theolog). Uzobo embarked on • vigorous indiJCftiyfKJn polic)' in the E.P. Church. His inciiseniYlion \Ioas a revolution in lhe f..P. Church• .. MlGcmplllO chanSC from the missionary Christianity built on Western and Judaic Christian cultUf'C!> III hlhlical Afrll:aniwion of Chrilli&nity as tM- '"\1c1aGbc" Thco1oaY limed at. The mo\~ (.:menkd I 101 of controvers) In the E.P Church A section of the f..P. Church c-t.np.ion cd by Ihc B.S.P.F felt DlVbo''Io indigenls.ail"n mmics "'Cf'C unKnptual ilnd must be Ihe II, P r ..... ilh Illc taU orrevivinaChristianily spirit~lI)' in the E. P. a...rm. champIOned lhe: anli-indl(.:enl7alllln !;ampai~n against Ozobo. The)' and Ille elderly members or lhc I P. (,hurch y" the AfriciinUillion mo\n IS a mum to heathen pracfKcs whkh the church ~:~::~~:=~~.~ \1.'1\_ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh and Lhblc: Iru .... ned upon . This doctrinal issue fOrmed part oflhc complainl a $Cdion oflhe E. P. Church ll~gc.J agaInst Rev. Dzobo al Trinity College on Ihe;- ~ ~ .. of Jun~· . 19K~ h was mcnllunc:d carlin that somc membcn of the c:ktgy, including Rc\" . Dzobo vu:n: apinJt tM ~oflheB. SI' . F . bytheChurch·sS}nod ... sit.sOfgan Onec:aninferlhalrhc .mlaI10(Ulom bct\loccn Dzobo a.nd the B.S.P.F. started Ii'om t!\i,1 Inciden!. The gl"Of.lp thus dcvdnpe-d a dl slrldl for him evcn when he became the Moderalor 01 the Church Nom"Uill~. mankind docs not easily welcomc. change. npccially. a sudden chan~c thAt be recls "ill disturb his oormallifesCylc. Pcoplc who ru.\'e seen 100 many neaati"e n~pecls of 1~lllonal pracu,"c!> before hecominl: Christians lllIy nol be well disposed towards Ozobo's indigem"-llitlnmmn. Dlobo was noIlhe fiJ'Sl 10 allcmpe indigenlZlllion in the E. P. Church . His predecessor the RI. Rev. C. K. 00\'111 " 'as. lhe first as discu,!iCd carlier btU his Indigcnilatlon moves did not ClUK I stir nor conflict IntheChun::hbttau,ehc invol\'edexpcns 10 the arcasconccrncd and wughtAP9fOYIIlofSynod D2UboOfllhcolherhanddidnotinvolvce){pert5;lheologiansinlhisca~.nordidhcS«k IhcmandaleofS)-nnd In 11J.II4. Jurinathe Church sen' icc It the 44"'Synod at Ho, hcdecided 10 pul hI) "Mdlgbe thenlogy" inlO practK:C, As p~acher for the da}, he wore the Melaabe symbol un his c6erica1 robe.nd was led b) Ollfl\C"dcofor. themodclchoiroflhe E. P ("hu!"(:h leading lhrmwas.lcederwithalingui~lstaff. Scripturereadjngandpreachingv.e~ hcraldcdy,uh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh lIlkinl drum!>. This way of worship, amonK other... I"" the form Rev. Dzobo felt the E. P. Chu~h, b an African Church. shoukj .oopt.'&' The move generated a 101 of controversy in \he: E. P. Church champtoned by the 8. S. P. f .. whu;h felt they were unserlplural. TM B.S.P.F. and odIC!' church mmI~ accused Dzobo of introducmg African Traditional Prac1ka into the Cburch. On the other hand. Dzobo was al50 accused b) the n.s.p.f of prac1isina: African prKlices in the church. From a ccrtain pcf"lopCltli\'c. it was Chri51wut) agoilln!>1 African lradilillnaliml and from another It was CtwillMlilm q,ainSl Reformed tradition. In either case the B.S.I'.I·. championed the campligns 'gilln,1 Dlobo's indiacnl5ation and upheld \hc: tenels of the Church's Rcformed tradilion. DIOb .. .ulhc hcad of the E.P. Church faced Ihcdoubkanacks l"he West Volta Presb)1ery recommended thai the proposal that the Moderator should -'..1\ I. office caly for '" I' lenn~ of four ~e.1~ and no more be placed on the agenda of I~ 44'" ~>IkJd (Scp'cmbcr 1985). The request ne\er umc up for discus. . ion A "Imilar request by the Southcm Prc\hyterylo S)nod \\a'lIIIWIt;n..red In June. 1~84. the Paslor'lo AssocialWn diy,reed with lhc clause on lenu~ of officc as in the 1980("on~ .. tullon. Theypasseciontileirresolutiontotheb.e(utl\Oc lor inclusillnon Synod A,mda but it neltitcr came up nor .... as ncr pl;KCd on any a8en(b of Synod for discuss""" University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh IlH: COns1iWttonal.tmendmc"nt issue bccameexplosiYc:. In JanuaJ) 1988thc Pastor's A!Io!>IXiition iny~ the provision of Article 31 ortlle 1980 ConstilUlion and elC"(ted Rcv. (Prof) N. K. Ozobo a". the Moderalor of the Church lOr a third term of foul yeatS '" Ith dled from JanlW). 1<189 I~: The H. S. P. F. fell the ctC"(tion ",as in breach ofthc 1979constilUliun ",htch There .... m:- t .... o rea,lIl1n, h' the purported amendment and the eyocation of the Article ) I. Thae were the mcct.ng that 1. .. .,1. r1a..:c al Trinit) CllJlege and the Ho demonslration on June 25· and 29'" rnpcctivcly as mcnitoncd above. file first was II pohle rea,lion whef'C lhe concerned members thought. the~ could convince the Moderalor aboul the fact WI the matO'll~·· lolf members of the E. P. Church wm:- noc happ)" about his adm.nl~t .... ion and re-- el«llOnbut",hcnlhcilpcrsuasionrailed,thcreactionassumedavioltnIMlureintbefonnofll demonllJalion ex,nssing the., d, ...S recmcnt and displeasure. The demonstrators publicized the c ... dtofthcamcndmenllUldelectionbydisplayinglheirfeelinpandlhoughtonplocilrd\ l"be dcmunslfallon mdcd up at the Church's IIcadquartcrs .... hen: the)" pre. . cntcd the II rcsolulions and \Ulemc-nlofposihon lothc Ex«uti\eofthe I· P. Church. Thc)"iaterrre-.cnledlheloClel>uluitons oinoJ,I.llcmentofpositiontolhcmcdlahuuloC. . atHo lhe ... ynod I)f Ihe Church. in I:ompldc diveptd 10 the IroUblc ~in& in the Church o\cr Ih., ISoWC: and in deliancc oflhe real;;tionsofa i«hon of the Church. and a restrai ninlordcr InsillUkd aI the Accra Iti&h Court on lollh July 11)88. went ahead Illld endorsed the alleged unconstitutional e&c.:lion of Rev. Prof. N. K. Dzobo as the Modcratorof(he E. P. Church fora ...... 1eIm of four )'all tcnun: efTcc:li\c January. 1989. This aclion of the Chul\:h made some six rncmbcn.oftheChurchtoadopianothclformofacIlOfl.acnilsuit.apinstlheChun::halAccra Ih~Coun II'J'II"~~t~.n1li1u)l'-A-EN'FI\.hIaa.""I"I? University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Bcioto' ate !.i)l;ofthcconc~~bers· I Jame!. Kwesi Agbeblewu Hope Yomckpe 3 TopeGcbu-Mcnsa 4. 8mjAmm Kumla Lkbri1 S Wocdml Fianyo Kwami AdJ:raku and 6 Frank Fugar l"hc~ instituted a loumcantive action .. Accra Hip Court challcnginl (8) 1M authenticity of the IQS3 Conslitution, (b) the valtdity of the nominalion and election of Re". Prot: N. K. Dzobo it) 1M Paston' Association of the Church for a third term oftlffice notwithstanding the- (xl that the aiS(Kiatioo had flU authority under any ofthc con~litution5tu nllmmatc and elcct a Moderatllr ·' \ lllc Pastor'~ A~sociation on the basis ol'their trainmg and education !>Cfl!lCd the danger Ihc litiplKJn entaiLed. it~ aftermath and tried an amabk solution ,)f the conniet hetto'«II the Church ~ ,oncemcd members. In a Icher dated 6th Januaf'). 1989. the Association .. Ho in\ltcdthe foUO\\oing six pcoplc to scttle Ihcmattcratn ofcourl andhringpcaceandharrnony iMotheChurch. Their arpomhnenl \\asctlnfirmed by the Synod C'Ierk in a lct1erdalcd 24'" J.'n~ . IQ89 I. Rcv. (Prof.)[ E. Bacta(Emcrilus) 2. Rev. 1: . M. V. Tawiah University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh J Rev. (Pror.)G. K.Ansrc- 5 \tr. Justic:el. N. K. Wuakuand 6 Mr. C. K. Dewomu (ronner In~peclOf ticneral or Polic:e) TMy Ytm: III !todtle 1M manet oul of Court and ··brlng pc"ace and harmony imo the Church-. f"twlennsofrefcrencewerc:'w a. ·1h al the CommlRee does all il can 10 gel the parties COll(:crned to qrcc 10 withdraw the pn::~1 issue In the E. p , Church from Cour1 b. Tha11hcCommluceresolvcsthc issucoulofCoun amicabl> lind in a mJRnct that bring~ f"lC."ace and humony to the: E. P. Church c. ThcActionheforc llle("uunh.3'lhC'lillloy.oingllliganh I Janlc.'>K'\,l.'>IAgbeblev.u 2. Hope Y"md,pe • . BenJamm kohla Debra s . Woedcm F&anyo K. ... ami Adraku 6. franklugar I. The RI. Rev . NoIhD.zobo. Moderalorand Rev. G. K. Alimpo. for and onbehalfuflhc-EvansclicaIPrnbytcrianChurchof(ihana 2. The RI. Rev. Noah K. Ozobo Pl,untilhd.lmjoinU)and w=\cr,lllyagainsllhaldcfendantsfDf University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ] [)eciatahon thallhe purported ~ndmcnl. the 11179 Conslilutton of the I:\angelical Prnb)teriln ChurchofGhaM i\ Illegal. null and void and ofno elTccl "'hate\'er 4. Ikcl. ...i on IhallM oominalton and eM:c1ion of the scconddcfendanl by the clerg} of the Church in January. 1988 (or. third tcnn ..:tlRlmencina January 1' I~N is in bleach of the ('onslilution of the Chun;h IherelOn:null and void. 5 Perpctual injunchon to rcstl'1llin the ,ccllflddcfendant from amcndina or changing Of endorsing the purported amendment of the Ctln\lilutlon ~lthtlUI due compliance with the 1979 ConMilulion on to PerpetualinjunctiontorestrllindeCendantfromholdinahimselfoucas the dul) nominated and elected candidalc for endoncmcnt by Synod oftheChurchforanotbc:rtenncommencingJanuarylQ89. 7 "errtlultlinjuncliontorestrainthedefendanlfromendorsing~cond defendanl a .. the dul) nom mated and elecled candidalC and nagrant abusn ofthc Constitution ofthc Church Thus., the fine defendant in the ca§oC: is the E. P. Church ilself and the scwnd de(endolnt Thc= CllRImillee met on • .,.. January. 198Q and sought c1arificaHon of tile lenns o( reference and requested the S)ood Comminee which acis for S)nod during the interval between \~ ntld mMIAp to continn or endorse and mandale its appointment b) the Pastors' Associalion I" it kncr 0(24" January. 1989. the Synod Clnt. in eliC(t. mlaried the mandate or the l""mmlnc..- h. "u\C:r the contnnpt o( court case as well as the ~ubstanli"e Ca5(' ~hich Will putty he&rd at the Inne and was adjoumcd to the 31- or January. 1989. 111c \Arne lener from the University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh S)nod Ckrk IIKKaM:J Itt.: mcmberJup of the Commincc by three persons from lhe [Shsc l-.vangdique du Togo. TheM: ,",e~ PautOl' Ahiagba.. Paltor Tules,i and Mr. Vig• . Ik Committee first obtaillCd an adjournment from the Coun 10 altern.,. 5dtlemenl of the ;,sun out of court. It mel over the 1!>!>lJa eight times. heard from the P'ln,e\. re~hed inlo lhe Minutes of S)'nod mcellnt:s frum 1971 and other rele .... nt documents and pamphlets made ItfoundshitSynod. fOl'I6yean.(thalis.sirK:eI97")hadadoptedptacl,ceswhich",~ un~"n\litutlonal (for example. allowing the: PaSI(lT' s Associalion tl' nominate th~ two topotftcen •• (Modera&orand S)nod Clerk for the Chun:h for d«110f1,31 "'~nod; and theChun:h ek\:lIng some o(thetcoffK:ers IUf a third tcnnofotlice). It also found out that these patti(c:seAI"lcd bcforcthe Incumbent \toderalorand Synod Clerk werceteclCd and ha&J~()ntjnueddurinithcir 1CnLII'C. The: comminee found no mala fides on the part of Synod. Synod acted in good faith but in error. 1be Comminee however. round no conclusive eVidence that. at the Joint S)nod .1 Bdanta, Togo. in 1910. an)' amendment 10 the proVl51OM on lenure or olliee of the Mode,.aor Iftd the Synod Clerk ",the HamedodofC"pfinted in 1979 wu made. It I'Ccommmded thallhe Constitutional amendment inue be placed on the Agenda forthc I'ICXI Synod meeting. It also re«lI11mcnded that RI. Rev. Noah Dzobo should complete hill 3'" tcnnofolftce. It explained that ",twasnocintheinterestohhe("hu,chtocreatea ... acuumm the Administralion and Leadership oflhe Chun:h. The S)nod gave the nod to the \foJcrator 10 lent another tmn of 4 years. Ibis Wail communKated to the International r.lr1ncn of the ChUKh. the World Council of Churchn. All African COflfercnce of Churchel. the civil authontln an Ghana ~nd illi tru:nd~ and co-workcts of tile Church both inside and ouuidc (ihana. 'dan)' of these u,ious organs 50 inFormed had been lransa..:llna busme~\ wllh ,Jr('!c""")f N. K. Ibonu u the Mode..aor of the E. P. Church. It ,",ould not be in the hest interest or the t"hun:h then 10 _fonD aU thne bodies and indn'lduallo that in confirmina Prot. I>zobo as University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ModcrauX'. the Synodacled in toad filth but inemlJ'. The irnagcand Ihccredibility oflhc thun;hmll .. tbeproCC'Cledandpn:\.CrvoowithinandVli1houIfi~·· The Commi'h;.: al!o<.1 dealt Vljth the fonowing complalnh Mela~beTbeol~ Thn. \,a, d thcologica!1 exercise by the RI. Rev. Dzoho in his effort 10 cxpress the Christian c:w;pcricnec in Traditional Atru;an concepts and symrol~. The Melaghc i .. ~P.fC was IreAU'd under the B. S P F kcuwlions ofthc Church Leadership slaled in the early pan of this This ("ommiHec "'as of Inc opiniontiw Ihis IhcologlCal c'crcise i!io fraug.ht with Ihc seeds of connl'I and division whtch will in lime. adversely afTecll!le welfare of the L. P. Church IlK ("omminecfounditill-lId,iscdforthc\1uderatottopropounda,ontroverslaltheology contrary II' .he p""I",uns of Anlde 5 of the Hamedodo reprinted in 1979 lparllg,aph 2. last 2: lines) Ewe: Amea deke mckpo mo ahe nufillfi. kple WOOl bubu .... u ava Uame, neSinodmelode edzi0 rn~li~h I' shall be unla\\lful for an~one to introduce 4ny extraneous doctrines or practiccllo unlo!