The Executive Presbytery of Assemblies of God Ghana, led by General Superintendent Rev. Stephen Wengam, has launched a book on Ministerial Ethics, Code of Conduct and Etiquette for Pastors and their Spouses.
The book, along with another manual for administrative programmes and activities and a disciplinary code, was unveiled and launched at the 4th Executive Presbytery and Key Leaders Conference in Kumasi.
These documents are based on the biblical teachings on the proper behaviour of church leaders, and they are to complement the Constitution of Assemblies of God Ghana in guiding Pastors of the church in proper Christian Etiquette and behaviour.
Launching the books, the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Ghana. Rev. Stephen Wengam said, “It has become necessary to streamline the conduct of ministers and their spouses while ensuring consistency in application within Assemblies of God churches across Ghana.”
He noted that despite the evolution of the church over the years, the Word of God remains central to the Ministry of the church.
He was sad, that in recent times, “the body of Christ has come under intense attack”. Ministers are thus faced with the daunting task of determining which behaviour is acceptable and Bible-based, and which glorifies God.
It is to enable Ministers of Assemblies of God and their spouses to unlock this dilemma and to live above reproach, that he led the Executive Presbytery Officers to initiate the work on developing the manual on code of ethics for the clergy and their spouses.
The Ministerial Ethics, Code of Conduct and Etiquette for Pastors and their Spouses is the first in the history of Assemblies of God, Ghana. Rev. Wengam hoped the document would be a “game changer, as it offers the security and assurance of practice, once the minister conducts him or herself within the dictates of the code and the Scriptures”.
In a foreword, a former Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, an adult Sunday School Teacher of the Ringway Gospel Centre, Assemblies of God, said the Ministerial Ethics, Code of Conduct and Etiquette manual for Assemblies of God Pastors and their spouses, “is an added resource for ethical Christian work and living”.
She observed, that the publication of the manual is to enable “men and women of God to live above reproach, and avoid certain pitfalls and the unethical behaviour of this present complex age with all its allurements”. She observed that the many direct quotes from the scriptures make it “transparently clear” that the manual is not a set of harsh and rigid man-made rules, but God-inspired Bible-based production aimed at making His workmen highly successful stewards.
The 167-page book on Ministerial Ethics, Code of Conduct and Etiquette, has 55 ethical principles and guides. Some of the principles are Pulpit ethics and etiquette, monetary ethics and code of conduct, ethics of pastoral accountability, and ethics for church services and prayer meetings.
