Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah has successfully retired from active ministry at a ceremony held to celebrate his journey in the ministry on Saturday 5th February 2022 at Faith Assemblies of God, Tafo Nhyiaeso-Kumasi. Rev. Prof. Dapaah until his retirement was the former General Treasurer of Assemblies of God, Ghana, and the Senior Pastor of Faith Assemblies of God, Tafo Nhyiaeso-Kuma in the Ashanti North region.
He completed his Bible school education in 1980. This made him one of the long-serving Assemblies of God, Ghana ministers. He is recognized as an astute man of God and a pragmatic leader in the Lord’s vineyard. Below highlights the profile of Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah.
Birth and Early Life
On a bright Saturday, the 31st of October, 1953, the Lawyer William Kwadwo Dapaah and Sophia Nana Simah Arthur, both of blessed memory, gave birth to a son, who was named Paul. This child would later become a renowned man of God and an excellent leader, Rev. Prof Paul Dapaah.
Rev. Dapaah started his formal education at the age of five at the Cape Coast Wesley Methodist Primary School now William De-graft Primary School and then continued schooling at the Ashanti Bekwai Roman Catholic Primary School.
Young Paul Dapaah later moved to Kumasi to stay with his father where he was first enrolled at the Bantama Methodist School, and later continued his middle school education at Bantama L/A School. After successfully passing his common entrance examination, he gained admission to Mpraeso Secondary school, his alma mata. In 1976, while in the sixth form, he first received 2 calls from God to do His work. Before the call, his career plan was to follow his father’s footsteps to become a lawyer, but when he got the call from God, he gave up his dream of becoming a lawyer and started focusing on going into the ministry of God.
Preparation for Ministry
He began an important phase in his life in February 1978 when he entered the Bible College to begin his steps towards fulfilling God’s mandate for his life. While in Bible College, he pioneered the Atimatim Assembly of God church as a student pastor. Indeed, Rev. Dapaah’s church planting expertise goes way back. In July 1980, months before graduating from the Bible College, he was posted to Faith Assembly of God, a budding church at that time. While in Bible College, he met his late wife, Rev Mrs. Dorcas Dapaah of blessed memory, and they got married a day after their graduation on 15th November 1980. The newly wedded couple headed off to start their new lives and ministries at Faith A/G in Kumasi.
Beginning of Ministry
Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah was officially installed as a pastor of the Faith Assembly of God on 14th December 1980, a significant landmark in the history of his life and that of Faith A/G church. As pastor of a small church of about forty members, Rev. Prof. Dapaah faced many challenges in managing the church. Pastored together with his late wife and with the help of God, they managed to surmount the obstacles that impeded and obstructed the growth of this small church. The church was mostly attended by old members and the elderly of Lighthouse (Central) Assembly of God who could not attend the church at Akwatialine due to their age and the distance.
Things started getting better in 1982 as the church started to grow in numbers, and has never declined in membership ever since. Rev. Prof. Dapaah’s ministry in Faith AG showed great evidence of the profound and overwhelming manifestation of spiritual gifts, which was essential and evidential in the church as the church services experienced the grace of God that demonstrated the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the growth of the church was phenomenal and astonishing that the church started meeting in two services on Sunday morning because of its rapid growth.
By the grace of God, he was awarded a scholarship to the USA in 1986 to read an Associate’s degree in theology. While he was away in the States, the late Rev. Mrs. Dorcas Dapaah took over the full management of the church, during which she mobilized the women in the church in a very effective way that the church continued to grow phenomenally because of the effective way she mobilized the women ministries in the church. All the women’s ministry axillary groups in Assemblies of God were effectively established by her and this led to the formation of the Young Women Auxiliary group (Ys), which was the first of its kind in AG, Ghana. The church growth at this period was very impressive, and to also mobilize the men like the women, Rev Prof. Dapaah also formed the Young Men auxiliary group which is now known in AG, Ghana as Pathfinders: this group was the first of its kind in Assemblies of God, Ghana.
Deaf Ministry
Rev. Prof. Dapaah came back from the states in 1987, ministry which was first in its kind in the Assemblies of God, Ghana. The main purpose of starting this ministry was to reach out to the deaf in our society. This ministry has grown tremendously with about sixty members.
Family Life
Rev. Dapaah has been blessed with five biological children, composed of three women and two men. On 1st February 2017, a tragedy hit Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah and his family. His beloved wife, Rev. Mrs. Dorcas Dapaah who was then the National Director of the Women’s Ministry of AG, Ghana, suddenly passed away. It was a very big blow to the Dapaah family but the Great God sustained them.