> S)nod so approvcs oflhcm The: Commlnee .1Il00 noted tMt the ModeaIof \\orc: • crou ",jth lhe 'Gye N).mc' symbol embossed on il. Although the '(j)C Nyamc' or 'M,\\Iu ko' sian is in ilself. laudable .fftmNlCionofWChrislian f.i.h.and isaS>'mbo' "'orth .... earing on its own. thccmpcy Cm. ... ha\ • SJlC'Cial siplflCaRCe fur l'rlltc5.tant... I, d Ihe VI,tory ~}mbol of the Re\urrcccion. Christ is riIcn fiom the dead·,he etl.", 1\ cmp:~ - l)ealh 1\ conquered. To add somethinl to the Empey ('m\. i, \ecTt 01' mlwdu<.:mg • fICVI' doctrine .... llhoot the con'oCnt of Synod. contrary 10 Ar1ick ~ 1.I,he 197QHamadodoo1. . "uoccdabove. I"he: ( ·ommince rC4::ommenGcdtUl as. milncr nfurgcncy . Rt. Re\,. Dzoboshould desisl h"m J"'f\'f"I~lng the Mclaghe lneology and the wearml! IIfthe ... id Crn. . s Il!o Ion. as he held University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh (ltftCe. He was., hmoncr, free iIIftcr hfi tmwI:ofotr..:e 10 propound lhe Me",bc theology .fhe thou~hl it fil and to wear the symbol and the cross In a fashion chat pleased him. It was evident thai a new n:ligious wave was sv.eeping through Ihe l. P. Church. As il expressed ibdf, some wekomed it .5 • -Mirth" and otheB saIA II '5 • springboard for Nundc~lrable human pride and exhibitionism-. , .. ) The Comminee noted. !kJ"ever. Ihil me new ~1i':IOUS experience was not peculiar 10 Ihe E P. Church. It was a "orldwide phenomenon and ... studied in 1910 by the W\"ld Council of ('hutches (WCe). As. rnuh of I" study il came out wiltl II. documenl enlll'ed. The Church I) Charismatic The C IKnmiUee wllllKd the Church 10 note tNt the l"harismilltlc movement within it i~ potentlall~ beneficial but .Iso PllCenllall~ dlvl\l\e and the Church, Including liS leadcr)h.p and adhcrcnlS of the movemenl. t.houldbc\\al) .)fhccomingluihyofrcliaiouJolRh.leran..:e It recommended the ..:reali{lfl or a schedule \\llhin the admini~tralil'n IIf the Church 10 be ~'p<~siblerorsupen-i!>itln.gtlldancell.ndfunheranccoftllemovemenl·"DCtivIlie\ II came 10 Uk: nlOttee of Ihe ("lImmll1C"C liull • number of people had elll.prel>~ great fnCntmeni and concern OOlCcounl of the I~d Ihal the liuidelinc Committee had been made lhe fll\i111 iIIulhonly on Synod Agenda lhe CommlRec noted Ihallhe conlem (lr S)nod Agenda was an Im(l('ll1anl funccion thai ,h"uIJ " .. ! be dcleplcd to a cummlR" ~nd thu~ rccummtnded thai the IS~ue of the position of thC<,u,dehnc\('l"ft1mittecbepla..;ooontheAlendiofthenc\I')nod FltlBDce: fhc ( ommlncc. in Vte\\ of the varKlu~ c(Knpl.inl~ it received on IinanciJI admlnlitntion. Incloom~' the u\c 01 IlH"cign c.\I;hange. recommended ttlillhe audited accOUnl."1 uflhe prc"iou~ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ~e. . r. IIlCllKhng the utilizalion of foreign er.chanae. be drculaCed 1\) members ofS)nod .. least 2. hoorsbdrnthc:dtbe1c:atSynodonfinancc:. Nepotit• •o d"tctimization: lnc Comminc:c COflsKiered compla,"l~ and aUepiions ofNcpotl'lom .) m.tonl~ favouriles\\.en:granlcdsc:holarshipslOstudy inthc: JoCilmstitutions ofhighcrc:ducation. b) that 50fJle poslinp were made: 10 ViCtlmlle those ",ho pOint out imgularilin inlhc:Churchor criticilelhc:leDders c) that the composition orthc: Synod Comminee was not In accordance: wilh the PfO"'I!oI\In ufAnicle 41 oflhc reprinted 1979 Hamedodo Complaints had also bte'n made about !o)'cophancy of the dulY and o~r Church offidals and their rear or vic1imiuliOfl. me Commitkc could 110t 1O\'estigalc Ihe!>e allegations due 10 lime constBinb. II ~e:r. recommended ,hal the Executive: Council lake nole: of ,he comp. .i nts and allcSoIlKJM and 81:1 in weh a manner a'lo ",otlld place lhem c,",l) above suspicion . It alw m;ummended ....' Synod. the hipsi organ of the Church should itself comply with the provisionsorthc Hamcdodoand sci a good clI.amplc {·onflictsbetweenCburcbGrouIKandl:burchA.utboritics fhcrcarhadbccnc",~...:dhero~thc(""lIIlIne:e:thattheB.S.P.F .. thcBlhlc('1assand lhe- th(lIf~ have all emeracd as power blocs in the Chun:h. The Synod CieRi infurme:d the CoInmiaccthaate'f*alccomm.neeiwdbc:cnsctuptodcalwiththcrclationshipbct-wunthc Church Admiaislralton and the kadcnorthc B. S. P. F. ThcComminC'C eUloncdthc:Chwd! t2J'OUPI to mwn lu ('hrislian diSCipline. rccogni/c and Kupllhc &UlhorilY and lcadc:Mip of the {hur..h'~ .lJmlnl\tf1llors. The Church admlnl!otratltln. on its part, should ende of the need for rep','lltance. The menlion ofthc above fac~ at the ,\nme Jia8ie Comminec affirmed the conlCnlion of the study that many f.clon camc mill pia) 10 cause di\'i!oion m the Churr;h in any !oinlle rn,u"(C. In the ease ofthc O. S. P. F .• althoup the Constitution31 l!owe was predomiRaIN and \103' the Mue because ofwhkh they went to the f;OUrtS. there were undcrlyina issues like 60ctnnaland personahl) l!oloUC"loth-at wercequaU) sisnifiunlrt:l:ipes forthcconOichandthc rhc Annie Jaaue Commincc concluded its scnlcmcnl efran by recommendina trw. the RI Rev (}70bu ~h"uld complete his third Itnn of office. II made the recommendation in \'ievr of the &ret thAt Rt Rev D.robo WIa5 I:onlinned by Synod and the ~"nfinnalion was communM:alcd tu the International Christian Communit) and the CI\ II AuthoritIes in Ghana II lith the E. P. Church's image and cn:dibilil)· "uuld be eroded .fthe LhuII.:h "ithdn:w the confirmahon of Dzobo·" m,ldera~hlp e .. .:n though the Chun::h was in error Thus the ,,,mmillce ..ought fO prntel:f the Image oUld ,redibility "f fhe E. P. Chun::h. Ito'olllevu. thiI n:..;ommcnJatlOll of the o;omminee that Rev. Inooo should stay in offICe ~~ause he had already "Med Ihe third tam of offICe was found h~ \OOIC. c~peo;lall~ the: ~i,.. "concc:med members". to University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh he Imgular_ ~ c.lmmin« \Ioas found to I">t condoning I crime commlltcd In Ihe Chul\:h me pl.intifTsthusreJ«lcdther~,\:(Immcnd3tl.m Errortl by U.e Voila Rq:ional Huu .. c of C"id~; The Volta Re~IVRIII House ofChief~ also tried 10 reconcile the two "taction!> uflhe L " , ("hurch \Iohen die Annie JiB"c Commlltec failed In June 1989, is few chiefs ofthc Volta Region who "ere also members of the E. p , ("hutCh rcll that It would ~ di~graccful to allow afTairs ofthc RC~I.m's premier church to be tricdlncourt, Inaddilion,lhcyfeittilalthcChlirchwastheunifyingfaclolortheEwe!oandthc Rqioo:thedl!.inlegrati'lnoflhlsvital factor.lhey felt,would not only dividethc Church but \Ioould dlvMfethc people andlhe RegIOn as "ell. The~ felt it. therefore. I dut) to keep the E. p, ("hun:hlnIKlb~ helpinglo!>Cl1lelheprobkm\thatlhre.1tencdiISUnil) The: Standin. Commlnc-c of the Volta Regionoliliouse ofChtcfs (heK'al\cr VHRq look the initilti"c and fnnncd a Three-Man Commiltcc made up of: Togbe Adza lckpor VI, Osic of Avatime and the then Pre~idcm ofthc VRHC Tosbc Adeladza II, Awomclia 01 Anlo and the t:halrman of the Research C.lmminee oflhl: VRHC fogbe K\Ioadzo Dei XI. Dei~a of Pdi and Ihe lben member of the Standing Comminee The CommillCc firsl !.htdied the Anme Jilcge Repon, and Togbe AdJ',I Tckpor VI and rO[l:bc Kpeill. the Rcgi~trar orlhc VRIIl" on 5" July. I<,IS9, submittcd an applQhofl to the Ho High Coon. \Iohere the case "a. . pending. for withdrawal and Kttlemmt out (,f wun apphc. .t lOr1w~gr. . nled University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The Cumminee t.t tu.li~ mC'C1ing on 14* July. 1989 and both peI1in. the E. P. Church .ldmtnl\tr~h"n and the 'cunccmcd mcmbcf'\' ..r eed thIIIlhc Committee of the Vt(HC s.ho4Ild \ir flagbtdLt was (OtInsel for the Plaintiffs while Prof. A. C Kuma rcpn:~ntcd the Defendants and each ~rcuc:d the ('nmmiltee On 9- July. 1989. which tumc:d out to be the laSi mt'C1ing of the: (\lmminIX. II \\ .. ~ Jc~ ,JeJ thJII • tub-commirtcc m.Ide up of the two f.:1Kx11 be SCI up 10 ~lIle the conilitU1ion1l m~lIcr In ',ew of lame Conltralntl. the Committee informed the pattin that by ) 1st July. 1919. ,I "ould appl~ III lhe ('oun for extension of time to allow the proposed sub-comminee to work onlhct:on~tltu"unalprobtemasmenlionede.rltcrundcrthi!osect,on. H""-cnr.IheCommintc h8d it on ilS ~rd INion Monda~. )Isl July. 1989 ..... hen the Re'I"rII of VRHC" Yom! 10 the Court as a~rttd upon. plaintiffs served him with. lener of .. lChdrawalfromthcsc:nlcmenl. Whcnhc. Ihc ReglslIV.srillappc&lTdincourt.ndlenckttdthc apf)Iicattoo for eXltnloion. coun~1 for the plainlifT~ IlK"mally dttlared hil client" .. withdra ..... 1 from the )oCftkmenl tlflhe e.)C by the VRHC. Thus the conflici between the B. S. P . .. . and Ih<.· E. P. Church hItd to be dc<:.dtd by the Civil Court\ 1be author can ool~ ...,~ that the "conc:c:mcd members" did noc have confidence .n the I " "'rlIrttee o( Ihc YRt-lt me: lradihooal mcdwmm or arbitration that u:loC"d dialot;uc at. • PrCK"ct"di • .:~al Ho Hig .. Cm,rt 1-'0110", 10, the l':lllur!;"\ "flhe meeting at Trinity CoUelC. Ihe Annie Jiagae Comminee and the Voila MellO"",1 Hou"," "I ( hlers. the: sill. "conccmcd membcn"' turned ono;e .pin to the '"urh rhc) (elt lhat ... uc:h 3 matter of • cvn\"lul~1 l'\IIu~ deserved the Coutl.\ ulttmate JI( the- ''''I~ .utht.,.,cd lK"1,!o1J11""1 should deal With clln~lihlllon31 matten University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Agbcnycnu in his work An Aopraisal oflhc Confltct in the E. P. Church. A Long Essay. ( nl\c,:r..lt:- of Ghana (UG). Lcgon. 1994 ~. . riln. '"10 some. il was • hasty d«ision by the rl.llntdh III IUCthe maner to COUf1; nKWesoagainSl Plul's Biblic.lexhol'tation thai disput esbe ...:tIled amllng brethren ""thout loins tooot.lrt.'~·This is the: ideal Christian principle but in the p ..i ntitrscasel .... usuch.1lempcsf.i~. Above all it was a case invol\ing Ihcell.ecutiveandtllc Church theref~ lhe courts had become the "neces~1) evil"; they h.,j cxpc:rb for lhat purpll!ooC In the wit the: E. P. Church was fint defendant and RC\-. Dzobo as the lCCond drfendanl He was ehariCd foc WlCooslllutil'nal lMulmenl of the 1979 c{)n~ilution during hi, tenule "~I On 18'~ of I1ccember. 198'i1. the Ho Hilh COlin presided over by Justice 1!iIl3C Amuah p~ Judgment In I."our of the: plaintiffs against defendanb jtllnll} and \C\'crall)" for' I Oeclaraaion thai the pwpotIed amendment ofttlc 1979 constilulion uf 11)( L P Church. Ghana. is inepl. null and void and Clfno elT«, 2. Dcd. .a tionlhallhenominationandselcclionof lhe:!'''defendlinlb),lheC lergyol IhcChurdtinJanuary,1989.rorathirdterml:ommcncmgJanuary,I Q89,isinbreach oflbcconstnutKwiand.therefon:. null and void. 3. Perpetual injuRClton 10 restrain the defendants from amcRllIl1!,; ,,'r \:hanging or tnd<.lf'Ioln~ lhe constitution WllhoUI due complianc:e with the 1979 constilutionaJ pro\'ision on -t. I'crpctu,I1 Inlunctltln tu rcstnin the second defendant holding himself as a duly nominated .and electl:d ~,InJiJa[t"" fOf mdorscmenl by the S~nod or the church ror.nother Ictm, wmmcnc.ng January.I'JXQ University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 5. Pcrpc1~1 injunction 10 rcsttIiln the dcfmdanl~ Ifum cndonlnl the ~ dclcndiml asa doly nomin.lcd and Itlectcd candidllh! in (Icar and fraaranl abuse of the con~htulion orlne church 6.¢'O.OOO.OO":tt)lIn fa\,ourofth.:plaitifTs .1o.a 1ht: dcfcndanl"\ ~.:n: dissalislil.'(i with Ihc Judgment. Rev . Dzobo. • he SC'COnd defendant 21" Fcbnaar:o . 1990. Mr. JuloIiceAequanrefiucd.hcK'Conddcfendanl·sawliulionfor ··lt&)'of cU(ution"anda~ardcdacostof(IO.OOO.OOjnra't'OUrorthcpl.inllrr,. lhc ,,"tmd def.:nd:lnt lIppCak:d 10 the Cowt of Appell . Thrce judge). Melo~ Ju!>lio.:e Amptah pt'Csichng judge, Justice Lamptey and Justice AJJabeng hard the: appeal. Juslices Amptah and lAmptcy IIpftd thallhe appllcahon for stay of e~ecutltln be granted while Justice fhc main appc:al liledon the 30th Decc:mbcr 1989 b) Rcv . Dzobo.lhcs«onddefendanl. .... ~ heard b) a PInel uf three Appeal Cuun Judaes presided over by JUSlice J. A. Euiem and supported b)- Judea Ofori-f\oaleng and J. Armah On ThUf"1oda). 23 May. the Court gave its ruhng. rhe presIding Appeal Coun Judie JloISIice J A. Euicm came 10 the conclusion. thai "since I~ mrondc:nls failed 10 prove theIr ~ thal as at Januaf) 1"IlK 111(' constitutlOJl.tJ do..:umcnt of 1979 was the- vahd and bind",. CIltI)ltluhon IIf the E. P. Chuf"Ch. the trial judge (Ho I·!iah Court) ouaht to have di.smissed their actIOn. A(~onJingly. I ~ill a ll()~ the appeal and dismiu .he plainufb' action". The: ~c rollnl was un.lnlmuu\l> wpponed b) MnloCrs Ofor.-Boateng. J. A. Met AInOIfI1.',upror1lnl:judacl}.that.plherinlfromthcp~csofc\'dcnceavailable.thcrc:was. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh I't'asonabk rJNbI and someconfu.~ion as to tI\e birKting etm:t of the 1979 cOftSlilUlton C\'cn ifie "'_A§promulga&ed.ascontendcdonbehalfoflhcpliaintiffs. 'eN The Appeal coun's decision "-d very saious le'gal implicalion onthc Church. hrst,il tmplied thattnc f P Church in Ghani "-d been withoul. vahd conslilUlloo since 1971, when the Ihrcc·~ear Iflal rx-riod of the: con5liluliooal proposal accepted b) the joint synod in 1975 On f-'rida). the 24 of Ma~. 