98% of Churches Are Single-Owner Operations – Ahmed Ibrahim

A revealing disclosure on the floor of Parliament has brought renewed attention to the structure and governance of churches in Ghana, with the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, indicating that an overwhelming majority of churches in the country are owned and operated by single individuals.

Responding to a question from the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Kingsley Nyarko, the Minister disclosed that regional data — particularly from Greater Accra — shows that about 98.1 percent of registered churches operate as single-founder or single-owner entities, while only a small fraction are affiliated to established denominational brands.

The disclosure is significant.

According to the Minister, as of 2025, approximately 2,200 churches were registered in Greater Accra alone. If 98 percent of these are individually owned, it suggests that Ghana’s religious landscape is overwhelmingly dominated by founder-led ministries rather than historic denominational structures such as Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian or other traditional church bodies.

When extrapolated nationwide, the implication is that thousands of churches across Ghana are run as independent enterprises under the control of a single founder or leader — raising broader questions about governance, accountability, financial transparency and doctrinal oversight.

Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim traced the regulatory framework to PNDC Law 221 of 1989, which sought to regulate religious bodies by requiring provisional approval and registration. Though controversial at the time, the law laid the foundation for formal state recognition of churches. Today, churches are registered as companies limited by guarantee through the Registrar-General’s Department, granting them legal status and the ability to own property.

However, the Minister admitted that there is no consolidated national database that captures the total number of churches in the country. Instead, religious demographics are tracked by the Ghana Statistical Service, which reports that 71.2 percent of Ghanaians identify as Christians, based on the 2021 Population and Housing Census. Of this number, 31.6 percent are Pentecostal or Charismatic — a category often associated with founder-led ministries.

The prominence of single-owner churches reflects the explosive growth of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity over the past three decades. Yet it also raises important governance concerns. Unlike historic denominations that operate through structured synods, councils, and layered leadership systems, single-founder churches often revolve around the authority of one individual, with limited institutional checks and balances.

 

 

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