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A former bishop of Lighthouse Chapel International, Larry Odonkor, is uneasy about his birthday, which falls on July 9. He will turn 45, but the fear of growing old in itself is not his headache as he marks four and a half decades of his life.
Forty-five is a number that forces him to take his life and those of his dependents into account. Has he achieved his purpose? Has he put his children on the path of success? Has he saved enough for his future? Has he prepared for pension?
Pension is a painful word for the bishop. Some 15 years to his retirement, he is living with the heartache that Lighthouse Chapel International did not pay his mandatory pension contribution for a cumulative 14 years.
But, like a Liverpool FC fan, Bishop Odonkor does not walk alone in this regard.
Five of his colleagues in the ministry— a bishop, three reverend ministers, and a pastor—hadn’t had their Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions in full. Some did not have even a single month of their SSNIT contributions paid at all.
Together, these six ministers of God laboured for a cumulative 42 years and five months without the payment of their pension contributions, which employers are mandated by law to pay on behalf of their employees.
They worked in Lighthouse but their future, life after retirement, is dark, they say.
They say they were drawn into the ministry by their spiritual father, founder and Presiding Bishop of the church they served, Dag Heward-Mills. Most of them, who served as student-leaders in the gospel, say they were not given employment letters. There was no formal employer-employee relationship when they transitioned into full-time service of the Lord after graduation.
The six have resigned from the church for various reasons and dragged the Lighthouse Chapel International, which used to be the epicentre of their spiritual and social lives, to court. They are praying the court to compel the church to pay their SSNIT contributions as well as other rights they say the church violated since they went into ministry there, some immediately after leaving the university.
They believe there are more silent victims among the 111 bishops and over 2,300 pastors of Lighthouse who are currently shepherding more than 6,070 churches in 92 countries across the world. Apart from enforcing their rights, they say the reason they are speaking up is to ensure that those still serving in the church do not suffer what they have been through.
L-R: Larry Odonkor, Emmanuel Oko Mensah, Edem Kofi Amankwa, Seth Sarpong Duncan, Edward Laryea, and Faith Fiakojo. They have resigned from Lighthouse and have sued the church for violating their rights.
The Fourth Estate delves into the lives of these six ministers of God and what they say is a culture of abuse, exploitation, and pressure on some pastors to divorce their wives, all in the name of advancing the work of God. To them, there is some darkness in the Lighthouse Chapel International, which is now called the United Denominations Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC).
In the first of this series, we focus on allegations by the pastors about the total or partial non-payment of their pension contributions by their employer.
Alleged Non-payment of SSNIT Contribution
In December 2001, Larry Odonkor laid down his Bsc. Biological Science degree awarded him at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and picked up a new cross –- full-time ministry with Lighthouse Chapel International. He graduated in July 2001, at age 25.
For the next 19 years of his life, the vibrant graduate would open branches of the church in several African countries such as Ethiopia, Central Africa Republic, South Africa, and Madagascar. In Ghana, he laboured in the Lord’s vineyard in Akim Oda, Suhum, Wa, and in Accra.
“And I heard God say to me on 6th March 2020, that ‘if you don’t leave, you will not fulfil your ministry,’” he recounts the turning point in his life, the decision to turn his back on the church which had defined him.
He resigned in April 2020.
While thinking about his future after the resignation, he learned of a shocking past. Only five years of pension contributions had been paid. Some 14 years of active service had vanished off the radar of his pension contributions.
“I was disappointed. I felt used because this is basic. So, while my wife and I were going around planting churches, something as basic as SSNIT was not even paid,” he shakes his head.
Bishop Emmanuel Oko Mensah did not travel around as much as Larry Odonkor. He completed the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in July 2001 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He did his compulsory national service with the Roads Department of the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) and said he yielded to “pressure” from Bishop Dag Heward-Mills to join the full-time ministry, which he did in December 2002.
He was stationed at The Qodesh, the headquarters of the church, which is painted black and white, starkly contrasting colours like a depiction of right and wrong. Some things went right for him as his ministry won souls and mobilised resources to expand the church. But some things were going wrong for him, he recounts his journey with Lighthouse and his spiritual father to The Fourth Estate.
He was posted to Cotonou in Benin and later Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, all brief spells on the mission field. But in 2019, he learned that seven months of his SSNIT had not been paid.
It was his wife who made that discovery. She works at SSNIT and had heard harrowing tales of the painful lives of pensionless workers. Her husband would not be one of them, she believed. But she verified.
Some crisp clicking of her computer mouse, her husband’s financial future on a spreadsheet popped up before her. That was where she detected that this future had seven figures missing. She figured it must have been an oversight on the part of the church administration.
So, the wife of the bishop, who was also a member of the church, called administrators to draw their attention to the “error”. She got a severe reprimand, Bishop Oko Mensah says. And he got his own, too.
“I received a call from the Senior Associate Minister, rebuking me and blasting me, telling me that my wife was way out of order for asking questions about my SSNIT contributions. He told me that what my wife did was wrong and so I should rebuke her,” he recalls the reaction.
In another recurring story of alleged negligence, Rev. Edward Laryea also says his SSNIT was not paid for three years. Rev. Laryea, a University of Cape Coast (UCC) graduate in Chemistry completed his programme in July 2005 and joined the full-time ministry at Lighthouse in December that same year.
He got to know about this while he was stationed at Kade in the Eastern Region in 2008. The Church had introduced a new policy that would change his life in many ways.
It was called “Become Who You Can Become.” It basically meant that the mother church was not going to support missions that were more than two years old. They now had to raise money from the mission field in order to pay themselves and build churches.
And so, Rev. Edward Laryea, who was in his early twenties, visited the SSNIT office at Kade to find out the status of his pension contributions.
“They told me that ‘Lighthouse has not been paying anything for you.’”
He was already three years into full-time ministry. Edward Laryea said he began the payment of his own SSNIT when he headed the church in Kade.
“I believe that if I had not started payment, I would be here telling you that not even one cedi was paid for me [after 12 years].”
He resigned in 2017 after 12 years of “labouring” with his wife in Kade and Takoradi on a salary of GHS 800 a month.
Three other Ministers–Seth Duncan, Edem Kofi Amankwah, and Faith Makafui Fiakodzo–were also victims of this pattern of alleged non-payment of pension contribution by the church.
Seth Duncan, a former seaman of the Ghana Navy, went into full-time ministry in 2008 but resigned after 10 years. After completing senior high school in 2002, he joined the Ghana Navy that same year, but resigned in 2005, He attended the bible college of Lighthouse for three years before becoming a full-time minister of the gospel in 2008.
He says he planted churches in Paga, Tamale, and Kasoa. But his SSNIT was paid for only two months.
Rev. Edem Kofi Amankwah obtained a Bsc. Actuarial Science degree from UCC and went into full-time ministry in November 2007 after graduating in May that same year. But he resigned in 2016 after serving in Liberia and Nigeria. His SSNIT for the entire duration of his ministry-9 years was not paid.
Pastor Faith Makafui Fiakodzo graduated from the church’s Bible School-Anagkazo and went into full-time ministry in 2013. For three years, he was not paid any salary. And when he did receive any payment, it was GHS 300 a month.
Response Sought from Lighthouse
On March 17, 2021, The Fourth Estate wrote to the United Denominations of Lighthouse Group of Churches for a response to the alleged default in the payment of SSNIT contribution and other issues raised by the named pastors.
At the time of filing this report, the church had not responded to the letter. (Sources close to the management of the church told The Fourth Estate that the church would not respond to the request for comment, but the church is yet to communicate that.)
However, concerning the payment of SSNIT for Larry Odonkor, there is a letter from the church explaining it does not owe the former bishop any payment of outstanding SSNIT contributions.
This letter from the church is dated September 29, 2020, and signed by Mrs. Rebecca Addae, the church’s Human Resources Director. It was written in response to a letter that Larry Odonkor instructed a labour consultant, Austin Gamey, to write to the church.
