An evaluation of church planting models in contemporary Pentecostal missions enterprise in Ghana

Background: Over the centuries, various generations have used various models to not only evangelise people but organise them in communities of believers (or churches) for effective discipleship of these Christian converts as commanded by Jesus Christ. The various church planting models employed by mission organisations and churches have served different purposes at different times. A major hindrance to the church planting enterprise of missional churches is inadequate human resources. This is especially profound in the rural and peri-urban areas where the scourge of the impact of rural-urban migration is felt most. This phenomenon tends to put a limitation on the availability of human capital for the successful manning of newly planted churches. In most of these places, the common mantra among church planters and missionaries is ‘we lack leaders here so we are unable to plant more churches’. Objectives: This research evaluates the various church planting models in the Church of Pentecost and proposes an indigenous model for planting Indigenous local churches and raising indigenous leaders for the same. Method: This research employs participant observation, review of church reports as well as personal conversations with mission practitioners in the rural and peri-urban areas of Ghana. Results: The Jesus Mission Model (JMM) proposed by this research seeks to proffer a contextual solution for challenges confronting church planting efforts in rural and peri-urban areas of Ghana. Conclusion: The model proposed in this research addresses the challenge of raising indigenous leaders for sustainable indigenous churches in Ghana’s rural and peri-urban areas. Contribution: The study proposes a contextualised church planting model, the JMM for rural and peri-urban areas in Ghana

Conception and experience of well-being in two Ghanaian samples: Implications for Positive Psychology

We conducted two studies to explore Ghanaian understandings of well-being through a situation sampling method in which participants described situations that increased and decreased their well-being. Participants in Study 1 were 80 community members (Mean Age = 41.962; SD=13.900; 40 women, 40 men) who responded in the context of interviews through the medium of local languages. Coding analyses revealed that these situation descriptions emphasized sustainability-oriented themes of materiality (tangible support, economic hardship) and peace of mind (presence or absence of worry or strife) with greater frequency than growth-oriented themes of psychologization (growth, meaning, achievement) and affect (happiness, sadness). Participants in Study 2 were 125 students (Mean Age = 21.592; SD=2.759; 68 women, 57 men) at three universities in Ghana who responded via questionnaire in the medium of English. In contrast to the community sample, coding analyses revealed that the students’ situations emphasized growth-oriented themes of affect and psychologization with greater frequency than sustainability-oriented themes of materiality and peace of mind. We interpret these results within a theoretical framework that emphasizes the cultural-psychological foundations of well-being, and we consider implications for hegemonic perspectives of positive psychology

‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse’: The tithe and sustainable development in Ghanaian Pentecostalism

Background: This article explores the Church of Pentecost’s (CoP) theology of tithes and its intersection with sustainable development in Ghana. This research is grounded on the theory that the CoP through the Pentecost Social Services (PENTSOS) as well as other Church-initiated interventions, is pursuing sustainable development in Ghana through her theology of tithes. Objectives: The objective of this research is to demonstrate that the CoP’s theology of tithes is a relevant African Pentecostal theology for the study of the relationship between Pentecostalism and sustainable development. Method: The study adopts a phenomenological approach in exploring the CoP’s theology of tithes and its relationship with sustainable development. Results: The key findings of this study indicate that there is a nexus between an African Pentecostal theology of tithes adopted by the CoP and sustainable development, and that the CoP is promoting the attainment of 14 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana. Conclusion: The CoP, an indigenous African Pentecostal Church, has been able to demonstrate that there is a relationship between her theology of tithes and the attainment of the United Nation’s SDGs. Contribution: This research proves that the CoP has been able to successfully develop an indigenous African Pentecostal theology of tithe and free-will offering from the Akan traditional worldview of the ntotosoƆ dudu [which literally means, the added tenth part] and Ɔpεmu afƆrεe [to wit, offering out of one’s volition] respectively