1991 • day .fter the Appeal Court rulin. . a ptl:Is conference "'01~ hekl in SouIh Labadi E. P. Church b) • cl"O!.s·~tion of the Church. The mec1inH was to expound the Implicalion of the Coun of Appeal judgment nle spokc!iRWl. Mr. Dan Amlalo 01 the 'IungUol E. P. Church and a member ofille B. S. P. F., (ailed on all congregations to decl.re autooom) until a Ctln~lIlulKm acceptable 10 all was wriuen and promulgatcd. I'" He.ha declared. among other thmi:'io. Ihat in onkr" to a\otd. constitutional vacuum and lawkss Church. thecunsiliullon referred to in the E. P. Church as ,he 1979conslituliun beadopled.tOfelulatc lhe alf~lIn. of the' Church. The'~ were the official rellSOflS Mr. Amlalo gne for 1;,IIin8 out fOC" the autonom)' of all CIIngreplions. I hov.C'ver. think that the concerned members were fed up ... ilh Uzt>bo and his .:tdminislration and wanted him oul al .11 COSI. This declaration by Mr Amlakl m. . rkcd the hoc:glAflIn~ of the 1991 !>Chism (m ISlh June, 1991. another meetmg ~as IIcId II Nunt:ua I-. P Church. It was anended by dekgaICS of many con8~plions from siJl. of the wYtn Pn:1b)1Ctln of the Church (Upper !\IOfth ~3~ the onl)' . Presbytery thai was ah\cnll II i~ belic\erJ lhal the majority of the delegates lilal attended the Nungua meeting were members "I the Ii. S. P. F. and the "Re\-olullonaT) Guards·· in "ympath)· with the "concerned mcmkcr.·· I hey "'ere mcmhns of the consregattons. who had dcclan:d autonom~ 10 ~spon\( I" "I, -\mlal'l·s ~S) ~I('a.-.c of 24'" May. 1991.1" Mcmbc~ oflhco;.c c~lng~gilll"n:. .KcOf~hng University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh .., Apcnycnu were members of lhe 8. s. P. f. who feh "prejudiced" by Rev. (Prof.) Dzobo', \1 .1 pn:'~ ,,;unfercrw;c tAIl follO\'·ed the NuniU8 mcelin8 that day, Dr. Mo5C$ Adibo. then [),r("~l,'r "f '-tedo Services and a membcrofthe 8. s. P. F. was lhc spokcvnan. He rqxated [he dcclaralMln of me autonomy ofthe concn:gM1UflS in conform it) with Artidc 29 of the 1Q 7Q c.>fl~II[ulion they had adopted on M.y 24*, Dr. Adibo announced a Church admini"rraaion. which "il~ reprdcd as the Icaitimatc continuation of the old Church. Thcy were Reverends l K Amcnyedu. Actina Moderator and V E. Otitiaku as ACling Synod Clerk With Mr E. K libordzot as the Intcr-Church Relations ':Iecretar}. Church Elden. \If. \1. K, Obiri and Mrs, C. A. (ime were appOinted to join lhe ttftc offictrs to form the Executive Council, The Hcadqu.trtr:Rofthe .. oc" il&iminillrllion"WI$§iledin Accra.. thus giving birth lOa "rivar church.theE. P,ChurchofGhiln;ll A "fJC section .... a~ against the ··break". While agreeing that a lot had gone wroog in the cbun:h.dIe)'didnotthinklhal&iivi!>ion"asaw.yofsolvingtheproblemslacin~lhe('hurch On Itf" June. 1991. this group led b) Rev. G, W, K, Dei. the Wesl Volta Presbytery Chainnan affirmed the k.adenhip of Rev. Dzobo' s administrallon AI Ho. He made it dear thIt those who COftIIqaIionJindcpcndent. Moreover, the 197C),onstifution whichtney claimed 10 he lheir l-.pnati\'C documnlf had no artick or clauscs empo"ering ordinal) members of the Church to In a disciplinary mellSUfC. S('\'c:nlccn P."ors "h." had offlciall), renouncc.J lheir membcnhip of the "E. P. Church. Ghana" under Dzobo's administralion. and tweIII)'-chrec persons from the lait)' includina ail the e)(C(;uli\cs ofB. S.I), I'". \\crec"\-communic:alCd ror aidina Iftd ilbctting. the Mwncemed members" of the "t, P Church of Ghana", lbcir University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ""ommunKatlon. J.CCOfdina IV 1M Ho Admini'I"'ion. ~ in consunance "" Ilh Article 209 of die 1979 ,;;,'Il,lltution. which sa.ln. among odlCflhinp. in Ewe: Dcdc blibo tso Harne" me kmkcn. esi \\oede gbetae na Harne .. codoo'" woawo lohthc seSClo sia nu do Ie ame,iwo "u wOOze agba8:ba [edo kpoe la goo (l-:xcommunication.the ~,,~t punishment in the chun:hwhich is also 10 beannounccd thnlUghout inthc Church il applicabie 10 offenders woo rcfuscd prc\'iou!. warningsandstu(klolheiroffcnl;e, Ri ... all) and intimidation WIS ushered info the E. P. Church. Ghllna, when lhe Ho High Court pve its judgment. The Church di"ided into two facliOflS of Pro and anti-Dzobo as _ifested in the formalion of ~Defendcrs of the faith" wilk majorily of its members f"rom the Chrill" Youtb Builden. the Youth WinS of lhe E. P. Chun;h. Ghana. The)' \\e~ the counterparts of the RcvolU1KJnary &uard\ Ihat 'ympalhizcd with the course of the ".ncemN members and the S, S P_ F. The "Defenders of faith" were to delend Ihe E. P. Church 1k:adquar1en MIl its ekccuti .. e In the usc of an} e\enl .... 1 allack., AI that stage t~ were onl) But alkrlhe Appeal Court'sNlin& of23 fd May, 1991. Spites of "iolencc erupled in some an::a\ Ihroua;hout the country, There were v;ok"1 dadles over owncnhip of Church property like chapels. "chicle!>, pastors' residencn and ocher asM:1s of the Church. Where the 8. s. P. F, _iaMcd Ihe population of the COfl@:f'C'g.1.tIOO. il assumed O\\flCMip and ,ontrol over these U\Ch Thh \-I"lcn~c. ulC\-itabl). brou&hl in lhe law enforctmtnt agenls. Tnc Hip Couns and South Labadi Churches were cwnpies ofvtnlcnl cl.uhc~ .:.;:~ bnJU~ht in ill WBkC.lllSC ofpropcrty and Ihrcat lO human Ii"es. Dzclukofe, L "'crt <;OtnC of iUCh Inscanc~. The Church thus lOll a tonsiderable number University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of its acti. .. e con~rq.:.&h,'n~ . rrup:n~ and revenuc. 1he B. S. P. F ~a, t>.Inncd In the: I .. P Chwr:h. Ghana.. OC~.Iu't" 01,1\ n'le Inlne schism The greaac<,t dlt\:t "I thi~ ....:hism wu the f.:aclthal the advancemenl of the E. P. Church '" uoc ,.fthe leading denominations was retarded and it:!> acti\ltlo and pro..i«~ suffcrccl. Con~llluho. .. II>. the two E. P. Chun:hc:s had adopted and rruruulgatcd pa~t con .. ilU1ton~. The E. P. church of Ghana adopted the 1979 c:onstilWion "'hile the E. P. Chu,,:h. Ghana. in collaboration with iusislerchurch in TolO. on the 11th of December 1992 adopted the 1931 con~lllution.fteraJoinl Synod in Toao. The finane ..1 strain o(IM conflict necessitated an "«<>nOmic rdorm" In the E. P. Church. Ghana. Hcn..:c. a Five- Year Endo~mcnl fund named ·'the Foundaliun Fund" II aimed at makin~ the Church linancl.all~ ~OO and sclf·~uPflor1ini' The cnsl§ and Its resultant !.Chism had jolted the E. P Church. Ghana. from Il'i. 1994 The exercise mulled in the restnKluring of the Ho Hcadquarten. adminish'.tion and I'Cl"ot'nncl to bring aboutefficicnc:),. Rn-oltClliationefforlorthel:hrMtlan(:oun('ilorC;hana: The I.. P. Church. lihana. is a founding member of the Christian <:ouncil o( Ghana. I hu, the .,.;hl~m in the Church became the conccm of the wuncil. One oflhe eight aims (or the ' ..... h!t'hmenl oflhe Council.u stipulalcd in its consaihflion swcs that: To give guidance and counsel 10 Membcr..churchcs.. Govcmmenll"hld, and peopk ofCihana whenever ntteuary.1O that the Church's Prurhctk V=~1~7: Il~:thc promotion ofpcacc. jUSlicc, llfIity and University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh h",aslileabmeaimoflhct:ouncillhllenjoinedlheCouncillOinlo'ilcthet""fXII'lf1\ul the E. P. Church 10. fOf'Um in order 10 faclliUlle dlatosue bdWCCft lhan ThcCoul'I("irsaimsoffaciliUllingdi.l~ucbctweenlhct'NOfactionswcre: a. clarit~ ing fOl themselves, U'e:I~ of disqreemcnt. h. search for ways and means b~ which the disagreements could be elT«tivcly handlcdlofa.::iliUltcthcunityofIhcChurch. C. 10 help dcal wilh any nlhcr relev.nl issues needed for Ihc settlcment of the ln conflicts. The Council, however, sovs:hllhe consent of the E. P. Churches 10 allow the Council to medlale In t!\tir internal atTain. and to anend the siUlAp. It did Ihe~ Ihrotl&h consultallOR!> ""ilh It started the reconciliation efforts in JanUlry. 1992. The Council arr"lAlcd a Sub- CommiUce millie up orlhc foll.'~lnG.lo act IS medialon; I. RI. Rev. Prof. K A. Dickson. Chllirman Christi.n Council of Ghani as the Commlltec("hltinnan, 2. Rt. Rev. F. W. B. Thompwn. Anglican BishlJp 1'1' ,\ccra· Member. J. Rio Rev. D. A. Koranleng. \toderator. Presbyterian Church of GhMa • Member• ... Col. M. Y Otllri, Vice Chairman. Christian Council afGhana· \1ember. S. Mr. David A. AcqUlh • Member. 6 \1r JUSIM:J.KingsIcyN)'inah • Member. 7. M~. Comfort Enpnann • Mcmber. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 9 Mr SdhA.Quao· Rceotdcr. Ihtrep"sentatl'Ves: ", E. P. Church, G~ I. ~. SclhK -\'S.1moah 2. Rev C 1 K.Kakots.e 5. Rev . hAn. Dinah Abbey.Men~h b). E. P. Church ofGkana I.Re\l.F.A.M~ 2. Re\ .v K Apma 3. Rev . lommodon: (mired). P. F. QU3}e S. Or. N . .... adzlglx The Council also .llowed the opt~ of CP'ing Ql:her memben .. henc:v« na::nY~ 1lw: Bmnm Mi$S.on. the MIS~tnn Board of the E. P. Church IUpponcd the CommillCC flRlllCiallydurinaib"'ort.nd .... ~reptesc'nted .... henevCfilw.5neceuary. T",o "wn .... ere Identified and lhc)ot .... ere OcpanUIn and Infrinlemenls. on doctrinal and htUfJIC.1 pBClKe5 of the E. P (horch. Allhc end urlhe ("ommiltcc', Is& RoundofMMing~. l:'ith February, 1992. it arrived.t ;'1 IhcfC' i!o a Iplil intbeE.P. Church University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh lnal <'chism is )Cfiously huninglhc Church of ChrisI in Ghana 2 In con. .. Jcralion ofposilive measures lhal both sides could take 10 case: the pc'«c pm;eu being brokereJ by the Council il "as aglftd thai , a, It:nen be MLllen by both admlnlstralions to their Presbytery sessions. de , urgingaposit, ... eclTorttoWlnbpcaccandreconciliationinfurthcranccofthc m:OOClliaitonprocess alrcad) underway, b, 'There should be no iuuina of statemenb t tl the pre~s. which has not been prc. .. ioosl> agrcedupon, Every slatementmust be issucdthrouah the: Council. " Each side must ilni,ulak in "riling, all lhe issues ihal irk and bochcr Ihem ChriMian f,anl..ne.... w tlut the h(~innin&s of a lrue Ageneil would On April. 1993. at Gmfann Hotel. Acua. lhe Committee brokered a recont,;llial1on. II bulh part'Cl> conltlt)' to earlier a~n:cm,nh I. ... ' Ih.".: 3fTived at on IS" Fcbrual). 1992 It was rccognlud Ihli lhok actions have ad\er::.cly "neeted Ihe reconcillatton process and thus have apin resolved that. cburc of a church building or lh .. ruption of a I;;hun;:h service and 10 won. to"ardsgclllAaallthapelsnowclo!K'dopen for church worship. b. Both panic .. !>hoold won. to\urds the wmmon use of church cemeteries - -.. - ~---- • (h.I1. ... (ounpt t"omm!lkc', Rcpon. t:. P l"urch Rce,>ne,I,.alK,n let, I~ I'IY] \lcrn,".an,Jum 1'~bchoemlbcntooI::..P.C'bI.dIa.. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Co e.ch party shall !:ducale iu members reprom, the importance of li~ing in PQCC and in hannmy ti. Christian community mould. d.1he leadership of both panies shall noc under an) ein;umstancc:s \ .. hen provok!:d. In~tlgale tfk:ir members to re!KJf'I to In) unlawful Ktions. The 1"0 panIc" rc~nised tMl thcy had man)· dis.grc:emc:nl5 )'fl had cummincd llhc.;:ontinualtonofthcprocessorrcc~iliallon. 2. sd up a sukommiltcc lu .;:rilieally examine I~ I').,U("' thai arc hindering lhe p.illh to peac:c, rcconcilialton and unit). Such iuucs may have thcologtc:al. IilurglullUldcomfilulionaiimpiication .. J work logcthertoward Ihc establishment ofooc local Synod forlhe purpose or ek:clingasinSlcleadcrshipfOlIhc:Chun:h, "" that ImlMdiate ~ICP\ be takcn 10 \\ ilhdraw an coon. cases The followin, were si,nalot"ics for and on behalf oftbe E. P. Church. Ghana: I. RI. Rev. Japhel Yawe Ledo 2. R~. lon:lson J("Ianc) ] . Mrs. Comfon Engmann 4. Rev . E. Mischc S. An!:elikaViddclcr b. Mr DavidA. Acquah lbe meellng!> of the ("omrnlllee ....- en: ~uspcnded after il became clear Ihal the Mem"'dndum of undel\landins mentioned above was not being adhered 10 in full and thaI il I""lcdasifbothstdc!oneededtimeton:·auessandre·aprraisethc=irposilinn. . The current feehng!> of the ("OUII/i:il is that tile express wish to both sides to resume mcasurn put In pike 10 ensun: a rno'o'e attc.d in ttte ncgoeiatton pnxe .... Allhough lhc Council hasn:ached an impasse. II succecded in !>lartinganolhcrdialoguc ewer the disaerecm<.'nts in the E. P. Church. At the Commihee' s mtetinls tile two disqrc:einB putinre.alisedlhattheyhavearcasofdi. ... greements.ndtllC'sc:disagreementshavebrought • ..,..., dtey have not found means and ways of ,ominl to peaceful tenn~. A step IO\lloltd!> r«onciliatll>nhash«nbrok~andtimc.ille ... entuaUyhc:llthe ....