Presbyterian Church of Ghana

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana is a mainline Protestant

The Presbyterian Church
church denomination in Ghana. The oldest, continuously existing,
established Christian Church in Ghana, it was started by the Basel of Ghana
missionaries on 18 December 1828.[3] The missionaries had been
trained in Germany and Switzerland and arrived on the Gold Coast
to spread Christianity.[2] The work of the mission became stronger
when Moravian missionaries from the West Indies arrived in the
country in 1843.[4] In 1848, the Basel Mission Church set up a
seminary, now named the Presbyterian College of Education,
Akropong, for the training of church workers to help in the
missionary work. The Ga and Twi languages were added as part
of the doctrinal text used in the training of the seminarians. In the
19th and early 20th centuries, the Presbyterian church had its
missions concentrated in the southeastern parts of the Gold Coast
and the peri-urban Akan hinterland. By the mid-20th century, the
church had expanded and founded churches among the Asante Presbyterian Church of Ghana
people who lived in the middle belt of Ghana as well as the Logo
northern territories by the 1940s. The Basel missionaries left the Classification Protestant
Gold Coast during the First World War in 1917. The work of the
Presbyterian church was continued by missionaries from the Orientation Calvinist
Church of Scotland, the mother church of the worldwide orthodox Theology Reformed
or mainstream Presbyterian denomination. The official newspaper
Polity Presbyterian
of the church is the Christian Messenger, established by the Basel
Mission in 1883.[5][6] The denomination's Presbyterian sister Associations Christian Council
church is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana.[7] of Ghana
All Africa
Church structure Conference of
Churches
The church is a founding member of the Christian Council of World
Ghana.[8] The association is an umbrella group that unites several Communion of
churches in Ghana and monitors the activities of members to Reformed
ensure that they are united in their Christian mission.[8][9] Churches
Ordained ministers wear the Geneva gown and a clerical collar.
World Council of
Historically considered a "high church" denomination, the
Churches[1]
institution’s form of worship is marked by formality – liturgical
readings, traditional hymn singing, church announcements and Founder Basel Mission
periodic administering of the Holy Communion. Yearly religious Moravian Church
observances, such as Advent and Lent are noted in the church’s in Jamaica and
almanac. In contemporary times, however, a 'praise and worship' the Cayman
segment, more commonly associated with evangelicalism,
Islands
Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement, is sometimes
Church of
incorporated into church services to meet the preferences of
Scotland
younger congregants.[10] The Presbyterian Hymn Book is used
during services and is available in primarily English, Ga, Twi, Ewe Origin 28 December
and other Ghanaian languages and dialects. 1828[2]
The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has seven church departments 194 years ago
that have specific tasks of building up the church in their respective
activities. These are:[2][11] Accra, Gold
Coast
1. Department of Administration & Human Resource
2. Department of Church Life & Nurture Congregations 4,889 (2019)
3. Department of Mission & Evangelism Members 1,015,174 (2019)
4. Department of Ecumenical & Social Relations Publications Christian
5. Department of Development & Social Services Messenger
6. Department of Education Official website pcgonline.org (htt
7. Department of Finance ps://pcgonline.or
g/)
Membership
By the 2015, the church had 876,257 members and 2573 congregations. By the end of 2019, the PCG had
about a total membership of 1,015,174.[11][4] According to the 2019 report of the Committee on
Information Management, Statistics & Planning (IMSP) of the Department of Administration & Human
Resource Management (AHRM) of the church, it had 4889 congregations. As of 2021, there were more
than 1.7 million Presbyterians in Ghana, representing approximately 8% of Ghanaian Christians and
comprising members of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana,
Global Evangelical Church and other smaller Reformed denominations in the Presbyterian
tradition.[12][4][7]

PCG Statistics – 2001 to 2013

Year Total Increase %Increase

2001 500,190

2002 535,130 34,940 7.0

2003 565,637 30,507 5.7

2004 578,727 13,090 2.3

2005 612,337 33,610 5.8

2006 615,391 3,054 0.5

2007 622,609 7,218 1.2

2008 624,890 2,281 0.4

2009 652,083 27,193 4.4

2010 691,949 39,866 6.1

2011 721,599 29,650 4.3

2012 739,548 17,949 2.5

2013 773,504 33,956 4.6

The Church and education

Education is an integral part of the church's responsibility to the communities it operates in. In general,
Ghanaian Presbyterians have a high educational attainment.[13][10] Together with Ghanaian Anglicans,
Methodists and Roman Catholics - Christian denominations that also prioritize higher education,
Presbyterians in Ghana were historically disproportionately represented in the upper ranks of government,
industry, academia and the professional occupations.[13] The church is the proprietor of more than 2400
basic schools including 487 kindergarten and nursery schools, 984 primary schools and 399 junior high
schools. The church has 30 senior high schools, 40 private schools, 6 vocational institutions, 5 teacher
training colleges, 2 research centres, 4 nursing training colleges and 5 training centres for pastors and
laity.[2][14] In 2003, the church started a university known as the Presbyterian University College. It is
located at Abetifi-Kwahu in the Eastern region of Ghana.[15]

