{"id":6791,"date":"2026-03-30T11:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T11:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/?p=6791"},"modified":"2026-03-30T11:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T11:52:35","slug":"apostolic-church-ghana-bans-kissing-at-the-altar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/apostolic-church-ghana-bans-kissing-at-the-altar\/","title":{"rendered":"Apostolic Church-Ghana Bans Kissing at the Altar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Apostolic Church-Ghana has banned the tradition of kissing the bride at the altar during wedding ceremonies. The decision was approved by the Council of Apostles and Prophets at the Church’s 6th General Council Meeting held on March 28, 2026, at the TAC Conference Centre in Fafraha, Accra. President Ami-Narh explained that the move aims to curb inappropriate practices at weddings that do not reflect Ghanaian cultural or spiritual values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an official statement, the Council said: “The Council of Apostles and Prophets has decided to expunge the ‘you may kiss the bride’ aspect from our wedding ceremonies owing to its inappropriateness within our cultural setting.”<\/em> The announcement has sparked conversations across Ghana with some people supporting the decision and others thinking it is unnecessary. For supporters, the ban makes sense. Kissing at the altar is a Western tradition imported into Ghanaian churches but it does not reflect how Ghanaians traditionally approached marriage. In traditional Ghanaian culture, public displays of affection between couples are not common. Marriage ceremonies were solemn, family-centered events. The focus was on the union of two families. Romance was private, respect was public. The “you may kiss the bride” moment is designed for applause and photos. It fits perfectly into Western weddings, where individual romance is the centerpiece. But in Ghanaian cultural contexts, it can feel out of place. President Ami-Narh’s reference to “inappropriate practices” suggests the church has seen weddings where the kiss became more than a quick peck. Long, passionate kisses at the altar, couples getting carried away. Moments that cross the line from celebration to spectacle. For a church trying to maintain decorum and spiritual reverence, those moments can be problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To some, the ban is an overreaction. They claim a kiss at the altar is harmless. If some couples take it too far, counsel them, do not ban it entirely. They also point out that Ghanaian weddings today already blend traditional and modern elements. The white wedding dress, the church ceremony, the DJ. None of these are “traditional” in the strictest sense. So why single out the kiss? The Apostolic Church is not the first religious institution in Ghana to make such a decision. Other churches have quietly discouraged or banned certain Western wedding practices. Some have banned elaborate entrances, others have restricted reception lengths or music types. The goal is usually the same: to keep weddings focused on spiritual significance. Many African churches are re-examining practices adopted from Western Christianity. This is about asking: does this practice really serve us? For the Apostolic Church-Ghana, the answer is no. The kiss at the altar does not serve their vision and so they removed it. For couples planning to get married in the Apostolic Church, the message is that there will be no kissing at the altar. The ban takes effect immediately. No more “you may kiss the bride.” Just vows, rings, and prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow Gistme.net for updates on religious developments in Ghana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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President Ami-Narh explained the decision aims to curb inappropriate practices that do not reflect Ghanaian cultural or spiritual values, with the Council stating the practice is inappropriate “within our cultural setting.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-latest"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6791"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6794,"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6791\/revisions\/6794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gistme.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}