The Koforidua Area Head of The Church of Pentecost (COP), Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has admonished Church leaders to own and promote the annual themes of the Church in order to make it effective.

Apostle Nyamekye, who is also an Executive Council Member of the Church, said this was during the Wa Area Ministers and Officers’ Retreat also known as “Apostolization” when he spoke on the topic: “The Leader And The Annual Theme”.

In his presentation, Apostle Nyamekye stated that Church leaders ought to understand the purpose of the theme so as to make it effective.

He said that it is the responsibility of every minister to ensure that his leaders are well trained and equipped with the mandate of teaching on the annual theme, which is embedded with enough lessons to last throughout the year.

Outlining the 5 steps in order to make the annual themes more effective, the Koforidua Area said ministers must first know the theme, the theme text, as well as the slogan and what it pertains.

Secondly, they must understand the aim and the purpose of the theme in order to teach it well. “They also need to understand what is involved in the theme, in the case of this year’s theme, it is the tenets of the Church,” he said.

The third thing they must do is to promote the theme by singing the accompanying theme songs, translating and packaging the songs to suit the indigenous people. They must also preach and teach on the theme throughout the year and encourage discussions on the theme during pastimes and cell meetings.

Apostle Eric Nyamekye said that the fourth thing ministers must do in order to make the theme more effective is to live it out. He stated that ministry is all about sacrifice and coming down to the level of the people by showing genuine concern for them. He advised them to help the people to assimilate the teachings by spending quality time with them. He advised them not to be too eager to leave their stations for “better” ones.

The Koforidua Area Head said that the fifth thing ministers must do in order to make the theme more effective is to evaluate the theme from time to time. This, according to him, would help them to measure the progress and impact of the theme on the members. This, he said, could be done by asking questions and organizing quizzes on the theme.

“You can also evaluate it by checking on the lives of the people, assessing the effect on tithes and offerings, baptisms and general church progress. Also, find out whether the church leaders are teaching on the theme in their various local assemblies and if they are singing the theme songs. You can find out when you visit the various local assemblies. You can also assess the application of the theme in real-life situations,” he said.

Concluding his presentation, Apostle Eric Nyamekye advised ministers and officers to make adequate use of their time by building their capacity to teach, lead prayers, as well as perform any ministerial role and responsibility. “You cannot say, you are only a Bible teacher and cannot lead prayer sessions,” he emphasized.

Using 1Corinthians 15:1-5, Colossians 5:1-5, Jude 1-4, and Titus 1:5, Hebrews 6:1&2 as scripture references, the Koforidua Area Head warned that false prophets and teachers will not cease to operate so long as the devil remains, hence the need for ministers to teach the true gospel to oppose their efforts to deceive the masses.

The Wa Area Ministers and Officers’ Retreat (Apostolization), which began on Monday, March 12, would be climaxed on Sunday, March 18, 2018.

Report By: Overseer Chris Ameyaw