The Church of Pentecost has urged churches and other faith-based organisations to put in place social literacy programmes that empower their membership.

It said such programmes must include guidance and counselling services, financial literacy and civic education to make them more confident and responsible.The Head of the La Area of the church in Accra, Apostle John Appiah Aidoo, gave the recommendation in an interview with the Daily Graphic at the start of a five-day training programme for 2,500 leaders of the church on Wednesday.The event was on the theme: “Hearing and obeying the Lord’s Voice in my Generation (I Samuel 3: 9-10).”

Participants comprised elders, deacons and leaders of other supporting groups in the church. They were trained on ways of becoming effective leaders.

The doctrine of God, discipleship and the Church of Pentecost, building a healthy and vibrant church and Christian attitude towards politics were topics of the programme.

Church and politics  

Speaking on the Church and politics, Apostle Aidoo asked faith-based organisations to encourage their members to develop a positive attitude towards politics, especially now that the country is preparing for the general election on December 7, this year.

“Pastors ought to use the pulpit to encourage their members to take active part in the political processes, including checking their names on the voters register and the need to re-register if one’s name has been deleted from the electoral roll, in the case of those who used the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards to register, as well as other processes that go to ensure peaceful elections,” he said.

He said churches were key agents for change and peace building and that if they took up the responsibility for educating their members on the need to maintain peace while exercising their right to vote, the country would be peaceful and united.

“It is the civic responsibility and political right of every citizen to participate fully in deciding who leads them. When you do not vote during elections, and sit back to criticise elected leaders, you do the country a great disservice,” he said.

Capacity building

For his part, the Resident Pastor of the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Rev. Daniel Sackey, recommended that faith-based organisations put in place mechanisms that build the capacity of their members.

To do that, he said, the leadership of churches and other faith-based organisations would have to engage professionals such as lawyers, accountants and doctors to educate their members.

He added that the clergy ought to create structures that targeted the total human development, including the acquisition of skills as a means of bridging the gap between spiritual and physical needs.

He stated that considering that faith-based organisations formed an integral part of society, it was appropriate that they supported the government in providing infrastructure and social amenities such as schools and hospitals.

“As clergymen, we must encourage our members to fulfil their tax obligations because it is the proceeds from taxes that are used for development projects. Because we pay taxes, we must also be interested in how they are used,” he added.