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The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) turns 60 years old next year.

LCMS Missions has, over the years, invested heavily in the establishment and growth of the ELCG.  All over the country LCMS Missions built Mission Houses.  These are three bedroom homes built on land leased from the tribal elders so that the missionaries could establish a church.  Once established, a Ghanaian pastor would be brought in and the missionary and his family would move on to another area. LCMS Missions would build another Mission House and the process would start again.  This is a great untold story and American Lutherans can stand in awe of the sacrifice and dedication these men and women and their families gave to the Kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, not all of these Mission Houses led to thriving congregations.  Some of the buildings have fallen into disrepair and some of the property and the buildings have been appropriated by the tribal elders to be used for other purposes.  This “encroachment” is a sad testimony to a lost opportunity.  One of John Donkoh’s goals is to establish thriving faith communities again in these locations and rebuild and repair these mission houses.

John Donkoh is only the second leader of the ELCG.  At the last church council, pastors voted on a new constitution and in March 2018 John was voted as its first President.  The previous Bishop Paul Fynn graciously stepped down and President Donkoh was installed on July 1, 2018.  The new constitution favors a congregational model of church governance which is a departure from the previous ecclesiastical model.  This brings a high level of accountability to bear on the leadership and involves a large body of pastors to oversee activities as well as vision creation. As President, per the constitution, John Donkoh receives no salary.

So, this truly is a new ELCG.  It will build on the legacy of God’s blessings from the LCMS.  Individual LCMS congregations have in the past contributed mightily to God’s work in Ghana.  For instance, Trinity, Lisle was instrumental in building the ELCG Seminary in Accra.

The vision that John Donkoh casts for the next six years focuses on regaining lost ground and establishing new churches in new Districts in Ghana. Districts might be equated to counties here in the US.  In Ghana, out of 119 or so Districts the ELCG is present in only 10. President Donkoh’s vision is One District, One school, One church, One community development program.  He hopes to expand into 10 new Districts in the next 6 years.  Ambitious? Yes.  But with adequate resources this is entirely possible.  The pastors and the people are fired up!

The southern expansion of Islam into Sub Saharan African is real.  It threatens gains made for the Kingdom, gains made by the sacrifice and dedication of Ghanaian pastors, LCMS Missionaries, and LCMS Congregations.  The ELCG is on the front lines asking for your prayers, fellow workers and resources.

Gary Kessler
Mission Advocate for the ELCG

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Lutheran Church Charities
3020 Milwaukee Ave.
Northbrook, IL 60062
Local: 224-257-4389
Toll Free: 866-455-6466
Fax : 866-451-1476
LCC@LutheranChurchCharities.org

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Lutheran Church Charities
LCC Disaster Response
LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs
LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry
LCC K-9 Police Ministry
LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion
  • Home
  • About
    • Staff >
      • Leadership
      • All Staff
      • Disaster Response
      • Ministry Development/Donor Relations
      • Hearts of Mercy & Compassion/Crosses for Losses
      • K-9 Ministries >
        • Staff
        • Trainers
        • Volunteer Trained Dog Handlers
      • Communications/IT
      • Operations
    • Board of Directors >
      • LCC Board of Directors
      • Spiritual Advisors to the President/CEO
    • Mission
    • Employment
    • LCC In the News >
      • Recent
      • Affiliates
      • Featured
      • Archives
    • Articles
    • LCC Events
    • Social Feed
  • Ways to Give to LCC
    • Donation Policy
    • LCC General Fund
    • Disaster Response
    • LCC K-9 Ministries
    • Hearts of Mercy & Compassion
    • Non-Monetary Donations
  • Disaster and Crisis Response
    • Disaster Response >
      • Give Now
      • Training and Certification
      • Volunteer
    • Crisis Response
    • Care Carding
  • K-9 Ministries
    • Request a K-9 Comfort Dog Visit
    • K-9 Comfort Dogs >
      • About
      • Give Now
      • Meet the Dogs >
        • Affiliate Ministry Members
        • Affiliate K-9s Map by State
        • LCC Staff K-9 Comfort Dogs
        • K-9 Comfort Dogs In Training
        • LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs - Permanently Deployed
      • K-9 Apprentice Trainer
      • Articles
    • Kare 9 Military Ministry >
      • About
      • Give Now
      • Meet The Kare 9s
      • Meet The Kare 9 Squad
      • Kare 9 Articles
    • LCC K-9 Police Ministry >
      • About
      • Give Now
      • Meet The K-9 Police Ministry
      • LCC K-9 Police Ministry Articles
    • LCC K-9 Court System Fund - Ezra
    • Partners in Comfort >
      • Veterinary Services
      • Grooming Services
    • Acquiring an LCC K-9 Comfort Dog
  • Hearts of Mercy & Compassion
    • Request a Mercy Heart or Cross
    • About
    • Volunteer
    • Hearts of Mercy & Compassion Coloring Pages
  • Current Needs
    • Families in Need
    • Ministries in Need
    • Vehicle Donations
    • Your Donations Make A Difference
    • International Missions >
      • Turkey and Syria
      • Ukraine
      • Haiti
      • Ghana >
        • C-WoW Health for Ghana
        • C-WoW Wells for Ghana
      • Ethiopia
      • Israel
  • Volunteer
    • Disaster Response/LERT
    • Hearts of Mercy & Compassion/Crosses for Losses
    • K-9 Apprentice Trainer
    • Volunteer Opportunities
  • WORD Bible Study
    • WORD - Live Course
    • WORD - Online Courses
    • WORD - Short Courses & Small Groups
    • WORD Classroom
    • Daily Devotions
    • Travel Opportunities
  • Resources
    • Food Equipment Ministry Outreach
    • Listen to Learn / Speak to Serve
    • Ministry Resources
    • Parent Resources
    • Face Mask Project
    • People EncourAGING People
    • Bag Mat Project
    • Items Available >
      • Items Free for the Asking
      • Items Available to a Ministry
      • Non-Monetary Donations
  • Contact Us
    • Request for Prayer
    • Subscribe
  • Media Center
    • In the News
    • Crisis Response
  • Shop
    • Store
    • Amazon Smile
    • Christianbook.com