Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana

In 1847 missionaries of the North German Mission Society (Bremen Mission), closely cooperating with the Basel Mission, started work among the Ewe people in the east of present-day Ghana. After a  period of rapid growth, at the outbreak of World War I, the church had two stations in the British Gold Coast Colony and seven in the German territory of Togoland. After the war German Togoland was divided into two mandated territories of the League of Nations, the western part under the British (The Gold Coast, now Ghana) and the eastern part under French rule (now Togo). In May 1922 the first synod of the mission at Kpalime declared itself the supreme governing body of the Ewe Church and elected the first moderator. The Congregational order of the North German Mission became the church order. In 1923 Scottish missionaries began to work in British Togo and in 1929 the Paris Mission took over in French Togo. For practical reasons, separate synods had to be set up in the two territories which led to separate development. To this day however, the two churches share the same constitution and hold a joint synod meeting every three years. In 1926 the name Ewe Hame (Ewe Church) was changed to Ewe Presbyterian Church. In 1954 the Ghana part of the church adopted the name Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church as a result of the expansion of the church beyond Eweland. The church is strongest in the Volta region of Ghana but has congregations all over the country.

The life and witness of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church are defined by its vision: Renewal & Transformation and its mission statement: Bringing light where there is darkness. As part of its evangelism programme the church undertakes completion of church building projects started by congregations in deprived areas.

The EPC runs 196 nursery and 341 primary schools, 89 junior secondary and five senior secondary schools and two teacher training colleges. It is actively involved in quality health delivery services at strategic places in the country, with two hospitals and seven clinics as well as a very effective mobile clinic. An agricultural extension programme gives technical guidance to farmers and small self-help projects aim at empowering the marginalized through revolving loans. The Family Life Education programme seeks to enhance marriage and family life and addresses the ugly problem of violence against women and children. Through the Good Samaritan vocational training is provided for teenage mothers and school dropouts and street children who are able and willing to pursue formal education are motivated and helped financially. A Spiritual Resource Centre open to the general public is under construction. It serves already as a sacred and peaceful space for spiritual guidance and faith development and will offer retreats, Bible studies, opportunities for meditation, prayer, fasting, etc. A National Counselling Centre is meant to be a place for specialized care and cure of souls, helping people facing stress, trauma and crisis. The church is planning to build an Evangelical Presbyterian university with special emphasis on agriculture, business management, theological studies and graduate studies.