The ''Christian Messenger'' is an English-language monthly publication and the official newspaper of the
Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
It is the oldest continuously operating faith-based news journal in
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, and one of the oldest newspapers in the country.
It was set up on the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
in 1883 by the
Basel Evangelical Missionary Society
The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), foun ...
.
The first issue was published in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
on 1 March 1883 under the editorship of the German missionary and philologist,
Johann Gottlieb Christaller who had then retired from the mission.
History
Christaller noted that many German Basel missionaries were not proficient in the English language and urged prospective writers to make use of English scholars for further review and proofreading before final submission to him, the editor, as he was not a native English speaker.
A few months before, in a letter to the editor from Christiansborg dated 13 October 1882, the first Basel missionary-trader Hermann Ludwig Rottman inferred that "t''he primary aim of the journal was to encourage people who were not proficient in English to write in Twi or Ga''"
A similar news publication, t''he Christian Messenger and Examiner'' had earlier been founded in 1859 by Wesleyan missionaries,
Thomas Birch Freeman and Henry Wharton as a medium to translate foreign literature and classical works into native African languages.
Originally, the medium of publication was English, Ga and Twi.
The newspaper temporarily changed its name to the "Christian Reporter" and published solely in Twi while the "Christian Messenger" was printed in Ga.
Subscription climbed to a readership of 600 but sharply decreased over time. After Christaller's death in 1895, the printing of the newspaper ceased. Production started again in 1905 at then newly established Basel Mission Printing Office in Akropong.
The newspaper has opinion pieces, news bulletins, advertisements,
banns of marriage
The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" (from a Middle English word meaning "proclamation", rooted in Frankish and thence in Old French), are the public announcement in a Christian parish church, or in the town cou ...
and
obituaries
An obituary (obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Acc ...
and funeral announcements of notable individuals associated with the
Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
The newspaper also publishes feature articles on topical issues like ''Fruit of the Spirit'', etc. and publishes authoritative information on the various groups in the Church such as the Women's Fellowship, the Young People's Guild (YPG) and the Young Adult Fellowship (YAF).
The administration of the church appoints an
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
for a tenure of about four years.
General oversight and management of the newspaper is carried out by an
Editorial Board
The editorial board is a group of experts, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.
Mass media
At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the editorial page editor, a ...
.
The
Basel Mission
The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), found ...
aries originally established the newspaper as a way “''to inform, educate, evangelize and entertain its readers... to the north, east, west and south''” corners of the Church.
The
Basel Mission
The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), found ...
under the United Trading Company (UTC) aimed to win over converts to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
through its readership, in addition to provision of Christian activities, general news, entertainment, travel journals as well as relevant political events and on the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
.
This was in line with the original aim of the newspaper which was ''"to encourage African scholars to write in Twi and Ga."''
The newspaper also informs readers about the developments within the church, its structure and hierarchy, Presbyterian terminologies as well as the work of the Presbyteries, Districts, Congregations.
Today, the newspaper also covers socioeconomic issues, political trends, military history and contemporary changes in global society.
Notable editors
*
Johann Gottlieb Christaller, Basel missionary, translator, linguist and philologist – Editor, 1883 – 1895
*
Carl Henry Clerk
Carl Henry Clerk (4 January 1895 – 28 May 1982) was a Ghanaian agricultural educationist, administrator, journalist, editor and church minister who was elected the fourth Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast, assuming t ...
, Gold Coast educator, administrator, journalist, editor and Presbyterian minister – Editor, 1960 – 1963
*
Gottlieb Ababio Adom, Gold Coast educator, journalist, editor and Presbyterian minister – Editor, 1966 – 1970
References
{{reflist, 2
*
Newspapers published in Ghana
English-language newspapers published in Africa
Presbyterian newspapers and magazines