The Charismatic Renewal Movement In Ghana

The Charismatic

Renewal

Cephas

169

Movement

in Ghana

Omenyo

The wave of Charismatic renewal which is now

sweeping

across the Christian Church worldwide has asserted itself

very strongly

in Ghana. Its influence can be felt in almost

every region

of the

country

where

there are Christians.

Historical

traced to five main strands

influenza engendered groups

Origins

The first strand of

These

prayer groups

were

who

invariably belonged

Spiritual

Churches

between

Church of 3 the Lord

(Aladura) Nigeria.3

The

history

of the Charismatic movement in Ghana can

roughly

and time

periods.

Charismatic renewal in Ghana

originated

between 1914 and 1937. The

epidemic

that broke out soon after the first World War

the

spontaneous springing up

of small Charismatic

prayer

in certain

parts

of the

country.

formed

mainly by prophets

and

prophetesses’

to the mainline churches.’ Most of these

prayer groups developed

into

(African Independent)

1920 and 1937. Some of the

Spiritual

Churches

and Pentecostal Churches

such as were introduced

by migrants

from

Professor C. G. Baeta has done an excellent and

comprehensive

work on the African

Independent purpose

‘

of this

article,

a brief discussion

activities of the

Spiritual

Churches’ will serve as a vital

background

our study.

churches in Ghana.’

However,

for the

of the main features and

The

worship

in the

Spiritual

Churches is very expressive and

vibrant; it is full of

lively

music as well as the manifestation of

spiritual gifts. Baeta describes the

signs

that mark out these churches as:

Rhythmic swaying of the body usually stamping to repetitive music (both vocal and

instrumental, particularly percussion), hand-clapping,

cries and prayers, dancing, leaping, and various motor reactions and expressive of intense religious emotions; prophesying,

ejaculations, poignant

Publishing

‘ See C. G. Baeta, Prophetism in Ghana (London: SCM Press, 1962).

2 See Hans W. Debrunner, History of Christianity in Ghana

(Accra: Waterville

House, 1967), 347.

‘ See Acquah Iond, Accra Survey (London: The University of London Press, 1958), 148-50.

4Badta, Prophetism in Ghana.

‘In

Ghana, the African Independent churches are called “Sunsum Sore” (Akan) or “Mumu Solemo”

(Ga), meaning “Holy Spirit

churches.”

Baeta, Prophetism

in Ghana, thus calls them “Spiritual churches” because their activities are meant to invoke the Holy Spirit of God.

170

speaking in tongues, falling

into trances, relating dreams and visions and witnessing,

i.e. recounting publicly one’s own miraculous redemption.’

Faith-healing plays

important

role in their services. When orthodox medicine

fails,

most Ghanaians resort to these churches for spiritual healing. Thus,

most of these churches have established

healing centers or

camps

where

patients

are

kept

for a

period,

sometimes for years,

until

they

are healed. In their

healing practices, fasting

is stressed and aids such as

anointing

with

oil,

ritual

bathing, drinking

of blessed water,

and other

physical

elements are

applied

patients.

The

Spiritual Churches exorcise evil

spirits

and cure self-confessed witches.

The root of Pentecostalism’ in Ghana is traced to the Faith Tabernacle

Church,

later known as Christ

Apostolic

Church. Mr. Peter Anim,

the

founder,

who was later known as

Apostle Anim,

is generally regarded

as the father of Pentecostalism in Ghana. Abamfo Atiemo establishes the fact that five

years prior

to the advent in Ghana of the first Pentecostal

missionary

from

Europe (September 1937),

some Ghanaians

including Apostle

Anim

experienced Baptism

in the

Holy Spirit.

The Christ

Apostolic

Church refers to this event as the “Dispensation

of the

Holy Spirit

in Ghana.”g

Apostle

Anim’s movement later linked

with the

Apostolic

Church of

Bradford, England,

which sent down a

missionary

help

them. Consequently,

Mr. and Mrs. James McKeown were

appointed

to assist Anim’s movement. The Church of Pentecost was the fruit of Mr. and Mrs. McKeown’s mission in Ghana.9

Joining

this

original

Charismatic renewal in

Ghana,

a second strand of the Charismatic movement can be traced to

developments during

the period

between the 1930s and the 1940s. There was a great economic depression

in Ghana

during

this

period, particularly

in the 1940s. The same

period

also witnessed a

general

revival of the

major religions

6Baeta, Prophetism in Ghana,

Peter Hocken, “Pentecostals,” in Dictionary

of the Ecumenical Movement, eds. N. Lossky, et. al. (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1991). The Pentecostals are defined as “The 20th-century movement [that] affirms a post-conversion work of the Holy Spirit.

This work is designated baptism in the Spirit, generally understood as empowerment

for mission and

ministry and is said to represent the restoration of the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Cor. 12: 8-10. Of these gifts, speaking in

tongues has particular significance

for most Pentecostals as the initial evidence of baptism in the Spirit….

