Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life

AN EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF DISCIPLE-MAKING ON WORK ETHIC OF GHANAIAN CHRISTIANS: A CASE STUDY OF THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST GHANA – Gakpetor, Sam (Ghana, 2023)

This study aimed to evaluate the extent disciplemaking processes of Ghanaian churches has led to the transformation of the lives of their church members, reflecting on their positive work ethic in their workplaces, with specific reference to The Church of Pentecost (CoP), Ghana, Guided by the research question, To what extent has the CoP-Ghana’s disciple-making ministry transformed the work ethic of her members in the marketplace, the research sought to understand the paradox between the large number of Christians in Ghana and the perceived negative work ethic of the average Ghanaian worker. A thorough review of practical theology, and the coming to the realisation that it is an authentic and credible discipline just like any of the other fields, makes it indispensable as the widest possible effective means at dissemination of the Gospel in Africa. The study provided a biblical and contemporary understanding of disciplemaking, what it entails and how it takes place in the local church. Based on the premise of a huge disparity between very high Christian profession of the faith and abysmally low Christian expression of the faith in Ghana, qualitative methods were deplored to ascertain the impact of disciplemaking in the churches on the work ethic of Christians in Ghana. In this endeavour, an understanding of the theology of work, work ethic and the dimensions of it as well as the importance of the work ethic construct for Africa, the challenges and the factors that contribute to the challenges are probed.

The evaluation of data via the lens of available literature revealed the dichotomous perception that many Christians have concerning attitude to things considered sacred and those considered secular, lack of intentionality of discipleship in the churches, and the negative impact of some Ghanaian culture, among others. The research prescribes that an antidote to this precarious situation is a wholesale sustained effective discipleship that the Church must embark upon, especially as currently being attempted by The Church of Pentecost. The researcher opines that to this end, the Workers Guilds in The Church of Pentecost provide avenue for intentional disciplemaking to make members of the church more relevant at the marketplace as they exhibit positive work ethic.

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