The Charismatic Believers Church International (CBCI) has dragged forty-two members of the church to court, seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining them from worshipping at the Ogbojo Branch or any other branch of the church.
A writ, issued by the Trustees of the church, further seeks an order that the movable and immovable properties of the Ogbojo Branch belong to it and a declaration that by their own conduct the said members have seized to be members of it.
Again, the church is seeking the court to restrain the defendants from operating the church's accounts at the Ghana Commercial Bank and the Prudential Bank respectively.
In the statement of claim of the church, it states that it is a religious organization registered under the laws of the country, with various branches in the country.
According to plaintiff the church is governed by the Charismatic Believers Church International Handbook, which all elders are conversant with.
The church holds that, in a particular region, the church is sub-divided into areas, districts and regions for effective administrative and spiritual oversight and is governed by a National Executive Council (NEC), which has direct oversight of the church under the leadership of the General Overseer, serving as the highest body of the church but reports to the General Assembly.
The plaintiffs indicate further, that in every branch of the church, there is a Local Council, which sees to the running of the Local Church, with a two-year term of office.
According to the trustees the term of office of the Ogbojo Local Council came to an end on December 31, 2005 and the said Council was dissolved by the NEC, but the dissolution has not gone down well with the members of the council.
Plaintiffs noted that the new membership, was to take effect from January 1,2006 but the said branch started series of agitation with written letters to the General Overseer and the Secretary to the NEC, complaining about some grievances, which include: pastors unpaid salaries, withdrawal of letter dissolving the Local Council (Ogbojo Branch) and transfer of resident pastor of Ogbojo Branch, Rev. Emmanuel K. Yeboah.
The plaintiffs are contending that whilst these matters had been referred to the NEC and were being discussed, the defendants, who are members of the said branch have seized the church premises and would not account to the parent church for the offerings made on Sundays nor allow the pastor to perform his pastoral duties for the past six weeks.
Additionally, the plaintiffs stated that the local council of the said branch have for sometime now been hostile to the General Overseer and that on November 12, 2006, a letter purported to have been written by the congregation of the said branch and signed by the forty-two defendants indicated that they had severed relations with the church.
Furthermore, they had refused to recognize the authority of the Interim Local Council appointed, and finally that the General Overseer, the NEC and other organs of the church would have no authority on the said church.
The plaintiffs held that they do not have any quarrel with any member of the church. However, the church's handbook has indicated clearly that all properties are owned in the name of the church and that no one, individual, or group should lay claim to any property both movable and immovable.
Furthermore the plaintiffs are contending that the defendants cannot prevent other members of the church from worshipping in their church as the defendants are just forty-two and from a minority of the members.
The plaintiffs are noting further that if these defendants are not restrained from worshiping at the said branch of the church, they would take over the church building and everything inside for their own.