It was Pentecostal, because … each believer experiences a personal Pentecost, with God restoring the divine endowments of the church poured

out at Pentecost but lost through later apostasy and unbelief’

(792).

e Abamfo O. Atiemo, The Rise

Charismatic Movements in the Mainline Churches in Ghana (Accra: Asempa Publishers, 1993), 20-21.

9 See Robert W. Wyllie, “Pioneers of Ghanaian Pentecostalism: Peter Anim and James McKeown,” Journal

of Religion in Africa 6/2 (1974): 109-122.

the

unprecedented

growth

171

within the mainline

A third strand

Evangelical/Charismatic 1960s

nondenominational

fellowships included:

Association

(NEA);

Youth

across West Africa,

particularly

within traditional

religion

and within Christianity.’o

The Christian variant of the

general religious

revival was

prayer groups

churches

during

this

period.

For

instance,

the

period

saw the

beginning of a number of Bible

Study

and

prayer groups

within the

Presbyterian Church of Ghana and other mainline churches.

of the Charismatic movement is traced to the

revival that took

place

in Ghana

during

the late

and 1970s. The revival resulted

many parts

of the

country.”

Ghana

Evangelical Society (GES);

National

Ambassadors

(YAFCA);

The Hour of Visitation Choir and

Evangelistic

Association

(HOVCEA); Scripture

Union

(SU);”

in the

springing up

These

Evangelistic For Christ Association

and,

the

University

Christian

Fellowships (which operate

in the

country’s tertiary institutions).

These

fellowships

have both an

evangelistic most recent of the interdenominational

International

(FGBMFI),

and a Charismatic flavor.’3 The

fellowships,

which started in

Ghana in the

1980s,

are the Full

Gospel

Business Men’s

Fellowship

Women’s

Aglow

International and the Ghana Congress

of Evangelisation (GHACOE) Ladies’

Fellowship.

The fourth strand of the Charismatic movement in Ghana consists of

The

above mentioned

the Charismatic Ministries/Churches. Evangelical/Charismatic

with a

college

and

university

education.

revival

produced

large

number of Christians

Most of these

youth

lost

‘

interest in their

churches, mainly

the traditional churches.

Thus,

this revival

produced

some enthusiastic

young

itinerant

preachers

and Bible teachers who

adopted

the

designation

of freelance

evangelists.

Some of these

young

men later trained at Rev. Benson Idahosa’s Bible

college

in Nigeria.

This

period

was also the one when

many

American

evangelists were

visiting Ghana,

and the state radio and television allowed them to

religious programs

which

they

did

mainly

in English.

Thus, two main features of the revival were that it affected

many young people

who were also

literate, and,

as a

consequence, they

were

broadcast

Africa?,”

functioning

‘

‘° See P. Ryan, “Is It Possible to Conduct a Unified History of Religion in

West ”

Universitas 8, 105.

See Atiemo, The Rise of Charismatic Movements, 30.

12 The Scripture Union has been operating in Ghana for over 100 in second cycle schools. However, since the late 1960s

years mainly

and 1970s, they have been

outside the school groups as SU Town

“The

Fellowships.

SU and GHAFES are

1960s and the 1970s the Charismatic basically evangelical ethos

fellowships, but around the late

caught up with them. in Hence, speaking

tongues, prophecy and other Charismatic manifestations were prevalent in their

meetings.

172

attracted

vogue.

Most of these educated

the use of

English language

preaching

which was in

youth

found little

appeal

in the

existing Pentecostal churches because these churches remained not

very highly literate,

but rather

youthful

in membership and in leadership.

Therefore, these

young people

who could fit neither into the mainline churches nor into the classical Pentecostal churches started their own

fellowships

developed

into Charismatic churches/ministries. These churches exist

mainly

in the urban areas.

However,

years they

are

spreading very

fast in some rural areas as well.

that

eventually

Notwithstanding

the

development

for the

past

four

of Charismatic

ministries

and

churches,

some of the

fellowships stressed

the fact that members should

not leave the mainline

churches,

Charismatic movement growth

occurred introduced

report

of the

dialogue,

Charismatic

phenomena

but should remain and

revitalize

affected the

growth

of the

in Ghana. This

of the

fellowships

movement in

Church of

play

in church

activities.

them.14 This

development significantly

within the mainline churches

when some of the members

some of their

practices

into the Charismatic

their churches and

subsequently

into the entire Church. This

spreading influence was evident in a dialogue between the

Presbyterian

Ghana and the

Scripture

Union on

August 12,

1 977. ‘

According

to the

several

questionnaires completed by pastors concede the useful role SU members

However, among

other

things,

the

Presbyterian

Church

complained

that it “has not been

happy

about ecstatic utterances that characterise” meetings

of the SU which members

eventually

introduce to the church.

can also be found in the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. In

fact,

due to its distinct

origin,

the Charismatic movement in the Roman Catholic Church can be treated

separately

as the fifth strand of the Charismatic movement. The

origin

of the Catholic Charismatic movement in Ghana can be traced to three main streams.’6 In the first

place,

Holy Spirit

Sister who was

exposed Charismatic movement in the United States started a

prayer group

This

group

was short-lived.

