as their personal Savior, an invitation is given to proceed with the planting of a new Baptist church if there is a desire to do so. The new church is given a name, and the new members choose from among themselves at least one, sometimes two, leaders who will be responsible for leading the congregation and for receiving theological and leadership training that is offered through Muss’ ministry. Leaders must be born again, respected among their peers and monogamous, and they typically do their ministry work as they continue to labor to support their families. From the very beginning, churches are taught the meaning of the Great Commission, and they are encouraged to share the Good News with surrounding villages. Establishing a mindset of replication early in the church planting process has proven vital to the continued evangelization of neighboring communities. Initially, church members typically gather underneath a large

tree or available structure for worship and Bible instruction. Eventually, most churches desire to establish their own dedicated place of worship, and they will construct a structure at their own expense. Oftentimes, Muss’ ministry will assist in providing a roof for the building if the church will provide the land and the actual building structure. This system of cost sharing helps the new church in their desire for a dedicated place of worship without creating an unwanted dependency upon Muss’ ministry.

Ministry Organization and Leadership Development

Muss’ ministry strategy is divided into four primary

components, and is arranged geographically into 12 units, with each unit having an area leader who is responsible for the church planting and ministry activities that are ongoing in the respective area. The fundamental component of the ministry strategy is the actual church planting activities, and area leaders are challenged to set goals for church planting in their geographical region and to work through any obstacles they may encounter along the way. The second component of the ministry

strategy is the

infrastructure development of the new church plants. This includes church buildings and roofs; Bibles, hymnals, and drum sets for worship; and bicycles and motor bikes for church and area leaders. The third component is social ministry activities. Social involves medical

ministry missions, the establishment of

schools, agricultural and environmental programs and clean water initiatives. These activities meet very pressing needs in the communities and provide a foundation of goodwill upon which the Gospel can be built. The fourth and final component is also one of the most important: discipleship

training and leadership development.

From the very beginning, Muss incorporated leadership and theological training into the church planting strategy. In addition to training opportunities, Muss also maintains the Ghana Baptist School for Ministry for those local pastors who qualify and desire to be trained and discipled on a deeper level. This program of study takes three years to complete. Students meet in Yendi for 10 days every three months where they study through a curriculum that contains 28 different courses covering a wide range of subjects.

Challenges

One of the greatest challenges is discipleship training among new believers. Illiteracy prevents many in the communities from studying the Bible on an individual basis. Communication with church leaders is often difficult as well, as many have not been educated and are sometimes illiterate themselves. Oral communication

and storytelling techniques help with this

problem, but do not overcome it. Before becoming born again believers, most in the community

practice African Traditional Religion (ATL). Often marked by divinations and idol worship, these non-Christian practices present challenges both inside and outside the church. Those who declare allegiance to Jesus Christ and who cease their involvement in idol worship and other ATL practices often find themselves alienated and sometimes attacked by nonbelieving family members and others within the community. Another traditional

practice, polygamy, also presents

challenges to the church. New believers who discover that their polygamous relationships do not align with Scripture are often faced with challenging decisions. In addition, those who are in polygamous relationships are not allowed to serve in a leadership position within the church. Such issues must be handled carefully and through much prayer. Islam presents a significant challenge to evangelical Christianity throughout Ghana, especially in the northeastern

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Social ministry activities . . . meet pressing needs in the communities and provide

a foundation of goodwill upon which the Gospel can be built.

Left: As part of ministry outreach, Baptists distribute mosquito nets in Ghana

APRIL/JUNE 2016

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