Rev. Elvis Kwadwo Sarpong, District Pastor of the Old Tafo Assemblies of God, has cautioned politicians not to relegate the church to the background, but consult the religious leaders regarding national policies and developmental agenda of the country.

"We are part of development, but cannot declare our support for a political party when it comes to party politics. We were contributing to the development of this country before party politics came into existence. Even in military regimes, our presence has been felt through physical infrastructure like hospitals/clinics, education, and capacity building through education, and mental training," the man of God maintained.

Rev. Sarpong, who was speaking to The Chronicle shortly after his re-election to serve as the District Pastor for Old Tafo Assemblies of God Church for the next two years, said no politician or minister should take religious bodies for granted, because it would be chaotic if the church should withdraw from the national development agenda.

He said the fact that a few pastors and church leaders were not doing the right thing did not mean the church had nothing to offer to the national development agenda.

The Rev. Minister suggested that the government and opinion leaders refrain from linking church leaders to political parties when it comes to consensus building on national issues.

He also called on the churches in Ghana to confront the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, abuse of the environment and injustice in all forms.

He said they should also tackle issues of superstition, ethnicity and the gospel of prosperity mentality, adding that there was the need for training in self-discipline, recollection and discernment, which are the voices of God.