The church, in this letter, gives eight reasons it does not owe any SSNIT contribution to its former minister:
- The letter explains that despite Bishop Larry Odonkor’s 19 years of service, he was only actually employed with Lighthouse Chapel International Ghana for five years – from 2005 to 2010. It says the church in Ghana paid all his SSNIT contributions during this period.
- The letter explains that between 2001 and 2005, when Larry Odonkor began full-time ministry, he was only a volunteer. And so right after university while he worked to open churches in Ethiopia, Central Africa Republic, and in Suhum, he was just volunteering.
- It says, between 2010 and 2018, when the Bishop was opening churches in South Africa, he was not working for Lighthouse International Chapel Ghana but rather Lighthouse International Chapel South Africa.
- According to the Light House Chapel International, its Ghana branch is “legally, financially, administratively and governmentally” different from any other branch outside the country. The only thing the church in Ghana shares with its international branches such as the one in South Africa is a “spiritual relationship.”
- And so, the church’s letter states, when the Presiding Bishop, Dag Heward-Mills, transferred Bishop Larry Odonkor from Ghana to South Africa, his work was “not a continuing employment from LCI Ghana neither was it a secondment like Ashanti Goldfields would send a worker on secondment from Ghana to South Africa.”
- The letter says Larry Odonkor should have known that as a bishop, he was responsible for paying his own SSNIT and not the church as stated in the church’s HR policy documented in the Bishops’ Governing Handbook.
- When Bishop Odonkor was transferred to Ghana again in 2020, he worked for four months and then resigned. For those four months of work, the church paid his SSNIT, explaining he was now within the jurisdiction of the Ghana organisation. (The Church paid for those four months only after Austin Gamey wrote to it on behalf of Bishop Odonkor.)
- Between October 2004 and May 2005, the church says Larry Odonkor while in South Africa was dismissed (by the church for insubordination) and therefore no SSNIT was paid. Six months after his dismissal he was re-engaged by the organisation in June 2005.
Inconsistencies and reaction to the church’s response
There appear to be some inconsistencies in the response from the church when held against some documents of the church, as well as the treatment of Bishop Oko Mensah and others in similar situations.
While the UD-OGLC maintains that Larry Odonkor was not entitled to SSNIT because he was a volunteer, the Bishops Governing Handbook of the church states that full-time ministers who are even “interns”, are to benefit from “monthly social security payments also made on their behalf.”
Despite the church’s claim that it employed Larry Odonkor in 2005 and not 2001, The Fourth Estate has sighted a document that says otherwise. The document, an application for a work permit in South Africa for Larry Odonkor, states that “Rev. Larry Odonkor was appointed a pastor of this organization [Light House Chapel International] in 2001, and has been employed with the Lighthouse Chapel International Denomination since.”
Although the church also maintains that Larry Odonkor should have known that as a bishop, he was responsible for paying his own SSNIT according to the Bishops Handbook, Larry Odonkor says he was only given that book in 2018 after he had been made a Bishop.
Contrary to the church’s claim that Bishop Larry Odonkor ceased to have an entitlement of his SSNIT contribution from the mother church because he was on an assignment with an international branch of the church, Bishop Emmanuel Oko Mensah, says it was the church in Ghana here that paid his SSNIT contributions even while he was on the mission field in Burkina Faso. Oko Mensah said he also did not know that he was to pay his own SSNIT.
While LCI Ghana maintained that it was “financially, administratively, and governmentally different from LCI South Africa” or any other international branch, Larry Odonkor says this difference is imaginary.
This, he says, is because, while with LCI South Africa, which was supposedly independent, he was still receiving instructions from LCI Ghana and from Bishop Dag Heward-Mills.
“Whiles we were there, we kept receiving correspondence from Accra. Do this, do that, send money here, send money there, send your report all those things,” he recounts.
While the two branches claim to share nothing except a ‘spiritual relationship’, the two groups use the same HR policy, which stipulates that the church is to pay SSNIT contributions of all its ministers from the very day they are employed.
Larry Odonkor says he was transferred from South Africa to Madagascar and then to Akim Oda by LightHouse Chapel International Headquarters in Ghana and wonders how the mother church could claim to have severed contractual relationship with him within the period and still had the power to transfer him from one international branch to the other.
Bishop Larry Odonkor rejected the claim that he was merely a volunteer from 2001 to 2005. The KNUST graduate said he would not have entered full-time ministry if he knew that the church considered him a volunteer.
He says his failure to ever demand an employment letter was because of his blind trust in a man he called his spiritual father.
Bishop Oko Mensah affirms the feeling that most ministers of his time simply trusted the founder, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, to do the right thing as far as their conditions of service, compensation, and pensions were concerned.
“There is really no discussion on [SSNIT]. What was going on, too, was that we were very young, very green, quite ignorant, and very zealous. So the things that would come up in regular employment in another institution may not even come up.”
Another significant period during which Odonkor’s SSNIT was not paid was between 2010 and 2018. He rejects Lighthouse Chapel International’s explanation that his time in South Africa was not a continuing job from Ghana which would have put an obligation in the mother church to pay him his SSNIT.
Odonkor indicated that it was continuing work because he never resigned from LCI Ghana nor did he apply for a job with LCI South Africa.
He explained that the contract he had with LCI South Africa was part of the demands of the South African immigration service before it could grant him a work permit in 2010. He believes had it not been part of their demands, he may have ended up working 19 years without any letter of employment.
“We started this in our 20s and we are in our mid-40s. And we are starting from zero and our former employer says he won’t even pay our SSNIT,” he bemoans.
According to him, the content of the Letter from Lighthouse in response to his letter written by Austin Gamey is a “complete betrayal.”
He regrets not having demanded a letter of employment when he began full-time ministry in 2001. He says he did not demand this letter because he, like many of his colleagues, had a father-son relationship with the founder, Presiding Bishop Dag Heward-Mills. It was a relationship built on trust and reverence, so many things were done based on that trust, he says.
Also expressing his disappointment, Edward Laryea says while the church refused to pay his SSNIT, it religiously deducted tithe from his salary at the source without his consent. This, he says, was in breach of the Bishops Governing Handbook which stipulates that “tithes may be deducted at source only after the full-time staff has given his or her written decision about the matter.”
And so, while the church was quick to deduct tithe, it was slow in paying his pension contribution, he says. In effect, the church took what belonged to God, but denied Caesar what was Caesar’s.
A view from pension and labour experts
Pension in Ghana is governed by the National Pensions Act 2008. A labour expert, who has pleaded anonymity explains that a volunteer is not officially an employee.
“And volunteers are hardly full-time workers. So, once they are not on official contractual pay, they will not be required to pay SSNIT,” he says.
Asked if an overseas branch of a church is responsible for paying SSNIT of an employee transferred to Ghana, he maintains that SSNIT contribution must be paid in so far as the employment contract remains under Ghana Laws.
“The decision as to which business unit takes responsibility for paying the SSNIT is a compensation policy and specific corporate financial management issue.”
The labour consultant says an employer is not free from liability if it employs and proceeds to pay a staff who has not registered with SSNIT.
“This is because the national pensions law enjoins an employer as duty-bound to register, deduct and pay SSNIT on behalf of all of its workers.”
The Fourth Estate also spoke to the Pensions Manager at Axis Pensions Ltd, who explained the impact of poor preparation towards retirement. He points out that pensions have an impact on age-old poverty and life expectancy among retirees.
Ghana’s life expectancy is 62.5 for males and 64.4 for females. It means a retiree could die just four years after leaving the world of formal employment, Mr. Ankomah indicated.
“Immediately after retirement, the shock alone of not having anything to live on kills a lot of us,” he explains a possible fate of a worker who is ill-prepared for pension.
The non-payment of SSNIT contribution is one common issue in all the writs of all the six pastors who brought separate actions against the Lighthouse Church International in the court of Ghana on April 19, 2021.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story shall not be republished or broadcast, in part or in full, in any form or shape without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief.
Watch out for part two of this story…
You can reach the writer via email at [email protected]
No matter what the Gods power will triumph.
I don’t trust the story of those people who resigned.
God will expose them.
It is very difficult to be working with some one you are not happy with and still continue.
There might be something they are not telling us.