Rev. Prof. Dapaah remarried later. God blessed him with another God-fearing person as his wife. She is Mrs. Doris Dapaah. Together with his wife, Doris, their biological children now stand at seven. When his elder brother passed on to be with the Lord in 1992, he adopted his four children. He also adopted two other children. This gave him Thirteen children:
1. Rev. Mrs. Dorcas Fremah Dapaah Adomako
2. Her Ladyship Priscilla Dapaah Mireku
3. Mr. James Dapaah
4. Mrs. Esther Dapaah Mensah Bonsu
5. Pastor Paul Opuni Dapaah
6. Mrs. Rachel Asabere
7. Mr. Justice Marfo
8. Mr. Kbenezer Dapaah
9. Mr. Daniel Dapaah
10. Mr. Jonathan Dapaah
11. Mrs. Deborah Dapaah Bonsu
1 2. Sarah Dapaah
13. Dorcas Akrasi Boateng
When asked about how he succeeds at balancing family life with his pastoral duties, he emphasized the need to live an. Exemplary life both inside and outside the home. Leading his family with great Christian virtues worth emulating: two of his children are pastors in the Assemblies of God church, and the rest are all involved in various ministries in the church. He has also been blessed with three in-laws who are pastors. All his children are active in their churches, leading good Christian lives as learned from their parents. God has also blessed Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah and his wife with twenty-one (21) grandchildren. With these several grandchildren, he makes time for family interactions and plans fellowships to strengthen the family’s spiritual life.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
In terms of spiritual gifts, Rev Dapaah has a very strong gift of healing. This gift manifested through the many high-powered crusades and prayer sessions organized as a church. This spiritual gift has been very integral in his ministry, touching lives and strengthening the faiths of others. God has also blessed him with teaching prowess and ability, making him an exceptional leader of the church. Over the years, he has only gotten better with sermons, which are both educative and interesting; helping people to discover God in meaningful ways. A Jack of all trades, he has a unique leadership style strengthened by his naturally sociable temperament. He has been slow to anger from childhood, with an ability to be on great terms with even people who antagonize him. He’s also an incredibly relatable person who is easy to talk to, and this has made him a pastor everyone can communicate with. This is one of the biggest reasons why Faith Assembly of God is one of the biggest Assemblies of God churches in Ghana. This quality that is exhibited by Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah humbles anyone who associates himself with him.
The building of the Faith Assembly of God has been an integral project spearheaded by him. Starting as a small building, the church has evolved into a multifunctional place of worship, with a big auditorium, offices, and resource rooms. When asked about how he was able to build the church to its present state, Rev Dapaah mentioned the grace of God. Starting with little resources with no large source of funding, the Lord has helped in the building of His church, with generous workers who give all they have to promote church growth to committed church members faithful to tithing.
Church Planting
“I planted; Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:6
By the grace of God, Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah has excelled at church planting in his ministry. With about twenty churches planted in Ghana and beyond, he has used this exceptional gift for the progress of the Assemblies of God, Ghana. These churches include A/G branches in:
1. Atimatim Hope AG,
2. Sekyere Odumase
3. Tano Odumase Ahwiaa
4. Ankaase
5. Apire New Site (Madam Moke)
6. Moshie Zongo 7. Krofrom (J. B. Danquah)
8. Pankrono New Site
9. Kona
10. Franti-Sekyere Odumase
11. Abuakwa-Bronkong
12. Bronkong Bible School
13. Pakyi Number 2 New Site
14. Wiamoase
15. Brescia, Italy
16. Faith AG, Graz, Austria
17. Atlanta Ghanaian A/G
18. Adwiretia
19. Mpobi
20. Anyinasu
21. Dumanafo
Global travels and impact
Globally, Rev. Dapaah has traveled to about twenty countries with the gospel, building churches and touching lives through healing and spirit-filled sermons. Some of these countries are the United States of America, Wales, Germany, Czech Republic, Holland, England, Scotland, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, etc.
He has mentored and nurtured more than thirty pastors, both here in Ghana and abroad, with much teaching and awareness on the church building and with great understanding that the church should be a family. This has led them to lead successful ministries causing positive changes in the world.
Further Academic Involvement
To acquire relevant knowledge for the benefit of the church and his pastoral mandate, Rev. Prof. Paul Dapaah has traveled far and near for further theological education, and also for teaching others about theology. His academic laurels in further education include:
- Diploma in Bible Studies: Southern Ghana Bible Institute, Now Assemblies of God Theological Seminary Saltpond, Ghana (1980)
- Associates of Art in Practical Theology: Christ for The Nations Institute, Dallas Texas, USA (1987)
- Advanced Leadership Certificate: Haggai Institute, Singapore, 1997
- Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.): West Africa Advanced School of Theology, Lome, Togo (2000)
- Master of Theology (M.Th.): University of Wales, United Kingdom (2004)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.): Pan African Theological Seminar, Lome, Togo (2010)
- Professorial Honour Conferred by the Global University, Springfield Missouri, USA (2019)
He shares his wide depth of theological knowledge with students of theology, lecturing in several institutions including
- All Assemblies of God, Ghana seminaries
- West African Advanced School of Theology (WAAST), Lome, Togo
- Assemblies of God Graduate School of Theology (AGGST), Lome, Togo
- Global University, Springfield, Missouri, USA (Ghana Campus), Saltpond, Ghana
Positions Held in the Assemblies of God church, Ghana
Rev. Dapaah has risen through the ranks to hold several positions in the Assemblies of God, Ghana. These positions include:
- Ashanti Regional Sunday School Representative -1981-1984
- Southern Ghana District Sunday School Director-1984-1988
- National Director of the Sunday School- 1988-1990
- Mid Ghana District Council Secretary- 1988-1994
- Ashanti Regional Secretary- 1994-2001
- General Treasurer of the Assemblies of God, Ghana-2004-2010
- Acting Principal of the Mid Ghana Bible College-2006-2010
Social contributions to Assemblies of God
Rev. Paul Dapaah has contributed tremendously to the growth of the Assemblies of God church, as well as the society at large. The Assemblies of God Senior High School at the Ashanti Regional Headquarters came through his initiative. For a while, the Faith A/G church, under the auspices of Rev. Dapaah, founded the Faith Senior High School (FAGSEC), which was a second-cycle institution providing quality formal education to young people. The school has contributed to the success story of great young men and women, who will go on to contribute their quota to the development of the country. The free senior high school education seriously affected the Faith Assembly of God Senior High. However, Plans have gone far to establish Faith Assemblies of God Educational Complex. Though he is going on retirement, we are convinced that his good works over the years will still be impacting lives for the glory of God.
