From Lagos, efforts moved to the East. A Anglican missionaries in Nigeria (8 P) M Mormon missionaries in Nigeria (7 P) P Protestant missionaries in Nigeria (5 C, 8 P) R Roman Catholic missionaries in Nigeria (20 P) https://bebegolf.com/history/. Collection consists largely of historical essays and archives written and collected by Cecil Roberson to document the history of Baptists in Nigeria. He successfully established churches in Ibesikpo, which gave rise to the present Lutheran Church of Nigeria. British Prime Minister. These men encouraged many ex-slaves to become involved in preaching the gospel. Major World Religions ISLAM. 2 (1983): 116-143. Nigeria 213.53. Accessed February 28, 2021. Here are ten ways missions has impacted Africa. They believed in juju, magic and witchcraft. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. Today 49% of the Nigerian population is Christian. Legit Nigeria. Clarke, Peter Bernard. In 1827 it grew into Fourah Bay College. Accessed February 27, 2021. By the 1800's, various parts of Nigeria had a rooted Catholic Mission presence. Between the period of 1841 and 1900, the Church Missionary Society of the Church of England, the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society from England, the French Catholic Society for African Missions, the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the Southern Baptist Convention of the United States, carried out missionary expeditions of significant success in the then Niger Area, presently regarded as Nigeria. Nevertheless, when Christianity came here around the same time it did to the Western part, it met no obstacles in spreading.It It is important to realize that the religions in Nigeria were all influenced by the common traditionalists beliefs and superstitions. They preached Christianity in a way that took into consideration the geographical and cultural differences between Europe and Africa. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. North Kaffraria, 1883-1904. To follow suit and take a bow is Methodist Boys High School, 1878. However, there were at least 250 other ethnic groups who were either Muslims or adherers of other religions. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. That is why, they had a contact with the rest of the world throughout the whole time, especially during the Middle Ages. African people did not have to give up their cultural identity in order to follow something Western and foreign. Until almost the end of the colonial period education was still largely in the hands of the churches. So, when talking about the impact of Christianity in Nigeria, we should mention how the helped them advance this area. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Other difficulties the early Christians faced were the problems of the many languages and dialects and their ignorance of the true meaning of the various cultures, beliefs, values and ways of life of the people whom they set out to convert to Christianity. Dr & Mrs H. Henry Budd (the third Principal of ECWA Theological Seminary, Igbaja) 3. In 1858 ten years after the founding of the first college, the Presbyterians opened a sister college at Aburi for the training of women teachers. Baptists. To supplement these missionary efforts in the field of higher education, the government opened its own secondary school in Lagos in 1909, this was Kings College. "I'm thinking of them in their last moment on earth, far from their homeland, their families and their loves ones, who said: 'What I did was worth it! Registered in England and Wales 5090917, Christian Today, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN, Persecuted Christians read Bible for first time in their own language after 182 year wait, Meet the Christian woman who adopted EIGHT children from a Russian orphanage, Watch the amazing moment six Christian converts get baptised in the Amazon, The man who converted Ireland: 10 things you might not know about St Patrick, God is on the move in the broken Anglican Communion, Church of England bishops urged 'to step back from the brink' on same-sex blessings, Lessons for today from the Salem Witch Trials. He was part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Under a very convivial atmosphere, the Busy Bee Society of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Lagos, recently handed over a N40 million project comprising a library, a science laboratory and borehole to Ebenezer Baptist Academy in Oshorun, Ibeshe, Lagos State. *Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode (Anglican), 1913; He became known as the "Apostle to . 