· ound\ 1be n. s. P. F . ..:onll ... ;1 with the E.P. Church and its coo\.Cqucnl nlablishment of" ney, chun;:h. the (0 . P. ChUf..:h (lll.,h:ma needs some evaluation University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 11 is a conflict thai diffcn ,reatl)' from lhe four preccdiq cllfllltcb of WovCftU, Doh. AmcdLnl and AlleS,)t. First it w." not II tonthcl belw~en the L P. Church and a parttcular indi\ Idual buI bctwccn the church and its own accepeed ,roup. II was a conflict bctwcm the ("hwI;h and an orpnized group. Furthermore. the 8. S. P. F. connict had both imerul and exlernal dimension, While the four prccedinC conflkls invol\"ed indi ... iduill ~in,le ~,'nj.:rq:ation'lo. the B. S. P. F. conflict involved the entire E, P. Chun::h and all her overseas partnc:r..Thc:'>Cfeaturespveitthc"'idcst~raaeandintcn5ity Another feature of the B, S. P. r. conflict is thOlI its efleet on the pIIrtic~ involved is pater lhan any of the four; eVftl when put together. The E. p, Chun:h lost more: membcn includinBthcclerl)thanc\'crbctOn:. BoIhpu1ininlhcconflictl~tv.luablctimc:.mone:yand __ like buikhnS and other properties Anothcrmarkofdiffcf'CnI:ebetweentheB.S.P.F. conflict and thai ofthc prevtousones is Ihal both parttcS in the connict attacked the weaknesses of the othe:r, The: Church admmistratton statted it in 1918 when it accused the B.S.P,F, oftinancial misappn'Pr1ation. II then Iritd 10 curuil lhe IICti\'itln. of the group. The feUowship in tum attacked the mal· adminlscralionanddoctrin.linl1(). .. alioosofthee,,~uli ...e ,lnthcscc"',"lerat\.Kk5,1hcB.S.P.F "IS the more awcuive sick than the Church. However, in its aaares.siveness. it must be known that it is IlOl the 8. S. p, .'. that took the E. P. Church to court butlhe six "concerned members". Thc)' milht have s~n ~)m"..th) in the court cases and ha\'ejoincd the E. P Church of Ghana Akhoup the bulk of the 8. S. p, F. joined the E. P. Chun:h of Ghana, it i", not the entire FclltlMhipthat Left theE. P. Chuteh, Ghana. II ilallOa f:h:tlh.ll not all the mcmbcnoflhe E.I' Chur ... h III ('h.ana were mcmben of the B. S. P. F Tile: 5oi, complainants were not e .... en n«ulnn of the B. S. P." It i'lo they who announced the establishment of E. P. Church of CihlnaOll IIahJunc, 1991 inabid to isolale Dzobo· .. .:tdminiSlration. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The common denomi".ion for all the fi\c conflicts is thai it was a ",onflif;1: bc1""un thc E. P. Church .nd ru Prayer Groups. The facton that contributed to these coof1ic:ts "ere man~ Md.-cpanofthedi§cU5Stonoflhenel(tchapier University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh BAR (' IIART SilO.,., ING PERIOD 01' t::XISTF.~('t:: OF Till: WLI!'IITERC;RollPS OF Til ..: E,P, CHURCti 1841 · 1Q91 A, R. S Apostles Revclation Society W. e . s. The While Cross Sociel)' LP. C. The I.ord'sPcntecostalChun:h P. E. C Presb}ICrianh;angclkaIChurch CE. M. Christ EvangdlcalMiu lOn B. S. P. ~ The Bible: Stud} and Pra) cr fellowship University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh .\ ( hun:h i\ tt.t- Spiritual Body (Of (,hrill) comprising human beings with human bKkl'"ounds Oocchuman bemgs vary. then C\Jnllicts are rwural phtnomcna in societies no manerlheir!c,c!sofdevelopmmt. The E. P. Chun:h is one suc:h human In,tllulionand thus had itsshan:ofl;unOil:ts. The E. P. Chun;:h. Ghana. was esaabliWd at Blengo-Pd,i on November 14th. 1847 by L..a\lo~lKe \\ul( (lIthe '(lnh Oennan~ \11~'wn.u~ Society '" Since that time 10 the 1960's. It wenl1hrotllhlhc sUp.!rintendenc} of the United Free Chun;:h of Scotland (1923-1946) and lhe E'.n~dlul and Reformed ( 'hurche:s (United Chun;:h or Christ) ofl l. S. A. Bel\\een 19)9 and 1991 ... period oflifty-I\\O yean. the E. P. Chun;:h had c:istant ror """ 1m than ten University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh )Qn.. He Of Wic mu~1 abo be of good charactcr. Thc)C 'lIodltll'Olio "C~ N!>C"d on I Timolhy ):2- 71~andTitusl:'-9.11D Rev. l". K. Akatu quoted c.tIiCf. in chapter 1"'0 MscnC"d that the practice pvc pastors the npcrience. knowledgc and ~kill of paMorinl and handlina of problem'\,. tong and exhau~li\c trIIinit1J forqualilY was Ihe ordcr of those days. Finally. it isOftruonJthM the ModeraIor5ol the E. P. Church from 1923. Ren. Bmsah and Awuma .... I aood bIckpound of German lnIin.,..11I Theyw~leadcrswhokcpl.r.ithfull)·lothete8Chingsofthemissfonarin.'·: The chan also !"evclled Ihllt then: wu a period of eiahkCn ycers bet"«o the first and the io«ond ",hiYn. 1be stlJdy.ffinncd in chapler two tilal the Second World Wathad forced independence on the E. P. Church. Independencc camc hecau!oC" the Church wa~ lIouddcnly left without the l.M:rm8I'I Missionaries. its louodcn., who "ef'C deported. The leadership oflhl' Church dMaI bcamc the f'Csponsibility uf the fC"" .. rli8ined nathe!-. The hiJh rate of chwt:h gmy,th Immediately after the war necessitated the OIdinabon ofmore ministers to take c ••e of the cOCIvegallon'i.. This was a factor in the diminiWiing of the thorough and qua lit)' of tr.injn~ ofthc I.) and ordained a~nh oflhc E. P. Church and quall1~ ofChril>tl&Os the church produced Thusthc bchavtourilnd.nilude of the new ICRC"ration ofChrislianschanRCd with the qua lit)' 01 training and kKhina the Church gave mem. E\idcnce ofrelawion of the missional)" policie'!o was Iwing during the modcratonhip of Rcv. Ga1cvo(1957·1961}. Amedzo wrote that he had differmt miuiunary vie"", n Amcdzo .Iso wrote "lie was more or less confu~d by ditTerent miutcllW) pcnonnel" No wonder three of the schisms oc:curRd during his tenure of offacc. IM '''lrlll~~'~:-~~I~'''~~'.Id..IT .... tv.o:,~o:n: .... tnta. ..-...a .." 6.U.nJ'-.bt> :=~~~~~;hUl"*-""'I •.. nu.".,..1'"t!'"''''' - University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Qakvo was a naliltC of "'''pafu missionary swion. and hIId thm t..d a (~crman ltainm,. He "'" n§oCftl"'c but during hi!> tCftUft: ofmodcnlorship, American ml"!>I<>n r,,,,,idcd ~I and fink. Thc)prumOlCdlibcral\-lc"s!tUChufrttdomofexprcsskKIand(ialcveohalilnoc:hoice bur. SO (onow the policies of the AmeriClUli. 1nc chart also slio"ed thallhrce )Chisms occurred in cloit ~uccession in the 1960's, thai is, the While ('russ. 1%0, the Lord's Pentcc{lStal ClMIn:h. 1%1 and ChriJI Evangelical Mi!>StOft, 1964. The major fac10rsthal accounled fotducc ilKasMI inabtlil) I)f the Church SO pro\lide that need as well as contammg lhe situallon. Wc could lump the ",hisnuoflhc \\hilcCroslI Sociclyand the Lord's Pentecostal logcther undcr. "ncccssity IhaI~lhcformaIIHnllllhepra)crandheahnggroupslhalbroughlfriclioninthcl::..P ChurchM,'.t friC:lion thai t:ndcd up In lo«CSSIOflS. Thenecd fOf good he.lth, hie, freedom from aifrDcMs and e ... il spiti ... was the: mo ... ing forcc thaI prom'lled the formalion 1)( Prayer and Afncan life. chronically conscious ofcnfccblcmenl, 1)( some ill-defined, bul \ ic:iou.s anaemia making the blood pulsc leu vigorous than II uught, ~":"~=:~U:I:~~!~Offull\-it.lhl)',~(lnSt.lnll) He "ent on funhcrlhar. natunldisastefsandthefearofspirilualbeina'sncptiveroln in human life made the African's basic aspiratiOM to obtain. praervcand incrcasc thai which has heen called life-fotce . ..... is.poIenCy.vi"lil)'c:lan;morc ... igoroulpul~lingprofileli(e.'., tbsl.(_(.(~uP.tW University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Thus it is tie., thai the healin, art and its prac1ilioncrs are very importllnl instilUlton~ and ~I respcctivel~ in lhe Afritan SOCtcty and contept. II is lrue lhallhc E. P.ChurdI from lhe mission81) era up 10 dale. hn tried 10 pto,Kk ho. . pilab and dodors purponed 10 pruv'de the hcatrh needs of lts members; the E P. Church Hm.pilal. WOQIYf(Q. (1951), the E. P. Church HoIpiu.I, Adidome. (1955). the: f.. P. Chun::h Clinic. Wapuli. (1971). Ihe l. P. Churth ClinU:. Ho. (1974) the E. P. Church ~h)hile Clink. Ho. (1974) Dan Moser \1emorial Clink. J>amtMi. (lQ"41. lhe E. P. Church Clinic. Halorgodo. t.l'IKH) "'onethele'!i~ Ihe African prefers the Tradilional healin, methods Ind ill pnctilioners 10 the Western SUMIIIUlc). The fomtCf hals the who6e man. lhal IS !opint and bod),. while the I,ner heals onl), the bod),. IIIncs~ i!i one thin, ..... makes il diRkul1 and even impouibko 10 kttp peopko in the: Historic Churches. Salan's" Ilfd!'o 10 God. in Job. "A man will siveawa)' all he has 10 save his life"'" underscores man'sde!'operallon The author_foundOUlIhdt lhrl~IIan'. noconl)'oflhe E. P.Churdi bulalso from the family oflhe Hi~tori, Churel-In. ,0 secretly 10 traciilional healers in the qucst of,ood he.llh and pml£dN:Jn from evil force! that pia,ue their lives." " Thu\ the I'rill~cr iIInd Ile.aling ,toups "ere Chri'!itian answers 10 tM health needs of the majority of the members of the E. P. Chun;h. Taking the: finol three groups TacIzcwu, EtOfdome and Blcngo-Pckl 1010 consideratiun. lhelf h...:.:all"n, \\'ere '!iignitic~nt. thai is. amon, rural people who could noI afford the high hospibil and dinical bills. Tney w~ he~1cd Ihn1ugh pralen. and lhe admini§.(ralion of herb. . Thc hig.hc:st plK:.e that they paid wu 10 be raithful mcmbcts of their bcncf*"tor pra)cr groups and Kt\IC in them. Other prien wcre pack.cls of c.;andlc$ and oliyc oil. On the tonlr&r}. lhe Clturch hm.pil.1l .. ckl no( KCepi. pcn.onal Krvico nur p.I)mcnt in kind from their patlcnts but dcmandfull~~mC"ntinc;l\hf("Jrc",pcnlO(" .. invo"cd -----=:.~-----'.~.lh .. [. ..I a1,.o,.oa,PIIt: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Secondly, die African believes dgt malC:\loknt ~irilS arc rnponsibk fot ph)'sical ilineH and one: \;an I)ftly be htakd when the power of (hc:sc spirits is removed throuJh ritUlils. This aspn:1 \,1 /lc:.1ling i~ absent an the hospitah and \\-c:",(em ~icntltk heal... The Prayer and Hcaiing erouPs aI Tadtewu. ElOtdomc and Tokok.oc Healing Ccntres prm-idcd this important means of whIIl is now tc:rmed healing and dcli\entncc:. Abaml~) Aticmo in hl~ work deline~ dc:li ... crancc as ~hc:lping people to break free from the influerM;c,,> or Salan and J ... rnon, "r c\d t.pirilsthalCa.Debadhabits,lUffcring.sickncHandfailun:inlifc".''''lnthcqUCSIforlifcba prinw)' need oftbe African he makes it cleM that no Church prohibitions nor sMI;tiOftl c:an Slop member!> of the Historic Churches .rom seekins spiriluaJ heal ina: from Prayer and Healing lifoups. The fKldw mIIny of the clc:rg~ of Ute E. P. Church were members of the B. S. P. f-' andjoincdthe se«ssion lI11c\tcd to (hi!> contention. The Chu~h needs t{l idcntil~ the priority nccOsofitsmcmber5andaddressthemacCOfdin,ly. The iWdy has alro shown in Chapter Two tlw the Bremen Missionarie!> "'-ere picti~lic (moralim). The Church'~ Cunstltution ofNles and regulations. is a telCimon~ of the murali~lic The III!Cond swnza oftM Ewe Hymn 166 underscores m)' conlcrltion. It ~ ... tes; -Nu "yuic gcdewo so gbo LenutOll\lwomc Anyigbayanyonuto Gab amcawo ,ble . En~h",h (There.reman) goodlhing. . that abound inlhose reglMS Althoqhlhelandisgoodthe "..... ... bod ... ) RIghi from the incephon of (he formation of the Mi~lolon in Bn:mrn In 183b. both the foundcn and their Misstonary aaents looleddo"," upon Africa as the land of Satan. No wonder University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh their compatriots., the political admini~tfiltOl"5. called Africa a Dark Continent The \tissionaries caned Africanshealhcn\ and their cullun: hcatheniun. They representcd the Ewc trwliltonal reli,ton a .. the worVlip of the Devil. Thus the devil scored highly in the rangc of prathins It'flin. They conlrasteJ Jcsus with the Devil. 1bc: mi~sionarics diaboli.lcdlhcir Ewe cOftverb and their culture. Ihc~ taught their con\cru 10 di\.CaN e\"cl)thing AfrKan and adopt dwir WCSlcmculture In IIC«IfdarKc ",jlh liKlr mi .... ionAl} callinllhey had 10 light apiftSl Satan and his ~s and datroy tbc old Ewc rcllgion. One way tbey adopted to achieve that objective wu thc~uctofOpen.AirPreachingsermonslhatcharacteril.edmission.rycvangclizltioninthe carly hfe ofthc Church (uP lo Ihc Iq5~) IIsmCftIOl"5(themissll.)fIartcs)passcdonthisc('n.:cpt of Ihc Ewe and its culturc: as c\·il, .... lanic or devilish 10 the Church. The Ewe Chrislian~ ..... ere .... lObehcvcthalthcy\\crcli .. mgindarkncs. . and\\-creagent .. ofthcDe\·ilandtheirculturc wu devilish. To be II. secured man. and a member ortbe Kingdom ofl-leavcn. Inc Ewe corwert had to diKard cvcl)thmg Afncan. Some oftbe converts in their desirc to avoid future contacts .... ilb the Ilk stykolthclf fellow non-Christian ... \'oluntaril) isulatcdthcmw:lvcs and tOrmcd P'ftly Christian communities like "Minion KfW'dzi" in Ho. This mi!io!ioion tekhinl of thtChurcb would call in his or hcr life and action assiltanic. He Iwadi.boliscd idcaasa Another eff«t of this teaching is canma between Ewc Chmhans and [heir non- ofthcir being Christians. Thc~ look down upon f .. e culture IS Satanl"; because the missionaries said so. Thcy prefcr to dress and 'peak like the missionaries as mark~ of superiority. The latc ~-mI\'\'klRlf) ('hmllans however, devdoped a new form of behaVKMlr. They cumcd their C\'an~li\tic mO\lc" fn>m the non·( 'hristllll 10 their fellow Christians. lhqt ~u'>Cd one another University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh of ~t.am~ life styles. Sume praclices in the E. P. ChUKh 'Aere DJkcd upon as he_hen ;and ~ilisfl. FOf cxampae. the ~ orlXftlin fypeS OrdrumSI5SOClfllcd "Ilh Ali-iean Traditional -.OBhip and the SlaU' \word and certain lraditiooal :!>ymbob. The B. S. P. F. saw wmc oftheK A.f~nbcliefsandpractiCC'Sas."pagan"iOthe}shouldnoibeil1(otporate,jll1totheChun:h Some of the member; of the Lhuft:h on lhc other hand, al10 accused the ph}cr grout» of introdUCln1 traditl"nal beliefs and practices into the Church. 