Koforidua.

1993,

to the

Later two Catholic

sisters,

“‘Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asante, currently the Synod Secretary of the Kumasi District of the Methodist Church of Ghana, to the SU town in Kumasi which met on Sunday afternoons. In belonged the writer’s interview with fellowship him on February 2,

he mentioned that leaders of the fellowship would normally ask members who attended church service at their mother churches in the morning to stand up. Those who did ” not stand up were rebuked.

See Minutes of the 48th Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana held at Kibi, from August 27 to September 2, 1977: Appendix Q, 68-70.

‘6Information was gathered through an interview granted by Mr.

Anthony Osei

the National Coordinator of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Ghana at

Assibey,

his office in Kumasi, 8 January 1993.

173

Ellen Hummel and Jean

Salgot,

who were on a Medical Mission at Kumasi,

had

caught

the Charismatic fire while in the United States. They

started a prayer group at Kumasi.

prayer group

that was started at the

University

of Ghana in Legon by

Mr. Francis

Buor,

lawyer by profession,

forms the second stream of Catholic Charismatic renewal. The

group

was called

“Holy Spirit prayer

movement.” Mr. Buor later moved to Kumasi where he joined Sisters Hummel and

Salgot

to run the

group

there.

The third stream is traced to a

group

of about ten

young

Catholics” who had been

fellowshipping

with the Bible

Study

and

prayer group

of the

Presbyterian

Church of Ghana at

Bantama, Kumasi,

for over five years.

Around

1971,

the

group

decided to start a

prayer group

at Bantama Roman Catholic Church.

Father Ernst

Sievers,18

then a lecturer at St. Victor’s

Seminary

at Tamale,

established the Centre for

Spiritual

Renewal at

Kumasi, together

with Sisters Hummel and

Salgot. Later,

the

Bishops appointed Fr. Sievers to coordinate the activities of all the Catholic Charismatic groups

in Ghana. Around

1982,

Fr. Sievers invited some Caribbeans who were

experienced

in the Charismatic movement to run “Life in the Spirit”

seminars for about 70

key

leaders drawn from all the dioceses in Ghana. The seminar was

mainly

about how to receive the

“Holy Spirit Baptism”

and how to conduct

prayer meetings. Participants

were prayed

for to receive the

Holy Spirit.

At the

moment,

the Roman Catholic Charismatic movement in Ghana has over

1,200

branches and over 50

priests

who are

fully

involved. There is a Charismatic

priest

who liaises between the movement and the Catholic

Bishops Conference,

there is a full-time

lay coordinator, and a national service team and district coordinators. 19

Typology

system

of classification is essential both for

comparative purposes and for the

purpose

of distinguishing the essential features of a religious phenomenon.

There

is, therefore,

the need to make a distinction

“Including

Mr. Assibey (see note

“‘Fr.

16).

Sievers is a Missionary of Africa (formerly known as the White Fathers) of German origin. After he was in the Holy Spirit through a Catholic sister, he devoted himself to full-time baptised work with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. He now runs a School of

months in

Evangelism in Uganda where lay Catholics are trained for six

evangelism and Charismatic disciplines (see Peter Hocken, “Youth With A

Mission,” PNEUMA: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Theology 16 (Fall 1994): 265-270.

“See G. Forson and the National Service Team of Word of Love Publications, History of Charismatic

Renewal in Ghana (Accra: Accra Catholic Press, 1986).

174

between the various Charismatic Renewal movements in the church in

Ghana.

According

to Elom Dovlo:

…

the Christian Renewal Movements since the 1900’s have been generally labelled as African, Pentecostal, spiritual, prophetic, charismatic,

Full Gospel, etc. without much distinctions.”

evangelical,

Commenting

Charismatic notes:

on the

problems

involved in

typologizing

Renewal in Christianity in the third

world, Hollenweger

There is no reliable overview of the charismatic renewal in the third world

…

problems of establishing

the extent and character of the charismatic renewal is almost insurmountable, first, because the scene is changing all the time; second because there is no accepted definition of the charismatic

and third because it is almost impossible to get accurate statistics and description.21

renewal;

Even

though Hollenweger

the

“Kimbanguist” Gbedodoba

Kple Doyoyo

Dovlo’s contention

to label Nyanyuie-presbyterea

Hama as Charismatic movements.’

limits his definition of

is aware of the

problem

classification, Dovlo

rightly points

out that it is a misnomer for

Hollenweger

and the “Etodome

Habobo”

According

Dovlo, by

doing, Hollenweger

Charismatic Renewal

only

theological categories.

that,

in view of the constant

change

in the religious

scene in

Ghana,

the Christian Renewal

phenomena

within the last two decades must be taken into account.

recommends the need to consider both the

theological

dimensions in

classifying

Charismatic

Dovlo makes the

following

three broad distinctions

among

churches in relation to the

changing

scene of Christian Renewal in Ghana:

the

Independent

Churches

originating “Sunsum Sore”

(Spiritual

in Ghana

He thus

and historical Renewal movements in Ghana.

in Ghana

popularly

known as the

movement

Churches); 2)

the classical Pentecostal movement

originating

in and outside Ghana with established

churches, such as the Assemblies of

God; and, 3)

the neo-Pentecostal

which

began

in the Americas in the 1960s and found active

expression

adopt

Arnold

Bittlinger’s

threefold

in Ghana from the 1970s.

