Depend on God, not years of experience …PCG ministers told

Ministers of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) have been urged to remain dependent on God and not their years of ministerial experience.

The Head of Programmes at the Ramseyer Training Centre (RTC), Abetifi-Kwahu, Rev. Dr Yaw Boadu, made the call at a three-day retreat organised by the 2016 Batch of PCG Ministers at the Ramseyer Training Centre in the Eastern Region to mark 10 years of ministry.

Held on the theme: ‘A decade of God’s faithfulness: A fresh commitment to obedience’ (Luke 5:5), the retreat brought together ministers who received their ministerial formation at the Trinity Theological Seminary (TTS), Legon, and the Ramseyer Training Centre.

The retreat provided an opportunity for the ministers to reflect on their decade-long journey, give thanks for God’s faithfulness and renew their commitment to the ministry.

Rev. Dr Yaw Boadu said no amount of experience or success in ministry could substitute for complete trust and obedience to God, urging ministers to remain humble and continually seek God’s direction as they navigate the challenges of pastoral ministry.

Rev. Dr Boadu noted that the past decade had taken the ministers through commissioning, first postings, probationary studies, ordination and transfers to various congregations.

The journey, he mentioned, had also been marked by moments of joy and disappointment, sacrifice and personal growth.

He stressed that those experiences were not merely evidence of the ministers’ achievements but testimonies of God’s faithfulness and grace.

Drawing from Luke 5:1-11, Rev. Dr Boadu said God’s faithfulness demanded a faithful response from His servants, particularly through faith, gratitude, perseverance, worship and obedience.

Using Simon Peter’s encounter with Jesus as an illustration, he noted that Peter obeyed Christ’s instruction to cast his nets into the deep despite having worked throughout the night without a catch.

He said Peter’s response, “yet if you say so, I will,” remained a powerful example of unconditional obedience for ministers facing uncertainty and challenges.

“There is a danger when people rely on the years of experience instead of trusting God,” he cautioned.

Again, Rev. Dr Boadu urged the ministers to continually surrender their lives and ministries to God’s direction, stressing that obedience could sometimes involve sacrifice and suffering.

He encouraged them to enter the next phase of ministry with renewed dedication, humility and confidence in God’s promises.

The retreat featured morning devotions, Bible studies, prayer sessions, fellowship, spiritual reflection and discussions aimed at strengthening the ministers for effective service in the PCG.

It also served as a platform for thanksgiving, mutual encouragement and recommitment to the proclamation of the gospel.

By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu