EMERGENCE OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS CHURCHES IN NIGERIA AND ITS IMPACT ON CHRISTIANITY

OLATUNDE ALLEN TIMILEHIN

MAY 2010

INTRODUCTION

Indigenous Christianity came into being in Africa through the initiatives of the concerned indigenous Africans who felt that Christianity should better be expressed in the African perception and worldview. This initiative was deployed to wipe off factionalism and bring together African Christians with their African feelings and passions towards generating African thoughts in Christianity. This strategy was necessary to connect the gulf created by the “foreign evangelists” who came to “pioneer” a Christianity that was incompatible with the socio-cultural and political worldview of the continent.

An African Initiated Church is any of a number of Christian churches independently started in Africa, by Africans, and not by missionaries from another continent, sometimes holding to one or more African tribal belief systems sycretised with Christianity. A variety of overlapping terms exist for these forms of Christianity: AfricanInitiatedChurches, AfricanIndependentChurches, AfricanIndigenousChurches and AfricanInstitutedChurches (Ogunrinade - http://www.cyberjournal.com). The AIC’s originated from three groups of Christian. First are those who broke away from the Mission Churches, next were those who were expelled from the Mission Churches such as the African Church – Bethel; while the third were those by those Africans who claimed to have received divine call or inspiration from God, basically, they can be classified into two broad spectrums, the Older and the Newer. While the founding of the Older group had political, social, cultural and domestic undertones, the Newer group emerged as a result of divine intervention and revelations. The Older group still operated on the liturgy and style of worship of the Mission Churches, while the Newer group invented another form of worship to purely emerge as African Churches, independent of the churches. One important difference the Older and the Newer was that while the former ended up replicating the liturgy and polity of the Mission Churches in Africa in spite of their independence and autonomy, the latter forged a completely new church identity, they are referred to as the real African Indigenous church. (Ogunewu, 2010).

African Initiated Churches are found across Africa; they are particularly well-documented in southern Africa and West Africa, that at least 36% of the population of Africa belongs to an AfricanInitiatedChurch. During the colonial period, many black converts to Christianity were unable fully to reconcile their beliefs with the teachings of their church leaders, and split from their parent churches. The reasons for these splits were usually either: Political - an effort to escape white control; Historical - many of the parent churches, particularly those from a Protestant tradition, had themselves emerged from a process of schism and synthesis; Cultural - the result of trying to accommodate Christian belief within an African world view (Wikipedia.com - the free encyclopedia).

GENESIS OF EMERGENCE OF AFRICAN INDEPENDENT CHURCHES IN AFRICA

Aldred (1995) notes that the missionaries robbed the Africans of their personhood once they became Christians. One could not be a proper Christian and an authentic African at the same time. There are several reasons: an absence of desire on the part of the missionaries to learn from the Africans; a missiological approach which was based on coercion; a Christian practice and message which were not purely biblical but tied up with commerce and European (pagan) culture. Jeri's own grandfather was expelled from the Methodist church because he dared to allow the African talking drum in church. Everything European was good, lovable and salvific. Everything African was evil, paganistic and heathen. 'Christianisation' of Africa: The beneficiaries of the missionary activity were the rich, the educated, and the powerful, Europeanised and denying their Africanness, and joining the 'historic' churches. 'The close relationship between missionary activity, trade and commerce, slavery and colonisation means that for most Africans there was nothing to benefit.' Overseas academic studies, at universities of high repute, added up to the alienation of Africans from their own culture and religion. The result is that theology was de-Africanised, and African theology became corrupted. African theologians today are often only theologians from Africa who see things through the eyes of their own particular acquired (Anglican, Catholic, Methodist etc) Christian religion and know nothing or very little about, or have wrong and mistaken understandings of, the theologies and practices of the indigenous churches. Writings about these African-initiated churches are often incorrect and interpret what they have not understood - and this is the material then used in further European interpretations!

