Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Ghana, Kwamina Asomaning, has called on the church in Ghana to exhibit true leadership that influences social change even as the country goes through a period of crisis at all levels. He said this in his keynote address at the 77th Graduation and 80th Anniversary of the Trinity Theological Seminary at Legon.
According to the Stanbic Bank Chief Executive, the country is at a stage where true leadership with character and integrity is required at all levels in society. He said: “We are at the crossroads as a nation; a time when the body of Christ is facing leadership and credibility crises. This is a time that demands true leadership with character and integrity and each one of us here bears the responsibility of helping to correct this situation.
It is very easy to find people questioning the motives of individuals who identify as Christians – national leaders, politicians, pastors, academia, private sector heads and might I add, bankers like myself, because of what they see us do. We are seen as saying one thing on pulpits, lecterns or in churches and doing the exact opposite in other spheres of life. The church has the power of influence to turn this around.”
Kwamina Asomaning also noted that the percentage of Christians in the country must mean something more beyond just the numbers. According to him, “As Christians, we often rejoice when the statistics are read to us that Ghana is 70 percent Christian.
But must our impact only be numerical? The very moment one refers to the fact that Ghana is a Christian majority nation, you are asked: “what is the quality of those Christians?” Given our Christian population of 70percent, a failure of leadership in the church, inevitably means a failure of leadership in our society. The people out there are counting on us to lead the drive towards social change. Let’s not disappoint them.”
Mr. Asomaning charged the graduates to emulate the leadership qualities of Jesus Christ as they begin their leadership journey. He mentioned that “The need to show leadership and direction has never been more critical than now and that brings me to the charge I want us all to work tirelessly to keep. As followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as graduands of a theological seminary, you would agree with me that I am speaking the obvious when I reiterate that we have been called to emulate Christ; and His life presents us with the best template for leadership.”
Kwamina Asomaning also shared with the graduates four attributes that leaders have at their core. They were the attributes of vision, which is expressed in the leader’s convictions, commitment and consistency, strategy, which is a viable plan to be executed, persistence, which requires a leader to have the tenacity to take bold steps and the attribute of empathy, which requires a leader to demonstrate care for his/her people.
The Trinity Theological Seminary was founded in 1942 in Kumasi. It is the premier and leading ecumenical theological tertiary institution in Ghana and the West Africa sub-region. The Seminary offers Christian theological education and training, teaching in biblical studies, mission and history, counselling, preaching and other practice-oriented ministry programmes in an enabling environment to resource pastors and Christian leaders for holistic ministry.