'Thc~ "cre mcmbcn. .ho Ud the ""aturall). &hey \Ioould not be well di~'oCd towards theK belich. Wovenu apart from his ptaClKcoflhcsexl.aboos wasal!oOaeeu!oedofpractislO~ paganrituals8crili..:e\. AIllhC'lroups CI\Cc:fIC. AIICpr'S Jl.iC'IIo Town Church "crc ac~uscd 01 dappin,. drummlnt: and darw;Ing, Pf8ClKCS the E. P. CIud1 felt dtd not cunfotm to the Church's Inherited lradlliun. The poups on lhcir pan asscncd lhal their pr.1..:lm are baed on tAc scriptural authority of the Old Tnlament rather than the 1",,,:1 lhal Ille praclKcs wcrc Afrkan ,,,, Diabolizatioo became the map fktOf of conlliel in the: I·. r . Church. The Church accused the pra}cr aroups of heathen prachCIMo .. f k»ud pRying, fallin. into trance Md cxon::iun. The pta}cr ltroups on their pan accu~ the Church of becoming agmb of thc devil., reprds its love for moAC}' and powa Thus 'IoI,)(J1e members of IN: B. S. P Jo' kit the)' v.ere \uPCrior to their l1Qf'I·memhcr com.,.mou or lhc E. P. Church morally and spiriluall) . The H. S. P. F. accused tN: RI. Rc"·. ()zobo of f.lilurn in finuw;ial. ccdcsiastkaland general admlnL~tration. IIi .. "MelaBbe" lheolol)' and ,ymboI, of Gye Ny&me and • snake on a emu .erc !>C'Cn ~ bringing bad.. inlo the Church U'.Idll1'1rI"lrcliliousclcmc-rm. TotheR.S. P. F Ihtar1cfactsl.flhcstates'llo()f,j. dnd E.cdrums !o1o m equaltu idolauy. Their vicw of [)lobo'" MeLal-bcTheotog) as lin incofporallon ofaspccts of 4Jrtl;.tn ~ulturc. which wmc felt "-ere evil Of satanic stems from the miulOfW) \'R o(1he University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh African culture as evil Of salamc Thi~ concept was passed on to the l-we Chri!dlans Md is in lum u'oCd a~.a weapon In the E. P. Chura.; one group .ag.in~llhe ocher Some Ie;ader. ul the E. P. Church. like Dzobo. saaned an IfMhgenllr.allun rn'~rammc. thai I~ . !he Inte~f;]II"n of the ChriSlian experiencc into the culture ofthc E",c people But they did not educate the Church on what il is and ," nnportanCe to the effectiveness of C'hrig,alllty before 5W1ing the programme. Du't'lo (IQ1J- ]I}IWt was the first to consciously cmh.lrl.. un tttc mdigenil.alioncxcrcisc in the E. P. Church.''': Special booksofsoog~ ",crepublished underth: din:cleon of Mr. N. Z. Nayo. OiredOf of the Nationll Academ) of Music. Durin. Dovk,s lime dNmmina. clapping and dancing "'em: .nuoduccd into the ChuR:h's style of worbhip. But he did mil fnl with the consent of Synod. Dlobo on the lither hand made a unilaleral attempt al inditcenuatlon inthc church; an.cl thai was in conflict with Article 5 of the 197QcoJnstitulion which \I;alc, among O!:hcn that; I:."e: Amca dcke mckpo mo w nufiafia kpte 'NOM bubuwo a\l.1 Harne la me. nc Sinod mc to de edll 0 [nBlish: Noooc. ",halSOC"Ver.haslhcriahtlointroduccanc", teaching or any O!:llcrdoc:trine into the Church witbout the Ippro. .. 11 of S) nod The 8. S. P. F. therefore based ib oPf'OSition to Dzobo's indigenization on doctrinal and con'lilutiooalgr0und5.whichllhinkwasqUlI('It'sitimate. Anolher finding ofltlc Slloki) is llul men of sirong ,h;ari:.m.a fllfmcd the Pt.)"c, and Hcalin. under review. hcepllhe B. S. P. F .• which was a fcUoy"h.p. the: other four grouP"!" ,"\OIcdon the pcnon.liliesoflhcir leaders. The) directed IndcOI1troUedthciraroups. You cannol obtain but their absolutism "ann indesrces. WmoenuandAticlarnaVClhcdcsrttofaMlulcilUlht"il} "herenothinlisdonc ,.ilho.lUltheirconsuhahonandarpfO\al Duh and Amcd7ro follu"cd the order ofabsolUieaulhority in a ICHCfdcgtcC. They dclcXaled some rolcslolhelraHistants bullhe} hcldthc hiXhest authority, The tn:nd was rn-crscd in lhe Lord's Pcntecoslal after AmedLw', death when lhe Church followed the Pcnlctoslill Council's poliC}' IIf dcmoclllCY, The absolutism of Wovenu, Doh and ,\mcdLro "as, ho. ... cvct. baed on the fact liutthe) "-ere indivtdualll called b) Gud to p:rform a 5CrVlce to 1"C''fl1c ,.flhcirarca u thcjudges and prophcts ofthc Old Tcstament ,,"en: gi"cn ac;harism.· the power and aUlhufity of (iod, to deliver God's people. The)' sec themselvcs, therefore, In capllm, ,.1 (Kid'" army out to overcome an enemy, Satan, and deliver the people of God. It .... ,lUld be a failure if the) .. ho"ed "cal.ncss in charactcr and purpose ordclegatc lheirrolnto people who wa"C not empowered by God few the perticular task. The Church has the probkm of Incorpor.uml charismata within it ""ithaclcar lineof .. uthority. I heir atU1Icli\lcneH was the result of their scn!oitivity 10 the need!> and aspiratIOns of their 1'C"rlcandthcirabihl~ IOmcdlhcKneed5andaspintions, Thrfintand fotemostneedofgood bealth .... as met by lhe healing fW)"Cn. ofthcsc leaders_ The) \NCR ablc to heal ailments thaI the bpitats wen: unable to diagOf1Il"C and heal. Fwthmnon:.lht)" pro\lidcd lhe bruk social nccdI oflhcir rnpeclive Ioc.w.lities in the form of 1000 drinkin. wiler. school., and UCCMible ~ l\n,., - in the E. p, (,hurch made the Church lind fault "ilh them. diKrcdit Ihem and finall)' slap the SllKtion of excommunication on them, Nil maner "hM the I;.p Church saki or did the founden of the Pra)e, and lIe.lin, Groups fell ~11ed and empowcmt by God. 10 Sft'Ve and save. and thai dUly was pllrllmounl to them. All tllCSC leaders. accpI Atiqar. establi\hcd healina centres. The New Town E. P. Church ~cOl"ded that Atiegar tooncabli<;hcd a prayer aroup- In the use ofH, S. P F .. they had he.ling.nd deliH:ralKe \('\sions, Tbc: leaders under re\'ie\\-lhu$ met the Ii.'ur e\:(>Cctation\ of the Ofdinary man 01 reh'j:,,,n a .. idenilliedby Ocbnanncr.H follo\\\ a, Social fellowship b. Emohonalexpericnces <: Healing d. Sccuntyagainstrealorimlgincdevilforce\,'''' [he re'>C.lr~h ~\ealed thai formal educ.lion pllyed I vital rok' inthc ~,hismsespc:cially I!. related In the.r inten~lty and popularity. It i\ fllUnd out that the educational level of the schismalicleader<;andtheirmembersaftectedlheintensit)ofeachconnictandlhespreadofi15 i\lIlhc lulkr!! of the five Pra)'Ct and Healin, croups "e~ edlKatcd II diffctml Ineh, ""hl!c "",n<: \\('fC educ.kd only to Standard Five (Goki Coast era) othen had Uni\C'nit)' eduii:atloo Ihc..e I<;vchnl'educ. .i onafTcclCdthc",.ytheleadenorBanisedthealhllr.ofthelf VOUP"durln~ their (:onnicts wilh the E.P. Church University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh WM wucatcd up to Sundatd Fi\'c (ao..i Cout cra), He "orkcd as a Post OtTacc Clerk. a Warder ;mJ • Mine' .. Cler\., He demoostrat~ his vrgani/atiunal libilitie~ in the cstabh~hment of 0wisI_ communities at all lhe place!> he worked . While a Warder at Muse. His MaJest) 's Prisons (1931.34). he WAS ala) cvangell~t and preached in and around Aku~. At AkwaCia from ICJ3S-ICJ3CJ he established an E.P. Church wilh II ~inging hand, His Ch ..... tian Community al T~ o\lcrtu.ukd the Old TadLe-.u InlO a vibrant )('If-suwoning community "Ilh good waler,. school, better r<*lii and practical Christian life. And he "orked .mona people "Ith little ...-no.,educalioo. Thus atUtchclghtoflhc:.:onOic:twiththe E. P Church,apartfromlhcwclal suppon. Wownu's supportc"" \\en: IlOC \I(X;.I. He '-okc away qUieti) with hi! group .nd there _.~ nu phy~k.ll clash with the Church. Wovcnu's conflict occurred undcrthc modcnuorship 01 Re\ Amega.!JJle t 1940-1~~1}. Rcv. Amcpshic was a disciplinarian who maintained riaidly me Christian tradition of the Missionaries. His discipline and pol~ mlJht also .:count for the quiet Doh's seccsslon fuUo"c:d WO\lcnu's patlan of quiet cxit. Although then: was eighteen ~ between Wovcnu and Doh's l>«c\sion. thcir .. truclun:s and prlk:II(Clio _en: more In common unlike the other threc. ()oh had completed Primary Lcvel educalion In r(18o and \\'il~ .:In apfnnllCe In mISsionary wOI"k for three and. half yean. He is therefore a hltle higher In cdu.:&1tun than \\lanIS Messrs. Emmanuel Wuaku and 8. A. Y Men"a "ere al'>l' a!o educalcd as Amcdzro was, A good number of his foIkrAvs. especially from the Pd.i Valley had II wtXking educalion. He and his follo"ers posed ~ ~tiffC't resistance to the E. p, Church al Blengo. They had \'erbll open confrontations wilh the I,..:al I:. P Church. They reactcd to a.,;,u-.alions by the Church b~ prcKhin~ against the "c.llknc"c,ofthcChurch. TheyconfronlCdlhe E. P. Church h,ecuti\'eatHoa.ainstlileir .Io.:..:u,.:s&ions Their doctrinal break "im the E. P. Church Tradition wallo radical. In addition to lhe adoption of Immersi(lfl a .. a mode of baplism instead of Ike traditional sprinkling, lhey t;hanlcd from foUt'" ing the pollt~ of 1M tinl two schismatic t;hurcha or Wt)\cnu and Doh to the polity ofthc class"1 PenIetOlllb;. They joined Ihc Ghana Penlecostal Council of Ghana in 1985. an Itt_ undencoredlhcirqUC'!otto identifY the Lord'sChurchwi1h the "entecostals, andth.-s pi. ... external recoanition. This conflict occurred under the modctoillonhip of Rev. E. K. c. .. le\,o (I'il4I7.1%8) He was ~id to be subject 10 a differcnt missiunary view. I .. He was (~trained and assertive. In the lighl of this. Amedzro was ab6e 10 chaUen8C the E.P. nurch tn • poin. because of the 1ibc1'a1 atmosphere exercised by (he superinlending American The schism of Atiepr att~ted more public illtention within and withnul lhe E P. Church. C. ..... ltwllhe til'!ot thn:c groups that preceded him. Thil un be .l1rtbuted parlly 10 hl\ hiplcvelofeduulionthatcnablcdhimloassociatewilhforcignChrillianjp'OUp".ndsccular orpniutions. AlicS.ll"AS oil gradu.Jtc of the Uni'liusity afGhaN and holds. B. Sc. Oelfft in Economics. His employment by lhe Britilh Overseu Airways CompMy (B. O. A, C.) afforded University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ... Ihe means and opportunil,. to inlCrac'I \\im romp cullu~). He \\a) in Brilain and German,.. the homes ortht first 1\\0 mis!!oionary groups of the E, p, Ch\fth. It was aUcgcd that Aticgar nUrl) \\'OfIlhe support oflhc Bremen Mission durinl his conflict with It\c 1:.. P. Chun.:h "im (he properties of tbe Accra New town I:. P. Chun:h. Jle put up. lOod Ii"hl at the ~oul'lS durinahis legal baltIc \\'ilh Ihc Church. Atiegardcmonstralc:dhisqualityurc:d~ionby lilefally fi.hlin •• \\U "11h the E. P. Church when he rub1ished alleptiofl'o aiainst it in ht. circu'-ion ga\"e his ..chism popularity and eamed him some public sympathy. His ~hi£m sct the precedence for laking Church cases to cOurt. Again, this was the superintendency of 1M American Misston "hen: lhey toc*. libertll stance.nd were nu' bem on makinS the Afriun Church adhere 10 mis)KMw) teachinp agaiml African tradition, , .. ' ThcschismofIheB.S. P. F,\\-3san International arflirthat involved all the partncrso( d\C E. P. Chr.m:h outside: Ghana and the role of high level or literacy in the E. p, Church and Ghana dunng lhe contlie! pcrKXI could nut bc underrated. The B.SPF ,touted in the Kum.sl Mctropuli, and ib e""uti,"e and. good number of ils membcn. were leuned members of the E P. Chun:h in Kumasi holding f'C)ponsiblc social positions. For example. Or. N. D. Sodzi •• r~in~ member of the 8. S P .•- . wu a lecturer.1 the Kumasi University of Science and f«hnokJgy. Mr. Albert flawlibe. \\00 beC&JllC one of the counsels or lhe B. S. P. F. was a Icpl Consultanl and Or. Adibo. anolher prominent member of the 8. S. P. F '. was then lhc Direclof or Medical Services. Minisb) of Hcallh. Ghana. Thnc.nd others or hltl,h academic ~!_!!!(!_!I~""~"~I_~"~'"'[~'-.: , ~"1l*ItIehm:eImJ'~l~l.u.IJ ~;1I""'I7i1U"h"m":'.1 ~_t.h..tlw\.tt\koyJt..~:~l."_'" 1"'~.-dIh:Ib:T~~.~kAIIaDB. and In Ufl,lanlled grou~. NaulfOall~, to.chIC\C Ibpl ofrcdress, Tile 8. S. P F. 1i~I",seddililoBucthataimcd al arnieaMc wlLllion of its ,onOtel with the Church when a section of the group mct the RI. Rn. Dzobo III TriA"" concae on June 2511'1, 1918. WIM:n pemaa5kln ~mcd to flil. il.dopced a rellolutiOfW) method ofdemonstrattonandthc pre;::\cnt,uionofn:sulutionsonthc 2911'1 ufJunc, 1988. SI,,,tthe M~ members", IS a last resort. instituted a substantillc legal Kim at an A.:era High ltlunforan:drc"inJanuary 1989. hccptAticpr,thefllherthrccgroupsdidnotcontcstthcir fights as the 8 . S. I~. F. had done and 1 attributed thClf mability ur unwillingnas to adopc sllCh II\Cthods panl) to lhcir Ic\cI of eduutlon I howC\'Cf do noc rule out the effect orlM strong and iUlCt ml\\11JIW) presencc orthci, lime on their inabilily. and the prompting libctall<)\cmmcnt poaW:tcsthll:wcrcprc"I. . linBinlheca~oflhcB.S.P.F 1bc coun ,ases were of great cmbarrassment 10 lhe E. P. Church. n.e cffects in my oplnioo havc both ncgativc and posilive sid~ to it. Positivcly lhe Courts ha\C uncanhcdthe dcticu:n..;lc\ m the E. p, Chur.:h' .. Constitution. This was an Ilpf"\rtuni l~ for thc Chul'\:h 10 ,.>fft'.:llhc \OOrtcomings In tnc Con!otiTulion and upUle it to mec1 the necds orille Twenty-firsc CCRtUl} mcmbcn ofthc Ch~h, It \\ould Ilavc caken a lona tim~ fur a sclf-rcalizalion orthac defICiencies. 