Public Theology, the Church and Youth Development in Ghana

Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.4  No.10  Article 4  pp.1209 – 1218
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20234104 |   Published online 13th October, 2023
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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The article is an examination of theological insights that Public Theology provides for the development of young people in Ghana. The article argued that the church is strategically positioned to make significant responses to contemporary challenges confronting youth development through its Public Theology. The study affirmed that the churches provide spiritual guidance, Christian education, entrepreneurship programmes, support systems and youth-focused ministries which help the youth to develop a sense of purpose and a strong moral compass such as integrity, compassion and social responsibility. The young people however face the challenge of unemployment, moral decadence, social neglect, relationships and the effects of corruption. The study recommends that through its theological resources, the church must play a vital role in youth development by paying attention to the socialization processes of the youth at home, church and school. Moreover, attention must be paid to mentoring which facilitates the process of discovering the right persons for leadership, entrepreneurship, social transformation and advocacy for young people to be empowered to make significant contributions to church growth and nation building.

Keywords: African Christianity, Public Theology, Youth Development

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Joseph Kofi Antwi, Ph.D. (Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana). His research focuses on African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS), Christian Education, Environmental Ethics, African Philosophy, Religion, and Media. He serves on the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Institutional Review Board (NMIMR-IRB) and is a member of the African Association for Pastoral Studies and Counselling (AAPSC). He is an Ordained Minister of the Gospel in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and currently serves as the Clerk of the Ga West Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

Opuni-Frimpong, Kwabena. “Public Theology, the Church and Youth Development in Ghana.E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.10 (2023): 1209 – 1218.  https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20234104

© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).