Aldred (1995) also explains that the IndigenousAfricanChristianChurches emerged out of this theological and sociological context - not as a new phenomenon but as a two millennia old Christian presence. The Africans in the missionary churches never abandoned their particular practices - only they did not practice them within the boundaries of these churches. They were forced to live with a dichotomy of minds and souls which was the result of the attempt to supplant the core of their values of existence and beliefs with foreign ones. But indigenous African Christianity was 'bubbling beneath the surface'. When Wade Harris, Jehu-Appiah, Samuel Yankson, Oshitelu and others started their movements, their success lay in 'a certain sharpness of preaching'. They addressed witchcraft and evil spirits not by denying their existence but by affirming the belief in the greater power of Jesus Christ. They taught the gift and practice of healing, and they took seriously Paul's words about the wrestling against 'principalities and powers' and the 'rulers of darkness'. All of these operated within the missionary churches, but all of them were repudiated. In this way, the independent Aladura movement (Moses Orimolade), the MusamaDiscoChristoChurch (Jehu-Appiah), the ChristApostolicChurch and many others began to flourish. This was a natural development of the encounter between the Christian message and the cultures of the African peoples. It is based on complete trust; dependence and reliance upon God; and the abandonment of fetish relics and practices.

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO EMERGENCE OF AFRICAN CHURCHES IN NIGERIA

On the 12th of April, 1799, 16 clergymen and nine laymen within the Church of England met and decided to form the Church Missionary Society within the established Church of England. These clergymen included a few evangelists like Charles Simon and Rev. John Venn, who later became secretary. The lay members included William Wilberforce, one of the greatest parliamentarians in British History who fought for the abolition of slave trade. Their main aim was to carry the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the heathen world including Africa. They started in earnest and sent missionaries to Sierra Leone especially to Freetown where the emancipated slaves were settled. Some years later Fowell Buxton, one of the pioneers of this laudable effort woke up early one morning and said that he had seen the solution to the problem of Africa. According to him, Africans should be called out to work for the redemption of Africa. He said:

Let missionaries and school masters, plough and spade, go together and agriculture will flourish, the avenues to legitimate commerce will be opened, confidence between man and man will be inspired, whilst civilization will advance as the natural effect, and Christianity operate as the proximate cause, of this happy change.

Out of this vision came the expedition of 1841 which landed at the mouth of the Niger and which, due to the sudden death of many of the members within a few days, led to the partial failure of the expedition. Nonetheless, both the Anglican and the Methodist missionaries came to Badagry at the urgent request of the Akus in Freetown. The Akus in turn had heard the news about Badagry through the Trinidad-Hausa based travelers who came to Badagry. Christianity spread to Abeokuta and by 1852 it had reached Lagos. The aim of the C.M.S. especially was to create through their missionary efforts African Churches that were independent, self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating. They therefore taught Africans how to support themselves by giving them training in skilled labour and teaching them to manage schools and churches. The Africans quickly grasped this education and started to use their talents and skills so that native assistant bishops, ministers, catechists and school masters could emerge, hoping that within a short time there would be African bishops. Such bishops would extend their work to make more converts for the establishment of many centers. Among the earliest to be educated were Bishop Ajayi Crowther, James Johnson, and many others. But to the surprise of many Africans, instead of being happy to see the fruit of their labours, the Europeans were unhappy. They would not respect the knowledge and dignity of Africans and this attitude weakened their spiritual life and led to many a crisis that jeopardized the missionary efforts of the C.M.S., as many members opted out of the churches.

Very many Africans became well educated and had university degrees, while most of the white missionaries had no such thing. To cover this deficiency, many of them were hurriedly given honorary degrees so as not to be superseded by the Africans. Circumstances like this opened the eyes of African Christians to the contemptuous attitudes of the European missionaries towards them and therefore paved the way for movements of autonomy. The crisis which gave birth to the African church emanated from the shabby treatment given to James Johnson. During his studies in Sierra Leone he had been inspired with a great desire for the creation of an AfricanIndependentChurch. This view led him to Lagos to assist in the creation of the NativePastorateChurch. This was arranged by the C.M.S. with a view toward self-support and self-propagation for Natives. He was sent to Abeokuta in the hopes that in Abeokuta,--a native independent country not under foreign government,--he might become a native bishop there and thereby create a native national church. But the native ministers were used by European missionaries to rise up against him, opposing his pious organization of discipline. He was again moved out of Abeokuta to become the vicar of St. Paul's Breadfruit, Lagos.

Oosthuizen (1968, 52) notes that Independentism in Nigeria could not be described to colour, but rather to a desire for independence and revival and it may be added, for building up a new community in the city. There has nevertheless been a reaction against white missionary paternalism. It has already been indicated that the Islamic brotherhoods have gained ground, especially in Ibadan, the city which was described from separatism point of view.