Brainwashed follower who thinks all that glitters is gold.
Are we working for Jesus or we are working for church founders………?
I wonder if Peter demand ssnit.
May you receive sense in Jesus name…Amen!!!
Amen
Amen
Abigail, I love you
Amen
The millions dag Heward mills takes how much does he give to Jesus?
Lol???????????????
Question for the gods
He plants churches all over the world the spread the gospel.
Hmmmmm. What a question?
Lok
You need Jesus
Why then is offering taken. Religion has blinded people. Pastors tell u your reward is in heaven but they enjoy their heaven on earth. They tell u money is the root of evil yet they use scriptures to chastise you if don’t pay!
Why won’t he demand ssnit…are u working for your boss free of charge…….he is doing the work of God so he shouldn’t make plans for his retirement or pension.. What kind of idea do you have ..or do u think he’s going to do the work of God forever in even in his old age??Please,
If this story turns out to be true, I will personally be disappointed in the administrative part of Bishop Dag’s Leadership.
It’s not a big deal. Thy can quickly calculate Those figures and pay as compensation to the aggrieved labourers in the vineyard.
Peace!L
Sadly that’s how far religion has blinded us. Pastors using the thin line between spirituality and stupidity to even dupe their own backbone. Just when I thought church goers and members are really suffering, then boom pastors want to even cheat the front liners of the church
Do we send our offerings and tithes to JESUS?
How much do you send to His account when you raise millions in the church?
Stop being hypocritical and think about the welfare of these men who dedicated their lives to God and the church.
The least you could do for them is to secure their future and that of their families.
My view is that go and sit down with Bishop Dag and discuss the issue at hand. I do not think this is the best way to resolve the matter.
I strongly believe Bishop Dag is a man of God and he will resolve the matter at hand amicably.
Going to the social media is not the best way forward.
Many years ago Bishop Richard Aryee preached a message ALWAYS REMEMBER.
Remember the good things light house has done for you regardless
1. Remember the platform. Etc
Am not supporting LCI but always REMEMBER
I wonder if Jesus was collecting money whilst working with Peter
Really? Peter, Jesus and other apostles paid taxes to the roman government. It’s important those ssnit contributions were paid for them.
Now if the person shouldn’t demand ssnit what should the person feed on after pension upon all his entire life labor… if Peter didn’t ask of ssnit do you want to tell me that Peter was chewing grass at that time..
Did peter take tithes or so did Paul. Master now church is work. Why would the Archbishop also take salary if peter did not work for salary
This should tell you how plainly stupid people can be. People are defending Day Mills wrongly if this issue turns out to be true.
But we’re they not working before Jesus met them?
Did you read the article?
Peter did not indeed demand for SSNIT contributions, neither did Jesus collect tights from his followers in the name of planting churches. Church members have been made to understand that the tights and collections they pay go to take care of Pastors just like the tights the Jews paid was used to take care of the Levites who acted as Priests. So if this is not the case for these Pastors what is the tights collected used for? Malachi 3: 6-12 always used to justify why tights should be paid. Let us be faithful to God in actions not in words only.
They worked for Light House. God did not come from heaven to give them appointment letters
Read Mark 10: 28-30.
Kindly don’t talk like a child. Leave the matters to those involved. How would you feel is they were akin to you.
God have mercy on you. Doesn’t the founder take salary. How do you think he is able to put his kid through good schools in Ghana and abroad. The pastors are also humans and have to be treated as such.
Nonsense!!! Is he peter??
Your comment is very unfortunate. It’s shows your idiocy and silly religiosity.
No but you want someone to dedicate their lives to the church and go on retirement and for poor is this what Jesus taught!!!!
Peter was a fisherman. He had a job. Your ONE MAN churches demand full time ministry. Do your FOUNDERS pay themselves SSNIT. Open your eyes and you will realise the MANIPULATIONS by your men of God.
Is he peter?
Ah
So they’re working for God so they should eat grass right? Even grass need rain and sunlight to grow.
Don’t also forget Jesus didn’t take any monies from people, maybe that was why his disciples didn’t demand any SSNIT
I wonder too.
God takes care of His own.
Ssnit or no ssnit so no need to judiciarize this.
Leave it go God.
Go n work for him and dnt take. I wonder how people think.
Ignorance is not an excuse to the law
Can you put down your future to serve a church and not demand Payment. Hmmm because you are not a victim so see what you are saying
May God show you mercy and give you small sense in Jesus’ name.
I agree with you. They do not deserve any pay or pension but I think it would be bliss if you also became a man of God and work tirelessly without pay like Peter or Paul.
Thank you, My brother. Brainwashed followers who still do not realise that their “men of God” are also humans struggling and thinking of ways to feed their families too.
Preach on bro. I feel sorry for these die-hard followers
Wujek is that you?
My brother..
Instead of being here and exhibiting the characteristics of a DOG…
You should go and ask for your letter and better still check if your SNNIT contributions are being made..
African Proverb: Even when a goat knows that it is being dragged to graze, it still resists.
Did peter take tithes or so did Paul. Master now church is work. Why would the Archbishop also take salary if peter did not work for salary. People are suffering in ministry oooooo
Brainwashed members.
Seriously? Work till you retire and don’t have your retirement fund ready. It’s your type that burden your children as liabilities instead of leaving them secured. Don’t use your children as insurance/assurance benefits. Did they see and sign any contact with Jesus? Better begin to receive wisdom before you end up dejected when you’re strength has waned and you can work no more.
Did u take ur time to read the article? Did u see where some requested for appointment letters?
??? You don’t even know what there is to doubt, but you’re still defending the church as if they are the same as God. Open your eyes oo
True Talk
I second
SSNIT data is verifiable by any court. I don’t think they are very foolish to accuse the church of not paying something which can be verified
Massa It’s because of people like you, Africa is where it is. Blinded by alleged “Men of God” and not God himself.
Hmmmm say that again.
Say it again
I think the brainwashing teachings on loyalty and disloyalty in LCI isn’t helping with your logical reasoning.
Hahahahaha. This Loyalty-Disloyalty BS has really been etched on their brains. Its is like they are hypnotized
You don’t believe that their SSNIT contributions are not being paid?. You don’t even after the Church’s contradictory letter on the issue?
Do you know what it means to be approaching 50 and not have your SSNIT? ??♂️
CHILD OF GOD, you need to wake up, you need to use your God given brains! Eii…
Hmmmmmmmm
See ein jon ?
Some Bishops didn’t like Oko Mensah because everyone loved him . Even at Prayer Clinic and Quiet Time on sweet Melodies.
I saw this coming in 2018 when some of the Bishops began attacking Him for something He didn’t do.
“ most church members loved him for his friendly nature and the other Bishops thought he was Brainwashing them “
wow
@YD Read Hosea 4:6. It’s written for you. For yiu to make such an irresponsible comment shows the disguised occultic you’re under. Lighthouse is a cult as are many other family businesses parading as churches and led by cons.
This is what happens when anything that moves starts a church. See the pattern below:
1. Need an easy way to make money
2. Convince yourself you’re called into ministry
3. Receive little or no theological training and get someone like yiu who convinced themselves of a calling before you to so-called ordain you
4. Preach money making at tge expense of tge true gospel, twisting Scripture for your selfish gain
5. Convince yourself that your wife and children are also called and ordain them as well
6. Family business fully established, pension sorted
7. Become a dictator
8. To hell with everyone else.
Gimme gbozaa ??
Well put!!!
Are you okay?
What are you talking about. is it not the same pastor they trusted for years, how then, do you think they just want betray the MOG of have something against him… I wish you’re in their shoes…
Still defending the indefensible. So does the response from the HR make any sense to you?
This is the work of the devil , first of all who are they working for ……………God or Bishop Dag ? this is so sad …………………….they will all regret this some day.
