Rely on God’s empowering grace … Methodist Presiding Bishop urges newly ordained pastors
The 52nd Conference of the Methodist Church Ghana has ended with a call on ministers to remain committed to their calling and rely on God’s grace in serving the Church and humanity.
The Church urged its ministers to approach ministry with humility, sacrifice and self-denial, recognising it as a vocation rather than a profession.
The Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Rev. Prof. Johnson Asamoah-Gyadu, made the call while addressing the 83 newly ordained ministers during the thanksgiving service held as part of the closing ceremony, urging them to serve God and His people with humility, sacrifice and dedication as they began a new phase in their vocation.
He preached at the ordination ceremony in Tema on Sunday on the theme, “Ministry as Service in God’s Empowering Grace,” based on 2 Corinthians 12:9.
The Presiding Bishop further stated that the ministers must recognise their weaknesses and limitations and depend on the empowering grace of God to withstand the challenges, temptations and pressures associated with ministry.
He said the newly ordained ministers should not depend solely on their academic qualifications, experience or personal abilities, but seek God’s grace, particularly in moments of difficulty.
“There’s a reason why we don’t refer to ministry as a profession. It’s a vocation. Vocation goes with calling, sacrifice, and self-denial,” he said.
Most Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu said the Apostle Paul’s experience demonstrated that ministers were not superhuman, but operated through the strength provided by God.
“Christian ministers are not superhuman. We function in the strength of God’s grace,” he said.
He urged the ministers to remain steadfast in their calling despite personal challenges, difficult relationships, health conditions, disappointments and other circumstances that could become “thorns in the flesh”.
The Presiding Bishop further encouraged them to pray continually and trust God’s sovereignty in difficult situations, drawing lessons from Paul’s persistent prayers concerning his “thorn in the flesh”.
He also cited biblical figures including Moses, David, Samson and Peter as examples of people who had weaknesses but were still used by God, stressing that the lesson was not to justify wrongdoing but to recognise humanity’s need for divine grace.
Most Rev. Prof. Asamoah-Gyadu reminded the newly ordained ministers that they were “treasures in clay jars”, fragile human beings entrusted with God’s extraordinary power to serve His people.
“May you be empowered by God’s grace as you are sent forth to serve God and his people,” he noted, expressing the hope that many years after their ordination, the Church would hear that they had done great things for God.
FROM STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG, TEMA
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