"Whatsapp, God?" A comparative analysis of intercessory prayer by ICGC members on whatsapp and in-person congregational settings in Accra, Ghana

ABSTRACT

Intercessory prayer remains an integral part of Ghanaian Christians'social lives. However, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted regular in-person congregational intercessory prayer meetings in the country of Ghana. Rather than abandoning the practice of intercessory prayer, churches such as the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) used chat messenger apps like WhatsApp to leap over the disrupted activities of in-person congregational meetings. This research employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach and the Uses and Gratification Theory and Theological Acceptance Model as its theoretical frameworks to ascertain whether ICGC members consider WhatsApp to be more efficacious than in-person congregational settings for intercessory prayer. The results from 330 ICGC members revealed that ICGC members prefer in-person congregational meetings to WhatsApp for intercessory prayer and augment their intercessory prayer experience with WhatsApp based on the context. WhatsApp, in this regard, is an alternative tool and not a replacement for in-person intercessory prayer. The study provides a spiritual motivations perspective to the Uses and Gratification theory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)