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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana
The Accra Ghana Temple
AreaAfrica West
Members106,888 (2023)[1]
Stakes29
Districts10
Wards201
Branches152
Total Congregations[2]353
Missions4
Temples
  • 1 Operating
  • 2 Announced
  • 3 Total
FamilySearch Centers75[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was introduced to Ghana, West Africa, in 1962. It was officially organized in 1978, following announcement of the revelation on priesthood. As of 2022, the LDS Church reported 101,924 members in 353 congregations in Ghana,[1] making it the second largest body of LDS Church members in Africa, behind Nigeria. In 2021, Ghana ranked as having the third most LDS Church members per capita in Africa, behind Cape Verde and Sierra Leone.[4]

The early church

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Membership in Ghana[5][1]
YearMembership
1979400
1983826
19875,500
19908,970
199514,000
199917,278
200426,222
200940,872
201462,031
201989,135
2022101,924
*Membership was published as a rounded number.
Ghana LDS membership history

The following statistics are from the Church Growth Almanac:[6]

In 1962, the LDS Church came to Ghana through a convert, Raphael Abraham Frank Mensah. He published a public plea for support in his religious efforts and a woman living in England read them. The woman was not a member of the LDS Church, but sent material she received from the church's missionaries to Mensah in Ghana.[7] Upon reading the material, Mensah organized his own informal congregation in Accra.[8] He reached out to church president David O. McKay asking for more literature, missionaries, and assistance, but official church support did not come.[7] In 1964, he gave Joseph William Billy Johnson a copy of the Book of Mormon. Johnson converted and became an industrious leader. He organized branches and converted many people, despite persecution from others in his country.[9] Without any official recognition from church headquarters, leaders established a primary school called the Brigham Young Educational Institute and congregations in Cape Coast. There were unofficial visits from church members during this time, beginning with Virginia Cutler of Brigham Young University, who was also a visiting professor at the University of Ghana. She sent literature and encouraged the members to continue in the faith. Others from church headquarters that met with members were M. Neff Smart, Merrill J. Bateman, Edwin Q. "Ted" Cannon, and Lynn M. Hilton. All these visits were unofficial.[7] During Hilton's visit, he recalls members passing around a Book of Mormon that was so used, its pages were folded and dark. Members exchanged it and read for a few minutes at a time.[10] Ghana Land Registry recognized the church as legal in 1969.[7]

By 1978, Johnson led the church in Ghana.[7] He led seven congregations with somewhere between 500 and 1,000 total members.[8] That same year, church president Spencer W. Kimball announced Official Declaration 2 which extended the priesthood to all worthy male members of the church regardless of race. In gratitude, Johnson sent a letter to Kimball, explaining that God had prepared the people in Ghana, and asked him to send missionaries to the members. Four months later, on September 27, 1978, the first official missionaries were called to serve in Ghana and Nigeria. Rendell N. Mabey and Rachel Mabey were the first assigned to the area; they joined Edwin Q. Cannon and Janath R. Cannon.[7] Upon arrival, they were welcomed by excited congregation members who had been waiting many years. They fixed the registry documentation that did not coincide with church policy and resubmitted the paperwork. It was accepted and the church was established. They baptized and confirmed 125 people in a secluded part of the ocean on December 9, 1978.[11] The first to be baptized was Mensah, the second was Johnson, and the 20th was one Ebenezer Crankson whose son is Charles Vroom Crankson (who first became known when the LDS Church's Liahona Magazine published his BYU–Pathway Worldwide success story[12]).[13] Anticipating the arrival of the missionaries, members had raised money to build new churches for worship.[14] The missionaries organized congregations and set up new leadership for them. They ordained Johnson as a priest and called him to be the first branch president, also calling Naomi Ogoe as the first Relief Society president.[7] In just four days, the missionaries had baptized 249 people and organized two branches.[14] From this point on, the congregations in Ghana were part of the official church, which is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.[7]

By the end of 1979, there were 1,723 members of the church. This rapid growth made some nervous, as there were many members, but not experienced leaders. Ghana's government was also becoming increasingly unstable. Missionaries were temporarily expelled in 1979 because of this concern.[7] A few things needed to be changed, as the membership in Ghana began without any official handbooks. These changes included removing women who were leading congregations, like Rebecca Mould, who members called "the Mormon Prophetess." Sacrament meetings that included dancing, drums, and clapping also ceased. The changes upset some Ghanaian members, who stopped going to church. New material was created as Priscilla Sampson-Davis translated the Book of Mormon and hymnbook into Fante for the church.[9]

In March 1980, the Africa West Mission was organized. Bryan A. Espenschied was the first president to serve, along with his wife, LaNore Espenschied. Emmanuel A. Kissi, who had been previously baptized in Manchester, England headed leadership in Accra, soon becoming district president.[7] The first Ghanaians to serve full-time missions were Isaac Nortey Dadzie and Leon Deguenon.[15] In 1983, David B. Haight became the church's first apostle to visit Ghana.[16] In 1985, Ghana was made into its own mission, previously headquartered in Nigeria.[6]

"The Freeze"

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In the mid 1980s, Ghana was seeking political stability through their leader, Jerry J. Rawlings. He believed Ghana was too dependent on the West. An increased fear of American CIA operatives heightened tensions and caused worries about "the Mormons", as well as other foreign organizations like the Peace Corps and the International Catholic Youth Federation.[17] Local chapters of the Presbyterian church had decreased numbers of confirmations and infant baptisms, and felt the LDS Church was to blame.[7] Unease came from the affluence of the missionaries because they drove cars, and the church bought many properties. A damaging film created by former church member, Ed Decker, began showing on Ghana's public programming. His film, The God Makers, connected the religion with paganism and the occult, and was even shown at a special event for state officials.[17] Others were upset, because they perceived the church was indoctrinating members to accept their poverty and oppression instead of finding solutions within political and economic spheres. Articles from the time show anger at the missionaries, who were thought to be colonizing the country with their religion, using it as a front for interest in Ghana's natural resources.[18] Questions about the church's teachings began causing worry, particularly the idea that blacks were cursed and inferior. Some believed the 1978 announcement that allowed black male church members to hold the priesthood was just trying to erase the resentment, instead of change church policy.[19] On June 14, 1989, the LDS Church was called to stop functioning in Ghana. Other churches, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses were also stopped. The official reason given for the freeze on church activity was that, despite warnings, the church was conducting itself in a way that undermined the state of Ghana and was not conducive to public order.[7]

Amidst the discontent, church member and prominent schoolteacher, Stephen Abu, was called to step down from his position teaching at a Presbyterian middle school. When the request was not complied to, those that opposed the church began praying to God to bring death to Abu and his brother, Kissi. Police officers took control of the church meetinghouse, looking for evidence that the LDS Church was against the state of Ghana. They also seized the church-owned farmland and auctioned off their chickens. Abu was brought to trial, where he was charged with continuing to worship, despite the government asking him to cease, and having links with Americans with whom he illegally sold diamonds and gold at the Accra Airport. After a search warrant at his home, nothing of interest was found and he was released on bail. Abu was ordered to come to the police station every morning, and during one visit, was asked to pay 25,000 cedis ($76) for his freedom, leaving him with 5,000 cedis ($15) to feed his family of nine.[7] Another member, Joseph Kwamena Otoo, was thrown into prison 16 times because of his associations with the church. Otoo's head was shaven, and his home searched for material that was anti-revolutionary. Soldiers warned him that members seen going into the church building would be killed. After suffering much persecution, he was pardoned by the commanding officer.[9] Other members were imprisoned after being caught worshiping in a home. Guards asked the men to preach to them, with the intent to ridicule. They taught the officers about Joseph Smith and were let out the next morning.[17]