Acute aphasia after right hemisphere stroke

Abstract Right hemispheric stroke aphasia (RHSA) rarely occurs in right- or left-handed patients with their language representation in right hemisphere (RH). For right-handers, the term crossed aphasia is used. Single cases, multiple cases reports, and reviews suggest more variable anatomo-clinical correlations. We included retrospectively from our stroke data bank 16 patients (right- and left-handed, and ambidextrous) with aphasia after a single first-ever ischemic RH stroke. A control group was composed of 25 successive patients with left hemispheric stroke and aphasia (LHSA). For each patient, we analyzed four modalities of language (spontaneous fluency, naming, repetition, and comprehension) and recorded eventual impairment: (1) on admission (hyperacute) and (2) between day 3 and 14 (acute). Lesion volume and location as measured on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were transformed into Talairach stereotaxic space. Nonparametric statistics were used to compare impaired/nonimpaired patients. Comprehension and repetition were less frequently impaired after RHSA (respectively, 56% and 50%) than after LHSA (respectively, 84% and 80%, P = 0.05 and 0.04) only at hyperacute phase. Among RHSA, fewer left-handers/ambidextrous than right-handers had comprehension disorders at second evaluation (P = 0.013). Mean infarct size was similar in RHSA and LHSA with less posterior RHSA lesions (caudal to the posterior commissure). Comprehension and repetition impairments were more often associated with anterior lesions in RHSA (Fisher's exact test, P < 0.05). Despite the small size of the cohort, our findings suggest increased atypical anatomo-functional correlations of RH language representation, particularly in non-right-handed patients. Rapport de synthèse : Des aphasies secondaires à un accident vasculaire ischémique cérébral (AVC) hémisphérique droit sont rarement rencontrées chez des patients droitiers ou gauchers avec une représentation du langage dans l'hémisphère droit. Chez les droitiers, on parle d'aphasie croisée. Plusieurs études sur le sujet ont suggéré des corrélations anatomocliniques plus variables. Dans notre étude, nous avons inclus rétrospectivement, à partir d'une base de données de patients avec un AVC, seize patients (droitiers, gauchers et ambidextres) souffrant d'une aphasie suite à un premier et unique AVC ischémique hémisphérique droit. Un groupe contrôle est composé de vingt-cinq patients successifs avec une aphasie suite à un AVC ischémique hémisphérique gauche. Pour chaque patient, nous avons analysé quatre modalités de langage, à savoir la fluence spontanée, la dénomination, la répétition et la compréhension et leur éventuelle atteinte à deux moments distincts : 1) à l'admission (phase hyperaiguë) et 2) entre le 3e et le 14e jour (phase aiguë). Le volume et la localisation de la lésion mesurés, soit sur un CT-scanner soit sur une imagerie par résonance magnétique cérébrale, ont été analysés à l'aide de l'échelle stéréotaxique de Talairach. Des statistiques non paramétriques ont été utilisées pour comparer les patients atteints et non atteints. . La compréhension et la répétition étaient moins souvent atteintes, seulement en phase hyperaiguë, après une aphasie suite à un AVC hémisphérique droit (resp. 56% et 50%) plutôt que gauche (resp. 84 % et 80%, p= 0.05 et 0.04). Parmi les aphasies suite à un AVC ischémique hémisphérique droit, moins de gauchers et d'ambidextres que de droitiers avaient des troubles de la compréhension lors de la seconde évaluation (p=0.013}. La .taille moyenne de la zone infarcie était semblable entre les aphasies droites et gauches, avec moins de lésions postérieures (caudale à la commissure postérieure) lors des aphasies droites. Les troubles de la répétition et de la compréhension étaient plus souvent associés à des lésions antérieures lors d'aphasie droite. (Fischer's exact test, p>0.05). Malgré la petite taille de notre cohorte de patients, ces résultats suggèrent une augmentation des corrélations anatomocliniques atypiques lors d'une représentation du langage dans l'hémisphère droit, surtout chez les patients non droitiers

Premarital Counseling Practices among Christian and Muslim Lay Counselors in Ghana

We examined premarital counseling services offered by Christian and Muslim lay counselors in Ghana. Participants including clergy, Islamic clerics, and laity practicing in four urban centers were interviewed. Thematic analysis showed that common issues covered include medical screening, beliefs and values, expectations, partner knowledge, roles and duties, sex, parenthood, financial management, communication, and conflicts. The findings offer important insight into religious premarital counseling in Ghana and contribute to the global literature on premarital counseling. </jats:p