Most

scholars, including Dovlo,” typology

of Charismatic Renewal as a

starting point. Bittlinger

(December 1992):

2°Elom

Dovlo,

“A

Comparative

Overview of

Independent

Churches and Charismatic Ministries in Ghana,”

Trinity Journal of

Church and

Theology 2 21

55.

Walter Hollenweger, “Charismatic Renewal in the Third World: Implications for Missions,” 22 Occassional Bulletin of Missionary Research 4 (April 1980): 68-72.

See Dovlo, “A Comparative Overview,” 55.

23 see Dovlo, “A

Comparative Overview;” and,

James

Anquandah,

“Can the Church be Renewed?,” The Ecumenical Review 31 (July 1979): 255.

in 1901 and is

organized Charismatic interdenominational

Independent

defined in historical

categories, historically speaking, Pentecostalism which started contemporary

single typology

use both

theological

175

the neo-Pentecostal or

excludes the

to include Classical in the

typology

However,

distinguishes

between the classical Pentecostal movement which

began

churches;

fellowships; and,

the Renewal

groups in the mainline churches.24

Bittlinger’s typology, however,

is not

very fitting

for the Ghanaian

religious

scene. It

conspicuously

Churches,

while the Pentecostal movement which

began

in 1901 is included. If the definition of Charismatic Renewal in Ghana is

the

starting point

is 1970.

Therefore,

it would be anachronistic

in the 1920s

Charismatic movements in Ghana.

can be

perfectly comprehensive.

building

on Dovlo’s

suggestion, the,following typology

that

attempts

and historical

categories

of Renewal

be described as Charismatic

the classical

Ghana.

Theologically speaking, movements outlined above movements,

Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Pentecostal movements-served neo-Pentecostal movements the mainline churcheS21 .

However, “Charismatic movement” more

could

mainly

because

they

all stress the manifest

activity

of the

some of

them-particularly

as bases for the

emergence

of some

and some Charismatic movements

within in

contemporary Ghana,

the term specifically applies

to Charismatic

church

movements as distinct from the Pentecostal or

Spiritual

having given

general

outline of the

major

Ghana,

the rest of the article will

mainly focus on the modem and the main trend of Charismatic Renewal in

movements.

Therefore, Charismatic movements

Ghana

(categories

4 and

5).

Reasons for

Rise,

Growth and Attraction

in Ghana Charismatic

are varied.

fellowships,

Aglow

crises of the

period

earlier,

the first strand of the

The causes for the rise of the various strands of Charismatic Renewal

Apart

from some of the nondenominational

such as FGBMFI and Women’s International which were

imported

into the

country, generally speaking the other strands are reactions to

socio-religious

within which

they

arise and to which the mainline churches have failed

As mentioned

was

engendered by

the outbreak of influenza after the first World War. The second strand was caused

the

which

gave

rise to a

general

revival of both African traditional

religion

and the Christian variant Charismatic

prayer

respond adequately. Charismatic movement

economic

depression

movements.

The mainline churches in

major

reason for the rise of the Charismatic movements in Ghana is a reaction

against

the mainline churches.

Ghana have a

polity, ethos, liturgical practice

and

theological

tradition

very

IS The Bible Study and prayer groups of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana were

much influenced by classical Pentecostalism, particularly by the late Rev. of the Assemblies of God.

Kye

Societies in the nineteenth Roman Catholic Church,

the Charismatic

longing

for a

truly spiritual

177

Church,

the Methodist

and existential

issues,

both

factors: the

handed down to them

their

founding

Western

European Missionary

century. Among

such churches are the

the

Presbyterian

Church and the

Anglican

Church. The Charismatic movements criticize the mainline churches for not

manifesting

the

dynamic Spirit

God; for their lack of concern for

practical

physical

and

spiritual,

that confront

members; and, generally

for

poor pastoral

care.

