Preachers must ensure sound Bible teaching – Rev. Bortey

Very Rev Emmanuel Bortey of the Wesley Methodist Cathedral on Wednesday called on preachers to do proper preaching and sound teaching of the Bible in the churches and in the media.

"The people of Ghana deserve to hear clear, correct and transformational Bible teaching from the pulpit in the churches and in the mass media,” he said.

Very Rev. Bortey said this when he launched the 10th Anniversary of the National Expository Preaching Seminar (NEPS) and National Expository Preaching Movement in Accra.

He said NEPS had noted on weekly basis the sad twisting and mishandling of the Holy Scripture on the pulpit, on radio and television and in the print media, adding that the “people of Ghana must be spared false teaching of the Bible and the sometimes very dangerous consequences."

Rev Bortey said since its inception, NEPS had focused on equipping pastors, preachers church leaders, business men and women, government officials, politicians, motivational speakers, entrepreneurs, engineers, teachers and scientists with skills to enhance proper and sound teaching of the Bible.

"We need to continue to raise a Biblical expository movement so that the unadulterated word of God is expounded in every congregation resulting in healthy church growth and transformational lifestyle that is Christ-like and impacting society as salt and light.

“NEPS seeks to let the Bible itself continually reform our thinking, challenge our worldview, correct our sub cultural assumptions and give us God’s perspective about Ghana and our lives,” he said.

Rev Bortey said over the past 10 years NEPS had been committed to exposing participants to expository preaching, motivating and equipping them with skills, techniques and tools for Bible expository preaching, building a core of biblical expositors able to train others and promoting healthy church growth.

He said church grew through responsible Bible preaching and teaching saying Bible expository was key to this.

Rev Victor Obeng, Country Co-ordinator of NEPS, responding to questions about Bible preachers in vehicles, said: “We should be able to let such people who are not preaching the proper word of God to prove from scriptures where such teachings could be found.

Rev Theophilus Bamfo Dankwa of Korle-Bu Community Chapel said it was better to seek the clarity and relevance of what many of the Bible preachers said so as to use it to judge what we heard.

Activities outlined for the anniversary include training of Christians to expound unadulterated word of God so that churches nationwide would be equipped to impact society with kingdom values.

It would also hold Bible expository conferences in Accra and Kumasi, training for Church of Pentecost pastors, Global Evangelical Church pastors, students of the Trinity Theological Seminary, fellowship lunch with heads of churches, thanksgiving service and fundraising dinner at Wesley Cathedral in Accra.