A Strategy for Church Planting Among the Ewe-Speaking People of the Volta Region, Ghana
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Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 1997 A Strategy For Church Planting Among The Ewe-Speaking People Of The Volta Region, Ghana Emmanuel Osei Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Osei, Emmanuel, "A Strategy For Church Planting Among The Ewe-Speaking People Of The Volta Region, Ghana" (1997). Dissertation Projects DMin. 344. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/344 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertation Projects DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact repository@andrews.edu. ABSTRACT A STRATEGY FOR CHURCH PLANTING AMONG THE EWE-SPEAKING PEOPLE OF THE VOLTA REGION, GHANA by Emmanuel Osei Adviser: Douglas R. Kilcher ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Title: A STRATEGY FOR CHURCH PLANTING AMONG THE EWE- SPEAKING PEOPLE OF THE VOLTA REGION, GHANA Name of researcher: Emmanuel Osei Name of degree of faculty chair: Douglas R. Kilcher, D.Min Date completed: August 1997 Problem Since the Seventh-day Adventist Church came to Ghana over one hundred years ago, there has not been any concrete and coordinated plan to establish SDA churches among the Ewe-speaking people of the Volta Region, Ghana. Unconsciously or otherwise, the Volta Region has been left unentered by the church, particularly the area from Ho southward to the sea. This study was undertaken to develop a strategy for reaching the Ewe-speaking people group (of the Volta Region Ghana) through church-planting ministry by which converts won would be gathered to form congregations of the Seventh- day Adventist Church. Method In an attempt to develop a strategy to plant Seventh- day Adventist churches among the Ewe-speaking ethnic group of the Volta Region, Ghana, I used three approaches as a method to guide me in obtaining relevant information and data for the design of the strategy. First of all, I began to study the available literature on the Ewe people group— their culture, worldview, traditional religion and ritual practices, their social structure, and traditional polity. This study gave me an insight into some essential factors to be considered so far as planting SDA churches in that target area is concerned. Second, I interviewed some senior pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to find out the reason why the church has not yet established its presence among the Ewe- speaking people of the Volta Region. The interview was also a tool used to find out the problems that hindered or militated against the initial attempts of the church to enter the target group. Finally, I conducted a survey at Ho to obtain a clearer picture of the immediate context of the Ewes of the Volta Region for the development of a strategy to plant SDA churches among the Ewe-speaking people Results In my studies pertaining to the Ewe-speaking people of the Volta Region, I learned of some problem areas and some essential factors which altogether helped me much to come up with three approaches which I pulled together to form a strategy to plant SDA churches among the Ewes of the Volta Region, Ghana. Conclusion The strategy developed in this project will help the SDA church plant churches among the Ewes in more meaningful and relevant ways. Out of this developed strategy came, as a conclusion, recommendations that will help the South Ghana Conference in its endeavor to enter the Volta Region in an effective church-planting ministry. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary A STRATEGY FOR CHURCH PLANTING AMONG THE EWE-SPEAKING PEOPLE OF THE VOLTA REGION, GHANA A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Emmanuel Osei August 1997 A STRATEGY FOR CHURCH PLANTING AMONG THE EWE-SPEAKING PEOPLE OF THE VOLTA REGION, GHANA A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Ministry by Emmanuel Osei APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE: r/i/caUf) Ote-Vfofv Director of D.Min. Program Ricardo Nortbn SDA Theological Seminary O c$ L s U 2°!t Date approved Dedication To God my Creator and Sustainer; To my late grandparents, who taught me the love for church planting; and to my dear family— Esther, Diana, Abigail, and Emmanuel Jr., and to all those who prayed for me and supported me by their love and concern iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES....................................... viii LIST OF T A B L E S ...................................... ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................. xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................... x ü Chapter 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION .................... i Statement of the Project .............. 