Thus,

the Charismatic Renewal in a sense sees itself as filling

a gap in the Church. Arnold

Bittlinger aptly

attributes the rise of

Renewal movements to the

following

life in reaction to an over-cerebral Christianity;

the

longing

for real

fellowship (one

in which the

gifts

of the individual are taken

seriously)

in reaction to a

Christianity

which reduced church members to minor

supernumeraries;

in reaction to a

Christianity

which denied or

explained 26 away

the miracles and

mighty

works attested in the New Testament.

apparent agreement

with

Bittlinger,

Professor James

Anquandah notes that the Charismatic churches arose

for

strength,

Christianity Holy Spirit

and,

the

longing

first as a reaction to a conservative divided and somewhat

confusing

inherited from European Missionaries; and

secondly, as the

answer to the

desperate

call of Ghanaian Christians for deliverance from

oppression by the myriad of principalities

and

powers which constantly war against them.27

Both

Bittlinger

and

Anquandah

articulate

how the

Charismatic

movements

perceive

the mainline churches in Ghana.

Thus, they

see the aim of the movement as

filling

the vacuum created

the mainline

churches.

Most Charismatic

preachers appear very confident; thus, they appeal to

people

who want definite answers and

explanation

to life’s

problems. The seriousness with which the Charismatic movements address the issue of the

spiritual

environment of the African is a major

impetus.

The regular prayer

in mainline

churches, mostly

read from

prayer books,

is considered too formal and devoid of

“power”

to deal with the host of malevolent

spirits

that threatens the life of the African.

Thus, prayer

all-night prayer vigils,

and

prayer camps

are

organized by various Charismatic

groups

to meet this

strongly

felt need. A

popular

most of the

prayer

Warfare” and the

popular

Bible text used is Ephesians 6:10-18.

For,

retreats,

theme that runs

through

Churches, 1981),

retreats is

“Spiritual

26 Arnold Bittlinger, ed., The Church is Charismatic

(Geneva: World Council of 27

9-11.

Anquandah, “Can the Church be Renewed?,” 253.

178

J. S. Mbiti

observes,

Afiican Christians and for that matter Ghanaian

Christians:

know only too well the reality of these principalities and powers, and the wiles of the devil. So the urge for them is greater. 28

Charismatics involves deliverance

for the Christian

deliverance

sessions

feature

Evangelistic

prayers

are said for deliverance

Prayer

is seen as the means to survive

spiritually

in the context of spiritual

warfare with

powers

of darkness.

in Ghana believe that salvation

from evil

powers

and from satanic and demonic influences on one’s life.29

Therefore,

prominently

in most

programs

of the Charismatic movement in Ghana.

campaigns

are not

only

aimed at

winning souls,

but also

the deliverance

of those

oppressed

evil

spirits,

witchcraft and disease. The

majority

of those who

respond

to altar calls to faith in Christ

actually

seek such

deliverance;

hence the

popularity

ministry among

Charismatics in Ghana.3°

Meanwhile, the mainline churches in Ghana tend to

explain away

the existence of supernatural powers,

so that it is not an issue for them. In

reacting

to this

tendency

on the

part

of the mainline

churches,

Rev. E. A. Asamoah

has this to

say:

No amount of denial on the

part

of the church will

expel

belief in

from the minds of the African people.

supernatural powers

He then criticizes the

hypocritical member who

things,

attitude of the mainline church

that he does not believe in these

in official church circles

pretends…

while in his own private life he resorts to practices which are the result of such beliefs. 31

In recent research conducted

by Birgit Meyer among

Christians in the Ewe ethnic

group

in Ghana, she concludes that without belief in the existence of the devil and evil

spirits

the

people’s

faith in God “would be devoid of basis.”32 This

point

is corroborated

University

Professor E.

Bolaji

28J. S.

Mbiti,

Bible and

Theology

African Christianity (Oxford:

Oxford

Press, 1986), 116;

H. W. Turner, The

Aladura

Life and Faith of the Church the cf, of

Lord,

(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967), 19-21.

“See

Asamoah-Gyadu,

“Salvation in African

Independent

Churches and Charismatic Ministries in Ghana,”

Trinity Journal of Church

and

Theology 2 (December 1992): 84-98.

‘° See Samuel Brafo

Adubofuor,

Akan

Cosmology

and Akan

Christianity

Ghana

(M.Th. Thesis; Aberdeen,

Scotland: The

University

1987), 189.

“E. A. Asamoah, “The Christian Church and the African Heritage,” International Review of Missions 44 (July 1955): 292f.

“‘If you are a devil, you are a witch, and if you are a witch you are

Contemporary Aberdeen,

32 Birgit Meyer,

179

Idowu in the June 1970 issue of Orita (a journal of

religions published by

the

Department

Religious

Studies of the

University

Ibadan, Nigeria).

Idowu

pleads

for all readers to

witchcraft as a reality. According

Idowu,

all Africans of all levels of education or

none, including

even

university professors,

are firm believers in witchcraft.33

Rev. E. A. Asamoah made the

following suggestion

dealing

with the issue of

supernatural spirits

in Africa:

… we should be able to acknowledge that the spiritual world in which the African believes is a reality. Having recognised the reality of the world of spirits,

the practical step is to show the African Christian that real power is not in the hands of these spirits but in the hands of Jesus Christ…. It would be unrealistic to tell the African Christian that there is no witchcraft or that it is

merely

the creation of man’s

mind; the positive and constructive fact is that witchcraft is real, but that Christ has come to save men also from witchcraft.’·

This

approach

precisely

what the Charismatic movements in Ghana adopt. Therefore, they

seem to be more sensitive to the needs of the Afiican

people

and more relevant for them.

