Though it was political reasons that caused the First World War its consequences were felt
not only in the political realm but in the religious also. The political intrigues and the
acrimony that culminated in the war generated intense enmity between Britain and her
allies on the one hand and Germany on the other. In the process the Basel Mission was
forced out of Ghana by the British on suspicion that the Mission, which had strong
German connection, had sympathies for Germany. It was this action taken by the British
that necessitated the recruitment of another missionary body to oversee the work that had
been done by the Basel Mission and the choice fell on the United Free Church of Scotland
which was represented in Ghana by what came to be known as the Scottish Mission.
The appearance of the United Free Church of Scotland on the religious scene of Ghana
therefore is a classic example of how international politics and war affected and shaped
world missionary outreach programme in the early 20th century.The United Free Church accepted the challenge in spite of extreme financial and logistical
problems face by the church at this time because it felt that the opportunity to come to
Ghana was created by Providence. From 1917 till 1950 when the church became fully
autonomous therefore the United Free Church and its subsidiary body the Scottish Mission
worked to preserve the gains of the Basel Mission and developed new structures and
institutions to extend the influence of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and to make it an
indigenous church. Though the Basel Mission was allowed to return to Ghana at the end
of 1925, it was the Scottish Mission that continued to set the agenda for the church.Unlike the work of the United Free Church of Scotland in Jamaica, Calabar or Malawi the
work in Ghana was not originally planned within the scope of its world evangelistic
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outreach. It was accidental and this had some influence on the Scottish Mission's
approach to their work in Ghana.This thesis examines the circumstances surrounding the coming of the United Free Church
of Scotland to Ghana in the Scottish Mission and more importantly the role it played in the
building and development of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana
