The Presbyterian Church of Ghana is preparing to mark its 200th anniversary in 2028, celebrating a history that dates back to the arrival of Basel missionaries in the Gold Coast in 1828.
Speaking on Point of View with Bernard Avle, the 19th Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Dr Abraham Opare Kwakye, described the church as the oldest continuously existing Christian denomination in the country.
According to him, although Catholic missionaries arrived on the Gold Coast in the 16th century, their missionary presence was interrupted in the 18th century following conflicts along the coast. Catholic missionary activity was later re-established towards the end of the 19th century, by which time the Basel Mission had already established a sustained presence in the country.
Dr Kwakye explained that the Basel missionaries arrived in 1828 and played a major role in the growth of Christianity, education and social development in the Gold Coast.
He also highlighted the impact of the First World War on the church. Although the Basel Mission was headquartered in Switzerland, many of its missionaries were German nationals. When Britain, which administered the Gold Coast, went to war with Germany, the German missionaries were deported.
Scottish missionaries later supported the work of the church, contributing to changes in its administrative and governance structures. Dr Kwakye said the church subsequently developed from a synod-based system and eventually adopted the General Assembly structure as part of its transition towards full institutional independence.
The Presbyterian Church of Ghana has since grown into one of the largest Christian denominations in the country. Dr Kwakye disclosed that the church currently has close to 3,500 inaugurated congregations, with the number rising to about 5,000 worship centres when preaching points are included.
With about 300 districts across the country, the Moderator acknowledged that visiting every congregation during his tenure would be difficult. He said, however, that he intends to visit about 90 per cent of the districts through annual pastoral tours.
Explaining the role of the Moderator, Dr Kwakye said the position combines spiritual, pastoral and administrative leadership.
“He is a spiritual leader, a pastoral leader, and also has administrative responsibilities,” he said, adding that the role could be compared with that of a presiding bishop in some other Christian denominations.
Beyond evangelism, the Basel missionaries also made significant contributions to education. In 1848, two decades after their arrival, they established a higher educational institution at Akropong, which later developed into what is now the Presbyterian College of Education.
According to Dr Kwakye, the institution was among the earliest centres of higher education in West Africa, following Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone.
He further explained that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church share historical links to European missionary activity and both belong broadly to the Reformed Christian tradition.
As the Presbyterian Church approaches its bicentenary in 2028, its leadership is using the anniversary not only to celebrate its religious heritage but also to reflect on the institution’s contribution to education, social development and national life.
From the arrival of the Basel missionaries in 1828, through colonial rule and the two World Wars, to Ghana’s independence and contemporary democratic development, the history of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana remains closely connected with major periods in the country’s social and political evolution.