The maiden edition of orientation for pastors who had finished serving their mandatory probation period took place on 19th November 2020 at the Assemblies of God Ghana headquarters conference room. The pastors were confirmed as newly appointed Ministers pending their induction as exhorters at their respective regional council meetings. The ceremony brought together several pastors from the length and breadth of the country and mostly included pastors who have completed Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) between 2018 and 2019. Present at the ceremony were the E.P Officers been the main resource persons, the Head of Operations and the National Pension Administrator.
At the ceremony, the General Superintendent of AGGhana, Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong-Manso, spoke on the topic “In all your getting, get wisdom and understanding” and also provided tips on ministry excellence and success. The General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Kwame Bansah expressed his views on the statement “many are called but few are chosen” and emphasized that there are ministerial ranking processes and pitfalls which he indicated some of the salient issues to the pastors. The General Treasurer, Rev. Dr. Sam Ato Bentil stressed the financial obligations and faithfulness to the church and your family as a pastor. He further advised the pastors that it is required of them to be faithful stewards and stated that “it is required in stewardship that you are found faithful”.
The Head of Operations, Rev. Dr. Freeman Osei-Tete also educated the pastors on the new payment system and online credentials of Assemblies of God Ghana. He explained the rationale behind the adoption of digital systems by AGGhana and mandated the pastors to embrace these systems at their respective local churches to assist the smooth running of the organization. The National Pension Administrator, Mr. Felix Boakye on his part spoke at length on the new dimensions and benefits of the pensions scheme. Mr. Boakye encouraged the newly appointed pastors to enroll with the scheme and make contributions in other to enjoy a befitting retirement after their labor.
A total of 300 pastors participated in the orientation program with full-time ministers accounting for 211 representing 70% of the total pastors and the remaining 89 constituting Tent Ministers. With regards to the regional distribution of pastors confirmed, the North East region recorded none and the highest number came from Accra West with 42 pastors, followed by Accra East, 36. The rest are: Ashanti West-30; Ashanti East-20; Ashanti North-14; Brong Ahafo A-5; Brong Ahafo B-6; Brong Ahafo C-7; Central A-27; Central B-9; Eastern A-9; Eastern B-15; Eastern C-15; Midwestern-4; South Western-9; Western North-3; North West-12; Upper North-6; Upper East A-1; Upper B-7; Upper West-6; Volta North-5; and Volta South-12. These pastors will be provided with Ministers’ Identification Cards after completing all the registration process at the I.T. Office.
