UPDATE: Columbus Ghanaian Church Dissociates Itself From Ohio Conference’s Statement On Pipim’s Disfellowship

Columbus Ghanaian Church Dissociates Itself From Ohio Conference’s
Statement On Pipim’s Disfellowship

In a recent press release dated 16th January 2021, from the Ohio conference of SDAs, it was said that Elder Samuel Pipim has been removed from Church membership. The Ohio conference continued to caution the general public NOT To even read or listen to pastor Pipim anymore.

However in another recent press release dated February 7, 2021 indicates that The Columbus Ghana Seventh Day Adventist Church has disassociated itself from the letter released by the Ohio Conference.

The Columbus Ghana SDA refuted all claims by the Ohio conference falsely accusing elder Pipim of rape and sexual offences and has said that the statement released in January 2021 by the Ohio conference is purely false and baseless.

Read the press release below:

“Columbus Ghanaian Church Dissociates Itself From Ohio Conference’s
Statement On Pipim’s Disfellowship &
Cautions Against Giving Credence To The Ohio Conference Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dateline – February 7, 2021
Columbus Ohio, United States | Columbus Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Columbus Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church (CGSDAC) has been made aware of a
January 18, 2021 press release by the Ohio Conference (OHC), under the caption “Seventh-day
Adventist Church Removes Samuel Koranteng-Pipim from Membership in Ohio.” After allowing
some 3 weeks for events to unfold, we feel the need to respond to some misleading information in
the press release, and to caution anyone giving credence to the contents of the widely publicized
Statement by the Ohio Conference.

1. The Ohio Conference Statement saying Dr. Pipim had been voted out of the Columbus
   Ghanaian SDA Church “for alleged sexual offenses” is false. (CGSDAC has no evidence of the
   claims of sexual violence such as rape and harassment against at least 10 women as outlined in
   their statement). The CGSDAC has not communicated to the Ohio Conference of such a decision,
   nor authorized the Conference to take that action on its behalf. In fact, CGSDAC never publicly
   publishes any of their church discipline proceedings let alone the reasons for doing so.
2. While CGSDAC does not tolerate inappropriate behaviors of its church members, erring members
   are disciplined and redeemed as outlined in the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual and in
   biblical principles. Reflecting on the Ohio Conference press release, and particularly their reason
   for their actions, we are shocked and saddened.
3. We caution the general public on disseminating and relying on the January 18, 2021 Ohio
   Conference press release statement on the grounds that: The basis of the Ohio Conference
   Statement is questionable. The argument is flawed, and without precedence, which is alarming.
   The contents of the press release are factually defective and misleading. The potential damages
   ramifications, and/or consequences of the Statement are incalculable.
4. The news release by the Ohio Conference poses many disturbing concerns and questions of
   reasonable doubt in the minds of our church members and non-members. We wish the Columbus
   Ghanaian Church had been spared the humiliation of being asked about the spiritual maturity or
   integrity of the Ohio Conference press release, and the task of saving lost sinners.
5. The Ohio Conference’s widely-circulated news release contains some misleading information,
   if not outright untruths. Wittingly or unwittingly, the press release presents some factual
   inaccuracies and/or misrepresentations of some facts as we know them. For example:
   • Old accusations are recycled as new to give impressions that are completely false.
   • Equally false is the claim that the Ohio Conference executive leadership “offered counsel
   to the local [Ghanaian] church.” The OHC leadership did not even meet with the church nor
   counsel the church.
   • There were two instances (August 8th and October 28th 2020) where the Conference
   executive leadership inappropriately, without formal invitation showed up in the meeting
   with our church board of elders to force the church to do the bidding of the Conference, i.e.
   remove Pipim from membership.
   • The last interaction of the Conference with the Church was through a letter dated December
   12, 2020, threatening “to recommend to the constituency the expulsion of the Columbus
   Ghanaian SDA Church from the sisterhood of churches of the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day
   Adventists.”
   • At no time has the Church been allowed to see any of the accusations; Contrary to the claim
   “the [Columbus] church and Ohio Conference reexamined the entire case.”
6. Besides falsehoods or a lack of knowledge of the facts, the basis of the Ohio Conference
   Statement warning is a series of “allegations” or “accusations.” (Their document contains at least
   some 10 instances of the use of these words and their variants.)
   • On what basis did the Conference feel that it could publicize as fact allegations peddled by
   unknown individuals?
   • Was Dr. Pipim ever contacted on the allegations of 10 women?
   • Are the 2020 allegations really “new,” or they are the same decade old allegations recycled
   as new?
   • If the Conference knew about 10 women why did they withhold that information from the
   church?
   • When the leaders of the Ohio Conference met the elders, they said they wanted to protect
   Dr. Pipim’s privacy and the women involved. Following on from this, why did they later
   publish it in a way that went viral?