The

emphasis

on the manifestation of

spiritual gifts

is also a

major attraction to the Charismatic movements in Ghana,

particularly healing which is relevant to the

spiritual

environment of the African. On the importance

healing among

African

Christians,

E. Y.

Lartey

makes this observation:

In Africa, medicine has always been practised by traditional priest-healers. Healing, exorcism, divination, diagnosis

and the restoration to wholeness of ill or disturbed persons are seen as crucial functions of the priest. To the traditional African the most important activity of a priest is the medical one-the

ability to diagnose correctly and to prescribe accurate remedies for various diseases. To

separate

this function from his other

priestly activities,

or to disclaim the

authenticity of this

as a valid service of a religious person,

is to seriously detract from a priest’s

acceptability and recognition

with a traditional African. This appears to be what happened with the Western mission-founded churches.”

a devil.’ The

Integration

of ‘Pagan’ Ideas into the

Conceptual Universe of Ewe Christians in South Eastern

Ghana,” Journal of Religion in Africa 22 (May 1992): 108.

“Professor C. G. Baeta of Ghana alluded to this same fact in an address delivered

on November 20, 1970, on the occasion of the eleventh Anniversary of the Ghana Academy

of Arts and Sciences on the topic “Some Aspects of Religious Change In Africa.” 34

Asamoah, “The Christian Church and the African Heritage,” 300.

“E. Y.

Lartey, “Healing:

Tradition and Pentecostalism in Africa

Today,” International Review ofMission 75 (January 1986): 75.

180

the

worship style

prayers being encouraged.

lively,

vibrant,

ecstatic and

major

attraction of all the strands of the Charismatic movement is

which is more

spontaneous. Prayer

expressive

with both individual and collective

There is much use of modem instruments with

specially

trained

praise

and

worship teams,

which

put

much life into their

worship. Thus, they

have contributed

unprecedentedly

vibrant Professor C. G. Baeta’s Independent

Gospel description

to the

emergence

of an music

industry

in the

country.36

of the

signs

that mark out the

attraction

churches which are

predominantly without much

regard

to the

youth.

churches in Ghana also

applies

to the

worship style

of all other Charismatic movements in Ghana.3′

The

emphasis put

lay participation

to the

young people

who feel

neglected

movements

compensated not

only

concerned

and

lay leadership

is a

major

in the mainline led

the

clergy

and other adults

members,

down.

Therefore,

the

They support

their

Another factor which

appeals

to some

people

about the Charismatic

is the

strong

sense of

belonging among

attribute which is not stressed

very

much in the mainline churches in Ghana. Yet the traditional African

society emphasizes strong

communal living

in a

society,

but this is now

breaking

African Christian

expects

this demise in the sense of

community

to be

for within the church. The Charismatic movements are

with

spiritual

renewal or

spiritual needs,

but also with the social and economic needs of members.

members

during

the ceremonies that

accompany

the “life crisis” which Arnold Van

Gennep

calls “Rites of Passage.”3$ Specifically, most of the

role when their members

get married,

and when

they

die or are bereaved. The

help

the movements offer to members who

get

married make them

very attractive to most

young

Christians who are

contemplating

movements

play

important have

children,

Some Contributions

marriage.

of the

Charismatic Renewal to the Mainline

movement,

Churches

in the Renewal

Quite apart

from the above mentioned attractions of the Charismatic

that

generally

contribute to the

growth

Christianity Ghana,

it is worth

mentioning

some

specific

contributions

has made to the mainline churches. There is

hardly any

mainline

that has not been

impacted

denomination movement.

in some

way by

the

‘

” ‘6 See Dovlo, “A Comparative Overview,” 68.

‘a See note 6. Arnold Van Gennep, The Rites of Passage (London: Routledge, 1960), 65-90.

Evangelism

and Church

Planting

181

The advent of the Renewal has caused

an unprecedented explosion of

evangelism

in Ghana. Charismatic mass

open

air

crusades,

participants

lead

congregations

witnessing

and

evangelistic

appreciation recognized evangelistic wing.

house-to-house

revival

meetings.

a. result,

a number of churches have

experienced renewal,

and

many

new churches have been

planted.

