Accra, Sept. 15, GNA - Church leaders and Christians must subject themselves to more rigorous standards in order to exemplify Jesus Christ in their conduct, words and actions, Mr. James Agyenim-Boateng, Deputy Information Minister, said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a day's seminar in Accra on Personal Branding and Christian Leadership Relationship for church leaders, he said while knowing that their calling was important in serving God, "having the heart of a servant is even more important". He reminded them that God had called them for service and not for self-centredness and self-enrichment, saying "without a servant's heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for personal enrichment". Some of the topics to be treated include: "How a Pastor Should Relate to the Congregation and Public, the Media and the State". Mr. Agyenin-Boateng bemoaned the acrimony among men of God and their followers, use of foul language, emphasis on prophecy other than salvation and parading of charlatans in recent times.

He said the Mills-led government was committed to creating an enabling environment for freedom of worship and opportunity for the Church leaders to invest in people so as to create prosperity for all. The Deputy Minister said all hands must be on deck to make the vision of strategically branding "our faith as a viable force which would have the credibility and commitment to influence policies to the benefit of the Ghanaian society and play an integral role in the development of the Better Ghana agenda a reality. Mr. Agyenim-Boateng said: "All of us together-in and out of the country - must bear the burden. The solutions we seek to our problems must be equitable with no one group singled out to pay a higher price. "A nation can be indestructible because it is built not on fear, envy and suspicion nor won at the expense of others, but founded on the pillars of hope, trust, friendship, advocacy, volunteerism, faith and selflessness." Mr. Dave Sampson, Operations Office of the Ark Recruit Centre, organizers of the seminar, said it was to help church leaders to deal with the reputation and challenges facing Christendom in recent times. He said this notwithstanding, the church still continued to play active roles in health, agriculture, commerce, social welfare, education and peace talks besides its evangelism and spiritual development services.

The Reverend Dr. Joseph Edusa-Eyison, a lecturer at the Trinity Theological Seminary, who chaired the function, said the church leaders had to live up to expectation and also have a cordial relationship with their congregation, the state and the media. He called on the church to stand the test of time and help the nation to develop and not shy away from its responsibility.