I was in that church for 13years and suffered psychological turmoil gaslighting manipulation financial exploitation grooming. To say the least i am now in therapy becuase the Organisation is a CULT high control group. I beleive every word of the resigned pastors. God will avenge his people and Dag heward mills will pay for all his wrong doings. God will NOT be mocked
I am psychologically damaged now after all the mental and emotional abuse i endured God knows and hears my cries and He will fight on my behalf
Trust me on that
What did you go through… u can share with us …
You are religiously deluded, didn’t you see whr the pastor’s says they did not bother to ask of an employment letter because of trust and reverence. So you think because someone calls him don general overseer or head pastor means he doesn’t plan evil or means he is holier than the members.
Common sense is common ohh. But it is not ro common people. May you be faced with their predicaments and lest see if you will write this gibberish.
They should go and read 1st corinthians 6! Shame on them for bringing the body of Christ into disrepute! They are allowing the devil to deceive them like he did to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden! How can someone who claims to be called by God not understand the only manual for his life is the Bible! Colossians 2:8! I am very sad!
May God open your eyes to see the truth. You have been brainwashed
…why not be open to the fact the that they are telling the truth. The man you follow blindly is also a human being and not God.
Are you in this world or you just know nothing about Christianity? Church leaders work with people they are not happy with all the time. For these people they were doing their duty and trusted that the church would also do theirs. Your words are proof that trust in church leaders isn’t broken that easily.
if you don’t trust their story simply because they resigned then you are not serious in your life. If they had made these allegations whiles still working at Lighthouse too u you would have called them liars and said they are just jealous. My dear, use your brains to evaluate the story and the response. Follow the court case if you can to reach your own conclusions and stop make stupid comments like this.
Me too … I don’t trust all … were they coerced or were they put at gun point to work for the church?
Matthew 6:19 and 6:20
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth. and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor.
That’s what you guy’s preached, so is this now the time to be bitter over coins ???
Really! You have a point.
Sometimes put away spiritual lens and look at things physically.
Is SSNIT contribution a basic to start with? Employers need to uphold the welfare of employees- especially when it is the church!
Brainwashed follower indeed. You tend to believe everything your pastor says but shudder to ignore what your biological father says. Blind followers with no sense of self gratification and integrity.
What makes you think that the Bishop is good?
This is revealing, aside the SSNIT contribution not paid, some of the counsel from the church about divorce is disturbing. I am shocked ???
Really? Don’t prejudge . just put yoursf in their shoes
Bishop should listen : Show these four mature steps
1. Call them
2. Settle their differences
3. Pay them
4. Post them back
You will regain your trust back …..
Need to be educated on this: if the church is exempted from paying taxes, why would they pay SSNIT contributions for the Bishops, Pastors etc?
The law requires that employers make pension contributions on behalf of their employees. Pastors also retire.
The church as an organization is registered as an NGO and is for non-profit or non-commerce enterprise, thus, its funds generally are non taxable because it is a donation by its own members. However, should it engage in some kind of side business, as it is the case lately with many churches and some NGO’s, income from such business are taxable, and individuals it employes full time are to be compensated which means those individuals will be earning income for which they are to pay taxes as well.
This again demands that the employer (church/NGO) must withhold the taxes of the employees and together with the pension contributions of the employees paid to the designated state agencies as law requires for their employees, though they are employed by the church.
The church is a registered business bro!
Exactly!
Pastors pay PAYE tax on the salaries to government and so it’s a requirement by law for then to contribute to SSNIT too
Granting tax relief to a company doesn’t mean the company shouldn’t fulfill its obligations to its employees. Know what you post.
SSNIT is not TAX. The church is seen as a charity organisation, hence the “exemption” from tax. The workers are however not “charity organisations”. They are in employment and will have to pay social security. to secure their future.
Ow ow !!!! That’s what came to mind too …
Under the Laws of Ghana a church is categorized under an (NGO) since they don’t have a defined way of regular income .
All smoke ? and mirrors ?
Crooks in cassocks
Kwesi Hackman, the church as an entity is exempt from the payment of taxes, but the employees of the church pay tax (PAYE) and SSNIT.
If these allegations from the bishops are true, then, LCI is at fault.
These pastors deserve to be paid in full and I pray Bishop Dag sees to that.
Other ministers who are facing this problem must come out to speak.
Pension isn’t easy especially if you still have kids to take care of.
Many of the men of God here also sounded like they were forced to enter into the full time ministry.
Imagine how they sacrificed their jobs and certificates just to work for the Lord.
They deserve to be paid.
Very sad my dear, looking at the age they entered into full time ministry. They didn’t even give themselves the opportunity to do a secular job before entering into ministry but sacrificed everything in the name of building God’s kingdom and here they are, feeling betrayed to the extent of some committing suicide, experiencing failing marriages, hardship etc. Gooooooosssshhh the pain is too much for them to bear, I hope they get healed and restored. Oh God! Please let their days ahead be greater and brighter than the former.
we live to see
trust no one
@YD you are an example of a Loyal Dog in Action…. Continue barking for your owner!
You can’t put all the blame on Dag. The administrative staff should all be fired.
They obey instructions from above.
Are you for real?Like some monies were made available for such a person and the administrative staff refused.Come on boy
Meanwhile, all these efforts at “saving soles” is a total waste of precious time. How do you graduate with a degree only to want to “win souls”?
Ok, your rewards are in heaven, don’t bother about your pensions. The Lord will provide!
Such a shameless race!
I really can’t tell how true the story is so I can’t speak for any side, but if indeed the story is true then I’m really worried
But for you to say soul winning is a waste of time? Bro you need to accept christ
Believe these story should be look in two senses.
First as employees of the Church.
If they
church actually did employ them them, then LCI is their employer and must pay their SSNIT.
This if these Pastors saw themselves as employees , then they have the right to fight
But if they saw their calling as from God not from Bishop then this case of working for LCI for twenty years means nothing cos they worked for God and that is accounted to them in the records in Heaven.
Again the ministry pays better as you do ministry you save souls, lives and receives tithes,offerings and gifts from your sheep’s that you feed and take care of and every year too you the pastors will be honoured by the church so the years they called waste was years of working and labouring for God not LCI nor Bishop Dag , He was the vessel God used to bring you into the ministry
Again the ministry pays better as you do ministry you save souls, lives and receives tithes,offerings and gifts from your sheep’s that you feed and take care of and every year , these pastors will be honoured by the church so the years they called waste was years of working and labouring for God not LCI nor Bishop Dag, He was the vessel God used to bring you into the ministry
Did they hear from God before doing the ministry of Bishop Dag told them so they did?
How? If the leader doesn’t give you orders to pay, how do they pay?
Mtchew
Funny thing is, with the meager salaries they were being paid, even if they get paid in full, their pension will still be nothing to write home about. At aaalll!!!
The small they’re entitled to, even that has allegedly not been paid. Stress!!!
Wondering though if these resigned pastors have any opportunities in today’s job market. Stress!!
LCI has changed!! What are we following?? Just discovered the Saved church are taught from bishop’s books. Many of them can’t even tell you simple bible stories!! Missionaries are so poorly paid one has to send them money…yet the church raises millions of dollars for that very purpose. So many questions but zero answers!!
Kwesi Hackman, the church as an entity is exempt from the payment of taxes, but the employees of the church pay tax (PAYE) and SSNIT.
I wish the church, the founder & former evangelists all well.
It seems to me that they are aggrieved about resources and cash flows they helped creat
e and is seemingly not being shared well.
This matter can be fixed in a management meeting, especially amongst Christians.
Going to court indicates more irreconcilable differences than shared here. Why not help the institution do what is right from your respective posts instead of fighting it from outside?
May your calling be true and your due reward accrue. Bless up
As a non – profit organisation, the church can still employ and the taxes and pensions contributions must be paid. This is robbery! For years they laboured for free. The state must start investigating all these churches and their accounts! These robberies must stop!
Any Church that overemphasize loyalty to its founders or leaders BUT not to Christ, is a Cult. For Lighthouse I see a Jim Jones scenario happening a day to come.
Without a personal fellowship with the Trinity , the Bible becomes just an open book to justify good and evil by fellow men on fellow men.
These words!!!
I think the brainwashing teachings on loyalty and disloyalty in LCI isn’t helping with your logical reasoning.