The movement has also checked the exodus of church members to

the new churches. In

of this

fact,

the

Presbyterian

its Charismatic Renewal movement as the church’s

Liturgy

Church of Ghana has

main

The movement is responsible for the introduction of drums and other

instruments, unprecedented

rhythmic clapping explosion

hands,

dancing,

and the

songs

praise

that cut across most denominations in Ghana.39 The movement has counteracted

the disadvantages of a form of worship which is too exclusively intellectual in its conception, which leaves no room for spontaneity.”‘

Lay Participation

of all members.

for

personal

initiative in

Essentially,

Charismatic

worship encourages

the

general participation

There are

opportunities

prophecy,

spontaneous singing,

reading

of the

Scriptures

and in

personal witnessing

and

sharing involvement of the

people Charismatic Renewal

witness.””

fits Kilian McDonnell’s as a

“populist expression

Reaction

of the

Mainline

Churches

new fervor to the Church. target

of the movement

of testimonies

members. This

description

of of New Testament

to the Charismatic

Movement

As mentioned

above,

the Charismatic Renewal movements see the mainline churches as

practicing

Christianity

irrelevant to the needs of this

generation. Therefore,

the movement sees it as its

duty

to restore a

achieving

this

objective,

the

primary

has been to reach out to members of the mainline churches. The interdenominational Charismatic

have members who come from a

diversity

backgrounds

activities have some effect on the mainline churches. Calls for renewal

fellowships and whose

39 See Atiemo, The Rise of Charismatic Movements, 38-39.

40 Walter J. Hollenweger, The Pentecostals

(L,ondon: SCM Press, 1972), 461. ?’Kilian

McDonnell,

“Church Reactions to the Charismatic Renewal: An

in The Church is Charismatic, ed. Arnold Bittlinger (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1981), 164.

Evaluation,”

182

within the mainline churches

invariably

come from these members who

belong

to the Charismatic

fellowships.

became

independent

Ghana have a rich

background

Meanwhile,

the sweeping

Hitherto,

the mainline churches in Ghana have behaved much like the ancient Church in the

days

of Montanism in opposing

any phenomenon which was not rational.42 Thus the

history

of the Christian church in Ghana is

pregnant

with instances of Charismatic Renewal movements which could not find

any place

in their mother churches and thus

churches.`3 This

point

epitomized by

the fact that most founders and leaders of

independent

Charismatic churches in

in the mainline churches.

Charismatic Renewal movement is

currently

across the mainline denominations

movement has become a

catalyst

for renewal in some

denominations, has also been the cause of conflict and

misunderstanding

the same

time,

some members of the interdenominational

Renewal movements are determined to remain in their

“impoverished” churches and revitalize them with the introduction

phenomenon.

They

are, therefore,

in Ghana. While the

in others. At

Charismatic

very

active

of the Charismatic members of their

respective

churches. Some hold

key positions

and contribute

immensely

toward the

growth

of their churches.

cooperation.

However,

although

recognized

the

The mainline churches in Ghana are thus

compelled

to take a stance towards the Charismatic movement. The Roman Catholic Church in Ghana did not hesitate much in

recognizing

the

movement,

initially

some

clergy

and

laity

in the Catholic Church were

skeptical about the movement and did not want to accord it the needed

since the Vatican had

movement,

the Catholic Church in Ghana was

compelled

recognize it as well. The Catholic

Bishops

Conference

running

of the national head office of the Charismatic

for the

running automobile.

Autonomous

and maintenance

gives

grant

for the

movement and of the national coordinator’s

Within the

Presbyterian

mainline Protestant churches are also

being

forced to come to terms with this

spiritual upsurge.

Church of

Ghana,

for

instance,

for the

past fifty-three years,

the church

has been

grappling

with the

“problem” Study

and

prayer group

movement. Presbyterian

stance on the Charismatic

Renewal,

Church of

Ghana,

in its efforts at

adopting

accommodating

the Bible In 1965 the

Synod

of the

an official commissioned a committee to

study

the activities of the

groups.

1966,

the

Synod

of the church

Charismatic movement which arose an AD 172 in Phrygia in Western Asia Minor.

“See Baeta, Prophetism in Ghana, 3.

fully recognized

based on the recommendations

183

within the church. It has a

membership

Methodist

formally recognizing

prayer fellowships

grappling

with the same issue.44

the

groups

as a Renewal

Group

within the

church,

of the committee. At the

moment,

the movement is found in most

congregations

of over

20,000, including

good

number of

pastors.

The

Church in Ghana is

currently considering

the

possibility

and

integrating

the

and

coming

Charismatic

within its fold. Other mainline churches

are

and manifestations of the

The whole Charismatic movement and its

operation

in Ghana reveal serious flaws and

pitfalls

in the attitude of the mainline churches to the issues of

prayer,

Bible

study, evangelism,

Holy Spirit, especially

in the areas of

healing,

deliverance and

worship

life. The Charismatic

movements

within the mainline churches

are

revitalizing

their

respective

churches

by emphasizing

these issues.