RISE OF AFRICAN CHURCHES (FROM 1888)

In describing the story of Aladura emergence in Nigeria, the rise of prophetic or spiritual churches from the turn of the 20th century, both the remote and prevailing factors are to be taken into account. In general, remote factors that have contributed to the Aladura upsurge will be the success stories of emergent African churches. These churches started in parts of Yoruba land and soon gained footholds in the northern territories of the country. In the main, there major Mission churches were affected: the Baptist (1888)*2, the Anglicans (1891, 1901)*3, and the Methodists (1917)*4. Apart from the crucial issues of personality clashes, racial discrimination, prejudice, and polygamy, there were other principal reasons behind the series of ecclesiastical revolutions led by Africans within the various Mission churches. These included:

1. the sterility of Mission Christianity in the face of a growing desire for a prompt and effective resolution of ultimate issues of life through the resources dynamic religious faith which could prevent a reversion into either the traditional religion or Islam.
2. Mission disregard for, or misunderstanding of Africa’s cultural past, especially in regard to her religious heritage and belief; and
3. Mission vacillation and insensitivity on the issue of indigenous leadership in the church. This invariably was the root cause of a lot of disaffection among Mission authorities at home or on the field, their agents, white or black and the numerous African converts.

As far as it was possible, both the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society (WMMS) later Methodist Missionary Society (MMS), agreed in principle to indigenous leadership and autonomy. For instance, the idea of the Native Pastorate System*5 was the brain child of the Rev. Henry Venn,*6 the veteran secretary of CMS. The package included a desire for Mission Stations to become such churches as are 1. Self-governing 2. Self-financing and 3. Self-supporting.*7 In practice, however, it soon became apparent that most Mission authorities showed much hesitation in ensuring the contrary, was one of the bold demand for a policy they considered beneficial to them and crucial to the future of the Christian faith in their land. Africans themselves had been involved in the project of evangelizing their fatherland from the outset both in terms of identifying the need for evangelization and drawing the attention of benevolence outsiders to this fact. In addition, the local people provided the vital personnel as well as financial and moral support which aided the mission enterprise. Indeed, Africans themselves provided the support*9 needed by the European missionaries.*10

Perhaps nationalistic feelings began to show themselves in church prior to the ear of cultural nationalism in Africa.*11 The African congregations were not lacking in competent men to oversee ministerial matters in the church and these congregations seemed to be financially viable and under a well-ordered church government.*12. In spite of this prospect, the issue of African leadership in the various Mission Churches was not to be decided soon enough. 13. Consequently, the three Mission Churches already mentioned witnessed internal revolutions which secured for the Africans firm control of their churches under indigenous leadership and with a guaranteed financial support. In this way, it would appear that a few decades, or years before the rise of prophetic churches in Nigeria, Africans had already settled the crucial issues of indigenous leadership, self-hood and church government.

Since the newer churches, namely the Native (Ebenezer) BaptistChurch, the United Native African Church, the African Church Organization (Inc.) and the UnitedAfricanMethodistChurch, grew out of either the Baptist, Anglican or Methodist moulds, they retained many of the liturgical forms of their various parents’ churches. However, the presentation and preservation of the Gospel message in the local languages became an important pre-occupation of Nigeria’s newer churches as part of the effort to indigenize Christianity on Nigeria’s soil. These new churches under indigenous leadership adopted were liturgy with an admixture of traditional forms especially in the area of music*15.

Invariably, as soon as the single issue of church autonomy was settled through Africans’ aggressiveness rather than Missions’ compromise, the issue of interior evangelism under indigenous control became of great importance. It was, therefore, tackled with much enthusiasms and decisiveness. The policy was pursued vigorously and soon branches of the various emancipated or defecting churches were to be found all over Yoruba land and southern Nigeria. The

RISE OF PROPHETIC CHURCHES (1910)

Seen against the developments in west Africa in which Prophet Wade Harris*17 of Ivory Coast (now Cote d’Ivoire) blazed a trail in new Christian spirituality in 1900, the case of the emergence of prophetic churches in Nigeria from 1910 onwards, or thereabout, *18 triggered off by the activities of striking personalities such as Garrick Sokari Braide*19 in Delta and his counterparts in Yoruba land few years later, would seem to belong to an epoch in the history of Christianity in Nigeria and even in the rest of Africa*20.