Guys, if you think this man’s SSNIT has been paid will he retire at the age of 45 as a pastor and do you think he will regret working for these prominent Church? Just answer this questions before criticizing the poor pastor
I will continue to pray for the UD-LGOC. It’s not easy running a church like the UD-LGOC.
Who owns the LCI. If he passes on who inherits it. Does the Bishop Dag take salary. How much does he have and how much do his bishops have.. The questions are many but truth is one.. Who are they making the money for and for what.. To save souls while the volunteers are hungry.. Peter and Paul ate what Jesus ate.. So bishop should pay them well.. LCI should not be vexatious.. You are embarrassing the church
May justice be served for these pastors and Bishops.At age 45 etc where do u begin your life without any co-operate experiences and again without any compensation from the denomination?
Bishop Dag, please try and solve this matter
For Bishop Oko Mensah’s case , Jealousy, backbiting and enviness from his other colleague Bishops was another factor because He had good human relationship with members and instrumentalists. Two Bishops didn’t like him and they attacked him during an open meeting before they were all transferred. But God is our Judge. Oko Mensah loved everyone around him and welcomed every single member to his office no matter your status.
It all started when one church member screenshoted a WhatsApp conversation among instrumentalists and took it to the other Bishops. Gossip also destroys the Church.
This story is a serious one. Everything must be broken down to the core. Unbiased literature. Kudos Thefourthestategh.com it’s Yebekagh.com here.
The Church is the bride of Christ and everything within her will not escape the searching eyes the Lamb. The truth will surface, eventually.
Frankly speaking, I’ve invested over Gh 15,000 on Musical instruments just to play for free in the Church but when my mom died, I didn’t even get 1gh cedis donation.
I informed my chapel Pastor that very Sunday my mom died through WhatsApp, He didn’t even reply back for about a month. That was when I gave up on church but not God.
Then when I reported He later called me to apologize. After the burial service last year. At a point I agree with these Bishops, the Church is no more a family like it used to be, nobody cares if you don’t come for months unlike before. But God is with us.
Chale something about the church has changed….
Nothing has changed bro. These things happens when there is growth without similar investment or efforts in expanding their management of human resource. This is purely an administrative lapse at LCI.
I pray LCI quickly and adequately establish more clarity in engagement of their pastors, other staffs and general management of their outpost branches and churches.
These pastors shouldn’t be attacked neither should the Presiding Bishop be drawn to this.
Interesting stuff and I’m surprised they didn’t talk about the freebies-Cars, Medical care, huge rebates on Children’s School fee, not working on Mondays ?
I think you should check your facts well ok
No you an… you must learn not to believe everything you read on the internet! This is purely ingratitude. We wouldn’t have known them if they weren’t pastors,( how many of their classmates do we know ?) now they have a platform to talk ????
EVERY employee enjoys some form of freebies. Some get child education allowance to pay fees. Others enjoy medicare. The church is not doing anybody a favour by asking them not to work on mondays. THEY MAKE THEM WORK FULL TIME ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS…these are not working days, if you care to know..
“Loyalty and disloyalty” is a demonic and humanist philosophy from the pit of hell. It enslaves and keeps one under bondage worse than any millstone. It is antithetical to biblical teachings. It is time everyone in lighthouse knew that and rise up to vehemently condemn it. Those who pretend they do not know the pernicious sting of its tentacles are blinded even now. Congratulations to these great men. Do not back down!
I agree with you. Jesus encouraged us to ‘…search the scriptures’ ,through that we will know the truth ‘…and the truth shall set you free ‘
My friend what do you mean loyalty and disloyalty is demonic ? Maybe you should try running an organization before you draw to that conclusion. It’s one of the best books bishop dag Heward-Mills has written. It’s because you haven’t experienced anything like that’s why you can make a statement like that. Loyalty and disloyalty shouldn’t be meant to control people’s lives but it’s meant to teach people about faithfulness .If you don’t this I’m telling now.No businesses in the world succeeds without loyalty so please don’t speak about things you don’t understand.
Hmmm.
Tithe is immediately deducted but SSNIT isn’t paid. I pray they win the case at the law court.
Hmmmmmm …… Ghana di333 you people must open your eyes oo. Check the primary schools and senior schools you guys went to which were built by orthodox churches. Now check the number of new churches and what they are doing with the money they make. Creating new businesses and taking money away from you guys in a different style. 95% of your roads are not done 95% of your street lights are not working but see the type of phones, cars, and dresses you guys take to sit in church. Open your eyes oo or else if we come back from abroad we go come chop your money too ooo. As we see Se you are blind. Check the country that brought Christianity to your country if they are building churches like that. Whiles there are no jobs and factories.
Another …
This article paints such a gloomy picture about the church but this is not strange. Isn’t it interesting the passion with which this report was written and published? Granting the church has defaulted in paying SSNIT for some staff, it is a matter to be followed with such passion. Many companies don’t even pay at all and their names are duly published in the papers. Why don’t you write about them with such passion?
In any case, the critical questions the reporter should have asked them was whether they lived in their own houses or rented places. All these pastors live in their own houses. How did they acquire them? How about the many other benefits they derived from the church? They should investigate and report those as well.
The reason is simple my dear, the church is an epitome of good and high standard of morality. So the fact that some businesses are not paying SSNIT for their staff as you want us to believe doesn’t mean the church who epitomize higher moral standard in society should do same. Why then do we go to church if we can’t differentiate between the church and the world.
So because they lived in the houses provided by the church and they had other benefits their sanity shouldn’t be paid? Have you thought of where they will live after they retired how do they go about some of their responsibilities to their family after they retired.
I guess all body at stake are missing things right up. From their narrations, you could identify clearly that the supposed zeal of these Pastors have died out. The consequence I don’t insist but fear and insecurity has delved in. I’m contemplating now who these Pastors thought they were working for all these while? Was it for Christ’s sake, Bishop Dag or who? This issue can best be resolved on the standpoint of better understanding that. This issue is bundled by so many other issues, that the earlier we’re aware the of the possibility of the devil capitalizing on it to affect so many other things the better. Let’s get up people of God!
Hmmm. Once they took to full time ministry, they must have their ssnit paid. It is Valid that they demand payment because they could have been getting ssnit if they had conventional jobs
Hmmmm….This is sad…The church leadership must do the right things… It’s unfair to treat ur employees like that… For those who are condemning the Pastors fir demanding what is rightfully theirs should wait till it happens to someone close to them… Anyone in full-time ministry deserve his wages from the pulpit… Hopefully Lighthouse will be able to sort things out soon…
I have always been against this spiritual father thing because the people you are putting your everything on is a human being and can disappoint you so why not take God to be your spiritual father
To deduct tithe from an employee’s salary before its paid to him is theft. Shouldn’t the person be allowed to do so at his own free will? All employees of this church or (CULT) should check on Regular basis if their pension contributions have been paid…lesson learnt.
Great journalistic work. Church is business. I find it hard to believe Actors ignore this basic reasoning and do what is expected of them.
This is terrible. Offerings and tithes are to be used for payments of utilities that the church uses and salaries of workers in the vineyard. I’m appalled. Why must only one greedy person in the vineyard be rich and prosperous while the others”labour in vain” God is watching. And if this is true, then shame on them. See why people feel there is no need for giving in church? You guys make people look down on Christ. Because you do wrong in his name. Making people think that that is what he taught us to do. REPENT
This article paints such a gloomy picture about the church but this is not strange. Isn’t it interesting the passion with which this report was written and published? Granting the church has defaulted in paying SSNIT for some staff, it is a matter to be followed with such passion. Many companies don’t even pay at all and their names are duly published in the papers. Why don’t you write about them with such passion?
In any case, the critical questions the reporter should have asked them was whether they lived in their own houses or rented places. All these pastors live in their own houses. How did they acquire them? How about the many other benefits they derived from the church? They should investigate and report those as well.
As usual many people would join the condemnation bandwagon without even reasoning about the issue at stake. To have 111 bishops and over 6000 pastors and churches in 92 countries there is bound to be these issues. It does not necessary means the church or the presiding bishop is doing something wrong. Besides, all the complaints are about money. That says a lot about the complainants.
