Ghana Network

Comment

Comment by Robert Nash on August 5, 2009 at 2:51pm

The Ghana Baptist Convention's website is www.gbconvention.org.

The Ghana Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship cooperate in the following ways:

• Building relationships with respective leaders of the two entities and their congregations in order to learn from each other and to mature in faith.
• Working to create networks of congregations and partners in the US and Ghana that can identify mutually beneficial ministries, including but not limited to the planting of Ghanaian Baptist churches in the United States and other ministries that focus upon the least evangelized and the most marginalized of peoples in Ghana and the US.
• Encouraging church-to-church connections between congregations in Ghana and congregations in the United States that are based upon mutual respect and a desire to learn from each other.
• Sharing resources when appropriate that can enable ministries in our respective countries.
• Connecting partners to shared ministries that result from this collaboration.
• Working together to resource Ghanaian congregations in the United States
• Resourcing each other in the five areas of prayer, church planting, leadership development, ministry infrastructure, and shared ministry (individual and community transformation).

Comment by Robert Nash on August 5, 2009 at 2:47pm

CBF's main partner in Ghana is the Ghana Baptist Convention. Here is some information on the good work of the Convention.

Ghana Baptist Convention- A snapshot

Size: 1000 churches, membership-over 65,000

Note: only 20% have their own sanctuary, 80% use public/private classrooms, sheds

Clergy: 600 trained ministers

Theological Training schools: two schools

Convention Set up: country is divided into four sectors with 23 associations

• Northern- 6 associations
• Mid-7 associations
• South East-6 associations
• South West-4 associations

History:
The Convention's early beginnings was associated with the Nigeria Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention of U.S.A. Nigeria Baptist brethren came to Ghana (formerly known as Gold Coast) to trade in the early part of 1900's. The Yoruba Baptist Association (which was formed in 1935) made an appeal to both Nigeria Baptist Convention and Nigeria Baptist Mission (NOTE: the Mission is made up of only Southern Baptist Convention missionaries working in Nigeria) to send some missionaries to start Baptist Churches among the Ghanaians because the Yoruba Baptist Churches were failing to attract Ghanaians into their fold since Yoruba language was used in all their worship services. The Nigeria Baptist Mission in response to the request made by the Yoruba Baptist Association sent Rev. and Mrs. H. R. Littleton to Ghana in 1947 to start Baptist Churches among the indigenous people. Their effort resulted in the establishment of the first indigenous Baptist Church in 1952 at Boamang in the Ashanti Region. Earlier in 1947, the Yoruba Baptist Association was renamed Gold Coast Baptist Conference to enable the emerging Ghanaian Baptist Churches to be part of the Conference.
In 1957 when Ghana gained her independence from Britain, the Conference was renamed Ghana Baptist Conference. All this time the Conference was under the Nigeria Baptist Convention. In 1963 the Nigeria Baptist Convention granted the Ghana Baptist Conference independence.
The Conference was renamed Ghana Baptist Convention in January, 1964.
The Convention works in partnership with the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention, U.S.A. For the past few years, the IMB has changed her mission strategy whereby the body is now pursuing people group concept. Thus the IMB's support to the Convention in terms of personnel and finance has dwindled greatly. The Ghana Baptist Convention is now seeking partnership with other Baptist bodies or churches to carry out the vision(s) God has given to her in Ghana and beyond. In 2002 the Ghana Baptist Convention (GBC) and the American Baptist Churches International Ministries (ABC/IM) signed a partnership agreement. The Convention has also signed partnership agreements with American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago (ABC/MC) and American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts (TABCOM).
Current Convention Officers:

President- Rev. Stephen K. Asante

Vice-President- Rev. Dr. Nii Amoo Darku

General Secretary- Rev. Kojo Amo

Assistant General Secretary- Rev. David Narteh Ocansey

Acting Treasurer- Rev. Alexander Offih Kyei

Recording Secretary- Mrs. Stella P. Laryea

Assistant Recording Secretary- Deaconess Erica Essi Wilson