Accra, June 19, GNA – The Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, has charged Ministers of the gospel and the State to wear their “servant’s coat” and solve societal problems with humility and dedication.
Many Christian Ministers today, he noted, took the status of rulers rather than servants, saying they had adopted worldly standards of leadership.
“Let’s look at the Bible verse Mark 10:45 and Luke 22:27, that says that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
“So it is unfortunate that service and servants are missing from the Church now because the world does not see leadership as a service but a status to be served.”
The presiding Bishop gave the advice when he led an order of service for the commendation and commissioning of 70 Ministers of the Church to commence their probation.
The ministers from across the country were commissioned at services held simultaneously at the St. John’s Methodist Society, Achimota, Mt. Zion Society, Sakumono, and the Joseph Afotey Society, Teshie North.
“Our new Ministers, please don’t look at the world because its standards don’t fit into God’s standards,” he cautioned.
“People become ministers and wait for others to polish their shoes before they wear them. Methodists are not of that stock. So if you have come to lord over people – the congregation and society – then this is not your place. He who serves best leads best.”
Bishop Boafo criticised how many politicians begged for power in all humility, with desperation, but behaved in a contradictory manner after being given the mandate.
“You ministers shouldn’t be like that because you are waiters and waitresses in the Kingdom of God.”
The fields of the world, he said, were ripe with evil – immorality, vices and corruption – “hence the Lord heard the cry of the Church to call ministers to labour and serve to redeem the world of its wrongs.
“It is so disheartening that leadership now is about selfishness and greed.”
He, therefore, asked leaders to see their positions as sacrificial and an action to empower and help people out of their troubles.
“God has called you to right the wrongs in society, families, social media and everywhere, so don’t come and rather compound the wrongs in society,” he emphasised.
As the service coincided “Father’s ’ Day”, Bishop Boafo wished all fathers a “Happy Day” and advised those who had become “runaway” fathers because of their responsibilities to return home to reconcile with their spouses and children.
“From here, all men are going to the kitchen. The women should rest today and give all men hard recipes to cook for them to eat. Excluding my wife,” he added in jest.
GNA