To everyone on this platform, be careful of what you say about Bishop Dag. You don’t know the whole truth about the allegations from these pastors. If they’ve sued let’s see what the court says but be careful of name calling so as not to bring judgement upon yourself.
I’m truly very sad that matters have come to such a pass. I think the discussions here is very wholesome and we’ll intentioned. Quite revealing.
It is important for those who live by the gospel of the Christ to understand the duality of first being Ghanaians and also being citizens of a kingdom ‘which is not this world’. When Yeshua Hammashiac said ‘Give into God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, it was in the context of taxation, a necessary social obligation in an earthly reality. There is no inference by the way of giving money to God. God does not live on currency or bitcoins. Any bible practicing Christian ought to know what God expects; that we live right and love our neighbour…..
I’m sad because I am a pioneering member of the LCI and have always regarded highly the earnest work of this God ordained church. From a distance I’ve seen it grow into a big rock. But alas even the spiritual is harnessed through human administration. I will not try to be analytical. I love lego and so I know that whatever you assemble you can dismantle. In design we talk about structural integrity.
In matters of integrity pertaining to kingdom matters, HUMILITY is the bedrock, the foundation. Pride goes before a fall. We are all servants of God. Even trees are. When the church goes to court God shuts his eyes. If Bishop Oko Mensah decides to go to court against LCI, then the church is clearly in real crisis. Right now the allegations put the church in the domain of crime and fraudulence.
As a spiritual person I’m saying that the failure of the church to abide by the law of the land and the aggravation of this many bishops is only a symptom of deeply embedded kingdom compromises. God is waiting for the church to go back to its beginnings of love and Godly direction to restore peace and decency before it becomes a casualty. The Lord stands by his WORD TO PERFORM. He does not back error.
Let considerateness and humility win the day. Bishop Dag Heward Mills, my cousin Bishop EAT Sackey, Bishop Eddie Addy. You have served well and continue to. Make a move. Rember, the labourer is worthy of his hire. Do the Barnabas thing. Win these servants back. I have a feeling you have to look at some of your theology again. My humble submission. You don’t need me to tell you that the adversary has laid siege to the citadel. LOVE CONQUERS. LOVE WINS. LET’S DO THE RIGHT. LET GOD BE TRUE AND EVERY MAN A LIAR.
My love and respect to you Sir! This is it!
Well said
International labor laws differ. If you have ever worked in multi national organisation you would understand this. The church with branches in 92 countries will be an administrative nightmare. I can imagine how difficult it must be even to transfer money between some of these countries. Reading between the lines most of these non-payment of the pension was the complainants were outside Ghana. BTW SSNIT is not same as pension. It is just the organisation that in charge of pension in Ghana. I don’t think it possible to pay pension in Ghana whilst working elsewhere.
Also, priest do not have the same retirement age as other workers. I have seen priests still preaching in their 80’s and 90’s so it is grey area here. Do you force these priests to retire after they reach the national retirement age or let them continue till they can’t do it anymore?
As usual many people would join the condemnation bandwagon without even reasoning about the issue at stake. To have 111 bishops and over 6000 pastors and churches in 92 countries there is bound to be these issues. It does not necessary means the church or the presiding bishop is doing something wrong. Besides, all the complaints are about money. That says a lot about the complainants.
These churches and so called leaders are nothing but pulpit pimps.
A lot of them
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy:6:10
I am a man of God, and I love this post very much in as much as I am disappointed.
Christians should understand the truth the Lord Jesus came to reveal. After receiving the gift of righteousness, we are requested to live by it by simply doing what is right and acceptable by all, having our conscience guiding us.
Your rights are responsibilities performed by someone and vice versa.
Authorities are institutions of God through mankind to implement His goodwill in the affairs of mankind but unfortunately, the devil deceives us to use it for our selfish interest and to lose trust in God.
Man has the tendencies to change from good to bad and bad to good and so need not be trusted fully. Put your trust in God and do what is right and required when dealing with mankind.
I have been a victim of some of these things and I have learnt my lessons and the true purpose of God. God will not do for man what He has already given man the ability to do. He however gives wisdom and guidance when you asked of Him.
We will all be accountable for our actions and the courts are an avenue for accountability by God through men (righteous men).
Let us always preach and practice what is right and stop blaming God and religion. Religion is a way of life, and if it is right everything will be right, i.e Heaven on earth.
This church is a cult. Do your own research and learn not to label people so quickly.
If you search 192.com and type in “Heward-Mills” you will see several properties owned by the bishop and his wife and kids all over the south east of England. The number of which is unnecessary and makes you question the use of funds. This is properties only in the UK.
If you go onto the uk government website, and type in the different churches names (which he changed for tax purposes), you will see he has legally cut ties as founder of all churches. Also look at their financial reports and you will see he has underreported the income of many churches in Europe, the campaign AND his book sales by MILLIONS.
Its all there. Do the research, then talk.
This doesn’t surprise me at all. He needs to be held accountable. I believe he started well, then maybe through human desires, fell off track.
God is not mocked – look at the many many MANY unbiblical things and curses he spews out of the pulpit. One day it will be sure to catch up to him – whether its in this life or another.
God is indeed the final judge keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
I think you should check your facts well OK.
This is to Stephen Brobbey April 24, 2021 At 12:49 am
Interesting stuff and I’m surprised they didn’t talk about the freebies-Cars, Medical care, huge rebates on Children’s School fee, not working on Mondays
All you mentioned are basic needs which are provided by every good organization.
We are talking about none payment of a mandatory responsibility and you are talking about things to enhance your work.
May be your employers should stop paying your Ssnit and you will understand.
Grow up bro. Your comment is uncalled for???
My interest is on the Liverpool fans related to these pastors loyalty.
Hahaha……
Man must eat!!!!
Lord help us… The details in this articles are serious!
Details
So sad this is a story manasseh will be interested in. Pension pay is your trust? Lord help us.
Rebellious people!.. if not for lighthouse church,how many countries would you have travelled to without lighthouse? How many people have been of personal blessing to you that you didn’t state?… If not for lighthouse what would have been your own fate In the ministry? If you laboured for God ,did God call you to come out and be publishing your supposed I’ll experiences ?? You better go search your hearts and return to your first love…read through the scriptures and show me those who had their pensions paid…. If not for lighthouse how many years would you have struggled to build your own reputation as a Bishop for you to have the control you wielded…??? Come up with other articles…this is below the belt for me!.. you can say I am holding brief for lighthouse,I don’t care. Next time ,Pray to God very well before you step out into a fold and read all it takes to occupy an office in any such institutions and be well abreast with the facts before going….. I admit you were green horns… Now that you know better. Do the right thing!
Recieve sense in Jesus name.
Receive more sense in Jesus name
How the many properties in the name of the Archbishop and family in UK? So because these Bishops had opportunity to travel they should die as paupers? Where is your empathy? This is clear abuse of power and betrayal of people who trusted the church and laboured for it and now their being treated like common criminals without dignity. Imagine the trauma they are going through? Stop this cultists mindset, whether you like it or not they have the right to their trauma and they have exposed the abuses in the church.
This article paints such a gloomy picture about the church but this is not strange. Isn’t it interesting the passion with which this report was written and published? Granting the church has defaulted in paying SSNIT for some staff, it is a matter to be followed with such passion. Many companies don’t even pay at all and their names are duly published in the papers. Why don’t you write about them with such passion?
In any case, the critical questions the reporter should have asked them was whether they lived in their own houses or rented places. All these pastors live in their own houses. How did they acquire them? How about the many other benefits they derived from the church? They should investigate and report those as well.
Look at all of them and tell me which of them is poor . Remember they have not worked anywhere before.
As usual many people would join the condemnation bandwagon without even reasoning about the issue at stake. To have 111 bishops and over 6000 pastors and churches in 92 countries there is bound to be these issues. It does not necessary means the church or the presiding bishop is doing something wrong. Besides, all the complaints are about money. That says a lot about the complainants
Are you saying that companies that.extend such pecks to it’s staff refuses to pay their SSNIT contributions? Come on!!!