1M courts !lave also soown tha11he maJ\lnl~ ,)1 mcmbers ofthc Chul'\:h do noc know the ~ oflhc Church. n.e study has ~h,,"n that even those "hI."tfC dcfcndins il as pl.1lnlllT\ ","ere iponnl about: i11 nolution. II hib. thcrcrutc. made il obhgator)- on the Church 10 embari.. 00 cdu..:ation of ilS members thoroughly, not only on hi Conltitution, but alto on all other upcc1s of the Church including ilS hillory and miSlKm to the World .alarae. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Another positl\c effect of the court CtiCS Wti tNiI it has 1M me EMculive, CIerJ) arW Con!'otltution It h;u thus rre-.cnl:'d thl:' (hun.:h and its mcm~ from perversion and mn.apphcauoo Apin the need for money during and after lbc major court CMCS has I1:vitalilcd the Ifcc pvin, spirit of the members of bcllh factions. The need Ii" financ:ill sulTtciency has bc'm justlfcd The Immediate re,ult of the coun CMC'S WllJ the altau.iion thIt resulted frum the JudGmcnh fhc Appeal Court ga~ its judgment in favow 'lltm: E. P. Church. Ut.ana agaln~l the "SilO: com:emed member.." Predominantly member.. of the ".S.P.F. ~upportcr) became the agt1cvcd party. The majority of them broke alAa) hom the mother Church. The E. P. Church, GhanI has 10Sl much of iu valuablc hump f'e!>uurcc. It has also used millKMIs of cedis in the coul1 cases; and during the conflict valuablc n:!>OtIKCS Ihll could other~I!oC t.a\iC been used in Inc dc\'clopmenl of lhe Church and its members. II has alia Iolit irreplaccllble man-hours in ~lntcto~vclheconflict,in"ltcndinacouru.arbitr.1M>nandplannlftiho\\otoproleclitself fromiLSoppm.cR. 1Dne ~~ .tlleg.ttions of tribah\m or nhmcil) iU one of the f.ctors of s.:hi,,"s in the Church. The ane(;alllln~ concerned Atiegar and the B. S. P. F.'1i schism m~ than the odJcr ~. Alfcgll was alleged 10 have said that he had not e!>!ablished an Anlo l .... Chut(:h. an allCKallOn that he h!.1_C\'C!' dented. Mrs. Alifo. a founding member 01 the Chri~ l'.vanBchcal MIUH.1fl, .:ook:ndcd lIlal Ihe Southern E_n in the Accra New Town E. P. Church were those who \CIa section orthc youth &pinsa Altc:pt. II was .Ueacd that lhcre WIS an undcrcurTC'nt of uibalivn in the ac..:uqtions levelled apiMl him. Mrs. AUro utcrted tha' somc ~Iulhcmcn in Ihcl hUf\:h \\crc behind the yuuththal stood againsa Aticpr. ThiliisanindicalionthatlhcNC"IW University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Town Churt:h membership was made up of people from southern and northan Voha Region. Theallcgalion against Mr Aticg.arinfC't"J'edttt.lhc ..... sdiscOmin.atcdagilinstbythoscfromlhc IOUth. This inl;idmt might he the rc.son why Mrs. AU(o being. Mnon:hcmcr"" fet. lhc \OUthemcn in the Church wen: .gIIinsl Mr. Attcpr few his .lIege..! p.ut pronounccmcnt5 Bpi. .. _ ADios. The KCusatiom ofa section of the C.Y.H. agaiml Alieg ... Mre lbcn the Immediate calHe of the Accra New Town conlliet. 1 here were underlying causes thai could be the lraced to the cdmtc differenca between lhe northerncrs.nd the southerners of the r.:hurch. The B. S. P. f. alulicd in the\.c braks, It IUS shown thai II the early staFI ofWovenu's VO"Of\ II radzewu.t~ *I.S peKc and .:\>nilalit, between him and the Aboi' District t.c.d or the E, p, Church. 8ul two yeati llller. ".,hcn a nc" head look over, trouble started. The chanlj;e can be- altributaJ to poor human relationship and management cultu~. Poor relationship apin showed in lhe latcr pa" ofUoh', membenhlp oftbe E. P. Church. It is alleged thai Rey, Bualsi. then ~,n(ld Cicrt orthc E. P. (lIurthannouncedthcexpulslonofthcWhileCrossSoctc1yfromthcE. P.Church.Ghana.lan nuvcrs&r) of the Churc:h at Apce. The s.me pidtcm or treatment was meted (lUI 10 the Blcn&o I'niycr Group at hame Peki as cited earlier, reference Appendix 13. The conflicts and thiC"ir rauhant breaks "ere dear Indications ofthe' EP Church'" Inability 10 inlC(:ralc or manage the charismati~ ph ......." "'n Ihat emerged within ils framework. The ctwi .. matu;: phenomenon hu IppCIRd in aU the Historic chun;hes but the problem is how to incOfpllrlll(, il; and the E.P. Church is the wonc ofT in this aspect. The divisions would have been 8\ened had there been a more cordial retahonshlp bctv.«fI the Chur.:h le.1dcn.hip and Its members. The leaders invoh('d were ron\:cmcd more of Ic~hnl~ .. htlc"lhan cons"'tn~ lhelr ..:on~UC'nl moral and pa.sconl implications. The SUC:«"i"i of Mlurganll.Jllon deptncis noI only on itsresourcnbuttl'tOf'C' "iC.lon the resoun:efulnessofih Icadmhip. Where there li ,ood rapport between leadership and those being Icd. lC'aKMip will notic(' potmtiallalml\ and put them 10 produclive use. But more often than not, lack of &000 bunwI r-dahnnship. an essential managerial qWllit>, had cost the E. P. Church valuable human Thcsummaty ofthC' \Iud, '''i finJin~1 is as foUows I. The pietist Bremen MI"i~lt,"ilI) tcKhing\ Impreued It on its Ewe convcns that lhC')" and their culture wercdevlli,h,andthalthe Ewes WCfCapftls of Satan and University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh could only be freed when lhc~ denounce their culture and bccomC' Chrilliarll, accontin8 10 the ~prinl of the miutofWIC\. The Ewe converts 01 die I:: P Church navcIeamt10denountctheir Ewcness. rhl\conc.ofadiaboliLedl:we had be\:llme a factor of c:onOicb in the E. P Church 2. Some mdlvlduah lrom Ilmc 10 time emerged in the E. P. Chun;h wllh Chan"",. 10 deliver their compatrlOb from lhc chains ofthc [)evil and ils 88<'"1\ and lhc sufferings the) Inflict on their victims: a service the) felt. the I:. P Church h.as failed 10 offer. Their cliam as bcina calh:d to duly by G.Mi made them re<;olute and in some cues revolutionary in their ques.t to obcy God and ~ve their fcllow humankind as "ell as revltallzcd Ihe Churl.:h. ). There have b«n pour relatIOnship' hd"een the leadership and members ofthc from lime to lime when some member, fell lhey had the charisma of Gud 10 serve lhechurch, The church wilh ilslotruclured line or.ulharlty on ils pari has no room forcharismalicstoopc:rate and thus expc:ls lhem frorn the church 4. Tbercllot"l ldcnceofignorafK:einlhcE P, Churchofilshi!'lof)'.drk:trlnesand practices and ilS CMs1ilutton. Lack of ~ledge of Inc'oC 81opcc:ls of lhc Church' .. life al.:I.:llunted for misconceptions, mistrust. and lack of cooperatton, misbeha\lourand">lrtfcinlhcE.P. ('hurch. Thiswnknessrunslhroughthcrank andfUcorthcChun:h 5. The ~Iudy found out thai the leolden of 1M E. P. Church duringlhc periods urnkr rcviewditTcn:d in opinions ond aclions and did not bindle Ihe connicts tKlfully and allo\l,c:d them to.eluul of hand University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 6. II i!> also recocnizcd that the tiagnKntcd Mlure of the Ewc~ into as many as 120 !>ub-ttibcscnc:ouragcd ttibalaffil.,tions and cthnic scnlnncnts HrittahMn): a factorthatpartl)cofllnbutedtoconth":handbre,,"ul'!-lnthel:.P. ChurdI. 7. II i!> found out IMtihe tint four schism!> happmat in sin,k congrqations wilh indi\\duaIIC.1dcr!> but the 1991 schism \\ti all mcr the E. P. Chun:h and undcf a Theabo\le-mcntioncdflClorspartlyc\lntributedlolhe~hi .. rnsoflheE. P Churchtrom 11l}1l1t) 1991 . The factors wcre h)dra.hcalkd. inciudingdoctrlllC.constituhon. aJrnlnl"l,..tulfI and relallun~hip. In the next cluptcr. the author" III m.lke sug~c~ l lons based on hi .. findin,s for the' knclil ,'flhe E. P. Chun:h in J*1icular and (,tlu:r 1I1\I....,.ical Churches liable 10 \utTer similar (ale .... (l.J,")helplhempte~ntlheiroccum:oce' University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The E, P Church. established al BleneD Peki by the Bre-men Mintonaries in UW7. cumnll} !las. record of five major \Chism!lo "i1h one minOJ one. Allhough !;Chism IS a common phcn<>menlln In the history ofChristiMity.1hc current record of five majot schisms in _ chun:h. .hleh I~ one hundred and fifty years old. is quite a scrKMn probkm. An averqe of one schism pcrdel;.adcbdween 193qand 1991. a pcriod oflifty-two years. is an illarmtngdivision inthc church Thisl~ndmayl;onlinllCirnothingisdonctoresolvelhcfactof!>thatcauscdivistonsin Ihl~ 'luJ~ "as undertaken first and foremo!>l. to find oulthe lac-IOn u..a contributed to .IOJ mun:. 01 ":\lntrolhn~ and molving future conni":ls in Ihe Church, so liS 10 reduce the The Bremen Minionartes laught their convens lhat Traditional Religious bclid~ and ~ MI'C NtUlic. which will eventUilly destroy its practitioners. Africans.lItelf l;OI1'en'lo. could onl) be saved from "Hellfire" by doina away with the papn African Culture. Some of thnc practices arc drumming and dancing dedicated to pagan gOOs; pubeny rite:.; human The attitOOc ofthc Bmnen Missoin towards the Ewe culture. this lIudy contends. \4.'"cd the a ~,,lala Amonalhcm the Dnil had had his unlimitcd kinadom for such • Ion, time that they ha'Je become his slaves and have sUf\k inlo besli.1 and demoni(' ('ondition .. .: - The tim acncration l"hmllaM orthc E. P Chull.:h \\ere forbidden 10 take part in Traditional Afiican Cultural Acll\ III('S including drunumnll and dancing. Then: are ~Iions in the Conllitution thai fOfbid Chmtian\ from participalin" In cultunl activities Ihlt *Cf'e termed, M1IOWIbol.,.,o fe fcfe"o. \\ufofo kpk hcdudu\\,o ... ··~ 1 (heathen entertainments, dnunminland I, ., ,U."c ~ \h" .kf",-,"c \Unr~ ,n I ... ~ '1'". ,,,,I...Jc\I,n .~< \tc.h<>J,,' 11, ml'II.~' • ..... ,""''''. .. '''u....lOpt''.lIkthcln''. ..... mc.an'n,· .. '..t-f>'c ,.,.\~('fn ..... ()pl"II ... ..5 .. , ..... ·t.,' ....... lbmc~, '"'O)"Dna be ':WI:.·PRI s""I.RIA·HAJ.U. LA H: IIA\1llxmu. lrul4talhu""i~l< 11t-tmcn.1<,l11,SedIon6.lbp." University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh dlncin&). lIisin&en:shnglonotclhall~misstOlWiesdidllOl.I~-lhclt..:on'CfbIOindul.c .bo in "'estern blilroom dancing and magical displa)!o. Thnc ~ also t.e.lhen ..... immonl prKtices. These prohibilicm bcQme an:a~ of contlicc in the Churdt and all the KhiW1alic poups under m-ic" ClI.cepI Chri", EunBeltc.J Misston were KC:lJICd of practices akin 10 Afric.anTradiliunal ReliaOfl, The Church') main aClivil) betwccn 1147 and 1914 was the ev&nlJClism "f nlln· Thoefe "ere boo6;~ on ch...-dt HistOl') and Lire for i~ mcmbcn to reinforce ib prea:hina and ~khini' Coowem. confirmation candida&cs.. lay and ordained aacnt'! .,rllle! church were ginn loniiandthorouptr.lInin"educalionandin-scnfcet .... ining.lhelonl-landthoruu.ht. ... ininlof 1M Bremen Miuion hid left an indclibk impre:uion of Ihe Rettwmed lradilion on the E. p, Church. Some namplcs of thex are faith and not w\Jrh Ihe Bible and not lradilion and no mcd ..t ur except Chri~t. 111e E.P, Churc:h compl.in~ aOOuI practic~ that they han nol inherited form the Bremen Mi"SLonn_ me leaders of the various Presb)tcric:s.nd l.oul Sessions deemed ildw:itdut) 10 prolCCl Ihl) Rdormc:dtradillonihruughthc)can The Ii~ Joint Synod of the Church aI K~limc: in 1922 prumulgalCd .I conSlilulKJri fw the 1'1100 churet,.s in 19) I. Ihi!o cOMlituti(m was to luide both the ex.ecutive and the pncral Church. However. from IQboI, lhe E.P. Church.. Gtwna departed from tbe conslituholUll pm;cdun: of normnallll~ ib officers, It is an record that after the: Juikan Synod. the Chw-ch allowed thc: PIAJn.' ASlCCiaiion to nominale Moderaton and S)nod Clerks inskad of Synod doinc so. Th~ t,:{lmtitulionai dc, iallon ""'~ In contrlllsl10 the 1931 Constitution Anlcle 23.3 II ~ MNe !oinod 1;1 kpc ta la, wouia ,,'ofe nuno" .Ia tato (Moderator) deb kpIe J.'''''''\~gbokpol''';LII().1ibalenloLa(SynodCkrk)deka",M (DuriniiSynod. ilshoulde'-clill luder nr head (\1odcntorand it S}nod Clerk)_ On the knure ofthco;.c offieen. the article~: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Elc be arne ne SlaWO nawo wole &')">1.1"'0 nkcke al(,'I\"okt..rnedotlo-owol.lmc.dz. . ",on)~dc ,modLllvllodcwofeasidedctcmcbibiadzilooalo \\,IKP.1 be ebia be WOUoc Ie Wo si Engh$h: (The two shall remain at post as long as the) mnain in iKI"e ~ ICC exupt when s)nod agreed on their rniinllKJn ordttmeditliltoknninatclhclrapp.)lntments) In 1967. at .. Joint Synod at Ho. the Churches in Ghana anu I.)~u I.:ommlutoncd a committee 10 '"~ the COfI,.ututlon including the mode ofdedlOO "fthe executive and its tenure of olrl« by 1%9_ The Commllicc did not complete it!. ,,(d when Rev_ Ozoho "i!~ elttlcd to • third tcnn. Si" mcmbcn of lhe Chun:h took this ac;:tlOn of the church 10 court J' unconslihllional and the C1M.w'ch Met to defend lis position . The ml .. manaactnml of this cunmCI.,.rtly acc:ounIcd for the 1991 divisWr\,"htchresulledinthcexistenccorthepreiCnttwoE.P.Churches. An Impurtant contribution of the Scottish Minion "all in Ihe fidd ,)1 Basic Education. One of their missionary PolicM:s was MAn clTi;;icnt Prim..,. Education". Thc~ fell IhII a sound pnmU) loundMton was the nec.e~lKll") basis ror hiah education to be useful and cffCdive. lOJ The ('ffici('nl("flmlt}cducationbuilluph) the Scottish MiM,ionhad pro\ ldcdboth lhe ChurchaRd &be Nalion with man}" elil" and pc~ncl. Products of the E. P. Chun:h ~chol.l l s h«ame ptonllnent men and women who held hip proreuional and socl~1 positions. Man)' of such elien were also members of the Church and opinion leaders;. Some ofthcsc elite!!. "en: the products of rhc then cftknt primary schools and higher institutions of me Americans The stud> found outthalthe cducatiorlllllc\-el ortcadcn and members "' the Church .