Some of the factors that precipitated the birth of prophetic or prophet churches in the country would most probably have to do with following:

1. Continued Mission sterility and the lack of a satisfying spirituality. This was reinforced by the kind of low-keyed pietism within both the Mission and African churches themselves. This point is typified by the introduction, or presence of either Freemason Fraternities or the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity and the like in these churches,
2. Mission discountenance of the African contribution to evangelization coupled with tactleness in dealing with matter of aspirants in this regard,*21 and
3. Long period of catechetical instruction. This often impeded the growth of mission churches, as the initial interest of converts may wane before the end of a year or more instruction required before undergoing the rite of baptism. In some cases it is required that they should be able to read the Bible, the catechism and the prayer book before baptism.

Arising, therefore, from different but related situations beginning with Garrick Braide, the Mission Churches encountered what could be termed ‘conflict situations’ in both church and on the mission field. The stand of mission authorities on these issues was of great consequence for the course of Christianity in Nigeria.

By about 1925 Moses Tunolase Orimolade, a budding prophet, shifted his base to Lagos from the Yoruba hinterland. The group that resulted from his labour (also an off-shoot of the Anglican Church in Lagos) became known as the Cherubim and Seraphim society. Later, kindred churches emerged as Aladura (Prayer) - Type churches or Prophet-Type churches or Pentecostal (Spiritual) – Type churches. Their incursions into the heartland of Yoruba land and other parts of the country, and as far as Sierra Leone n the West Coast of Africa, and present times overseas*23 are a clear testimony to aggressive evangelistic policies of these churches. Such policies are based on a highly sustained spirituality and tenacity of faith.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the evolution of Aladura – Prophet or Prophetic – churches in Nigeria is the issue of typology. The churches themselves adopt their names either through divine revelation from God or in consequence of public derision. A good example of the first is that of the Cherubim and Seraphim - names which came by revelation. The other type can be illustrated by the adoption of ‘Aladura’ as a reference for the collectivity of churches under this category. The word ‘Aladura’ in Yoruba means ‘one who prays’.*24.

As far as scholars are concerned, churches with characteristics just described have been labeled ‘Prophetic’, ‘Spiritual’, ‘Independent’, ‘Separatist’ or ‘Indigenous’. However, the last three referents could be used for both the African churches who fostered African domination in Mission-led churches, and the Prophetic-Type Churches which arose after them. It is also pertinent to observe that the course of their evolution, in terms of how both types of churches finally severed themselves from their parent churches, is almost identical. They had to come to a parting of the ways when it became no longer possible for them to co-exist in co-operation. In most of the cases, the Protestors or he Reformers, referring to the Africanist and the Aladura, respectively, were forced out of the Mission churches by excommunication.*26. If Mission authorities had demonstrated a spirit of candour in the first instance, a measure of autonomy could have been granted to, for example, the Africanists and the issue of separate existence possibly, avoided.

THE FAITH TABERNACLE (FROM 1918)

The emergence of Precious Stone (later Diamond) Society as a prayer band or society within the local Anglican in Ijebu-Ode in 1918 was preceded by a similar development in the Delta. The evangelist Braide had just stormed both the Anglican authorities and the colonial officials in the Delta with his spiritual prowess and activities, causing no small consternation. For this reason, he received the sharp edge of the sword both from the church and state.

As in the case of Braide, the new prayer band in Ijebu-Ode was soon to come into public notice. The outbreak of an epidemic of influenza in the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria in the same year of emergence was to bring the group’s activity into lime-light. The epidemic had led to the closure of public institutions as a result of high death rates. The band’s new found spirituality was based on simple faith in God. In this vein, through revelation, rain water was applied to all sick persons on a particular day. This brought instant healing, and the band’s claim had to be taken seriously. Afterwards, the prayer band was destined to clash with the local church authorities as well as their superiors in Lagos. The conflict arose over the issues of dreams, visions, faith-healing, baptism by immersion and infant baptism.

Prior to this encounter, the group had, sometime in 1919, affiliated itself with an American-based evangelical-holiness group, the Faith Tabernacle in Philadelphia. It must be pointed out that all communication with this body was by correspondence. There was no missionary sent to the Nigerian group; nor was there any financial aid whatsoever sent to the local groups.

The controversy in the local Anglican church came to a head and the Bishop of Lagos, Rt. Rev. Melville Jones had to step in. he obviously managed to force a decision. In consequence, all members of the group who remained loyal to the Mission were advised in their own interests to co-operate and return to the church.