I know this story very well. There is no lie in it. I happened to sit under the ministry of Bishop Larry. He was a man who feared and still fear God . But Bishop Dag is not treating he shepherds well and he uses the stories of the Bible to slave them anytime issues of this nature crops up. This issues yes should have been addressed INDOORS. But ask if the Bishop have understood that this people have families and one they their lives will not become exemplary for lost souls to come to Christ. If my SNITT is not paid. Bishop Larry is now leaving in a rented apartment after opening churches across continents. No where to call home and you expect his to shut up? Good only wish him well that is why he removed the him from darkness. Bishop Dag is refusing to pay and insulting them that they are sinners. That is why this issues are out. It started indoors. If persuasion fails …..
I know this story very well. There is no lie in it. I happened to sit under the ministry of Bishop Larry. He was a man who feared and still fear God . But Bishop Dag is not treating his shepherds well and he uses the stories of the Bible to slave them anytime issues of this nature crops up. This issues yes should have been addressed INDOORS, But ask if the Bishop understands that this people have families and one they their lives will not become exemplary for lost souls to come to Christ If my SNITT is not paid thereby making living challenging . Bishop Larry is now leaving in a rented apartment (if my memory serves me right) after opening churches across continents. No where to call home since he didn’t work here and you expect him to shut up? God only wish him well that is why he removed the him from darkness. Bishop Dag is refusing to pay and insulting them that they are sinners. That is why this issues are out. It started indoors. If persuasion fails …..
Wow… and there is something known as betrayal trauma and I guess they will be going through this as well. Because they believed in the church and although they suffered for years they wanted to have good relationships at the same time but it did not work they just had to speak out. What people are ignoring is that although the church is a Non-profit it’s mostly built in the business model hence has to follow labour laws. The church wants to profit although is a nonprofit but doesn’t want to compensate it workers, this is exploitation. Good governance, fairness and equality must be practiced or else we will have psychopaths in the church.
Paakofi abam, just be reasonable….
Serving God is giving up your life. It is God that rewards not man. Peter, Paul and rest were not paid for their services to God. It was a sacrificial work. That’s why Jesus said if you can’t deny yourself in everything including sacrificing your life you can’t follow him it’s just simple as that.
( I’m not defending their SSNIT not being paid )
I’ve seen these resigned bishops talking bad about the church and the leader as cult and evil. My question is would they have recognized the church as cult and evil if their SSNIT were paid in full.
Please kindly find out from SSNIT the status of Bishop Dag Heward Mills’ contributions and those of other directors of the church.
Ask again ooo.. Almost all the bishops have thier own houses. Sometime, I wonder where they get the money’s from.. I know theirs salary are not so huge… Just like every institution, you work hard, more benefit.. Bishop Kakra and Co. Do they look hungry?.. If you have ever engaged a lighthouse Bishop Before Massa they are not hungry.. SNNIT no koraa 3y3 s3n.. More over the church teaches on better avenues to secure you future, than snnit.. In the church.. We are taught to build with what ever you have.. Dag always tells us to build matter the location. Look at where they built thier Bible school.. Cheap mountainous land bi at Mampong somewhere. As a bishop, you not even ashamed talking about snnit. Upon all what you learnt in this great ministry. The Bible school itself is a whole wisdom, self sustaining, them then ecg then Ghana water no get matter. That snnit can’t even secure your children’s fees that the church was paying for you. Dont look for expensive land.. Just build.. Amongs the light house Bishops, It a shame to rent for so long.. The churches you build alone go give you sense and experience.. As a church member, I was encouraged to get multiple streams of income.. Now I have 2branches for my business.. The chur h made me realize what a branch can add to your church growth or business growth. No wonder the church is growing.. I will encourage them to start thier own ministry under thier own grace.. It will work for them.. After all they have some fame through the dhm. The six of the can start a church and continue to win souls instead I stead of fighting for SNNIT that you can even die before chopping.. Dont be deceived when the world make you feel like it is not for churches to build. When the churches one day have zero account. There will be at least, a place to worship. The STRENGNH of a church is in it build.. Worshipers will always go(die) and comeWhen the pastor is called home by God, does the next generation of worshipers now start to think about building? I will prefer to die building for God than to be waiting on SNNIT. If you care to know. I will prefare to pay an unrefundable TITHE than an UNASSURE SOCIAL Security.The church should pay because it’s mandatory by our laws. But the SNNIT isn’t part for the abrahamic contract, leading straight to wealth creation. Only if you believe in the Bible. One single typing error can render your SNNIT completely useless. When it comes to issues like this. Christian don’t want to see scriptures. BUT SEEK THE KINGDOM OF GOD FIRST, AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED. If you are a Christian and you seek logic, the above scripture is foolishness to you(that means, you have the wisdom of this world, LIKE(WISDOM SNNIT). Even if the church doesn’t help when I am in need. I know I didn’t store up treasures where moth and rust can REACH…. IF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CHURCH WERE FOOLS, you wouldn’t have seen what you are seeing today.. This is not the first time Bs Dag have seen men leave. He wrote about it long before they started leaving. WORK FOR THE LORD!! ….
The strength of a church is in its build?
I never new men of God could Rob “their children” in this barbaric manner and still has the balls to justify instead of repenting as God demands. A big lesson to other young employees especially in the informal and non-governmental agencies.
The church is God institution being run by men. The issue is ssnit. If the law mandates LCI to pay..They would have paid. Best way we go to court and get the right interpretation. I advise Christians to stop attacking the church. But rather build it up.Talk about issues but just ignore the temptation to attack the church and men of God. No one forced any Bishop to join.. They joined willingly based on convictions. It is those same convictions that has made them pastors..
Follow God through someone’s ministry, through ur own ministry. But follow and serve God. Read the word for yourself. If you dont believe in LCI don’t go there.. But once it kis part of the Ecclesia.. my siblings just leave the church, attack issues and go.
The Church is one of the ‘rich’ Churches Africa and I believe they will do the right thing rather than let this drag to tarnish their image. All these Bishops who have physically and mentally labored for the Church for all these years are only asking for their PENSION Contributions and nothing else. LightHouse shouldn’t drag this at all. Pay their Pensions. Period!
The courts should be allowed to fish out the truth about this matter. Simple!
Just Sharing My Quiet Time for Today……
1 Corinthians 6:1-13 KJV
[1] … Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, a and not before the saints? [2] Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? [3] Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? [4] If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. [5] I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? [6] But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. [7] Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? [8] Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. [9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. [12] All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. [13] Meats m for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. …
SOME Corinthian Christians were trying to resolve their differences by taking each other to court. There was nothing unusual about Corinthians suing each other, but Paul said it was not acceptable behavior for Christians. Christians will one day “judge the world” and also “judge angels” (6:2-3), so Paul argued that they ought to be capable of settling conflicts among themselves without seeking a legal remedy imposed by unbelievers.
How strictly modern Christians should apply this principle to their business lives is a subject of earnest debate and genuine disagreement. But Christians should, at least, be willing to “accept the injustice and leave it at that,” and they should be willing to “let [them]selves be cheated” (6:7-8). Nobody likes to be treated unjustly or to be cheated. And rather than accept such treatment, the natural response is to take whatever action is available to avoid it. Paul’s point is that Christians respond to life’s injustices in ways that are not “normal.” They have been “set apart” for something different. Their model, of course, is Jesus, who suffered monumental injustice on a cross without complaining. And their empowerment comes from the Holy Spirit. Christians are not “just forgiven,” they’re definitely different!
Those who are criticizing the pastor’s are all Hippocrates. Do we want their family to suffer after they are dead, why would you work without paying ur snnit
Sorry for the cross posting. I thought I should take advantage of the conversation here to draw your attention to an ongoing research on digital literacy in Ghana. My name is Dr Richmond Ehwi and my colleague Dr Oti-Sarpong, both researchers at Cambridge University, UK have designed a 10 minutes survey to gather data. Please follow the link below the participate in this research. God richly bless you.
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You are an. If you are really an academic and a fraudster you will know that you can’t post a survey without permission from the publisher of the article. Yahoo boy!!
