From Animism to Leadership: A Testimony of Transformation
An interview with Philip Bonsu by Clint Morgan, General Director of IM, Inc.
My name is Philip Bonsu Kwame Osei. I was born in Ghana, West Africa, the second child and only boy in a family of five children. Two other babies died shortly after birth. My parents were animists, meaning they believed spirits could inhabit inanimate objects and give them power to protect as well as do harm. They believed the intervention of the traditional priest and his idols was the reason my three sisters were born and survived.
From that point forward, my sisters were considered to belong to the priest. The priest ordered my parents to put some eggs into a pot every year, as an offering for my siblings and me. Also, at the end of every year, we came together to thank the idol with the first fruits of our farm products.
When we moved to the city, our commitment to the idols began to dwindle, but our grandmother continued to put eggs in the pot every year on our behalf.
How I Came to Know Christ
While in Kumasi, the capital city of Ghana, I was invited to a youth camp. On the second day at camp, September 16, 1991, I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I made this decision after hearing a message about the Great White Throne Judgment and about God’s love for me, manifested through Jesus Christ.
I prayed for my sisters and encouraged them to give their lives to Jesus Christ. Praise be to the Lord, from that time until now, nothing — absolutely nothing — has ever happened to any of us.
Journey and Experience in France
In 1999, I was admitted to study law at Buckingham University in the United Kingdom. Before leaving Ghana, some schoolmates, convinced of God’s calling on my life, advised me to receive training and enter the ministry. I told them I was aware of God’s calling, but the time was not right. I wanted to further my education first.
While I was attending the Free Will Baptist church in Nantes (La Boissière), France, I met a missionary who was visiting from the Ivory Coast. He approached me and tried to learn more about me. I told him about myself and what I was doing in France. During our conversation, I also shared with him about God’s call on my life.
He told me about the Bible institute where he taught in Ivory Coast. He suggested I could be trained there if I was willing. Initially, I did not like the idea of going back to Africa for training, but God knew what He was going to do.
Life in Ivory Coast
I left France for Ivory Coast after struggling with the Lord for a year. My family opposed my becoming a minister, but God convinced me through the story of Moses, who refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter when he grew up (Hebrews 11:24–27).
After 18 months at the Bible Institute in Bouna, in the northeastern part of Ivory Coast, a civil war broke out. I relocated to the capital Abidjan to attend seminary during the political upheaval. After a four-year course, I obtained a master’s degree in theology.
Ministry in Ghana
Following graduation, I felt God directing me back to my home country of Ghana to help in a church-planting effort with an American couple from another mission agency. I worked with them until 2012. When I left, we had planted four churches in four villages in the Wa region. These churches are still functioning today.
Returning to Train Others
Since February 5, 2011, I have been married to a wonderful and helpful woman called Claudine (above). The Lord has given us a boy and a girl, Blessing and Lissa. I arrived in Bouna in July 2012 to serve at the Bible Institute. Since then, I have helped in training three graduating classes of students, and I count this as a blessing. Praise the Lord for having led us this far! We count on Him to continue to lead us.
Why Stories Like Philip’s Matter
Philip Bonsu’s journey closely mirrors the story of Philip the Evangelist in Acts 8. Philip, too, was directed by the Holy Spirit to bring the gospel to people, crossing cultural and religious barriers to reach the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip Bonsu has been used by God to bring transformation across cultures in West Africa. Both Philips willingly left behind comfort and tradition in obedience to God’s call, taking the gospel to new places and people.
Philip Bonsu’s journey is living proof the gospel not only changes individuals but also ignites movements to transform communities and nations. The path from animistic traditions in Ghana to training future pastors in Côte d’Ivoire is not merely a personal victory but a demonstration of how God shapes leaders to multiply His impact within their own cultures.
Philip’s transformation was never a journey taken alone. At each pivotal moment, God provided the faithfulness, generosity, and vision of believers, individuals, churches, and ministries that recognized a family’s potential and chose to invest in it. Every opportunity Philip received was made possible by a network of partners, mentors, and a community of mission supporters whose prayers and sacrificial giving turned the impossible into reality.
Multiplying the Gospel Through National Leaders
The strategy of empowering national leaders is rooted in the New Testament pattern. The Apostle Paul, for example, appointed elders in every church (Acts 14:23) and instructed Timothy to entrust the gospel to faithful people who would also teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). When the gospel takes root in the hearts of local believers, they are best equipped to reach their communities, understand cultural barriers, and multiply disciples.
Philip’s life is a blueprint for this kind of multiplication. Each person Philip mentors is not just an individual reached, but the beginning of a chain reaction. As he pours biblical knowledge, leadership skills, and passion for Christ into every student, he equips them to become leaders themselves.
These trained leaders go on to evangelize, disciple, and plant churches, creating a ripple effect that extends the reach of the gospel far beyond what any one person could accomplish alone. Every student Philip equips is a seed for a future church, new believers, and ongoing transformation.
This biblical approach to missions is both effective and faithful to God’s design for the church.
Training and supporting leaders like Philip multiplies your generosity as each new leader trains dozens more. The WMO does not end with a single leader; it launches a legacy of gospel growth touching families, communities, and entire regions, ensuring the message of Christ continues to spread for generations to come.
An Opportunity to Participate
Across the globe, countless men and women are called by God and eager to serve. Like Philip, they need training, support, and partnership to open the door to life-changing ministry. Through the WMO, you can become an essential part of a movement changing lives and shaping communities for generations to come.
Your generosity does more than provide funding; it opens doors to hope, transformation, and lasting impact in places the gospel is desperately needed. Your partnership truly matters. Because of your partnership:
The gospel reaches those who have never heard, bringing light and hope to remote villages and cities alike.
National leaders are identified, trained, equipped, and deployed to minister in their own languages and cultures, creating significant and sustainable change.
Some national leaders hear the call to go beyond their culture and pioneer new works and are equipped to do so.
ew churches are planted, and existing fellowships are strengthened, becoming centers of faith, support, and community development.
The work of missions expands, multiplying the impact of every gift and every prayer beyond what any one person could accomplish alone.
When you give, you aren’t just contributing; you are empowering individuals and entire communities to experience the life-changing message of Jesus. Your support directly invests in leaders who continue to share the gospel, plant churches, and train others, creating a ripple effect that reaches future generations.
Philip’s story is one of many. Through faithful partnership, more stories like his will emerge. Partner with us today. Together, we can make an eternal difference.
From Clint Morgan: Philip and his family are some of the humblest, kindest, God-honoring people you could ever meet. He has done an amazing job teaching at the Bible institute. However, he and Claudine have sensed God’s direction to go to Italy and work with one of IM’s partner agencies. Pray they will receive visas and funding as they continue the mission.
