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Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and a former secretary to the Christian Council of Ghana, has said that the chieftaincy institution in Ghana is more of a leadership institution than a religion.
He said this at a New Year’s school hosted by the West Brong Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on February 24, 2026, at the Emmanuel Congregation in Berekum. He contended that chieftaincy, unlike Christianity, Islam, traditional religion, or Hinduism, cannot be classified as a religion in any form and so should be recognized as a distinct institution from traditional customs.
He criticizes the church’s denial and rejection of established powers. The Presbyterian Church’s refusal to accept traditional powers, full membership, admittance to Holy Communion, leadership roles, and burial creates a schism between the church and the chieftaincy institution. He then added that chiefs may receive more spiritual vigor from the church than from committed deities.
Rev. Opuni Frimpong was of the view that converted chiefs deserve pastoral care and discipleship and could be used as instruments to convert unbelieving chiefs who worship some lesser deities. As a result, he urged the church and traditional authorities to deepen their connection in order to collaborate effectively, provide pastoral care, and intentionally disciple people.
He concluded that the dynamics of chieftaincies in the seventeenth and twenty-first centuries are never the same. In the 17th century, chieftaincy was viewed as a leadership and military organization to combat “Enemies of society”, but in the twenty-first century, it is more about leadership and community development. He argued that it was therefore incorrect to examine and judge a 21st-century institution using 17th-century practices.
P.R. & Media Unit
West Brong Presbytery
