The Church as a Spiritual and Social Being: A Holistic Approach to Ministry in the Contemporary Ghanaian Society
Patrick Yankyera, Emmanuel Kojo Ennin Antwi,
Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor, Frimpong Wiafe
Issue: Vol.1 No.5 September 2020 Article 6 pp. 194-200
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2020098 | Published online 29th September 2020.
© 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The teaching of Jesus presents a powerful dimension to the understanding of holistic ministry. In Luke 4 18-19, His announcement of His vision in the synagogue at Nazareth has a powerful component of spiritual and social action. Jesus was purposefully mandated to preach the Gospel to the deprived, heal the blind, set the captives free and liberate the oppressed. Preaching and ministering to physical needs of people were both central in Jesus’ life and work. He preached and healed. He satisfied both sick hearts and sick bodies. This paper discusses contextual reasons for the employment of holistic ministry in the contemporary Ghanaian Society. It brings to the fore the need for the Church to engage in holistic ministry which would go a long way to attract even non-Christians into the Christian fold. The study recommends that attending to the social needs of people in the Ghanaian society is an advantage to the church hence the call to employ holistic ministry. The study contributes to research knowledge in the holistic approach to ministry pointing out clearly that the ministry is not only for the spiritual growth of a person but also a person’s social wellbeing.
Keywords: Ghanaian Society, Holistic Ministry, The Church, Missions.
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Patrick Yankyera is the Senior Pastor of the Rhema Assemblies of God Church, Ahinsan Kumasi. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology- Kumasi Ghana.
Emmanuel Kojo Ennin Antwi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology – Kumasi Ghana.
Jonathan Edward Tetteh Kuwornu-Adjaottor is an Associate Professor of New Testament and Mother Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics in the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology – Kumasi Ghana.
Frimpong Wiafe is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology – Kumasi Ghana.
Yankyera, P, Antwi, E. K. E., Kuwornu-Adjaottor, J.E.T., Frimpong, W., “The Church as a Spiritual and Social Being: A Holistic Approach to Ministry in the Contemporary Ghanaian Society.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 1, no.5 (2020): 194-200. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2020098
© 2020 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
