Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante also known as J.O.Y. Mante (born 9 November 1957) is a

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 ...

ian

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

Presbyterian minister Presbyterian (or presbyteral) polity is a method of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") typified by the rule of assemblies of presbyters, or elders. Each local church is governed by a body of elected elders usually called the session or ...

who currently serves as the 18th Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), equivalent to the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the national church organisation. Prior to his appointment as moderator he served as the President of the

Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon The Trinity Theological Seminary is a Protestant seminary located on a 70-acre campus in Legon, Accra. As an ecumenical theological tertiary and ministerial training institution, it serves students in Ghana and the West African sub-region. The ...

for 7 years. In August 2018, Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante was elected the new Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), to succeed Cephas Narh Omenyo, the then incumbent, who had been ill for over a year and the General Assembly had to take a decision to declare the moderator seat vacant to allow new leadership.

Early life and education

J. O Y. Mante was born on 9 November 1957. He is a native of

Larteh Akuapem Of the populated places in the eastern region of Ghana, Larteh Akuapem is the capital of the Benkum Division of the Akuapem Traditional Council. It lies on the east of the ridge on the Akonnobepow. History The name Larteh was derived from the ...

in the Eastern Region of Ghana and

Kokofu Kokofu is a town in the Bekwai Municipal district, a district in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. History There are many variations on the origin of Kokofu. The following information is taken from Ghana Place Names. 1. "When Kobia Anguanfi came t ...

in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. He holds an Master of Arts degree in

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, a Master of Philosophy degree in

Philosophy of Religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...

and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topic ...

all from the Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California in USA.

Academia

Mante served as an Adjunct lecturer at the Department for the Study of Religions at

University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...

. He lectured at the

for more than 24 years, serving as the Academic Dean of the Seminary for 9 years before serving as the President of the Trinity Theological Seminary Legon for 7 years from September 2011 to 1 August 2018. in 2017, whilst serving as President of the seminary he questioned the removal of

Moral Education Character education is an umbrella term loosely used to describe the teaching of children and adults in a manner that will help them develop variously as moral, civic, good, mannered, behaved, non-bullying, healthy, critical, successful, traditiona ...

from the school curriculum and attributed the unruly behaviour of students on campuses to that decision. He has served on several boards and councils of higher education and ministry, including Chairman of the Governing Council of Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong (2006-2014), Chairman of the Governing Council of Presbyterian Women’s College of Education, Aburi (2008-2015) and a member of the Governing Council of the Presbyterian University College (2007-2013). Mante was a member of Ghana's National Accreditation Board and served on several of the board's committees including Accreditation Committee, Quality Assurance Committee, Institutional Visits Committee, Administration Committee, and Finance Committee. He chairs the Ethics in Research Committee of the University of Ghana, a position he has held since 2013. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, British Ethics Society, Society for the Study of Theology, and the editorial board of the Trinity Journal of Church and Society.

Ministry

Mante was ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana in 1981 and has since served the church in different capacities. He has served as resident minister in different places within PCG both in Ghana and outside Ghana, including Ramseyer Memorial Presbyterian Church, Adum, Kumasi, District Pastor in Obuasi, Claremount - California, Fontana - California, Trinity United Church Legon, Atomic Hills Congregation, Accra and the Faith Congregation at Shiashie in Accra. From 2006 to 2011, he also served as the Presbytery Chairperson, which is equivalent to a Bishop, in the Akuapem Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. Within that period he also served as a member of the Church’s General Assembly Council. He was the host of a religious TV talk show dubbed ''“In the Light”'' on GTV for 4 years.

Moderator of PCG

In August 2018, he was elected and declared as the new Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to succeed Cephas Narh Omenyo. After receiving 156 nominations as against Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor and Victor Okoe Abbey who had 28 and 19 nominations respectively, the two stepped down for a popular acclamation of a Yes or No vote, of which he received a total of 195 Yes and 13 No votes representing 93.75% of votes cast to be declared as the Moderator-elect. He was inducted into office as the 18th Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on 23 December 2018 at the Akropong Presbyterian Grace Congregation church in

Akropong–Akuapem Akropong is a town in South Ghana and is the capital of the Akuapim North District, a district in the Eastern Region of South Ghana. This town is known for producing snails and palm oil.

, Eastern Region. In 2019, he called for the restructuring of the university curriculum in Ghana to include entrepreneurship to help students to come up with their own initiatives after completing their degrees.

Personal life

Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante is married to Florence Mante, with whom he has three children and co-founded the Adom Foundation Ghana, a

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

(NGO) to help needy children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mante, Joseph Obiri Yeboah Living people 1957 births Ghanaian theologians Ghanaian Presbyterians Ghanaian clergy People from Eastern Region (Ghana) Claremont Graduate University alumni Academic staff of the University of Ghana Academic staff of Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon Akan people