Abstract
The Gospel and African Culture interface has remained an ongoing dialogue due to the fact of inherent tensions. The genuineness of the conversion of the traditional leadership institution that welcomed the Western missionaries has remained in doubt in some missionary established churches. The conversion challenges of the traditional leaders have resulted from ancestors and ancestorial related functions that traditional leaders performed. The churches over the years created mission fields and chaplaincies with trained personnel and resources to address conversion challenges of specific and unique communities. While the creation of mission fields and appointments of chaplains have made significant responses to the conversion challenges of the people involved, the conversion challenges that traditional leaders have constantly requested for support from the churches have not been fully addressed. The study is an examination of the requests of some traditional leaders for Christian missions to be extended to the Palace and responses made so far by some of the missionary established churches. The study adopts a qualitative approach with an examination of relevant available materials and interviews. The study points to the fact that the conversion of the Palace and its functionaries must be considered as a major ministry and mission field of the church with trained ministers and resources for the specialized mission field. The study moreover calls for deeper research into matters of ancestors and ancestorial related rites that have remained as areas of tension between the church and the conversion of the Palace functionaries. Keywords: Palace, Christian Mission, Traditional Leadership, Chaplaincy, Conversion
Highlights
The heart of Ghanaian culture is the chieftaincy institution
The study has observed that the creation of mission fields and appointments of chaplains have remained some of the key missionary strategies of the Western missionaries and missionary established churches
The study subsequently holds the position that the missionary strategies must be considered in the effort to respond to the constant request of Palace functionaries for Christian mission to be extended to the Palace
Summary
The heart of Ghanaian culture is the chieftaincy institution. The chieftaincy institution is public in Ghana but its contemporary relevance cannot be denied. Rev Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, admits that the challenge that was presented to the Presbyterian Church of Ghana eight decades ago by the Okyehene still persists He observed that ‘where these traditional rulers had been faithful Christians in good standing with their Churches before ascending the stool, their full memberships have been withdrawn by some Churches for the reason that their new position places on them the responsibility of worshipping two masters, God and the ancestors. Traditional leaders and other Chief Executives.’ In his appreciation for the Thanksgiving service on the contribution of Nananom to Church growth, Rev. Prof Emmanuel Martey a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, called for churches to plan to extend Christian mission to all Palaces. My expectation is that the Presbytery would see this event not as an end, but a continuation of the process of Christianizing the culture.’ He called on the church to as a matter of strengthening the church’s mission to the Palace to put in
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