The church and social development: A study of the roman catholic archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

Many new churches have emerged, and new ones seem to be emerging daily in Ghana, as in many other countries in Africa, which do not  seem to know about making themselves relevant in terms of social development. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, has, since  its establishment in Ghana in 1880, continued to contribute to society among some other mainline churches such as the Presbyterian and  Methodist Church, alongside some older Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, such as the Church of Pentecost and International  Central Gospel Church. This paper assesses the Catholic Church‟s contribution to social development in the Archdiocese of Cape Coast,  2000 to 2014. Historical and phenomenological methods of research were adopted for the study. The main research instruments used for  data gathering were semi-structured interviews and questionnaire where direct interview were impossible. Interviews were conducted  with relevant personnel, such as the Archbishop, the Development Coordinator, the Regional Health Director, the Regional Manager for  Catholic Schools and the Religious who had information on what the Catholic Church has been doing in the Archdiocese. The paper  establishes that the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast has remained focused and committed to social development, as characteristic of  the Catholic Church since its arrival in Ghana. Inadequate funds and negative influence of Government policies were identified as the  challenges hindering the Catholic Church‟s contribution to social development in Cape Coast. It is hoped that the research gives a sense  of direction to new Churches in the area of social relevance.