Rev. Ncham Godwill; New CBC General Secretary: A Young Upscale Church Leader

Ncham Godwill Chiatoh was catapulted unto national screen some few months ago after the elective General Session of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, CBC that took place in Ndu, recently. Before this day, Ncham had been doing his work quietly as Youth Director. Ncham Godwill Chiatoh, before the General Assembly never seemed to be one of the favourites for the race of General Secretary of the CBC given his relatively youthful age. When the race for the replacement of Rev. Donald Ndichafah started, nobody ever thought the 42-year old and unassuming man of God could be any match. At the end of the vote counting, Ncham Godwill emerged as the dark horse to pick the coveted top job of the church.

This young man, endowed with leadership qualities and interpersonal communication skills has been in God’s vineyard for just over 15 years after graduating from the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary, CBTS Ndu with a Bachelor’s degree.

In his twenties, his thirst for God led him to contemplate leaderships in church as a pastor with the mandate of winning souls for Christ. As a young man, Ncham Godwill had to follow God’s will for him - that of becoming God’s worker. His close aides reveal that he decided to work in God’s vineyard at an earlier age after studying the lives and works of a number of God’s great men of previous generations. This enabled him to grasp the fact that every one of them had an intimate knowledge of Christ that was beyond his own experience. He discovered that all these men, however different their characters and their work, had two secrets in common: they all began the day in solitude with God in prayer; and they all read the whole Bible right through each year. Ncham Godwill has since imbibed these two cardinal principles and qualities and this accounts for his leadership skills in the church.

As a young upscale church leader and pastor, he undertook to read the Bible in depth every year, and to achieve this, he allotted enough time for prayers knowing just too well that it is not by might or power but by the will of God, being a Godwill in the first place. This has become his fundamental principle of life. The revelation of God’s face has become a whole mission and vision to this young, upscale pastor of the Cameroon Baptist Convention who believes Christ remains his rock, his refuge and his stronghold. As a young man who has given his whole time to Christ’s service, Ncham Godwill Chiatoh who was so active in church activities during his formative years in Government Secondary School, GSS Fundong started to live an exemplary life so other could emulate. This, he did in total dependence on God. Born of a very humble background, Ncham Godwill sometimes often depended on God even for his daily bread - a simple faith that God has now honoured for well over three decades. As he grew up in suffering, poverty, and ignominy, he saw God bring into being a work of such spiritual potency that he was eventually overwhelmed and exhausted by the number of young men and women who came looking for Christ through him. A number of those young men and women Pastor Godwill has brought up through his ministry as Youth Director has rose up to serve God mightily. Through his work, especially as Field Pastor and ordinary preacher, a number of souls have been evangelized, new churches have come into being, and many other young men and women have been called to serve God.

For several years previous, Ncham Godwill Chiatoh’s heart opened wide to the spiritual needs of the younger generation. For him, this emphasis was the priority upon which the future of the church and especially the CBC depended. The cry of the young, thirsty for the reality of Christ made him to go for further studies so as to deepen his understanding in divinity and leadership. His humble colportage, through sleepless nights and endless deep personal discussion, he has had to come to grips with a vast range of urgent problems facing up to the anguish of a generation no longer satisfied with mere religious theory or tradition, but wanting to discover the reality of God and the true meaning of life.

Before even becoming General Secretary, Ncham Godwill was already being credited for stemming the tides of charismatism in the Baptist church. Together with the Director of Evangelism and Missions, Ncham Godwill worked had to reconcile these two opposing currents in the church. As new General Secretary, he is expected to consolidate this and more.

The Challenges Ahead

Ncham Godwill is taking over a CBC that is bedeviled with a history of problems and challenges. The very first one staring him in the face is the Belo Field crisis that previous General Secretaries have found difficult overcoming. Added to this crisis, is the unity of the Northern and Coastal church. While urging him to consolidate what his predecessor, Rev Donald Ndichafah left, he is expected to address the issue of new evangelism that is threatening the very existence of the conventional church. Prosperity theology is there waiting for Ncham’s response. Corruption has not spared the church and Godwill has to do something to stop it.

The 42 year old Ncham Godwill before becoming General Secretary has been Bamenda Field Pastor, member of the CBC General Council, Youth Director and others. Born in Njinikom in 1970, Ncham Godwill is married and father of five. He holds a Masters Degree in Divinity. By all intents and purposes, he is a young, upscale church leader.