Reverend Dr Stephen Yenusom Wengam has been inducted for a second four-year term as General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, at a ceremony in Accra attended by President John Dramani Mahama and church leaders from Ghana and abroad. The Ghana News Agency (GNA) reported the inauguration on Saturday, 7 November.
Inducted alongside him as the new Executive Presbytery were Rev. Dr Kwadwo Boateng Bempah as Assistant General Superintendent, Rev. Dr Albert Anane as General Secretary and Rev. Simon Abu Baba as General Treasurer, according to Graphic Online. Rev. Dominic Yeo, Chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship and General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Singapore, preached and conducted the ceremony.
Assemblies of God Ghana growth in the first term
In his address, Rev. Wengam reported that the church had planted 2,077 new congregations during his first term, bringing its total to 10,077, and that membership had grown to about 1.2 million, Graphic Online reported. GNA quoted President Mahama as saying the church had planted more than 2,000 churches and trained more than 440 pastors over the past four years.
Rev. Wengam pledged to speed up the church’s Transformation Agenda, built around six priorities: Reach, Rebuild, Restore, Reform, Reposition and Rebrand. The ceremony’s theme was “The Transformation Agenda Continues.”
He also announced plans for a Centenary City, including a 6,000-seat conference centre, ahead of the church’s 100th anniversary in 2031. The church traces its origins in Ghana to Yendi in 1931. According to Graphic Online, Rev. Wengam said President Mahama, a member of the church, had offered to lead fundraising for the project without using public funds.
Turning to national issues, Rev. Wengam urged the government to make sure economic recovery leads to decent jobs and better incomes, describing youth unemployment as “heart-rending and soul-wrenching,” and called for a national effort to protect young people.
President’s charge
President Mahama, who with First Lady Lordina Mahama is a member of the Assemblies of God, said the re-election was a strong endorsement of Rev. Wengam’s leadership. “A second term is a time to deepen worthwhile reforms and ensure that progress reaches the local congregations, including the small assemblies far from the national headquarters,” he said, as quoted by GNA.
He urged the church to protect the welfare of pastors and their families, including retired ministers, and stressed the importance of sound administration, transparent procedures, responsible financial management and leadership succession.
Graphic Online reported that the President announced a GH¢100 million allocation in the next budget to complete a remand block at Nsawam Prison, a project started by the Assemblies of God, Ghana, to separate remand prisoners from convicted inmates. “As President, I am bound to serve Ghanaians of every faith, as well as those who do not profess any faith,” he also said.
Why it matters
With about 1.2 million members by its own count and more than 10,000 congregations, the Assemblies of God, Ghana is one of the country’s major Pentecostal denominations, and President Mahama described it as one of the most popular. His call to make sure reforms reach small assemblies far from headquarters, and Rev. Wengam’s focus on jobless young people, point to the practical tests facing fast-growing African churches: caring for pastors, discipling new members and serving communities beyond the big cities, as the church moves toward its centenary in 2031.
Other churches are also preparing for milestones, with Ghana’s Catholic bishops looking ahead to their 150th anniversary. The President’s call for sound administration, transparent procedures and responsible financial management comes as Ghana’s pulpits debate fake prophets.
As reported by the Ghana News Agency and Graphic Online. Compiled and edited by the Jesus Social newsroom.