AS WE GO VOTE By Jude Hama

Church leaders and members are to be engaged in National Politics by exercising their civic rights to vote. The National elections matters require proper ethical leadership response from Pastors and Church leaders; and indeed right conduct and behaviour from all church members and all
citizens. Heads of churches, Pastors and key Christian leaders would behave towards the key political candidates and political parties as “mother of twins”. A saying in our local culture goes like this: “A mother of twins lies in bed as truly a twin-mother: so as to give access to breast milk
to both babies”. She is to exercise her motherhood in a responsible and equitable way in relating to the twin babies. A glaring or consistently subtle leaning or support of a Head of church towards a Political Party and a key Political Party Candidate could send wrong signals of Partisan Politics
conduct into the Church Denomination and create divisions, mistrust; and strong disaffections from within the church. Church members in all Regions are discerning. They are all not likely to align themselves to only one political party. The integrity and ethical behavior of heads of
churches and Christian organizations in political matters is essential.

Church members may freely associate with any political party or political candidate and must also engage in even partisan political activity in a godly manner. As church members and people of God, our true godliness must be seen in our partisan political life and activities. Jesus must be
Lord over all aspects of our lives, including political conduct. Infact, a Ghanaian church leader gave the advice that as the Church becomes increasingly drawn by competing political interests and partisan political players, Heads of churches, Pastors, and key Christian leaders must ensure
their partisan politics should not get the church distracted from the sound and true worship of Jesus the Christ, our only Saviour and Redeemer God alone. Christian leaders must stick to following Jesus in a politically divided society. This is extremely important.

The most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo sent the following on National Elections and Ethical Leadership to the 2024 Synods of the Methodist Church Ghana across the country: “As a Church we continue to play our neutral role when it comes to National Politics. We pray for all who would present themselves as candidates to seek the mandate of the people to be elected. However, we ask all Methodist candidates to be men and women of integrity who will bring their discipleship to bear in their campaigns by avoiding the politics of insults and attacks on personalities. As people called Methodists, we understand that living the transformed and mature Christian life does not permit us to engage in any election malpractices. Let me remind us all of John Wesley’s advice on How to Vote in an Election: “I met those of our church who had votes in the upcoming election, and advised them:

• 1. To vote without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy.
  2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and
  3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

As we go vote, we urge you to be “Agents of Peace”. Be an “Agent of Peace”! go in the spirit of the Prayer of St. Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace: Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury or hurt, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. Amen.”

Rev. Dr. Bobby Harrington writes: “disciples or followers of Jesus should vote. Every disciple or follower of Jesus should vote, first and foremost, in a way that honours King Jesus”. It is our heritage as disciples or followers of Jesus to champion God’s Kingdom values which when absent will not make the people in the communities and the Nation function very well. These will include values like Truth; Humanity’s dignity and worth; care for the poor, lowly and marginalized; sound Biblical marriage and human sexuality values (no LGBTQ; no marital pairing that the Bible forbids); seeking justice (for justice and peace flow together); forgiveness, hope, and love. So decide how to vote according to God’s Kingdom values Jesus taught us which are essential for experiencing meaningful and abundant life at personal and home level as well as National level.

Professor Andrew Walls and Cathy Ross encourage the Church and church members to intentionally and persistently in all aspects of life to pursue the following five key mandates of the church:

• a. “To proclaim the Good news of Jesus and His Kingdom”. To pursue effective
  evangelization of all people groups in the nation, and the nations. (Matthew 28:18-20)
  b. “To teach, Baptize and Nurture New believers”. To build up resilient matured Christ-like
  persons.
  c. “To respond to Human-need by loving service”. Believers are servants of a world in need,
  d. “To seek to transform unjust structures of society”.
  e. “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the
  Earth”. Care for the environment.

These are the agenda of Jesus for the church, and Christ followers would vote for governance conditions that will facilitate the Church’s fulfillment of these agenda.

Jesus’ disciples or followers then would decide how to vote according to the values of Jesus Christ and His mandate to the Church.

And so the Bible urges Christ’s followers to pray for all people and key leaders of our communities, constituencies, and nation and “so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (1 Timothy 2:2b-4 NLT).

So, go and prayerfully vote to honor God and to see what pleases Him achieved.

(The Author is a Consultant in Authentic Christian Spirituality and Discipleship and Former CEO of Scripture Union)