During this time, the church functioned very differently in Ghana. Foreign missionaries had to quickly withdraw from the country, including the acting mission president. To make it through the angry crowds, the church's name was rubbed off vehicles. Kissi was called as the acting president of the Ghana Accra Mission. Members held sacrament meetings in homes on a family basis, instead of at formal meetinghouses. While there, groups would share talks, sing, and study the scriptures. Those who had an ecclesiastical calling kept the leadership position throughout the Freeze. However, instead of members congregating, the branch presidents would visit families individually. Johnson and his wife were the only missionaries at the time. The payment of tithing ceased, as it was considered a crime.[17]

Government officials started warming up to the religion after a series of interactions with LDS Church officials who dispelled false rumors on doctrine and offered to donate some of the property they owned to the state.[17] On November 30, 1990, after a period of 18 months, the Freeze was lifted and the church was allowed to continue functioning as it had before. The government became convinced the Latter-day Saints were loyal citizens when they submitted to the laws during the Freeze.[7] Interestingly, church membership grew after the Freeze, possibly because of the increased media attention.[17]

1990–present

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On April 21, 1991, the first two stakes were organized in Ghana. Boyd K. Packer organized one in Accra with Emmanuel Ohene-Opare as stake president. The other was organized by James E. Faust in Cape Coast with Kweku Prah Ghartey as president.[20] Following this, the first African mission president, Christopher N. Chukwurah, was called.[7] From 1991 to 2007, the Ghana Mission covered Sierra Leone and Liberia.[21] The church put effort into building meetinghouses to support the growing number of members. In 1992, there were four meetinghouses, and by the end of 1999 there were 229. Membership grew rapidly, with 8,970 members in 1990, up to 22,164 by 2002. In 1998, Emmanuel Ohene-Opare was the first Ghanaian to be called an Area Authority.[7] In 2002, a Missionary Training Center (MTC) was built in Tema, Ghana; this was the first MTC in Africa.[22] In 2005, Ghana grew into two missions, with a new mission based in Cape Coast also covering French-speaking Togo, Benin, Cameroon and Central African Republic.[16] The same year, the Book of Mormon was translated into Twi, the most widely spoken native language in Ghana.[6]

In 1993, church president Gordon B. Hinckley visited Ghana for the first time and announced a new temple. He visited again in 1998 to find the property upon which the temple would be built.[7] In preparation, the temple ordinances were translated and recorded into the Twi and Fante languages. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony held on November 16, 2001, with Russell M. Nelson presiding. The vice-president of the Republic of Ghana, Aliu Mahama, was also present. Nelson also met with the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Kufuor during his visit.[7] The Accra Ghana Temple was dedicated in 2004. It is Ghana's only temple and became the church's 117th working temple.[16] As of 2019, there are four operating missions in Ghana: Accra, Accra West, Cape Coast, and Kumasi.[23]

Logo of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the indigenous languages of Fante (above) and Twi(below).

The LDS Church has an extensive humanitarian program in Ghana. The projects have included drilling wells, building schools, working in orphanages, and distributing wheelchairs. They have also built health clinics and provided computers. Local members have organized projects painting streets and buildings. They have donated books to local schools and aided in clean water projects. The church's Benson Institute teaches self-sufficiency skills to families. From 1986 to 2001, 142 projects were sponsored valued at 7.5 million dollars (U.S.).[6]

In 2018, the LDS Church reported having 78,065 members, along with 4 missions, 51 family history centers, and 303 congregations in Ghana.[22]

About two-thirds of heads of households in Ghana are literate in English, and English is spoken in most congregations, especially in urban areas. Despite this, the church's general conferences are translated into the Fante and Twi languages, indigenous to Ghana.[24] Certain church materials such as the Book of Mormon have also been translated into these languages.[25]

