Ghana Church Records

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Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Ghana, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Ghana, index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Africa at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Africa at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials at Findmypast - index & images ($)

Historical Background

The presence of Christian missionaries on the coast of Ghana has been dated to the arrival of the Portuguese in the fifteenth century. It was the Basel/Presbyterian and Wesleyan/Methodist missionaries, however, who, in the nineteenth century, laid the foundation for the Christian church in Ghana. Beginning their conversions in the coastal area and amongools as "nurseries of the church" in which an educated African class was trained.

Various Christian denominations are represented in Ghana, including Evangelical Presbyterian and Catholicism. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), in addition to chapels, has a temple in Accra, one of only three LDS temples on the African continent.

The unifying organization of Christians in the country is the Ghana Christian Council, founded in 1929. Representing the Methodist, Anglican, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Evangelical Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal Zionist, Christian Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, and Baptist churches, and the Society of Friends, the council serves as the link with the World Council of Churches and other ecumenical bodies. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, not a member of Christian Council, has a strong presence in Ghana.

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date the infant's name parents' names father's occupation

status of legitimacy occasionally, names of grandparents names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place the family's place of residence death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date the names of the bride and groom indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom their residences their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom parents' names (after 1800) the names of previous spouses and their death dates names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased the date and place of death or burial the deceased's age place of residence

cause of death the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower deceased's birth date and place parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Ghana.

b. Click on Places within Ghana and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

• Ghana Business Directory-Churches

Anglican (Episcopal) Church Records

Writing for Records

• Church Directory
• Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Ghana

Historical Background

The Church of the Province of West Africa is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 17 dioceses in eight countries of West Africa, specifically in Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Ghana is the country with most dioceses, now numbering 11. Missionary work began in Ghana in 1752. The Church of the Province of West Africa was established in 1951 by the bishops of five West African dioceses.

Baptist Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Ghana

Historical Background

The Ghana Baptist Convention has its origins in a Baptist mission of Nigerian Baptist Convention in 1927 in Kumasi. It is officially founded in 1963 as the Ghana Baptist Conference. In 1964, it became autonomous from the Nigerian Baptist Convention and take the name of Ghana Baptist Convention. In 2016, it has 1,761 churches and 300,000 members. In 2018, it opened a hospital in the Jomoro District, in Western Region (Ghana).

Catholic Church Records

Writing to a Local Parish

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory: Ghana

Historical Background

The Catholic Church in Ghana is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. There are three million Catholics in Ghana and the country is divided into 20 dioceses including four archdioceses and 1 Vicariate.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records

Online Records

Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background

Total Church Membership: 83,651. Congregations: 314. Members have been in Ghana since 1978. By 1981 seven branches were functioning in Ghana. In the 1990s, humanitarian efforts have focused on member self-reliance. A number of projects were undertaken through local initiative by members in districts and stakes (dioceses). Some 90 percent of LDS Church buildings in Ghana include some form of gardening activity. The first missionary training center in Africa, located in Tema, Ghana, was dedicated on 17 May 2002.

Eastern Orthodox Church Records

Dioceses and Archdiocese of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria and of All Africa

Ghana is included in the Archdiocese of Accra.

Jehovah's Witnesses Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Jehovah's Witnesses churches in Ghana

Lutheran Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Ghana
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana website

Mennonite Church Records

Historical Background

The effort to establish a Mennonite church in Ghana began in 1955 when Ghanaian George Thompson learned about Mennonites at a conference in Europe. A year later, he was baptized and commissioned to establish a Mennonite church. The Ghana Mennonite Church has grown to 28 congregations in five regions. Mennonite Mission Network partners with Good News Theological College and Seminary to train leaders of independent churches.​

Methodist Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Ghana
• Headquarters Contact Form

Historical Background

The Methodist Church Ghana is one of the largest and oldest mainline Protestant denominations in Ghana. It traces its roots back to the landing of the Rev. Joseph Dunwell on 1 January 1835 in Cape Coast, in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). In the mid 1800s many European missionaries traveled to new countries to spread religious influences. Gold Coast (now Ghana) was already known for its big reserves of gold and as a major port for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The Asante people ruled large portions of Gold Coast, and in 1824 British forces invaded and defeated many Asante forces. This shifted the Gold Coast towards British control, subjecting the current citizens to British influence. By 1835, many other European nations had taken an interest in the resources of the land. This brought many missionaries, including Protestants from the Netherlands and Catholics from Portugal and France. As part of this wave of missions, the Missionary Committee of the British Methodist Conference sent Rev. Joseph Rhodes Dunwell to be the first Methodist missionary in Gold Coast. His mission began in 1835 in the prominent fishing city of Cape Coast. After six months of mission work with local Christians, he succeeded in his evangelical missions and Methodist Church Gold Coast (Methodist Church Ghana after independence was gained in 1957) was founded. This influence spread throughout the country, and as a result the British claimed Gold Coast as a colony in 1867.

Pentecostal Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Pentecostal churches in Ghana
• Google Maps search results for Assembly of God churches in Ghana

Presbyterian Church Records

Writing for Records

• Contact information for head office
• Google Maps search results for Presbyterian churches in Ghana

Historical Background

The Presbyterian Church of Ghana is a mainline Protestant church in Ghana. The church was started by the Basel missionaries on 18 December 1828. The missionaries had been trained in Germany and Switzerland and arrived on the Gold Coast to spread Christianity. The work of the mission became stronger when Moravian missionaries from the West Indies arrived in the country in 1843. In 1848, the church set up a seminary, now named the Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong, for the training of church workers to help in the missionary work. The Ga and Twi languages were added as part of the doctrinal text used in the training of the seminarians. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Presbyterian church had its missions concentrated in the southeastern parts of the Gold Coast and the peri-urban Akan hinterland. By the mid-20th century, the church had expanded and founded churches among the Asante people who lived in the middle belt of Ghana as well as the northern territories by the 1940s. The Basel missionaries left the Gold Coast during the First World War in 1917. The work of the Presbyterian church was continued by missionaries from the Church of Scotland, the mother church of the worldwide orthodox or mainstream Presbyterian denomination. The official newspaper of the church is the Christian Messenger, established by the Basel Mission in 1883.

Seventh-day Adventist Church Records

Writing for Records

• SDA Directory
• Google Maps search results for Seventh-day Adventist churches in Ghana

Society of Friends (Quaker) Church Records

Writing for Records

• Google Maps search results for Society of Friends churches in Ghana