\ ;t ·hoIe Ift"cacd the inlcn~lI~ ur e3Ch ,0nOict. The high.:r the cd~lOf\al lc\-cI 01 the luder and University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh lhe mcmbcrvllp. the more inteMe Ihe conflict . The higher Ihcy were cdUl:.1lcd the more the)' "'"" Informed about AC\i\, in~I&hts inla issuc~ _ In addlttOflto the cducationallcvel orlhe' leaden. was the increase of literate~ in the Church as lhe ycaB roled b) . The incrcA~ in thr literate populauonMd liS corrcspondlnc incrca.o;c Inthe:numbcrofpcoplewho'kCn:murc\Cnsiti~elO I~~un In the: Church I hen: vrere therefore more J'C'1ple "ho Vroen: cqUl11y acquainted with new iaIi&hU and thus could sensitIZe Ihcir fellow iIIilCralC members. The S1udy has noccd thai the Increa.coc of the above calClOS}' of people par1ly accounted lur the ~prcad and inlen"It) of conlll\.110 In the E. P. Church. II is OOIcd that Iilcnte suppoc1s progressed from the tim schl~m I.f WO\'enu upwatds to tlw: B. S. P. F. conOkt In 1991 .... hkh hid 001 only a large number of SIUdents .nd mMSdIe·kvel personnel but • lul'C number of hiahly educated men and women like [)r. Sodli.. Dr. Moses Adibo. A. W. hadzIgbc. Or. Kpodo Professors Kuma and I>zobo pla)cdlnthcgrowthofthcChurch in penicularand thc Region and Nalion in8eMf"8l. Church educalion hadprovtdl'd personnel for the church and nation. Ithad.lsoimprovedthcinc:omc andthcli .... inaconditionsofthepeople On the other hand. the Author I«h that the free and compul\Ol} education pohq uf the I%CJ"~ had narrowed the educatiOnlI gap bct .... n:n the ckrg)" and the laity. A larae pcrcenlagc: of the l,alt) ofthc Christian communit)" In Ghana became literate, !;Ome rtKhinltnc lop. Althouah Ihcy were members ofthe Church. they wen: not li. ... en position'> of truil and adminiwation lit the top k'Oel\. In (he: church. Until 1994, the E.P. Church did nOi allow lay pa!1Kipalion in the church e\«uti .... e. Thi!. "'a~ in contru.t with the Reformed Tradilion's PrinCiple or the PricsthoodofalJbclic\'~.ue"plaincdlnpa8el'Acnty·l",oofthiswork. By not aJlowinlihe full p.rtlclpahon ufiM laity 1101 all level' uftbe Chu.m's acci .... it)".thc church has created a sap ,hun;h·!> InIdltton The I~I conflict. championed by the B.S.P_F. exhibited i:§SUCI of hip University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh cdU(JII"" and the: excn.:ise of .uthority bctwem the laity and the cierI). Dr. Sodzi. theft PlnKient \If the B.S.P F .• a predomlnanlly I.y poup. supported ~ ~ ehtes of lhe laity. fcll ChIt the church and some of the derliY were hokhng them in bondage and dcn)inS thcm of their full rar1iClpallOfl in the decision makinS process of the chun:h. 1M~ thm:fore snughl 10 fn:c lhcmSC'h 11:10 and the others. I think the abilit) of enllcal Ihinkin. which is a mark of high cducallon hu made &he elite. . of the lait), 10 be critkal of the decisions and Bo ... ernin. ability of lheclerg) mlheE.P. Church. Tt\C)' fell rnarginllizcd in issues directl) affectinl IhmI. No "onder, the 8 S P F Ic~~hir was crilical of the clers) In areas of polity. cthiu and lilul'J) . TMy asked for beUCr "planalilln" f(w"'ariou .. policies OInd I1aR5palenty ineencral adminislrlltionwherclilcy have equal!) technical and Cltpm kooVtledge as lite admml~lerLng dergy. fhe chun;:h had SfOwn fromilmcren:ligi()uJ; (lfgllnirailontoabigindu"lryin"hichaUtheslakeholdmwantcdtoha\c • u~ Tbc rllllli,:']L CWntlmlC and democratic wa",cs nlltonwide hl\'c clearly influenced the 11m assertion don nut mean that the unedw;atcd arc Insensitlvc to issues and their riahU 1' ", ,.L·~ .· \C"n"llivil~ to issues and rights Vtcre heightened b~' the litefllte mcmbers. Thus the SOlheOUhla ndln1i:, \1i~slOnary Fea tures that In nuence Church tnity I he: '(i~\I'>RIIY Erl had some ouuunding lulures, which .ccord,n. to this study kept the unit)' oflhe Church up to the 1%0' 5. The author found nUl thallhe connicls that occurred University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The ftnt ,,~ the ¥igorou~ Ch~h plantine policy of the Bremen Mission. 1"bc Missionarieii poomed lc.achtrs and cVlJlachsts and senl them 10 Ihc field to urry oul e. ... nSclism lhtouchout Ewelandll:U. Thcmdhods gcftI:RIl) ,"mplo~ed by the missions (lflhose d8~\ "ere the e~ishmcm of a ccnrral stalion. daily mom;n. wonhip ~rvtcet.. Sunday !>Co 11.:("\. ~i-.m~1 lfI'i1rlKlion~. slreet. market and palace preaching. visitations in homes and e¥angeh!>11C 1000n fOf the CSI.blil>hinS of (lul'lalions, regul.r ¥is.its _ ICKhlnll in lhe 1dIools*. The E.P. Churdl claimed owncnhip orall chW'the\ because they bore ill nllmC. All Sc~ondly. eVlJlaClilation ofthc: non.chrislians i,'he enterptiseoflhe whole Iraditionof lht Prteslhoodol all believers. Indi\'idualsOl' Iroups establi!>h I.:hun;hcs and in \'ileIMchun;hto lake over muong d a churd! anerpri~_ The result W~ that no indJ\'uJual or group, lay c"im to But after (jbana'~ Independence ,,-hen many oflhe E, P Church mcmben were sc.ncred all o"er &he country as ,o¥cmment or self-employed workers, the urle 10 worship I.:umfort.bly U\IJ lTKani",fully in ones O'MI ~. kd III the fonnalion of the E. P. Chun:h in munl~"'lilin outside the Voba Rqion'" Mu:!.tI) indiVIdual, and IrouP! ndhn lhan the ('hurcb •• corporale lfI~tilUlton did thi:!.. Groups like Christian Youth Buiklen(C. Y. B.) and die Chun.:h Chuir bepn 10 a.)' claims 10 beina the founders; of parlK:ular conFgalions. The mull was thai the people ~ho .. en: ~on\cnN, owe aliegianl.:c nol to the Chul"(;h but to groups If'*Piwancdc:u:n;j,ins ..... memllucr'l\:conlhcchun:h. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The third feature was the E.P. Church·, pone) of Ion. and thorough edtM:ation .1fId ninins of .... auld he COftnm_ \tcmbcn of the: lal~ therefore: had a firm gnp on Chrisdan metkn practices Ind rcspofIsibllities. During the \-Ij""tonary era and up to Itt(' 19S0'L wouki· be convel1S were given very thorough and long cdLK:atton IRhistol'),ChurchOrdcr, Hymnology and itslhcoloeics.lhelitufJ..\ andbihlkalteOk:hing'OfI Satan. death, and hfeafttrckath.amoflg others. Onc:eouldunl> hc:.l Ic.8I;he1' Inthc:Chun:hSchoolstlfbtaChurth agent only if he or ,he: .lnendcd thcChurch·s Seminary. Students for the Seminary were the belot from the Church"s Semur ~h[)tlh. The (·hurch's Catechis~ wen: chou:n lrom the belotluflg serving leache. .... In lhe l"hur .. h ,,=hools. Durin" lhat period only the malured and lOOK sen·ing Calcchi~t'i were m.ommmded by Synod 10 be OrdIincd. 1bcre ..... as mouth litcnture to supplement their Chrj,llan eduulion. lbe Church 1101 lhat lime did ROC ",critic.: quality for quantity. \1embc ..... both lajl~ andclcrgy lived b) thelrChrisliancalling Theabo\'c mefillOncdml\stonal')" policielo kepc lhe E. P.Chun:htoaethcrasoncanda po'A'inaChurch. The mc:mhcr~ knc .... _hal "asc,-p«ICCi ofthcm and did tnat. The)' also knew Ihcir idcnlil~ b Prcsb)1erians and kept 10 it Durin, the first World War, wilen the Bremen Miuionano "crcdcponoJtht l:."eMission had a set back m personnel as earlier discussed. From Iq21 In the bid I" m.lll.:h the eJl.p&nsiOA programme of Ihe Church, there \\as S~ ~Inatlun ofthc policle!o uflhc Uremm Mission. li)f example lhe Kpalime Synod ~d thai Calechl~ts Theodore Anku. Itcnnan N)alcmcShc and BcnjamlR Amcga,hic be ordained. ~ "ercIonB~r.lnacaicchisuanddc:servedlObe(lrdained, TheSlud) u~dlhemtosho\\-thal from their lime, lhe )-aarIo of sen'ice bcf~ ordinatIOn !>taned declining. In its bW:lto SCI more University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh agcnb. fOf Church work. and after die fim world W• • &he E. P. Church started 10 relax ib ~icy or Ions and \n)' ri~(1I'OUs training of ib agmts. By the end ofl~ 80's 'rainin8 dUf1llkln of some qcnl'~ 'lCwereownershipofpropel1ies(landandbuikting).lituraKal praclices and per'§OMlity conflicts. l'.ach of Ihe!oC facton produced a pattern as !>hown in Pfo,e US. Irdo "hKh the varloYi schiimi lit, Some ofthc schisms like WI ofE.P. Church o(GhMa rllinlothcpattcmbut~dtadiiTcrcnc;e. Thc stlMlyalso found oul ihat all thc caSCI had mort' than one factor. some of which were linked to the missKmary heritage of liturgy. lhcolOSical positionandchurchgove~nce COIIOkts Our Pros-rty. This \Tudy had pointed oul above IhaI the Misstooary era and the early part of the banachca' Pres~terian Church. Ghana, took the c\lmgclization of the non-Christian and Ihc rlllnllna ofconBrqalions upon il!tClf but there "cre insWk:cs "hen ,roups and individuals cOftnicl area and rcwhed into a schism was the TAdzc"u conBregalion ntablished wholly by \\ ..... o:nu at dncribcd in ( 'haplcr Three. The important ~Is Thai need mentioninl hue arc the ren"u;:l~ultI!dO\'Cfhov.mlKhinnuencethefoundershooldexcn:i!C.his 8I;l;ountabihty to the Church Mel how he Clr'gilnized Ihc congf'Caalion in consonance with Since the eilahli~hmenl 11fnmgregatll)n was due to the I'~)under's sole dTon and undcr his control, IhcroundcrhcumeindcpcncknlorthemolherChurc:hby chingingthenamcoflhc..:ongrc:gllion involved and startt"dan Independent chun:h"...hcntJKore"a\aconfli"hd .. ecnhimandlhemothcrchurc:h, L"mg the abo",", reatures as a measure. Wmenu's ladzcv.u, Doh' .. Etordomc. Amcdlro's 8lcngo Pta)er (jroups and Atlegu's New Town ConBrc:~all,)n •• " under this U1ICttul') and patltm_ E.ach howcYC1'. hid lOme "villions, Each of the above groups was not: ..ancd wld~ by individual ctl'oos without the support of Ihe E_ P. Chur.:h I-Ieadquaners. nor '"'"ere they commlS\ltllled by lhe Church to do it. However. il was only Tad7ewu and Accra New ro"n, "htch \\erc c!>1ablishcd from lhe ons.et as churches in line "!lh E. p, Lhufl;h tnadilions. Drun and Amed7ro c!l.tablishcd pta)er gmups ""ithin an exilling E. P. ChUfl;h conlrc:gauon, The '''ur fllunckr. I~.lm fell undc1' the abovcdescnpllon in Ihc conlrol o(thc groups. The Churdt', J.ltr;-mpt ,,, ,""nlml lhem .,.1 .1 poine in lime cn:alcd oil conlnn,cn~ D"Cf conformily 'Amu:d Iradition. 1bc 1fOUpi. on the other hand, fclt the need fora chMp In Ihe htur~h;aJ pr~. . ;h~e\ 01 the Church 50 as to meet the ,piritual nccd~ ur ils nM:mbcr's. The ,:f\>UJ". nl;cpt Altcgu·,. ""ere accused by ~Churl;h uflhe followina: University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh "'lloudpuupJn)inl; b)praclic«ofrehgiou~laboosdtatweresimitartoAfri,antr.aditionaltaboosSlKhassex and food prohibitions c)the~ofrchgiou\attifactslik~ho~' "aaer.spa:ialcandles for riuUlIpurposn; materi",ls!hat the Rcform Tradition does noc approve of. d) tliepncticcofexOf'Cism(dcliverancc) Apin. ClIiCepc Atqar. the leaden ofthe accused groups defKd the: ,hurch's threllts and continued with the: uid prKIic:n ~ince the) believc:d they twere bib.lically N'>Cd. rJ'Ie Church reacted to their actium as acts that were contrary to the traditions of the Church. In each case Ihe Church iv.ucd Pastoral Iccten ncommunicating the leaders and their f(llIo"'ct'S. The .ff«lCd Ie.adc:n reactc:d 10 their ellipulstons b) declaring their indepcndenct oftheChun:h. Idor'cd new names and adjusted their doelrines and polity 10 suit their ~ identitin. Some Wer came to Iriendly terms .. ilh the E P Church as in the case 01" Wovenu, while some: were on ,aWlI and friendl) terms; that is. the) co-exi!'tc:d with the E. P. Church as in the else of the and the L .. Chur,h uf(jhana arc scill at variance with the E. P. Church. Then,s.p.f, (ell under the doctrinal FaClor a .. the other. . but In a different way. While It ¥las the Church thalac:CUsN the other grou~ of controversial doctrinal practices., the 8. s. P I ¥la\ the: tim 10 3(I.:UK the Church MId its laden of doctrinal pr.k:ticc~ lh;al contradict the Reformed tradillun that II Vioon purported to be upholding; pr&i:hcc' Indl lhey feh wen: ~Ianduntradlllllilal. Allhouah thcy UICd (and still UK) Afric.ln drums. lhC'y kcuscd Rn. Dzobo of introducing drum form,. like --Gabada, ~ which a'e associ.acd with African University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh The D_ S P F. feh. stron. need for deeper s.ptrilualil~' and dc\Olionallir~ and wOBhip Iliherefore yv. the locullurnllOf'l pohcjes of Rev. lRobo. tnc then ~k~kralor. as.1oinI bad. hI hcaIhen pracl~ th.I boIh the miuk>narX:s and thC' Uink advised apinst. '\notncr ~h'n ,'f Inc Cnun;h. ht)~CYCf, believed that a ,.:nuinc efbt 10 interprc1 the gospel in troldittonal m\lkj~ was being thwarted_ Then still another group e5peciall} in (i~rmany, WhKh t.ad npcricnccd the exce .... I\le nationah~ which "as nwnfntcd in the Nazi reriod. feared that an extrcnllst IUlutCinlhisdoclrinalcMtroYcr5)'. Inhi5theologlCaldeciaralton,Ozobosoughttoe:r.tablishlhataudaenti!;:tradiltonaI African hehefs and praclk:c'S .... en: nol oppo~d 10 the bPi( teneb of the <':hristian fahh. II attempted 10 di~tinBuish bd"ccn t:enuine AfriI;an world views and bellCfs and l-.urt~ "diabolizalion' of lhc~.andadvocaledtheFdiaboliledideallircf1ecledingreatmoral.ndrelli:iousvalues"htch .. ere al par with lhe tRll)' Christian Idcals. With the above axiom, Umbo soo~h' to link lhe <':hmllan (iospcllo African indigenous ideals. He was of the viev. lhat some Afri,an prminbt and s~mboliz.ation wen: appropriate for portrayin, African Christian viewpoints, _ in tombinllion wilh tradillonal Christian s}mbols, they portray.:d a true African eXprC'iSion of the l"hristian railh, One such s)mbol WIll Ihe ··Mele .gbe '11 am alive) which consi .. ted of the Chri1ilian eros\ ~ilhlhc"'G}e N}amt" (Except God (WOnly God) embos!