Collaboration

Between

Different

Streams of the

Charismatic Movement

between

different

streams However,

there is much Charismatics at the

grassroots

and

collaboration

in Ghana.

among

Charismatics churches. There

On the official

level,

there is not much contact and collaboration

in the Charismatic movement

fellowship

level. The visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit

perceived

as the common denominator

at the

grassroots, particularly

are

exchanges

suspicious

of the

independent

evangelistic strategies

of notable

that unites the those in the mainline speakers

within the

Charismatic churches.

movement in the different churches. To cite an

instance,

the national coordinator of the Catholic Charismatic movement in Ghana and some key

leaders were “bom

again”

and

baptized

in the

Holy Spirit through their association with a Presbyterian renewal movement at Kumasi.

It must be

mentioned, however,

that the mainline churches are

very

Charismatic churches because the latter recruit their members

mainly

from the ranks of the former. Hence the term

“sheep stealing”

is used

the mainline churches to describe the

of the

independent

Therefore,

the Charismatic movements in the mainline churches hesitate to invite leaders of independent Charismatic assemblies to

speak

at their

of their

“sheep stealing”

tendencies.

“sheep stealing” activity

is also found

among

other Charismatic

groups.

meetings

because

fact,

this

“The

Baptist Convention in Ghana (distinct from the Baptist Mission in which is Ghana),

mainly Charismatic in ethos, has a membership of about 21,000.

184

Dif’ficulties of the

Renewal

The difficulties will be treated

according

to the various streams of the Charismatic Renewal in

Ghana, namely;

the movements within the mainline

churches;

the nondenominational

fellowships; and,

the independent

Charismatic churches/ministries.

Renewal Movements Within the Mainline Churches

major problem

faced

the Renewal movements within the mainline churches is that of

suspicion.

Members of the church who do not

belong

to the movement feel that the whole

phenomenon

is not in conformity

with the traditional

practices

of the churches and is something

extraneous. The

major

sources of tension are

speaking

in tongues

and the loud simultaneous

prayer

of the movement which for these churches are

quite strange.

The second

major problem

is the

suspicion

entertained

the leadership

and members of the mainline churches that the movements may eventually

break

away

to form a new church. This

suspicion

is given plausibility by

David B. Barrett in his

empirical survey

of about five thousand

separatist bodies, “virtually

all of which were at one time movements within the Mission Churches.”45 Due to these two

major suspicions,

the mainline churches are

skeptical

about the Charismatic movements within their framework and do not

easily recognize

them and

integrate

them into the church.

Nondenominational Charismatic

Fellowships

The main

problem

faced

these

fellowships

is the

fluidity

of their membership.

There is a strong tendency for some

members, particularly the

leaders,

to leave the

fellowships

to start their own ministries or fellowships.

Those who resolve not to leave their churches and who also retain their association with the

fellowships

have a

problem

of a divided

loyalty

between their churches and the

fellowships.

Independent

Charismatic Churches

These churches face

major

difficulties in the area of

leadership.

The following leadership problems

cause some of the leaders to break

away to form their own churches and create

suspicion

of these churches within the wider

society.

1. A

predominantly youthful leadership.

Since

great respect

given to adults in Ghanaian

society, youthful

leaders have the

problem

of not being accepted

in the

society.

” See David B. Barrett, Schism and Renewal in Africa (Nairobi: Oxford University Press, 1968).

”

185

2. The leaders lack

acceptability

in the

society

because

they

do not have formal theological training

but assume clerical titles even

prior

to theological training.’

Moreover,

some with low formal education have honorary

doctoral

degrees

conferred on them

some American seminaries/Bible

colleges.

3. The western

lifestyle

in the

leadership

of the churches with

respect to

preaching

and dress, the use of American

slang

and the imitation of American

evangelists

like Morris Cerullo and Kenneth

Hagin

make the wider

society suspicious.

4. The ostentatious

lifestyle

of most of the

pastors

which conforms to their sermons on

prosperity

makes

society

see the churches as commercial ventures. A

popular

Ghanaian

newspaper

refers to it as “commercialisation of churches. ,41

Generally

all Charismatics in Ghana have an

uncompromising stance on some traditional

religious

issues. This

rigid tendency sometimes

brings

them into

headlong

collision with some traditional rulers.

In addition to these

leadership difficulties,

some members become obsessed with

signs

and wonders and this sometimes creates

problems for the

pastors

since members tend to leave their churches when their needs are not met.

Conclusion

Spiritual hunger,

the

acceptance

of Ghanaian traditional world

views, and the stress on the

power

of the

Holy Spirit

have made the Charismatic movement

appealing

to Ghanaian Christians. The Charismatic movement finds fertile

ground

in Africa because it accords with a certain African world view.

Thus, part

of the attractiveness of the Charismatic movement is also

part

of the

response

to African spirituality. Though,

as with all human

institutions,

the Charismatic movement has its

quota

pitfalls,

the fact that it answers the

spiritual and existential needs of the Ghanaian and

promotes spiritual renewal, evangelism

and church

planting

is worth

deep

consideration

by any caring

Christian

body.

“See

Dovlo, “A Comparative Overview,” 63. “See The Weekly Spectator, 12 March 1994, 4.

The Charismatic Renewal Movement In Ghana

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