1.898 Billion worldwide. To provide the clear understanding of how this religion came to Nigeria, we have to mention that the state we know today was divided into several regions which had their own social and economic conditions which either stimulate the spread of it or prevented it from it. Again, in West-Africa, the efforts to go beyond the coast to reach those inland with the gospel coincided with the southwards expansion of Islam which posed some threat to the expansion of the work of Christian evangelizing missions. One of the few ethnic groups that were always open to the influence of different religions is the Hausa people. Name. Porter, Andrew. The story goes that in 1787, he suggested that all Christians had a duty to share the gospel around the world, after which he was told: "Young man, sit down. Before the missionaries came to Nigeria, there were no Christians in the country. Instead of adapting the teachings and practices of the new religion to suit indigenous values, as it did when the same Christian religion adopted Greek, Roman, German and Anglo-Saxon native practices, the early Christian missionaries condemned totally as pagan, and to be avoided by their converts, whatever they considered strange. Another missionary whose memory is revered in Nigeria was Mary Slessor, she arrived in the country in 1876, and for many years worked assiduously as a missionary nurse. What is the impact the Christianity had in the state? If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4:12-14), Be nice to bandits, Sheikh Gumi tells Nigerians, releases tips on how to live peacefully with them, Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! (Luke 6:22), The beginning of the history of Christianity in Nigeria. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. LITERACY - Total Population: 86.7% . In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. The story generated worldwide news coverage, and Elliot's wife, Elisabeth, has since written a bestselling book entitled 'Through the Gates of Splendor' about her husband's journey. These churches incorporated their old religious and cultural ideals with their new teachings of the Bible. began work in many parts of Africa. Other sources mention that this number is around eighty-five million. In this chapter, we shall examine how Christianity and Western-style education influenced West Africans values, attitudes and life-styles. One of the most prominent people that were largely responsible for the Christianisation of Nigeria is Samuel Ajiya Crowther, a former slave of Yoruba origin. Tinubu said in his administration workers will find a dependable. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. They had to speak through few interpreters who did not have sufficient education to interpret correctly. Having been raised in North London in a working class family, she initially worked as a housemaid, but had a long-harboured dream of becoming a missionary, and was convinced of her calling to China. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. Thomas Thompson, arrived in Cape Coast in 1752. Henry Townsend, were co-principals of the C.M.S Female Institution of Lagos from 1871 until 1872. Success followed the efforts of the pioneer missionaries. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has pledged to continue to improve the wellbeing and welfare of workers in the state if sworn-in for his second term in office. This is a list of early missionaries in Nigeria: Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther He was part of the first British Government sponsored Niger Expedition of 1841. In 1964, he became the first black Bishop of the Anglican Communion. Today, I want to briefly share with you how God leads. Charles Thomas Studd was a famous English cricketer who went on to be a missionary to China, Africa and India. He furthermore continued his missionary expeditions, moving to Badagry and later to Abeokuta, whereafter he returned to the United States due to failing health. They came into cities like Benin and Warri where they preached Christianity. David . Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. The Church Missionary Society established churches in several towns like Abeokuta, Lagos, Idaban, Oyo, and Benin. Their luggage and other necessities had to be carried on heads and took a long time before reaching the missionaries. Here is the list of the early schools, mission, private or government owned. Noble were the exertions, labour and sacrifice that went into giving Nigeria foundational materials Gov. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. Being ignorant of the significance of certain institutions and practices of the people of West Africa, and occasionally being misled by their over-zealous followings into wrongly interpreting the peoples heritage, the missionaries compelled pupils in their schools and docile adult converts to shun their own ancestral practices. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. The Portuguese were the first to introduce the Christian faith into West Africa but following their departure from the West Coast in the mid-seventeenth century, the Christian religion survived only in Upper Guinea where a bishop was maintained in the Cape Verde Islands serving also a part of the mainland. Some early success included the Liberian coast where Afro-Americans and freed slaves were converted. Accessed February 28, 2021. Joseph Dunwell. nook and crannies of southern Nigeria. Other difficulties they faced were the problems of the many languages and dialects and their ignorance of the true meaning of the various cultures, beliefs, values and ways of life of the people whom they set out to convert to Christianity. Before 1925, there were only three secondary schools and three teacher training colleges in Ghana. Chaplains were assigned to forts, but their role was to serve the Europeans, not to evangelize Africans. But in 1800, he baptised his first convert to Christianity, and over more than 20 years went on to translate the Bible into dozens of major Indian languages and dialects. He was a missionary from Sierra Leone that arrived in Nigeria in March 1859. *CMS Grammar School, Lagos, 1859; *Methodist Boys High School, Lagos,. They saw a way to incorporate the loving message of the religion with their own unique lives. That I deliberately at the call of God, when alone on the Bibby liner in 1910, gave up my life for this work, which was to be henceforth not for the Sudan only, but for the whole unevangelized World. His efforts were successful in Great Britain, so in the 1840s the country sent three huge ships with people who were supposed to bring peace and establish healthy trading relations with people living in the Niger state. . Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. A notable example, in Ghana, was the Methodist experimental farm near Cape Coast whose crops included cotton, coffee, black pepper, mango, ginger, cinnamon and olive trees. The President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, has assured Nigerian workers of a minimum wage, social and economic justice. People accepted Jesus Christ but still had the mentality impacted by the indigenous religions. In the 19th century more stable missions were sent into Nigeria as European nations gained tighter control over their African colonies. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. No doubt, we shall continue to be in the dark, unless God leads us into His light. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. At the same time, the first missionaries in the East were Catholics and Presbyterians. 11 March 2021 | This cannot be appreciated until we run our eyes through the list. Arrived in Nigeria between 1944 and 1948 as part of the missionary staff stationed in Ibesikpo by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The oldest secondary school in Nigeria, it was founded on 06 June, 1859. Wm. Samuel Adu-Gyamfi And Benjamin Kye Ampadu, Ajayi, J..F.A and Michael Crowder History of West Africa. Christian family to appeal after court dismisses school Pride parade complaint, British public don't want a secular coronation, poll finds, Relic of crucifixion cross to be used in King Charles' coronation, Challenged by the faith of those who suffer. As a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society, he wrote hymns and translated the Bible into the Yoruba language. Groundless fears that the converts would become contaminated with paganism led some of the Christian missionaries, notably the Presbyterians, to separate the Christians from the rest of the township. Jim's journal, which famously features the quote "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose", has also been read by thousands of believers around the world. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. A Cornish missionary and explorer, George Grenfell served as a Baptist missionary in Cameroon in the late 1800s. Up to Guggisbergs time, the church schools did not receive grants from the government. Here are six Christian missionaries who gave up everything for Christ. Here are a few verses about it in the Bible. The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. Though their first attempt was unsuccessful, these missionaries persisted and in the 19 th Century, there was a successful expansion of Christian missions in Nigeria. The Christian religion teaches the doctrine of one supreme God and is opposed to the worship of any other forms of deity. BREAKING: Edo 2020: Oshiomhole finally breaks silence, reveals why he was moved to tears on election day. 4,039 Total People Groups. *St. Gregorys College, Obalende, Lagos, 1928; He was assigned to Cameroon by Carey's Baptist Missionary Society in 1874, and three years later his wife, Mary, died just 11 months after they'd married. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. Depending on the year of the survey conducted as well as the organization that conducted it, the numbers differ as well as the ratio of Muslims to Christians. "One of the most prominent people that were largely responsible for the Christianisation of Nigeria is Samuel Ajiya Crowther, a former slave of Yoruba origin. Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. He was in charge of the Ake Church in Abeokuta originally erected by Rev. This influenced the country greatly too. Waterville Pub. These missionary societies laid the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church in West Africa, which lasted through to the independence period when African clergy replaced the white pastors. While the protestant evangelical movements were gaining ground in West Africa, similar movements were being promoted by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. A Scottish missionary with the Scottish Presbyterian Church. Debrunner, Hans Werner. Daystar Press, 1978. Catholicism arrived in the territory that would come to be known as Nigeria with Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, though their missionary efforts were largely unsuccessful and Catholicism virtually disappeared by the 17th century. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. Here, the history of Christianity turns its new page in the 1840s. Stay up to date with the latest Christian news! History. *Methodist Girls High School, Lagos, 1879; Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. However, the first fruit became possible, as the Americans and British decided to free the slaves. By the 1970s a lot of missionaries cam to Nigeria to help spread the Christianity here. Missionaries were used by the colonial power as an avant garde, to expand into new regions, a fact keenly . Bangladesh 166.99. Establishment of Christian Churches In Nigeria. In such situations, the message sometimes appealed to the local people depending on the efficiency of the interpreter. The first Europeans arrived at the West-African Coasts at the end of the fifteenth century. Teacher training colleges in Ghana did not expand as fast as the secondary schools. COVID-19: FG says children under five dont have to wear face masks, here's why. William Carey William Carey is regarded as the "father of modern missions". "This is indeed the valley of the shadow of death to me," Carey wrote at the time. She and her husband were charged by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to lead missionary expeditions in Nigeria. The Roman Catholic Sisters provided medical care in the Upper and Northern Regions of the country before the government started to provide hospitals and clinics in the regional and district headquarters. It was not until 1841 that the British Government sponsored Niger Expedition, of which missionaries from the Church Missionary Society of the Church of England were part of, did progress in missionary works begin to thrive. *Methodist Boys High School, Oron, 1903; Conversion progressively became something imposed rather than suggested; the way Christianity was teached seemed very alien to them. They did not take into consideration the already established cultural characteristics; Igbo religious traditions had long been engraved into the African society. In conclusion, Christianity planted its roots only when a more secretic form was formed. The Sudan United Mission (SUM) was a conglomeration or umbrella of different mission societies whose missionaries came from all the Caucasian- dominated nations of the Commonwealth as well as the USA. Please click here to learn how. Its the generous support of our ministry partners that enables us to continue our eternity-shaping work. Mexico 130.83. She participated in establishing mission presence in Abeokuta for over two decades. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. Another important German missionary was Wilhelm Johannson, better known by the English version of his name, William Johnson, who is revered in the history of the CMS in West Africa. Kaffraria (South Africa), 1885-1908. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. The brief history of Christianity in Nigeria. The first missionaries in the Western regions were Methodists and Baptists. *Queen of the Rosary College, Onitsha, 1942; The identity of each is easy to decipher. There was also a growing number of Nigerian pastors and independent Nigerian churches at the time. The Hope Waddell Institute is named after him. *Government College, Katsina-Ala, 1914; Christian missionary activities in West Africa. Rendall) wife of Rev. By 1885, the church had spread further inland, thanks to Father Joseph Lutz who started work around Onitsha in 1886 and spread the gospel in many parts of the present day Imo and Anambra States. They were to spread the message of the Gospel, render social services to the people and to assist in the suppression of slavery and the slave trade. The origin of Christianity in Nigeria in this part roots back to the 1930s when Christians were allowed to enter the territory which was previously closed to them by the Muslims. She championed women's rights, and set up a mission hospital for the local people. How did missionaries try to reach out to the Africans? A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. Accessed February 26, 2021. They were of much interest to different scientists and religious activists from all over the world. This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. The only woman on board that ship was 29-year-old Mary Slessor, a missionary. *Christ the King College, Onitsha, 1933; In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. They had their own particular system of laws, administrative organization, and the strong influence of the traditionalists power. The effects of work done by Bishop Ajayi Crowther, assisted by the Igbo recaptive the Rev. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. Originally a freed African slave from Freetown, Sierra Leone of Yoruba ancestry, was instrumental in the establishment of Christian missions in Nigeria. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. In the later 19th century, the immense African interior remained the principal object of the Catholic Priests, and from 1867 until his death in November 1892 Cardinal Lavigerie planned the planting of churches in Africa South of the Sahara. Evans Brothers, Ltd. London. Aged just 28, she sailed to West Africa in August 1876 and was assigned to the Calabar region. She is regarded as the first solo female missionary to Nigeria when she arrived in 1876. As happened in Ghana, the development of training colleges in Nigeria was slower than secondary schools, though the C. M. S. had opened the first training college at Abeokuta as far back as 1849. *Methodist College, Uzuakoli, 1923; President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged to put in place a living wage for Nigerian workers. This is what we can state about the situation with the Christianity in Nigeria and the impact it has on the population. We recognize sophistry and cant. In a solidarity message to mark International Workers' Day, he said his administration would leave no stone unturned to put in place measures aimed at empowering the Nigerian workers. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. *Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, 1933; 1 (1971): 103-115. From that time on, the first Christians took the Gospel to all the ends of the world including the places where Nigeria is now. In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. Here, the history of Christianity turns its new page in the 1840s. One gift God has given to every man equally is the gift of time. opened was the Christian Institute, established in 1814 for the training of teachers, catechists and priests. Yemi Osinbajo reveals why FG is not planning to increase taxes, Bulus Y. Galadima and Yusufu Turaki explored the spread of Christianity of Nigeria in the work they called Christianity of Nigeria.. In facts, when the scientists call the Middle Belt of the country, was an area with no systems of one law and political systems. Longman Publishing Group, 1980. Undeterred, however, he founded the Baptist Missionary Society five years later in 1792, preaching a message during which he said one of his most famous quotes: "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God". Within ten years of Father Bergheros visit, the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria had become so well established that it ceased to be under administration from Dahomey. Missionary Involvement in Nigeria. The anti-slavery issue and the humanitarian conscience also played a vital role in stimulating European interest in Africa and gave an impetus to mission work. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. In honor of David Livingstone's life, she dedicated her life to spreading the Gospel in Africa. Missionaries today have brought education, medical care, and Holistic Development Centers into Nigeria. Shaw, Mark. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into writing. It started first among the Yoruba recaptives who had embraced the Christian faith while in Sierra Leone (freed from slave trading ships by the British Royal Naval Squadron), and who returned home between 1839 and 1845. At the time, the Waodani were one of the most violent known people groups on earth, who regularly practised homicide and fiercely defended their territory against those wishing to exploit the rich Amazonian land. Christian missionaries believed that their dedication to Christianity would be enough for conversion. Among these were the Congregation of the Holy Ghost (commonly known as the Holy Ghost Father), the Society of African Missions (SMA), the Society of Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as the White Fathers because of the white Muslim-like clothing which the Fathers wore, and the society of the Divine Word (SVD, abbreviated from its Latin name). B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004. West Africa, 1919-1925. They believed in evil spirits, and other things peculiar to this religion. The next year, he travelled to India with his family, but his struggles continued. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. In the meantime, the Middle Belt is where people we know as pagans lived. As a result, many African converts began breaking away from European churches and forming their own. It was first sited in Abeokuta before it was relocated to Lagos. The emergence of the Christian Church in this region had to struggle with the difficulties three different contexts brought. Christians who came to Africa to help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ tried to do several things which would demonstrate the love of Christ to people living here. *Baptist Academy, Lagos, 1885; 1813-1873. She was the wife of Dr. William Schweppe. In the 17th century, the Roman Catholic missionaries found their way to Nigeria. 1813-1843. The first attempts to bring Christianity to the area where the modern country is today date back to the 1470s and 1620s. They often attributed natural ailments to supernatural causes and resorted to mystic cults to appease the unknown spirit, before applying medicine to the sick person. This was because all the ships that came to the coast at that time were owned by trading firms and companies whose interest were basically on trade. But they were unable to convert the kings and traditional rulers as these leaders were only interested in the guns and mirrors the Europeans offered them. Among the early Protestant evangelical societies founded in Great Britain were the Baptist Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the Wesleyan Missionary Society and what became known as the Presbyterian Missionary Society of the Church of Scotland.
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