In short, what due diligence did Ohio Conference leadership do in verifying any information
or allegations given to them?

1. The hasty judgement of the Ohio Conference leadership in basing their widely publicized
   Statement on unverified accusations, has legitimized or encouraged hearsay, gossip, and
   talebearing among undiscerning readers (both members and non-members) – as borne out by
   many comments on social media and other outlets.
   • Believing that Church Administrators are incapable of being misled or misleading others, many
   undiscerning readers and news outlets have uncritically accepted as gospel the Conference
   Statement issued on its letterhead.
   • Should leaders succumb to the pressures of its overzealous, sometimes misguided and mean￾spirited members – whether or not those individuals are well-meaning?
   • How should we deal with gossip, rumor-mongering, and tale-bearing? What steps should
   church leaders (and members) follow to avoid encouraging evil-surmising, heartless treatment
   of the erring, and critical, fault-finding attitude and behaviors?
2. We are sad because it appears to us that the press release by the Ohio Conference is a calculated￾attempt to use the Conference Administrators’ disagreement with the CGSDAC on a matter of
   local church discipline as the PRETEXT for the Conference leadership TO PURSUE AN AGENDA –
   namely,
   •the Agenda of the Conference Administrators who have put themselves on record before us
   that they are pursuing an agenda (Aug 28, October 28, and December 12 letter)
   •the Agenda of certain individuals whom the Conference President claims had been pressuring
   them to do so (the Ohio Conference President specifically mentioned the name of one of
   them, an avowed personal adversary of Dr. Pipim during the past decade)
   •the Agenda of folks who are pursuing certain theological views that differ from Dr. Pipim’s
   (evidenced by their activities on social media).
   That ONE AGENDA shared by the above entities is to see Dr. Pipim severed completely from having
   any connection whatsoever with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is expressed very clearly
   in the very last sentence of their statement:
   “… After new accusations arose, the church and Ohio Conference reexamined the entire
   case. The church then acted under a unanimous recommendation of the Board to remove
   Pipim’s membership. As such, he no longer holds any connection with, or endorsement of
   any entity within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”
3. We are troubled by what discerning readers of the news release can easily see as THE REAL
   INTENT of the Ohio Conference leadership and the people whose agenda they’re pursuing. The
   agenda is captured in this telling warning:
   “The Ohio Conference unequivocally warns the public against inviting Pipim as a speaker,
   using his books or materials, or placing him in a position of spiritual authority, leadership,
   or influence over others.”
   What is the basis for the Conference to “unequivocally warn the public” not to read Dr. Pipim’s
   books and materials? What do they find disturbing about his published works that they don’t
   want anyone to read them? Do the Conference Administrators who issued the press release fully
   understand the biblical and legal implications of their sweeping and unqualified warning?
4. Because the action of the Ohio Conference sets a dangerous precedence for the authority,
   life, and mission of any local Seventh-day Adventist congregation, the Columbus Ghanaian SDA
   Church feels the need to completely dissociate itself from the Ohio Conference’s January 18,
   2021 news release and to send a formal letter of disagreement to the Ohio Conference and its
   parent organization (the Columbia Union).
5. Meanwhile the Columbus Ghanaian SDA Church wants to assure everyone that, in our opinion,
   the actions of the Ohio Conference in their news release does not represent the best in the
   Seventh-day Adventist church on how to treat its erring members. We shall continue to make the
   Church A WELCOMING HOME for REDEEMING the erring ones.
   We pray that the Seventh-day Adventist Church will be redemptive in Church discipline and seek
   the offender so as to restore the individual spiritually instead of rushing to publish articles on
   offenders
6. The Ohio Conference and our Columbus Ghanaian SDA Church have worked well together in
   the past and we will continue with our mission of spreading the gospel.