The General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Stephen Yenusom Wengam, has appealed to church leaders to build a healthy church with strong foundations in order to make a lasting impact.
He made this assertion when he spoke on the topic, “Building The Church For Impact” at the last day of the 2025 All Ministers Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa Fetteh.
Quoting Matthew 7:24, he explained that “anything we build will be tested, not only in this life but also at the judgment,” adding that many churches in Africa have folded up because their foundations were weak. He stressed that the Church, like Jesus in Luke 2:52, must grow not only spiritually but also socially and physically to remain impactful across generations.
“What you build as a church must not only take care of your personal needs but also the needs of others, and should outlive you,” he said, emphasising that everything revolves around leadership.
Citing a Gallup survey that revealed 52% of people in the USA do not trust the clergy, Rev. Wengam challenged ministers to redeem the image of the Church so that generations will continue to believe the gospel.
He called for sound doctrine, strong character, accountability, and loyalty to be institutionalised into the DNA of ministry.
“Your doctrines must align universally with what the body of Christ agrees on. As a leader, you must avail yourself to learn to show yourself approved, because knowledge abounds now,” he said, referencing Jude 1.
On character, he reminded participants that Christ never magnified gifts above character, saying, “People only trust people whose character aligns with Scripture and Jesus Christ,” stressing Galatians 5 on the fruit of the Spirit.
Leaders, he added, must be educated, competent, accountable, and transparent since no leader is autonomous by themselves.
“The pastor doesn’t have absolute authority—it is Jesus who has. We are all going to be judged by the same measure,” he explained.
He illustrated accountability by noting that even Jesus consulted His disciples in John 6 and rendered an account to God in John 17.
“Jesus’s ministry had an organogram for the sake of accountability,” he pointed out, adding that leaders must be answerable to their councils and congregations.
“The only power of the Church is credibility. By our fruits the world will entrust their destinies into our hands,” he said.
Admonishing ministers to embrace humility, he cited 1 Peter 5:1, urging leaders to clothe themselves with humility and tolerance.
“Wisdom doesn’t reside in the head of the leader alone. Be tolerant as a leader,” he charged.
Concluding, Rev. Steve Wengam reminded church leaders that humility keeps them teachable and accountable, while entreating them to do “self-cleansing, otherwise God will use gentile institutions to cleanse us.”
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