Bishop Dag Heward-Mills is the founder of the Lighthouse Chapel International
• Lighthouse Chapel has mounted its defense in the case brought against it by six former pastors
• The former pastors made accusations against the church over non-payment of SSNIT contributions
• The church argues that it is independent of other LCI churches across the world
Lawyers for the Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI) Ghana have begun their defense in the case brought forward by six former pastors who sued the church for non-payment of SSNIT contributions, reports graphic.com.gh.
On April 19 this year, the six pastors dragged the church to the Labour Division of the Accra High Court seeking it to order the church to pay their “unpaid SSNIT contributions.”
The six are Bishop Larry Odonkor, Bishop Oko Mensah, Rev. Edward Laryea, Pastor Seth Duncan, Pastor Edem Amankwah, and Pastor Faith Makafui Fiakojo.
In its defense, the church, now known as the United Denominations Originating from the Lighthouse Group of Churches (UD-OLGC), maintained that it operates an extensive lay system that allows individuals to serve as volunteers while maintaining their secular engagements.
Also, it has averred that there were thousands of pastors of the church who had operated for years in such capacities as volunteers.
It has also argued that the Ghana church is a legally, financially, administratively and governmentally independent organization from all the other LCI churches domiciled in other parts of the world.
However, the church has stated that the only similarity it has with all those other churches is their spiritual relationship, adding that any pastor sent outside this jurisdiction does not fall under the employment of the Ghana arm of the church, the report added.
Among the other claims the former pastors are asking of the court are an order to compute and pay balance of salaries due them, a compensation for what they say are the investments they made in schools and churches, as well as refunds of monies they used in the rental of cars while serving in the church, among others.