Hear an opinion of a pastor and a labor person.
I’m not on either side but its wrong and sad for a Church not to pay its staff contributions.
The other side is, most of these pastors and church workers are engaged without formal appointment letters. The problem is most of these people throw themselves in because they didn’t have a job and thought it was okay to join in as a church staff. Others too saw the whole offer to work for church as a sacrifice and didn’t really think of the future.
So this should be an eye opener to anyone who would decide to work for a church or any organization so they don’t come with same story in the future.
Despite the fact that Bishop Dag is the founder and leader, churches today operate as corporate institutions and they have policies, systems and structures well functioning.
So let us not direct our grievances on the Bishop else you end up accusing God’s servant wrongly. No government worker accuses the president about payroll issue, its accounts and controller general’s office u go to.
The church needs to take care of its pastors. Unfortunately the church grew too quickly and lacked the right financial and HR support to make the appropriate decisions. Whilst legally their position could be defended, unfortunately morally and ethically the church will suffer some damage to its reputation.
Never! God will keep His church. There is no perfect church anywhere. Because the people who make up the church are imperfect. Until we all church members become perfect, issues about the chirch will definitely keep cropping up. The way forward is correcting it without trying to damage the church. The CHURCH is for Christ Jesus and not Bishop Dag. We he goes home, the church will still be there. Christians must be smarter to know that we are not each other’s enemies, but the real enemy exists. As one family, we need to wisely solve problems amicably that allowing nonbelievers to make us a laughing stock. I bet you, if this issue can cause any damage, it won’t damage just the Lighthouse Chapel International but the church of Christ as a whole, as there are loop wholes in every church because it is a human institution. God help us!
The things that are done ” in the interest of the church” hmmmmmm
Are these people serious? How much SSNIT contribution did Jesus make for Judas, Peter, Thomas etc.? Do they think answering GOD’s call is carnal work? Did they go into service to prosper or to promote the gospel?
Are you seriously comparing their time to this time?
herh ashock give u waa this kind thinking is dangerous
DAG Heward Mills has read and mastered the 48 Laws of Power. He is a Genius. The foolish shepherds and flock are to blame for their predicaments. I don’t know why men with such degrees and promising futures would fall for such a “full time ministry” scam. They are now crying? All I can say to them is, “fa ma Onyame”
hahahahahahaha
I am confound.
One! Two! Three!
Can you make us see these documents you say you have seen. At least it will make the case valuable and affirm all that you claim.
Church members shoulg always listen to the still voice of God not to please Pastors and Bishops. The only one we need to please is JESUS
Hhmm…for the time being, I do not have any intentions of leaving the Methodist Church, because God through it has brought me thus far. However, though I have not fully discovered why my personal attachment to most Nigerian ministries, I must say Bishop Dag Heward-Mills & His wife, Lady Rev. Adelaide Heward-Mills’ ministry is one of the Ghanaian ministries God used to shape my Christian walk with him, so I’m saddened that we have to read this, especially, with a lot of instances, where these men of God stated that before things were not like that (though I could not read till the very end, will do so later). So what went wrong? / what caused the changes?
For now, I pray as all these are being looked at & addressed by the appropriate quarters, we, the rest of the body of Christ, mainly those of here in Ghana, will remember these former ministers of Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI), their families & LCI on a whole in prayers. This I believe is the best thing we have to do – please let us remember we are one body & definitely this will affect us all in one way or the other.
GOD BLESS US ALL & LET US KEEP GROWING IN THE FAITH – SHALOM????
Church is business, prayer doesn’t pay Bills. A clear facts from this 6 pastors. . Only the conscious mind will understand this.
Very soon all this will be gone. Religion and its foolishness.Ancestors help space X
We sympathize with these great men of God. They have been so hardworking and loyal servants of the LORD.
It seems something might have gone wrong in the Church. Frankly speaking, I witnessed how Bishop Dag took good care of one of his Pastors who was sent to a francophone country in 2005. Bishop Dag bought him the whole two-storey building and a brand new vehicle. Considering the evangelistic programmes and Christian social responsibilities that Bishop Dag is always carrying out worldwide, I personally see Bishop Dag to be a selfless pastor and philanthropist par excellence. I don’t see him to be one of the fake Pastors who are fond of pursuing personal aggrandizement to the detriment of the Church members.
Is it possible, he is no longer taking good care of his pastors? Whatever it is, let’s be tactful in our comments.
Thanks
May GOD bring peace between HIS ministers and correction to every mistake made in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Bishop Dag, please compensate them. Let them go and start afresh. Make peace with them. They and their families are also “souls” saved with the same blood of Jesus. Let’s be open minded. The good shepherd laid down his life for his sheep. He left the 99 and went after the missing 1.
We all go wrong sometimes and Leaders/founders do. We love your vision and mission. We love your passion for souls. But maybe it’s time to review the church polices.
No need for all this battle in the body of Christ. You never know where we will be located in heaven. Maybe your next door neighbor will be one of them.
See the comments this is receiving.
Aah Ama Ghana mma!
When our politicians are taking us for fools n piling our riches into their pockets, we r here discussing this “trivial” matter that does not concern us by far or by near.
Tweaaaa, no wonder our politicians r still squandering our ressources with any fear.
Massa, letz leave these issues to the clergies koraaa n think about Ghana.
How the poor will eat,
Where the sick will lay
Where the needy will sleep n I pass.
These so called bishops r not to be pitied wai. They r sleeping on gold. Ssnit retirement is peanuts for them thanks to gullible church members who will always feed them even with the little they hav.
Letz think.of Ghana n leave these bishops n arch bishops to themselves make them solve their beef.
We hav more important thgs to consider as a Nation.
Ma no 3si.
See the comments this is receiving.
Aah Ama Ghana mma!
When our politicians are taking us for fools n piling our riches into their pockets, we r here discussing this “trivial” matter that does not concern us by far or by near.
Tweaaaa, no wonder our politicians r still squandering our ressources with any fear.
Massa, letz leave these issues to the clergies koraaa n think about Ghana.
How the poor will eat,
Where the sick will lay
Where the needy will sleep n I pass.
These so called bishops r not to be pitied wai. They r sleeping on gold. Ssnit retirement is peanuts for them thanks to gullible church members who will always feed them even with the little they hav.
Letz think.of Ghana n leave these bishops n arch bishops to themselves make them solve their beef.
We hav more important thgs to consider as a Nation.
Ma no 3si.
There’s is nothing new under the sun, people getting offended over one issue and decided to destroy the works or the ministry of someone. If truly their aim is to help make things right,is it the way they would have gone about it? . But is clear that they just want to fight and destroy a good name….
This is a phenomenon in most mega churches in Ghana. Most people are engaged full time without engagement letters which is against the labour law. Again, SSNIT contributions are not paid for full time employees. The church should be responsible in meeting the social and contractual needs of the people who work for it as well as it demands people to meet their spiritual obligations by paying tithes. Give onto Caesar what is Caesar’s and onto God what belongs to God.
It is a wake up call for churches to obey the human laws in as much as they preach for obedience to the spiritual laws.
It’s sad that i’m now reading this story. Things are really happening.
Just terrible! Church should be a refuge for Christ-like Christian people. But unfortunately, we find that it often isn’t. It makes me think that too often, membership and not discipleship are what many church-goers find. Discipleship, transparency, confidentiality, and trust are the fundamental building blocks. Admonish is a dirty word often.
It’s not looking good to each other that builds a functional church. It instead is a dedicated preacher and a sincere, Bible reading, congregation that can build a safe and spiritually growing church.
See what I say about churches. It is the norm and not the exception that clouds the Christian message.
And it’s the exceptional church we need and that honors our Lord.
https://www.faithfulmen.us/2022/12/reflecting-sons-light.html
If love listening to his uplifting sermons check https://www.keionhenderson.com/ too. Keion Henderson founder, CEO, and Senior Pastor of The Lighthouse Church & Ministries has more than 20 years of experience being a lighthouse church pastor, he knows how to capture his audience’s attention and connect with them.