Liberating the Laity From the Clergy: Empowering Ghanaian Christians
by Anthony Owusu Asamoah
June 1st, 2011
The ministry problem addressed in this dissertation is 'Lay Christians in Ghana too often are suppressed by the professional clergy in exercising their ministry gifts.' It will be addressed through researching the extent of the stated problem and offer concrete suggestions to release and empower the laity to see their role in mission.
Chapter 1 will describe the causes of the problems, its extent, and its perniciousness in inhibiting the growth of mature Christianity in Ghana. The intended outcome of the project will be to provide answers as to how both the Ghanaian clergy and laity may integrate the practice of servant leadership, marketplace theology, and community development into liberating the Ghanaian from this suppression in order that
their communities may be transformed. The project intends to contribute to the systematic transformation of both the clergy and the laity to work together in the service of God as equal partners.
Chapter 2 will develop a literature review that will discuss and interact with relevant literature that can be helpful in liberating the laity from the suppression of the clergy, and offer solutions to the problem.
Chapter 3 will describe the historical background of the emergence of the clergy/laity divide and the resultant disempowerment of the lay and its impact on the development of Christianity in Ghana.
Chapter 4 will address a healthy biblical and theological basis that describes a collective view of the clergy/laity relationships.
Chapter 5 will provide a systematic representation of the procedure and methodology used to carry out the research involving both quantitative and qualitative instrument.
Chapter 6 will provide the description of the findings and subsequent conclusions of the research.
Chapter 7 offers a summary of the imputations for developing new educational procedures, along with recommendations for healthy understanding of the clergy/laity relationship. The results from the study are intended to lay a foundation that will provide
lay release from the unfortunate attitude of many clerical Christians, but also a healthier understanding of the mutual roles of both clergy and lay in Ghana.