Stakes and districts

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Stake/District Organized Mission
Abomosu Ghana Stake 6 May 2007 Ghana Accra West
Abura Ghana Stake 18 Apr 2021 Ghana Cape Coast
Accra Ghana Adenta Stake 21 Apr 1991 Ghana Accra
Accra Ghana Christiansborg Stake 9 Nov 1997 Ghana Accra
Accra Ghana Kaneshie Stake 22 Apr 2012 Ghana Accra West
Accra Ghana Kasoa Stake 17 Jun 2007 Ghana Accra West
Accra Ghana Laterbiokorshie Stake 25 Oct 2015 Ghana Accra West
Accra Ghana Madina Stake 21 Jan 2018 Ghana Accra
Accra Ghana Ofankor Stake 8 Nov 2015 Ghana Accra West
Accra Ghana Tesano Stake 22 Apr 2012 Ghana Accra West
Asamankese Ghana Stake 30 Aug 1987 Ghana Accra West
Ashaiman Ghana Stake 9 Nov 2014 Ghana Accra
Ashaiman Ghana Bethlehem Stake 4 Jul 2021 Ghana Accra
Assin Foso Ghana Stake 10 Nov 1987 Ghana Cape Coast
Assin Foso Ghana South Stake 9 Sep 2018 Ghana Cape Coast
Axim Ghana District 21 Apr 2019 Ghana Cape Coast
Bibiani Ghana District 10 Jun 2018 Ghana Kumasi
Cape Coast Ghana Stake 21 Apr 1991 Ghana Cape Coast
Dzodze Ghana District 18 Jun 2023 Ghana Accra
Ho Ghana District 14 Sep 2014 Ghana Accra
Koforidua Ghana Stake 25 Jun 1995 Ghana Accra
Kpong Ghana District 29 Apr 2012 Ghana Accra
Kumasi Ghana Bantama Stake 12 Jun 1984 Ghana Kumasi
Kumasi Ghana Dichemso Stake 15 Dec 2013 Ghana Kumasi
Kumasi Ghana Konongo Stake 5 Jan 2014 Ghana Kumasi
Kumasi Ghana Suame Stake 21 Jun 2015 Ghana Kumasi
Kumasi Ghana University Stake 6 Nov 2016 Ghana Kumasi
Mpintsin Ghana Stake 20 Mar 2016 Ghana Cape Coast
Obuasi Ghana District 22 Dec 2013 Ghana Kumasi
Sofokrom Ghana Stake 3 Mar 2024 Ghana Cape Coast
Sunyani Ghana District 6 May 2012 Ghana Kumasi
Swedru Ghana Stake 12 Aug 2018 Ghana Accra West
Takoradi Ghana Stake 18 May 1997 Ghana Cape Coast
Tamale Ghana District 31 May 2015 Ghana Kumasi
Tarkwa Ghana District 30 Oct 2016 Ghana Cape Coast
Techiman Ghana District 27 Nov 2022 Ghana Kumasi
Tema Ghana Stake 23 Apr 2006 Ghana Accra
Teshie Ghana Stake 23 Apr 2017 Ghana Accra
Twifu Praso Ghana District 4 Aug 2013 Ghana Cape Coast
Winneba Ghana Stake 2 Apr 1989 Ghana Accra West
Yamoransa Ghana Stake 22 May 2016 Ghana Cape Coast

Missions

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Ghana is home to one of the church's 10 MTCs, which are facilities for training missionaries for a period between 3 and 12 weeks before they go out into the field. The Ghana MTC is one of two in Africa but serves much of Africa because of its high capacity compared to the smallest MTC in the world, located in South Africa. The Ghana MTC in Tema was the first to be built in Africa and was dedicated on May 17, 2002.[26] At that time, the Ghana MTC could accommodate only 90 missionaries. Because of rapid church growth in Africa, in August 2017, the MTC was replaced with a bigger facility that could accommodate up to 500 missionaries and is located next to the Accra Ghana Temple.[27] In addition to the MTC, Ghana has four missions within its boundaries.[28] Namely:

Mission Organized
Ghana Accra Mission 1 Jul 1985
Ghana Accra West Mission 1 Jul 2013
Ghana Cape Coast Mission 1 Jul 2005
Ghana Kumasi Mission 30 Jun 2012

Temples

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Main article: Accra Ghana Temple
class=notpageimage|
Temples in Ghana
Red = Operating
Blue = Under Construction
Yellow = announced
Black = Closed for Renovations