On the other hand, those who felt strongly on the issue at hand, especially those who believed in the practices aforementioned and who could not brook any possible compromise, were to regard themselves excommunicated. All those people in the Mission’s employ, such as teachers and catechists were to regard themselves as summarily dismissed. In spite of being nursed within an existing MissionChurch, the prayer grouping a bid to avoid total extinction had to cut itself off from the Mission. From this point in 1921, some of the affected members moved to Lagos while the remainder maintained a virile fellowship in the town. Very soon, the prayer-band with its few branches across the country formed itself into a FaithTabernacleChurch under indigenous leadership, control and government. The person behind the formation of the prayer group and thus the eventual church of the Faith Tabernacle was David Odubanjo.

BABALOLA AND ALADURA REVIVALS

Babalola, a prophet of profound charismatic gifts, emerged from relative obscurity in 1928 working around north-eastern Yoruba land as an itinerant prophet. In July 1930 he launched a new religious chapter in the country, serving as the pioneering prophet of a new movement within the Nigerian Faith Tabernacle.

Babalola’s commitment of his prophetic career marked the beginning of real, meaningful and communicable Aladura spirituality in Nigeria. The revivals started in Ilesa in July, 1930 and continued there until last quarter of the year. Later they spread to parts of north-east Yoruba land and other southern towns such as Ibadan and Abeokuta. These revivals gave to Christianity in Nigeria new insights into effectual prayer and faith healing and into the meaning of miracle. They also gave rise to a new dimension in Christianity and ecumenicity. Each of these insights from the revivals could be described as mighty, scenic and productive. This is because through these revivals, the prophet, and in particular Babalola, brought an awareness of God which was created from the events of the prophet’s message and the demand for holiness and separation from sin and medicine.

WHY EMERGENCE OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS CHURCHES IN NIGERIA

1. THE ROLE OF HENRY VENN

The

2. NATIONALIST FEELINGS
3. MASS MOVEMENTS
4. CIRCUMSTANTIAL FACTORS
5. DESIRE TO INDIGENIZE CHRISTIANITY
6. PASSION FOR A PURER FORM OF CHRISTIANITY
7. FREEDOM TO EXERCISE GIFTS OF LEADERSHIP

IMPACTS OF INDIGENOUS CHURCHES ON COMMUNITY

The emergence of the African Indigenous churches revolted her environment with a lot of controversy and revolutionary changes into community system. The impacts were felt both positive and negative in which the counter response nearly marred the good works of the emergence from the main churches. The contextualization was nearly introduced into the society and it substituted some cultural practices with Christian ethics. The emergence attracted prompt and sharp response from the immediate people such as traditionalist, rulers, Mohammedans, governments and individuals.

RESPONSE FROM THE TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES

There was initial acceptance and support by both traditional rulers and their people for the Aladura Movement, and the movement progressed unabated initially. However, subsequent events were to create differences in both opinion and action especially among the traditional rulers. The use, for instance, that the people of Efon Alaye in Ekiti made of the ‘Water of Life’ (Omi Iye) of Babalola led to a wide and immediate departure from the attachment to the traditional idols and charms which this prophet’s water had come to replace. For this reason, the traditional healers or diviners-priests became threatened by the Aladura presence and faith and soon showed disaffection towards them. This was also true of other areas of the Aladura revivals in Yoruba land.

RESPONSE FROM MUSLIM COMMUNITIES

In sampling the treatment of Aladura prophets and adherents in Muslim Communities during the revivals, Babalola’s experience in Ilofa*40, his home town, and Offa - both Muslim concentrations, may be pointers to the type of relationship existing between Christianity and Islam in Yoruba land. Following this trend of long-standing opposition and mounting hostility, it was alleged that’ there were constant complaints from Mohammedans (Muslims) that the “Aladura” were getting out of hand and instead of spreading the gospel, spend a considerable amount of time in insulting the Mohammedans (Muslims) religion.

Response from Mission Churches

RELATIVE IMPACT OF EMERGENCE OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS CHURCHES ON MODERN CHRISTIANITY

1. CONTEXTUALIZATION IN WORSHIP

Nigerians in particular and Africans in general have rejected the Western value-setting of the Christian faith. Africans could not reconcile oppressions under slavery and imperialist colonial rules with Christian principles of equality (equity) before God. The oppressive apartheid regime in South Africa and South West Africa (Namibia) backed by the Western world and the struggle for independence by former Southern and Northern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia respectively) Nyasaland now Malawi who have to employ arms struggles using gorilla tactics further cast doubt on Western value of Christianity. The Western mode of worship was becoming unacceptable to Nigerians who wanted to express themselves in drumming, clapping of hands and singing choruses instead of relying on hymn books. Gradually, the mode of worship was modified to accommodate drumming, clapping of hands, singing in the native language and dancing. Sooner, the mainline churches followed the Evangelicals/Pentecostals when they were losing members to these churches which were seen by the youths as more vibrant. The mainline churches also modified their mode of worship and stopped reading prayers from the prayer book; they introduced fire brand prayer as the Pentecostals.

