Ghana - (Africa)

Information about Ghana

Christian missionary activity began with the arrival of Europeans in 1481, whereas Islamic influence had made itself felt from the 9th century, mainly in the trading centers and kingdoms of the north. Portuguese and, later, Dutch, British, and Dutch seafarers and traders built fortified trading posts along the coast. Their missionary efforts failed primarily because of their association with the slave trade and the low moral standards at the forts.
The first deliberate missionary effort in the interior by Moravians in the 18th century ended in disaster because of the high death toll among missionaries. Missionaries from the Basel Mission who arrived in 1828 would have suffered the same fate but for the fact that Black Moravian missionaries from the West Indies — freed slaves — had been called to assist. Other missions followed: Angl (who had been present already in the 18th century but fully developed their work in the 19th century), Methodists (1835), Bremen Mission among the Ewe (1847), French RCath Mission (1880). Until the end of the century the growth of the church was restricted to the south; only after the defeat of the Ashanti Kingdom in 1896 by the British was mission work extended to the Ashanti heartland. The north of Ghana, falsely declared Islamic territory by the colonial power, remained officially off limits for Christian mission work until 1945.
During the first decades of the 20th century many African Independent churches emerged, often founded by catechists of the mainline churches. Like-wise, Apostolic and Pent churches gained momentum due to the rise of the new charismatic movement. By 1929 five Prot churches founded the Christian Council of Ghana, then called the Gold Coast, and which today comprises 14 member churches (CCG); it closely cooperates with the RCath Bishops’ Conference (CBC). Pent, Apostolic, and African Indigenous churches formed separate umbrella organizations; however, they cooperate with CCG and CBC. An attempt by Presb, Meth, and, initially, the Angl and Menn churches failed in 1980. Theological training is done cooperatively by the Presb, Meth, and Angl churches at Trinity College Legon.
The history of Christian missions is closely connected with the history of colonial power. The churches had, especially through their schools, a decisive impact on the development of modern African nationalism and the formation of an educated elite. Christians played a significant role in economic development, public life, and the process of decolonization. In 1957 the Gold Coast became independent as the first African independent colony. The relationship between the churches and the state has generally been one of close collaboration in the fields of education, health, and other social services. Politically, however, relations have repeatedly experienced strains during the first republic under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and under the various military governments which followed. Both the CCG and the CBC played a prophetic role in the defense of human rights, freedom of worship, democracy, and moral standards.
The Ref tradition is represented in Ghana primarily by two churches: the Presbyterian Church of Ghana founded by the Basel Mission and the Ewe-speaking Evangelical Presbyterian Church, founded by German missionaries. During World War I German and Swiss missionaries had to leave the country. Scottish missionaries stepped in and, through their witness, contributed a distinctly Ref self-understanding and promoted the indigenization of the churches.

Alliances

• Christian Health Association of Ghana
  CHAG

Churches

• Presbyteria Nyanyui Hame le Ghana
  Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana
• Presbyterian Church of Ghana
  

• Akrofi Christaller Memorial Centre For Mission Research and Applied Theology
  
• Department of Religious Studies
  University of Ghana
• Evangelical Presbyterian Church Seminary
  
• Ramseyer Training Center Abetifi
  
• Tamale Ecumenical Training Center
  
• Trinity College
  
• Trinity Theological Seminary
  

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