The Church is unstoppable

The Most Rev. Professor J. Kwabena Asamoah – Gyadu was inducted into office as the sixth Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, last Saturday.

It has been a rare season of handing over Church leadership batons in the Methodist Church Ghana: from Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo as Presiding Bishop to Most Rev. Prof. J. Kwabena Asamoah – Gyadu; from Bishop Michael Agyakwa Bossman to Bishop William Mpere Gyekye as Administrative Bishop; and from Bishop Emmanuel Borlabi Bortey to Bishop Samuel Nii Nmai Ollennu as Accra Diocese Bishop.

There are nine newly elected Diocesan Bishops. Her Ladyship Justice Gertrude Araba Torkornoo, the Chief Justice of Ghana was the Guest of Honour. There were several national and international guests present.

The Induction Service was sacred and solemn. It was joyful and colourful; not with pump and pageantry. This is because these Methodists embrace John Wesley’s conviction that true Christianity does not consist of externals only; and that outward fruit must proceed from the inward illumination of the Holy Spirit.

The Induction Service moved to a high point when the Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo presented his successor, the Most Rev. Professor J. Kwabena Asamoah – Gyadu to the Church: “Behold your Presiding Bishop.” And there was a jubilant response as the congregation acclaimed their Bishop with applause.

Certainly, saying the solemn vows of consecration as Presiding Bishop was sacred and a high point. In examining the new Presiding Bishop, the following questions were put to him: Brother, Prof. Johnson Kwabena Asamoah – Gyadu, in as much as you have been duly elected the Presiding Bishop, and you are to be entrusted with the pastoral and spiritual care of the Methodist Church Ghana, I wish to ask that you bear witness to your calling in the presence of God and this congregation here assembled. ‘Do you trust that God who has called you into this Apostolic Ministry will grant you wisdom and humility to undertake the wider responsibility of the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana?’

And ‘will you endeavor to lead the people called Methodists in the unceasing mission of Christ’s Church, that His name may everywhere be proclaimed, and that you will lead men, women and children to repentance and build them up in that holiness without which they cannot see the Lord?’

And he meekly answered, “I do so trust. I will endeavour to do so, the Lord being my helper.” Perhaps this was the most solemn call and charge to deliver on his core mandate as Presiding Bishop.

We draw attention to two other significant high points of the Induction Service. First, Most Rev. Dr. Paul Boafo’s sermon and charge to his successor. Most Rev. Dr. Boafo focused on two things:

·     The new Presiding Bishop is to lead as a shepherd: He is to follow the example of Christ – the Good Shepherd. He is to have the heart of Christ. He is to know the flock entrusted to him well, the joys and challenges they face. He is to protect them from false teachers and call others to follow Jesus. And that his authority is rooted in His Service.

·     The new Presiding Bishop is to lead as Teacher: He is to stand as a beacon of faith in these times of teachings of all kinds of heresies; and false prophecies.

·     He is to teach just as the Lord Jesus did - to teach about the Kingdom of God; and to teach to transform lives. He is to ensure that sound doctrines are preserved and shared. And certainly, he is not alone in the discharge of his awesome pastoral duties.

Secondly, the Most Rev. Professor J. Kwabena Asamoah – Gyadu’s response was a most apt concluding address of the Induction Service – of humility and courage, pointing to historical theology; and of vision and dreams and hope in Christ and His word.

What must we focus on as Christ’s Church to experience renewal and expansion, even as we answer the question at some point: “Why is the Church weak?” He quotes Pastor Jae Hoon Lee of South Korea, “many in today’s church are more concerned with the religious system they have built than with the truth itself.

However, the truth cannot be contained within a system rooted in falsehood and vanity. If the Church does not align itself with the truth; it will lose its strengths and transformative power.”

We conclude this article with another quote of Pastor Hoon Lee: “The Church must boldly bear witness to the truth about Jesus. When the church abandons falsehood and fearlessly proclaims the truth, its power and purpose will be revitalised.”

Yes, “the Church is an unstoppable force. It is infused with the moving power of God. Jesus Christ must be revealed to this nation, and the World through the Church.”

 (The author is a consultant in Authentic Christian Spirituality and Discipleship and former CEO of Scripture Union)