The increasing number of unqualified church ministers in churches around the country is a concern for the Fiji Council of Churches.

President Reverend Dr. Tevita Banivanua says this was clearly portrayed following a number of church leaders ending up behind bars.

Rev. Dr Banivanua says the FCC is seeking the government’s approval to be a watchdog for churches.

“We have seen problems with the untrained pastors, untrained teachers in Christian principles as they serve their own communities, their own churches, so we have seen that problems and Fiji as seen it as some of them are still in prison right now.”

Reverend Dr. Banivanua says a church minister should be a well-qualified leader and a counsellor who can help church members.

“For us church or a minister of the church ought to be especially you know trained and be found to be someone who has the integrity of being a good person. Or someone that a community loves and the community respected rather than just anybody who can come and make up numbers so that they can formulate ways and means of getting funds or whatever from wherever to help them as they build up their own little churches.”

New churches that used to be registered by the FCC is now done by the government.

Currently, over 60 percent of churches in the country are members of the Fiji Council of Churches.