The town of Akropong is home to about 10,000 people; and they do indeed have a Chief. This tradition extends back to the tribal practices of the Ghanaian culture. I could not quite get a clear picture of how exactly these tribal leaders interact with the government, but they are important and some of them are very rich. Once every 40 days, the Chief, and about 20 “sub-chiefs” gather together in a “Durba” ceremony to discuss important matters of the town. This Durba is different than many others in Ghana in that they are mostly accepting of Christianity. In fact, there are many of them that attend Christ Church, where we are working. This history extends back to 1835, when the first missionary settle in Akropong, and the Chief welcomed him. Rev. Nyarko, the pastor of Christ church, usually does the opening Christian prayer for the Durba (interestingly, since the tradition has their own spiritual practices).
At this particular Durba, the new moderator or president of the Presbyterian Church in Ghana was introduced to the chief. Since the moderator was going to be in town, the church leaders decided it would be a good thing introduce the moderator to the Chief of Akropong in order to continue to foster relationship between the Christians and the traditionalist community. My two colleagues and myself were able to come along for the ride as well. We waited outside the courtyard for a while, waiting as the chief members arrived. Some where dropped off by SUV’s, others drove themselves, and one in particular arrived with a whole entourage of people which carried his umbrella, pillow, and ushered in the important women that arrived also with him. As soon as all of the important figures were seated, the moderator and his entourage (including us) entered in single file in the pomp and circumstance of loud pounding drums that filled the courtyard. We came in and shook the hands of the 20 or so sub-chiefs. The head chief was elevated on a throne- literally. As I leaned forward and up to shake his hand, his associate told him who I was, and I smiled. It was such an honor to meet all of these important men and women of the village. The Queen Mother is traditionally the mother of the Chief, but in this case she was someone other, but still considered important. She did a closing prayer for us after the ceremony that was very moving, repeating “All the glory be to God.”
Rev. Nyarko said something very interesting to me as we were leaving; he said “Incorporating church into tradition is how it stays alive.” The Church here makes a conscious effort to stay in contact with the traditional leaders, there ceremonies, and their rituals. Some may see this as a form of syncretism, but the church leaders see it as an “evangelistic opportunity.” They see any opportunity to build relationship as worth while for the church. And they are seeing the fruit of their efforts in their openness to Christianity. Perhaps the church in America could learn from this as well.
I don’t suppose that there are many churches in American that can go downtown to be apart of the local “Durba” so perhaps the link isn’t so direct. But, incorporating the church into the local community is an important aspect. I once heard a provoking question that has stayed with me—it goes like this, “If your church was removed from the community, would the community even notice?” Ouch. The reason this question pains me is because I believe the answer for most churches is sadly, “No.” That cannot be said for the Church in Akropong though. They are involved with just about every aspect of community. They are helping to educate people in the schools, promoting physical health in association with the clinic, and providing centers of community and fellowship, and providing jobs. I believe this is the church at its best—helping people become their best. Some may say it is just not possible for the church to be as involved with the community in America like it is in Ghana, but perhaps we just need to be a little bit more creative. Needs are all around us and by God’s grace we have something to offer.
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