Lutheran Church dedicates $1m seminary building

The President of the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, USA, Rev. Dr Matthew Harrison, has called on pastors to preach the undiluted word of God.

He said pastors must preach the word of God openly and clearly to all people in order to make them appreciate the goodness of God.

“I am tired of pastors who don’t preach the gospel,” he said at Oyibi, near Accra, last Sunday during the dedication of the Lutheran Theological Seminary .

Rev. Dr Harrison said nothing should ever be taught at the seminary except from the Bible.

He stressed the need for pastors to preach the pure word of God and teach the people what it meant to worship God.

He thanked all those who contributed in diverse ways towards the construction of the building.

The seminary building

The $1-million seminary building was constructed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) with financial support from philanthropists in the USA.

The seminary, which has 42 rooms and a modern library, will be used for the training of pastors of the ELCG.

Apart from the training of pastors, the two-storey building will also be used for conferences by the women and youth groups in the church.

With the assistance of the Bishop of the ELCG, Rt Rev. Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, and other high-profile pastors of the Lutheran Church in the USA and Ghana, Rev. Dr Harrison cut the tape and unveiled a plaque to commemorate the dedication of the seminary .

The pastoral team included the Director of Theological Education Office of International Mission, Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, USA, Professor Timothy Quill; the President of the Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort-Wayne, USA, Rev. Dr Lawrence Rast Jr; Rev. Dr George Black of the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod, USA, and the President of the ELCG Seminary, Rev. Yaw Gyakye Amoateng.

Rt Rev. Dr Fynn said the seminary would be used to train pastors who would preach the gospel and not prosperity messages.

Challenges

The bishop of the ELCG recounted many challenges that were encountered in the course of constructing the seminary.

He said lack of funds, controversy over land ownership and stealing of building materials had all conspired to kill the dream of building the seminary but in the end, the might of God prevailed.

“The devil cannot control the church; it’s only Jesus who can,” he remarked.

Rt Rev. Dr Fynn expressed gratitude to Professor Quill for helping to raise funds for the construction of the seminary.

Scholarship

He said all pastors under training had been offered full scholarship by the Wisconsin International University College (WIUC) and added that those who completed their courses would be sent to the USA for further studies.

He said children of the ELCG pastors had also been offered 50 per cent scholarship by WIUC.

Professor Quill asked the congregation to pray for the individuals in the USA who donated money for the construction of the seminary, while appealing to them (congregation) to take good care of the facility.

For his part, Rev. Dr Black expressed the hope that after their training at the seminary, the pastors would share their seed with all Ghanaians.

Writer’s Email: kofi.yeboah@graphic.com.gh