7 Justification of the Project .......... 7 Organization of the Project .......... 9 P r o b l e m .................... 10 2. BIBLICAL, SPIRIT OF PROPHECY AND HISTORICAL FOUNDATION FOR CHURCH PLANTING ............ 12 Introduction .......................... 12 Church Planting Defined ................ 13 Biblical Basis ........................ 18 The Nature of the C h u r c h ............ 18 The Gospel Commission (Matt 28:18-20) 23 Baptizing and Teaching .............. 26 The Missionary Activities of the A p o s t l e s .................. 28 The Ministry of the Holy Spirit . 37 The Spirit of Prophecy Basis .......... 39 Historical Basis ...................... 43 3. THE EWE-SPEAKING PEOPLE OF THE VOLTA REGION, GHANA .................................... 47 G h a n a .................................. 48 Ghana's People Groups .............. 51 Religion in Ghana .................. 53 The Ewe-Speaking People Group .... 54 Historical Background of the Ewes .... 60 Colonial Rule . ................... 64 Ewe Unity .......................... 65 iv Ewe Religion .......................... 67 The Most High God (Mawu) .......... 73 The Spirits (Mawuviwo) .............. 78 Malevolent Spirits .............. 79 Witchcraft (Adze) ................ 79 S o r c e r y ........................ 82 Benevolent Spirits .............. 84 Personal Trowo ...................... 86 Public Trowo ........................ 88 Earth Gods (Anvimawuwo^ ....... 90 Ancestral Spirits (Toqbenoliwo) . 93 Religious Practitioners ............ 96 Ewe Religious Worldview ............ 101 Social Structure and Traditional P o l i t y .................................104 Ewe Social S t r u c t u r e .......... 105 Ewe Traditional Polity .............. 110 Points of Contact: Ewe Traditional Religion and Christianity .......... 112 The Relational Dimension ............ 112 Community or Group Formation ........ 113 Spiritual View of L i f e ................ 114 Meeting the Needs of the Individual .........................114 4. CHRISTIAN MISSIONS OPERATING AMONG THE E W E S .................................. 116 Christian Mission Churches: Historical Perspectives ........................ 117 E. P. Church: Community Development and Church Planting ..................... 120 Other Christian Mission Activities . 126 The Roman Catholic Church ........... 126 The Seventh-day Adventist Church . 129 Success and Failure of the Mission C h u r c h e s ...............................133 Factor #1— Foreignness of Christianity ................... 135 Factor #2— Educational Emphasis . 136 Factor #3— Unmet Spiritual Needs . 136 Factor #4— S y n c r e t i s m ............ 137 Factor #5— Conflicting Mixture of Christian Teachings ........... 140 Spiritual Churches ..................... 143 Problems of the Spiritual Churches ...........................146 v 5. INTERVIEWS, SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE, AND ANALYSIS OF THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT FOR THE PLANTING OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCHES AMONG THE EWES OF THE VOLTA REGION ........................ 151 Interviews .............................. 151 The Survey .............................. 160 Survey Assistants .................. 161 Distribution and Administration of the Survey Questionnaires ........ 161 The Survey Questionnaire ............ 162 Analysis of Data ........................ 163 Findings from the Analysis .............. 173 6. STRATEGY FOR PLANTING SDA CHURCHES AMONG THE EWE-SPEAKING PEOPLE OF THE VOLTA REGION, GHANA ............................ 175 Strategy Defined ...................... 176 The Need for Strategy ................ 177 Planning a Strategy ................ 180 A Three-Pronged Strategy for Church P l a n t i n g .............................. 183 Avenue #1: The Concerted Prayer Action (CPA) Method ...................... 183 The Place of Prayer ............ 183 Prayer Used by J e s u s ............ 185 The Apostles and Prayer .... 186 Need of Prayer T o d a y ............ 187 Prayer in Current Church Ministry .................... 190 Prayer for the Volta Region . 191 Concerted Prayer Action (CPA) Method .......................192 Daily Prayer Meetings, Sunday Bible Study Periods, and Wednesday Prayer Meetings . 194 All-Day Prayers, All-Night Prayer Session, and Prayer Retreats .................... 200 Avenue #2: The House-to-House Ministry and House-Group Method .......... 208 Advantages and Disadvantages of the Second Avenue ................ 216 A d v a n t a g e s ...................... 216 Disadvantages ................ 218 Resolving the Disadvantages . 218 Avenue #3: The Campus Ministry