The Church and health

The church is a member of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG).[16] CHAG is an umbrella
group that unites all the health facilities in Ghana that are owned and run by Christian churches in Ghana.
The church is the third largest provider of healthcare in Ghana, in terms of number of health facilities across
the country in cities and towns such as Agogo, Bawku, Dormaa-Ahenkro, Donkorkrom, Bolgatanga,
Salaga, Tease, Konongo, Duayaw-Nkwanta, Garu, Sandema, etc. Among its 55 health institutions, the
church operates four major hospitals, 11 primary health care programmes, eight health centres, 13 clinics, 4
nurses' training colleges and a technical unit. These institutions provide a substantial portion of health
services in the rural areas with a workforce of 1,977 and total hospital beds of 745. Curative, preventive
and promotive services are provided to clients by the facilities in their respective catchment areas. The PHC
interventions cover areas such as antenatal care, postnatal care, family planning, nutrition, growth
monitoring of children between 0 – 5 years, immunization, health education, environmental sanitation,
HIV&AIDS control, prevention, home-based care and counselling and clinical care at the health centres.
The Church is currently the third largest single provider of health services in the country. The hospitals
provide medical specialist services with resident specialists as follows:

Agogo Hospital – Ophthalmology, internal medicine, general surgery, obstetrics /

gynaecology and paediatrics
Bawku Hospital – Ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery and obstetrics /
gynaecology
Dormaa Hospital – Paediatrics.[2]

The Church and agriculture

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana was established in 1828 and formalised partnership (Reg No. ACB
146/88) with the then government of Gold Coast now the Republic of Ghana in 1932 to contribute to the
Spiritual and socio-economic development of the citizenry of Ghana. To this end, the Church established
six (6) Agricultural Service stations in the late sixties in the Northern, Upper East, Eastern and Greater
Accra regions of Ghana to complement the efforts of Government at poverty eradication in rural
communities of the country.[2]

Assets
The church owns two printing and publishing houses including Waterville Publishing House, three
newspapers, including Christian Messenger and eight bookshops. It has three retreat centres and operates
four guest houses and three conference halls.[2]

Church leadership

Moderator of the General Assembly

The Moderator of the General Assembly position is the chairperson of the general assembly (previously
synod), equivalent to the chief executive officer or managing director or president of the governing body of
the national church organisation.[17] Serving moderators use the honorific style, The Right Reverend.
Retired moderators use the style, The Very Reverend after leaving office.

No Moderator Tenure of Office

1 Peter Hall 1918–22

2 Nathaniel Asare 1923–24

3 W. A. Quartey 1925–29
4 L. L. Richter 1930–31

5 E. C. Martinson 1932–38

6 S. S. Odonkor 1939–50
7 E. V. Asihene 1951–54

8 E. Max Dodu 1955–58

9 E. M. L. Odjidja 1959–66
10 J. K. Sintim-Misa 1967–78

11 I. H. Frempong 1979–86

12 D. A. Koranteng 1987–95
13 A. A. Beeko 1995–98

14 Sam Prempeh 1999–03

15 Yaw Frimpong-Manso 2004–10

16 Emmanuel Martey 2010–16

17 Cephas Narh Omenyo 2016–18

18 J. O. Y. Mante 2018–

Synod Clerk / Clerk of the General Assembly

The Clerk of the General Assembly position (previously Synod Clerk) is the chief ecclesial (ecclesiastical)
officer of the general assembly, equivalent to as the chief administrative officer or secretary-general or
executive secretary of the national church organisation, responsible for daily operations or performance.[17]
The Clerk uses the title style The Reverend. The following ministers were elected and served as the Synod
Clerk or Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana:[17]
No. Synod Clerk / Clerk of the General Assembly Tenure of Office

1 Nicholas Timothy Clerk 1918–32

2 D. E. Akwa 1933–40
3 M. A. Obeng 1941–49

4 Carl Henry Clerk 1950–54

5 A. L. N. Kwansa 1955–69
6 T. A. Osei 1970–74

7 R. K. Sah 1978–85

8 E. S. Mate-Kodjo 1985–95
9 Ofosu Adutwum 1995–97

10 Nii Teiko Dagadu 1997–99

11 Charles Gyang-Duah 1999–03

12 Herbert Oppong 2004–12

13 Samuel Ayete-Nyampong 2012–19

14 Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor 2019–

Notable people
Gottlieb Ababio Adom
Clement Anderson Akrofi
Rose Akua Ampofo
David Asante
John Azumah
Emilie Christaller
Johann Gottlieb Christaller
Alexander Worthy Clerk
Carl Henry Clerk
Nicholas T. Clerk
Nicholas Timothy Clerk
Peter Hall
Regina Hesse
Rose Ann Miller
Catherine Mulgrave
Theophilus Opoku
Fritz Ramseyer
Carl Christian Reindorf
Andreas Riis
George Peter Thompson
Rosina Widmann
Johannes Zimmermann

Gallery
Christ Presbyterian Ebenezer Ramseyer Memorial
Church, Akropong Presbyterian Presbyterian Church
Church, Osu

See also
Christianity portal

Basel Mission
Christianity in Ghana
Christian Messenger
Christ Presbyterian Church, Akropong
Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Osu
Ramseyer Memorial Presbyterian Church
Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana
Methodist Church Ghana

References
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