Mr Charles Ofosu Amparbeng, the Chief Personnel Officer of the Western Regional Coordinating Council, has said the church has inadvertently contributed to the moral decay the country was experiencing because of the 'gospel of prosperity" which some churches are preaching.
He said this at the 48th Annual Synod of the Sekondi Diocese of the Methodist Church, Ghana, at Essikadu near Sekondi on Thursday.
Speaking on behalf of the Western Regional Minister, he said some churches are offering success in business, marriages, education, trips abroad, comfortable and prosperous living and others at the expense of what Christianity was about.
"They have refused to touch on righteous living, love for the neighbour, honesty, humility, modesty and the very virtues that Christ stood for," he added.
Mr. Amparbeng said the church appears to be helpless in the face of increasing crime, indiscipline, self-centeredness and moral degeneration.
He said it is in the light of this that the church needs the Holy Spirit to assist it combat some of these negative trends.
He also emphasized the need for moderation in seeking wealth so that people do not get carried away acquiring property at the very expense of their souls.
Mr Amparbeng said with the power of the Holy Spirit behind them, Christians would be able surmount any problem.
He used the opportunity to appeal to the people to observe environmental sanitation since the sanitary labourers alone cannot solve the sanitation problem.
Rt. Reverend John Harvey-Ewusi, the Bishop of the diocese said Christians should lead lives worth emulating.
Reflecting on the theme for the occasion; "Oh Holy Spirit establish us in the lord to finish the task ahead," he said, the theme is in connection with his five year tenure in office.
Bishop Harvey-Ewusi said that, during his first year in office, he focused on bringing the gospel to the doorsteps of the unsaved.
He added that, the second year factored on "pressing forward to make disciples of all nations" and the third year "the empowerment by the Holy Spirit for Church and state development".
Bishop Harvey-Ewusi said the theme for the fourth year was "Oh Holy Spirit, establish in the Lord Jesus for the unfinished task." he added.
He said, this year's theme was chosen to look at what is left undone within the last five years and to complete all unfinished tasks before his term of office ends very soon.
Bishop Harvey-Ewusi said one of the challenges facing the Diocese was the failure of members to pay their contribution towards development projects of the Church.
He said members in leadership positions in the Church were among those who have defaulted in the payment of the contributions.