Effects of Funeral Celebration on Church Activities: A Study of Selected Branches of The Church of Pentecost Among the Birifor Ethnic Group of Ghana

Abstract

The study assessed the effects of funeral celebrations on church activities with reference to The Church of Pentecost. Data was sourced through key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The study focused on the Birifor ethnic group in the Savanna Region of Ghana. The findings underscore the likelihood that people belonging to the Birifor ethnic group over rate funerals. For instance, they would put everything on hold if a family member, distant or nuclear, kicks the bucket. This tends to impact negatively on church activities; church attendance is always low during funerals. Members do not participate fully in church activities; they tend to have divided attention even at church. The following recommendations were made based on the findings of the study: there is the need for the church to piggy-back on funerals to engage in active evangelism. There is the need for the church to accept the culture of the people and tailor their programmes to suit it by adopting and contextualizing their funeral celebrations to eliminate inherent practices that contradict Christian values. In addition, the church might want to intensify education on cultural issues in such a way that members become aware of where they ought to stand as Christians.