>cd on it. Aceording to Dzobo Ihl" \)ml\ol rcprncnts "Affirmati\'e Afrie.an Christianity". The ocher :.ymbol. which was mort contro\'erslal, was Ihc: cross with a ~nakc ~irclin. the inkrscctin. section ofthc two ban The 1iRIke ttad its lail in its moolh. A!;:cording 10 Dzobo. this ~)lmbol is tilled . Polefo hu' (I have ~!). He daim! thattM snake is.ll. fCJu\'enation symbol. especially amunK lhe Foo in University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh fo him the E~ lradition and (;ulnn COIIlIIincd mill) p.",llivc clements UUlI musC be' the Godhcld and rnun-eclioa. itdcaicdlheni~cncc uflhe Devil as pidi'IK:: superslilion ~communicanlsoflhcE. P. Church at the localle\d \lwewidltheB. S. P. f .. the belicfthilliraditionaircligtoni:o.lhcrcalmof!'lalan. {rhi,,""lheptcciltictclchin,diSl;:ussedin cMpkr 2). Thc poroup thus opposed Dzobo'~ lnlCgrahoo oflraditional elcmenl~ as diaboli~.1. II t.tw:rcli.,.-c louk 11 upon 11<>elf, as a revival ifOUP. to prok~ the: Church from ,ltdin& bKk mID traditionalpractK::c!>. A.ldiscus!C'dcarlier,theylaUJh!. al Bible Sludyn.,~"crusadcsand coo\cnIKlf'l\ again)' the pr1ICticn. Some mcmbcn. of lhe E. P. Chun:h, in the West Voila Prnb)Ut) had a mmin, widl the Modcr.alor. Rtv Dzobo allM Trinity Coltep. 011 24th June ItI'onthe"Mcla&be"andothcrdoclrinalinueslikcthc:cooccptoflhec",isttnceofdemons. Hc explained thllt hi!!. "'1c1aabe" lheolog.) wa!!. not. .. a conrc~~ion Iheolog:-" bul only Klldemic tnd denied making pro,wlln..:emcnl$ of ,in and demons bcin8 unreal. ThMforum "'as an a"em.,. b) a !oC'Clionoflhe: E. P. Church to UlCdi.kJauc. a tradidonll Atnt.n mechanism ofcontl~ resolut.,,". 1lIcy ntct the RI. Rtv. Dzobo, on a neutral ground. 10 find solutionl hl the problems facing the: L p, Church, Ghana. The attempt failed to achieve the mull Ihc said 8fOUp dc--.ircd hut the) alllhe lime conv~ed thc:ir fcclin~' and dnires to &he then (:oastifuhon.I ..· .clor Thcoons1du1'onalinuci".factorofcontlic:cinthcE.P.t:hurchcxac.erbalCdonlylhcB. \. P. f. conflict with w t:hUKh hecutivc. While W) "'cre- hoping thai Dzobo and hi, \tdaghc";and oIhadoarinai issun "ould come 10 an rod ",ilh In.:cnd of his ten. ... ofolli~e, .. pwportcd amcmkd ~on .. litution .'u published and distributed i" the E. p, Church. It c:OIIIIincd a~. which had to do with the tenure ofotrlCe oftM Moderator and die Synod University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh Clerk Whereru.thc: 197~dl'lllfttonstllulion had sllp"l&u:d tt\.ll a ptnoft could be eligibk forre- eh~lblc for re--ekction b long b he \\0&); c..,uk of holding office. 'Ian~. fell thIIlhis c:hanJC \IIolU made .... ilhout tbc auIhorizalion of neither the ~atlonal ~>nod ofllw; church nor the J{lint S)-nod of Lhana Iftd Togo. They felt Ih.lt it \\&:. \Hong l(lI' the urne penon 10 perpetuate himself In ('hun:h kadenhlp .and that 1\\0 leM\ uf "Rice were ctk"IUl'h. Sc:\.on un S)nod Agenda. Uut II ne. .. cr came up. The: failure of the rnulutlorl oflhc PaslOf'~ As!>ocUltion at Synod confirmed the B. S. P. F's fearlhlt there wu I colhnion to sidf:trw:k the .;on~t'lulKM'I. The Church e,"ecuti\'c by iu act of ovcrlookini the ~UIion of the Clergy. the .'sociation of the Church's ·'tachina elders, M had undcnnincd the Imp<~eutlhel\\UC IlhAdthu~contributcdtolheaclionsthatfollo\\ed It .,notun.,:(",. .. incingloacccplthc,"w:ninnoftheBSPFlhallhcre'oloasacollusKxiby KC\.lJzoboto 'Mktrack theconStjlUlion In urder I., ~e"'c a third term of office a~ the ModefMOI' They could e\ulatcd rrommampuialionbylhe \1(>dcralor. Theft was.l clear Indi..:ahun uf la.;k oftN:U and faith in the cKCuti ... c b) a w:ction of the churth membership. ..:hamrl"n~·J h~ Ihl; ~I' "c"nccmcd memtw:n" supported by the B S P F. University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh AI the June 1981 mCCClng ",Ith I>zobo some members Ilf the West Voki Presbyter)' o( the I .P. Churt:h atlempted 10 rnol~ the constjrulionll ~ri<;i .. lhrotJAiI d"~uc but faik'Cf. In anocher a"em". _ the usc of dialogue they asked for lhe appointmcnt'll an independent Invc<;lIgatlort ("mmlnee. which Ihc Modcnlor feh WIS unllCCeuary. In reaction to the Church'!> .Ilea:cd uncDnSlitulional accions a group. called Ihe ""Revolulion'f) Guards:' dcmonlCnlled against the Church and its e!l.ccU1i~e al 110. on ]0'" June. They ptCKIItcd a RcsolU1ton 10 the hCfOUllve askin, them 10 resign their poses oforrlCe. 11 WI!; alleged that il was the R~ I" Ihat ~anizcd the Ho demonstratton. N'OCd on the fact that all the laity who met the \1uderalllr M Trinil) (·"lIege "en: members of the fellowship. 11",85 clear from then. the 3d" June, I QK8, iliac the UccUliveandthc 8. S. P. F. ",ereoppo<;cdlOcachothcto\erreliglou<;valucs. In lhe 1000h AnnivCf'SU}' souvenir ofthc 8. s. P. f. 1981. it was stIIcd. "He (Salan)"', so fa' been en~;J.gcd In verbal argumenl!>lJsinSlhc medmas a 1001 tu la!>h al each othcrabout what each IfOUP fell'" a .. riGht .1Rd wrong in the Church. The inHllvemcnt of Ihe media in the conflict COlI boltI petties bcca~ chelr a..:counh w~re naUCf"aled 10 attroacc market for the mcd" hous.cs. Sill. memben ofthc 8. s. P. F. .;ailed the "concerned mcmbc,,·· turned to lhe C(Juns as the last mort lurgellln,afarrn:dress. Thi!>n:acliclnt(JtheiraliegedmarginaIi7alionbYlhcexeculiveandils ml~"plifO.1tlon of the fOonstituli(Jn wu 10 ~ek redres<; at the La" Coun§. This action demonst ...t ed the detcnnin.ation and confidcnfOC (Jf the ··concerned mcmbc:","' . The). were dcutmincd 10 ICC" the coun's help in n:straininl the Church frllm rCfOIlgnizin8 Ozobo u the Moderator and apin from hoktingofficc as the dully-elcacd M(KieraltJr lhe -.catCh"> a !>IXlilln or the Church for appropriate applkation Ilfthe Church Onkr b«ame a rKCOf"orcunllicl hcl"CCfI the cortI;Cmcd group and the Churt:h'§ leadership conftictneaIUIIII) Icd l(Ja split in the Church in 1991 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh f'crJonalit).·aetor : Anodk:, i~ .. WI' thai kd to c:otIfllClJ that comcquendy muhed 11'\10 the split of the Chun;h at ,arious periods was the pn:""ftIIlilln of ,. .u me Il'Idt ... tdu.ab who became influential from IImc to Ilmc. In the life a( the Church aI various loe<&li.", •. we~ men and ~omen "f lopecial qUlhlics. p«Jple ,,00 pla)N Infl~nlial to~ in their yutOUS communtlles. people who exen::ised commanding po~cr I'llo'er sa:min~l~ hopck» s llualklft~ . Thnc spec",1 IICU mack them I"f\lffilnenl ;lnd out·standin&- ptOple who at1rxlcd (oUawing, Their dreams.. iOlI~ , and reacltons to 110SUQ and people maik them controllers,.I. Tbey naturally came into conntcl ~ Ilh '''I!ollng aulhontlcs, order.. .lnd ',., InJividuts Drlf'OUps. The) were thus looked upon as inno,allve ~.uscoflhclr~pc".:.al~onlrlbuttons. The study has noecd that thcpcrsonahlies of the loaders ofthcChurchdunnlClhtcooniclpe:riodsandthekx:allcadcr5.ofthclnvo(vcdloc.alioniequally pr'C'Clpitalcdthe unousconniclJ. The- ti'" conOict or Tad,ewu occurred in 1942 "hen Rn. B. S. ·\mq:.l~h!C was \1."jeratOl cndovoed \IIilhoreanizatlOnal and leaden;hip at'lilitle5. Hisexpericnces a~ a PO'ital Aarcnt. a r'mon .. uden and • mu'c.'~ clerk hIId no dootM. re·enf~ed these: rocentials in him . lie knew his Iroln,h,.-mcd the Old radzewu with poor social Itmcnities Inlo a vibrant. 5c.'lf I>Uppor1ing ~.>mmunl1~ ~llh ameRit-es that made life pkasanl and provided men enJu)fficnt. He WI5 iClUitivclothc needs of his pcuple and found .. ay5.\""uppl)'inathem. Ili~lrainin&lUawardcn and. miner no doubc fonifted hi~ W:I\JC of diKiphnc. His life \o,a5 ~garded IS a model to follow .lOti II naluu.lI~ .... (Ift IUra his followen ' respcoct..s ....o tk'lft llis 'dream' and greal rorellghl made him lu Ie,all:-- K'~i~ the I~nd nn .. hll;:h he ntablishat hl\ wmmuOll) . ()n lhe other hand University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh community for himself. If he inICnded 10 acquire the property lOr the Chuld1 hc woukt hallC acquired it in the l'hurdl's name, irmead he ec:quiftd it .. his rwnc. During the conflict as ,Jc....:rl!led in chapter lhrft. he showed his opponents thal he was wcll informed 8ftd knew his (I~hh After his break, he was not lewntful but soon made friends ",ilh the mother church. For thefactlhath"breaklusnotA:1aliatOl'}cooldalsobclnribulCdlo1healliludeoflheleadenhlp of the ('hun;h towudt. him and hi .. followen Then: were AU m;ords of ugly reaclions of \US viewed otTlCiall) under lilur,ical differences. From lhe authur's point of VICW however. Wovenu left the E. P. ('hu~h because he felt he Mel the '1ft ("1f healing. The Church did not WOI'f)' about his split beaU!IC ofhi~ cndoncmcnt ofpolypm~ and ritual sacrifi":lng but. all the \IffiC. lhe church Md failed 10 deal "11h the emerxina issue uf Penl«ostah .. m. This iS5UC came YpmlhcOlhercOllflicls in varicd forms and Inlcn"itics. The: conflicts of Doh. Amc:dlrtl .:and Allq:.:ar occurred under the ModenlOnhip ofRe\' F. K. Cd the order of ell.communi":lItion 10 siLence lhc ~Iisls. He sent Alicpr 10 coun at Hohoe for dlslributin& publicalion Ihal he felt was a thfCat to the !)CAlX and unll~ of the Chun.:h. Apart from lhe gilb of healmg po!oscssed by Doh I.nJ\medzro~~asnorccordthaatfw:~displlycdlftypetuliargiftsthalwoukllttntcta"" I"UIlIAm,. Thet'lfogrouJ"Jidnotell.p.andbtyondtMir local boundaries. fhctwo found ... falhers dint and their p1accstakcn up by moreenlerprising leaders. Afieglll differed from the "cher leader>. ~ho fed splilS in his rcsillence. He has a high orj.!.1nilaIlOnal ability lakinS inlo .... wunl hl~ oIhll1l~ , .... establish an urban church as the Accra Ne¥. Town E. P. Churt:h. He ~',"Itulkd the ("hun:h ... inek-harwkdly from 1955 10 1964. He displa)cd a hlah sensc or Judpnenl ~'hcn he pun;hucd a site for a permanent bulldinl and the cs&.abliihmcnt of a school fkmadc good useofhi.5 trip to Oril.un Co visit 8remcn. He 'Il1o as an astutcS(l\ol3rol\JISpiA)c:d in University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh hilolitel"al) n=aclionlOhasexpublonb),lheChurch. T1'te!CqUollilicsendeMcdhimlOSOnIeofhis memben but he ~1lS s~lId to be also vel)' assertive ~ ocher.>. A MICtion of me }outh in the churth accu..cd him of being bouy. This chlnctcnstic: nwde him to gll.l!' the law into his own hands_ he dl. . pll}cd durinc has cannict with the New Town Church and the E. P. Chun:h as a whole. AI one lime he locked the memben out clairninS ownenhip of the Church "'"Idin,. In 1964. he dl~tribukd anli·E. P. Church lila"alun: all ower G'-. His actions Md coun&tr actions of lhe l hun:hexecUlivcoflhaltimc ~connicl in thtChun;h At the be&inninc of Chapler Thr« it was lluer1cd that conflk:ts Ire nonMl hunwl phenomenon because of differences in biofoaicel InheritaIKe. learned behaviour. and the SokxnoninhisVloildomforesaVl-thcneedforgenilereactionintlmcsofmlsundcntandinaVl-tten heYxt in Pnn-erbs IS:I-Ascnlle.nsV\-erquleten~.ngcr. but.lhanhone\II~IIUp'· Inalitheconnicts,lheCh~hbC"CUlivenasb«naccuscdofnotdemonltnllnlahiah liMKofdiplomacy. TheA. k. S. fCIIIheChul'Chshoukiha\'euscdd;'log~tof8lOlvelhat ~t"lnlli,t bullnsteld it adopted the policy of intimidation, whkh is undiplomatic. The A. R. S lcadenhlpcontendC'dthattheChur..:hbecutlvclftl942.al'tcrthcloChoolarantaffair.lricdto Ir~n\fer WOVCftU (rom ladzc .... u and when tha failed they impos.cd MlfM condittons on him. He rdu"lCd 10 CClmpiiy .rid left the Chun;h. The Chun.:h on its pen ",id Wovenu', liturgical pnclices .and thclllo~kal leachinp were aI vaciam:c ...... ilh lhat of the E. P. Church. The E. P. Church fcared mat If WO\'CRU'S practices were not slopped they would spread throughout Ihe entire ("h~ InIi would e\'~tually make lhe E. P. Church lose: rts Presb)ICrian and Reformed identlt} The reuons of the t .... o So,des were the immediate CaLI5o('S: The aulhor I~'und out !ha! WO\'mUwou'd on noKCOW1l lland over his Tadzewu ptoperty 10 the Church iUly .... ,,:- . Frtlm !he >4~ he purchMed the ladzewu land. in my vi('\!;, he envistonc:d his O\\ncr"hlJl ,,1'.1 nn\ 'I!1J University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh pfO!lpcrOUi Christian community of his maline. He coukt "vc boqhI the land in lhe name of !he ( 'hurch if he meanlloestablish a" E. P. Church. fie stariN it all atone and according to his U,," ~nlng . Rev. E. W. r ......l oe of Abor Distric"t in"ltcd him inlO die E. P. Church . When Rev . n. K '\metelc . TMnakl