Pastors who preach on public buses in Ghana now risk up to eight months in prison or a fine of $52, as authorities begin enforcing a new law banning the practice.
The regulation, passed by Parliament in May, prohibits preaching and hawking on public service vehicles while in motion, describing it as a nuisance and a threat to passenger safety and comfort.
Bus preaching has long been part of life in Ghana, a predominantly Christian nation. Pastors often board long-distance buses at terminals like Neoplan in Accra, standing by the driver or walking through the aisle for hours to preach, pray and solicit offerings.
One of them is 61-year-old Boateng Bismark James, a pastor at Gospel Light Church who has preached on buses leaving Neoplan since 2023. Before dawn, he and 13 other worshippers gather at the station to pray for travellers.
Speaking to the BBC in Twi before boarding a Kumasi-bound bus to avoid breaking the law, he said: “I preach on commercial vehicles because not everyone is able to go to church on Sunday. There are a lot of passengers who need our message of salvation to repent from their sins. We even heal the sick on some buses.”
Boateng said many bus preachers depend on the offerings for survival. He credited bus preaching for supporting his family.
“We are very worried, because most pastors here depend on preaching to take care of their families through the monetary gifts offered by passengers,” he said. “I have been able to take care of my children’s education. My last-born just completed university, and half of the financial support came from money I got from preaching.”
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He wants government to allow preachers to minister until buses leave Accra.
The ban has split public opinion. Some passengers say preaching on moving vehicles is noisy, intrusive and distracting to drivers.
“I don’t like it because they are a nuisance. Some of them spit saliva on you unconsciously, especially if you are seated not far from them, and they are a nuisance in terms of noise and saliva. I like my peace whenever I’m on public transport,” said passenger Chery Lokko.
A recent viral video showed a passenger angrily telling a pastor to get down from a minibus.
Others defend the practice as evangelism. Bernice Nartey, a passenger heading to Kumasi, said it can offer hope to stressed travelers if done with consent.
“The preaching sometimes helps people to repent. For instance, if someone is going through a stressful situation, the message of the pastor can give the person renewed hope,” she said.
Ghana first banned preaching on commercial buses in 2012, with a 30-day jail term, but the law was hardly enforced. The new law toughens the punishment.
The ban does not affect open-air preaching at lorry parks and markets with megaphones.
While the Christian Council of Ghana did not respond to BBC’s inquiry, Rev Enoch Paul Hayes of the International Central Gospel Church said the regulation does not violate religious freedom.
“There is social media as an alternative outlet, where the same message can reach thousands of people,” he said, urging pastors to obey the law.