Leadership and Morality in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13: Lessons for Contemporary Ghanaian Church Polity

Abstract

     Paul’s response to the issue of sexual immorality in the Corinthian community has attracted the attention of several biblical scholars. While some think that the judgment of Paul on the incestuous man in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 concerns the identity of the Christian community and moral responsibility, others argue that the focus is on the church’s response to immorality. The present study, on the other hand, through a literary critical analysis of the text, with close attention to its semantics and allusions, and an assessment of the material in the light of its social and historical background, establishes that the absence of a ‘functional leadership’ in the Corinthian Church in the absence of its founder, Paul, to provide an authoritative guide to members exacerbated their moral decadence. The paper concludes that contemporary Ghanaian church polity can learn participatory and shared leadership, which will foster group cohesion, promote the unity of purpose, and heal discord within Church communities.