Healing ministry and ethical issues amongst Pentecostal ministries in Ghana

African Journal of Pentecostal Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Healing ministry and ethical issues amongst Pentecostal ministries in Ghana
 
Creator Agyinasare, Charles
 
Subject Pentecostal Studies; Christian Ethics; Practical Theology; African Christianity; Religious Leadership; Missiology; Pastoral Studies Pentecostalism; consequentialism; charismatic authority; healing ministry; ethical accountability; Ghana
Description Background: Healing ministries constitute a central feature of Ghanaian Pentecostalism, functioning not only as expressions of charismatic spirituality but also as informal systems of spiritual and psychosocial care within a media-driven religious environment. However, their rapid expansion has generated increasing ethical scrutiny concerning pastoral authority, accountability and ministerial conduct.Objectives: This study examines the ethical dimensions of healing ministries in Ghanaian Pentecostal contexts, focusing particularly on the tension between charismatic healing practices and moral accountability.Method: Using consequentialism as a normative ethical framework, the article employs contextual theological analysis to evaluate healing practices within Ghana’s contemporary Pentecostal landscape, paying attention to leadership dynamics, media influence and cultural expectations for visible miracles.Results: The analysis demonstrates that Pentecostal healing ministries provide holistic spiritual and psychosocial support and reinforce pastoral authority. However, they also generate ethical tensions, particularly regarding leader self-promotion, financial exploitation, emotional manipulation and certain deliverance practices. These challenges are exacerbated by strong cultural expectations for demonstrable miracles and weak institutional accountability structures.Conclusion: The credibility and theological integrity of healing ministries depend upon the integration of ethical safeguards that prioritise transparency, accountability and servant leadership.Contribution: By situating the discussion within the Ghanaian Pentecostal context, this study contributes to contemporary debates on Pentecostal ethics, charismatic authority and responsible pastoral practice in African Christianity.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor None
Date 2026-03-31
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Qualitative research; Ethical analysis; Theological analysis; Conceptual study
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ajops.v3i1.115
 
Source African Journal of Pentecostal Studies; Vol 3, No 1 (2026); 9 pages 3005-6136 3105-434X
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://ajops.org/index.php/ajops/article/view/115/381 https://ajops.org/index.php/ajops/article/view/115/385 https://ajops.org/index.php/ajops/article/view/115/386 https://ajops.org/index.php/ajops/article/view/115/387
 
Coverage Ghana; West Africa; Africa Contemporary Pentecostalism; 21st Century; Modern Ghanaian Christianity Pentecostal Leaders; Healing Ministers; Church Members; Ghanaian Congregations
Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Charles Agyinasare https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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