body-container-line-1
31.08.2010 General News

Pastors Are Servants Not Gods - Dr Yinkah-Sarfo

By David Owusu-Antwi - Daily Graphic
Rt Rev. Dr  Daniel Yinkah-Sarfo delivering the keynote address.Rt Rev. Dr Daniel Yinkah-Sarfo delivering the keynote address.
31.08.2010 LISTEN

Bishop of the Kumasi Diocese of the Anglican Church of Ghana, Right Rev. Dr Daniel Yinkah-Sarfo has asked men of God in the country to be humble and recognise their calling as servants and not tin-gods to be worshipped by their members.

He deplored arrogance which in his opinion was becoming cancerous among men of God and questioned why a man of God would want to preach with body-guards all around him or her.

“We are servants who have a herculean charge to lead people to Christ”, he emphasised when he did the official opening of the Annual Pastors Conference at the Christian Hope Ministries Ohwim near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, last Thursday.


More than 1,000 Pastors, their partners and church leaders from mainly Charismatic and Pentecostal Churches all over the country, attended the five-day conference, which was organised by the International Ministerial Council of Great Britain (IMCGB).

It had the theme “How to hear the voice of God” and key topics treated included Spiritual burn-out, what brings life into a church, registration of churches and ministers of God, ministerial ethics and the law and the church.

Rt Rev. Dr Yinkah-Sarfo said pastors should be good examples in all things at all times so their congregations would follow in their footsteps.

“Why do we have a country inundated with churches and yet crime is ever on the increase?” he questioned and added a caution “For everyone of you, there shall come a time when you will need to give account of your stewardship to the God who called you.”


“It is unfortunate that a lot of charlatans are finding ways to deceive and abuse unsuspecting citizens in the name of God.

They are doing much dishonor to God and the Church but while we yet await the coming of Christ, let us not stop praying for them”, he said.

He asked the participants to stick to preaching the true words in the bible and not only the prosperity messages that had become common among churches of today.

“You must be serious about fashioning your lives and those of your congregations in accordance with the dictates of God’s words”, he said.


The Kumasi Diocesan Bishop encouraged participants to endeavour to be holy and prayerful and also seek knowledge in order to survive in the fast changing world.

“You must specialise in a particular field so you can become an authority there. ICT, Conflict Management, just to mention a few, are examples of where you can take advantage.

It is very important that you pursue further studies in order to make it today”, he added.

Bishop Dr S. R. Addae of the IMCGB said the IMCGB was committed to unifying churches and church leaders in the quest to advance the kingdom of God.

Touching on the theme, he noted that it was very important for men of God to hear from God and pay heed to Him observing that “this is a great antidote that can bring about progress and sustainability of an individual, a church, a nation or any form of institution on earth”.

Key speakers at the conference included Rt Rev. Dr Yinkah-Sarfo and a Lecturer from the North Carolina College of Theology, Rev. Dr Pope.

body-container-line