On January 11, 2004, the Accra Ghana Temple was dedicated by church president Gordon B. Hinckley. The intent to build the Kumasi Ghana Temple was announced on April 4, 2021, by church president Russell M. Nelson.

edit
Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
Dedicated:
Size:
Style: 		Accra, Ghana
16 February 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley
16 November 2001 by Russell M. Nelson
11 January 2004 by Gordon B. Hinckley
17,500 sq ft (1,630 m2) on a 6-acre (2.4 ha) site
Classic modern, single-spire design - designed by ARUP
Map
edit
Location:
Announced:
Size: 		Kumasi, Ghana
4 April 2021 by Russell M. Nelson[29]
22,750 sq ft (2,114 m2) on a 2.08-acre (0.84 ha) site
edit
Location:
Announced: 		Cape Coast, Ghana
1 October 2023 by Russell M. Nelson[30][31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Ghana", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 10 June 2023
  2. ^ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches
  3. ^ Ghana Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 29, 2022
  4. ^ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics
  5. ^ Wendall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Ghana
  6. ^ a b c d Stewart, David G.; Martinich, Matthew (2013). Reaching the Nations: International Church Growth Almanac: 2014 Edition, Volume II: Asia & Africa. Henderson, Nevada: Cumorah Foundation. pp. 421–430. ISBN 9780979512124.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Kissi, Emmanuel Abu (2004). Walking in the Sand: A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University. ISBN 0842525440.
  8. ^ a b Alford, Kenneth L.; Stewart, JeanMarie (2015). "Visions of Faith: Early Church Pioneers in Ghana". Faculty Publications. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book: 352.
  9. ^ a b c LeBaron, E. Dale (1990). We Are All Alike Unto God. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, Inc. pp. 1–52. ISBN 0884947386.
  10. ^ Lynn Hilton Oral History, interviewed by Dale LeBaron, 1999, typescript, p. 5-6, The James Moyle Oral History Program, Archives, Historical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  11. ^ "Ghana: Church Chronology". TheChurchofJesusChrist.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  12. ^ Crankson, Charles Vroom (19 June 2022). "How BYU-Pathway Students got Blessed through My Efforts". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ "Ghana: Church Chronology". TheChurchofJesusChrist.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  14. ^ a b Mabey, Rendell N.; Allred, Gordon T. (1984). Brother to Brother. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft Inc. ISBN 0884945197.
  15. ^ "Ghana: Church Chronology". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  16. ^ a b c Church News - Country Information:Ghana
  17. ^ a b c d e f Haws, J.B. (2016). "The Freeze and The Thaw: The LDS Church and the State of Ghana in the 1980's". In Goodman, Michael A.; Properzi, Mauro (eds.). The Worldwide Church: Mormonism as a Global Religion. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center. pp. 21–41. ISBN 9780842529730.
  18. ^ "Comment: The Latter Day Saints". People's Daily Graphic. Kissi Research Files, Church Archives. 8 October 1986.
  19. ^ "The Axe Has Fallen". Weekly Spectator. 17 June 1989.
  20. ^ "New Stake Presidencies". TheChurchNews.com. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  21. ^ LDS Church Alamanac, 2010 Edition, p. 491-492.
  22. ^ a b "LDS Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership". Mormon Newsroom. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  23. ^ "Ghana: Overview". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  24. ^ "General Conference Interpretation Fact Sheet". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  25. ^ "General Conference Interpretation Fact Sheet". ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  26. ^ "15th Anniversary of First Missionary Training Center in Africa". No. News Releases. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  27. ^ "New Ghana Missionary Training Center Completed". No. News Release. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 7 August 2017.
  28. ^ List of missions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  29. ^ "Prophet Announces Twenty New Temples at April 2021 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, 4 April 2021
  30. ^ Where the 20 new Latter-day Saint temples will be built as Russell Nelson’s record tally continues to rise, Salt Lake Tribune, 1 October 2023
  31. ^ "The Church of Jesus Christ Will Build 20 New Temples", Newsroom, LDS Church, 1 October 2023

Further reading

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