After independence, the mainline churches such as the Anglican and the Methodist operated independently of what use to be their headquarters in England. This autonomy enables them to introduce radical changes in terms of worship reform and administration. They ceased to be subservient to any foreign domination even in terms of policy and administration. For example, the Anglican Communion and Methodist of Nigeria, recently opposed the ordination of Homosexuals as Priests. In the Methodist, the African Priests are now in majority, and with their votes they could over-rule any untoward policy brought into the World Congress of the church.

2. AGGRESSIVE EVANGELISTIC ACTIVITY

No doubt, in the last 10 decades the world generally has witnessed aggressive evangelistic activity, innovation, mission initiatives and rapid church growth. The door of the gospel are opened to hitherto no-go-area of communist area especially Russia where Bible were previously smuggled. With the collapse of communism the Word of God is now openly preached since it is the desire of the Lord that everybody in every nation should hear the gospel (Luke 24:47). Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian Pastor has the largest church in Ukraine. Though in the last days there will be large apostacy (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Thess. 2:3) but the Lord will save more souls.

3. GROWTH IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT CHURCHES

In the last 100years there had been astronomical growth in the establishment of independent churches and denominations. In the last ten years, denominations are springing up on weekly basis especially in the urban centres such as Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Owerri etc. These denominations are of various shapes and forms, operating from one room apartments or sheds. Apart from advanced technology and increased knowledge, the Lord is equipping and anointing the church for a final aggressive warfare and evangelism.

4. VAST DISTRIBUTION OF BIBLES AND LITERATURES IN DIALECT

The printing, translation and distribution of the Bible has contributed in no small measure to the growth of the church in Nigeria in the last forty years. The translation of the Bible in Nigerian languages has added a great impetus to reading of the Bible in mother tongues by people who did not go to school. The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) was established in 1966 an affiliate of a world body – United Bible Societies. BSN has translated the Bible into 19 Nigerian languages while they are presently working on other 9. They also publish Bibles, New Testament, portions and selections in English and local languages. BSN also distribute the scriptures to every nook and cranny of Nigeria through her wide area network and depots located in all the six zones of Nigeria. BSN is the world 2nd largest distributor of the Bible next to the US.  Another indigenous organization, Nigeria Bible Translation Trust based in Jos, Plateau State was established in 1976. Among other things, they send missionaries to people that do not have the scriptures in their mother tongues; prepare literacy materials and books in Nigerian languages; teach people to read and write in their mother tongue; translate the word of God for the people, using mother tongue speakers as Translators; train people in the necessary technical skills. To date, NBTT has translated the New Testament into seven Nigerian languages while work is in progress in another 20 languages. By combined efforts of translations by churches and other agencies, the complete Bible are today available in 19 Nigerian languages, New Testament in 48 languages while translations are in progress in 17 languages in Old Testament and 31 languages in New Testament. Overall, Nigeria has made great strides in spreading the gospel through planting of churches, evangelizing through literatures, distribution of the Bible and sending out missionaries to many parts of the world. Calvary Ministries (CAPRO) which was established by Youth Corpers in 1975 has established mission fields in over 40 countries in Africa. Highly educated youths have since joined the train of missionaries that moved out of the country to serve in different terrains of Arab world, such as Sudan and Libya where Islam is the only recognized State religion. They are fully committed to the course of preaching the gospel without salary, yet they risk their lives, abandoned their lucrative jobs and career opportunities just like the missionaries from Europe and America who came to evangelize Africa in the 19th century. The old order is now yielding place for the new as Nigerian nay African missionaries have been in the up-swing in evangelizing the other continents.

5. LEADERSHIP RESTRUCTURING

There is a great influence coming from the Cultural Revolution or Culture Theologizing that continues to create an effect in the Christian practice among the churches in the Africa (Ogungbile, 2001). The African Indigenous Churches are mostly churches of a Pentecostal type that have contextualized and indigenized Christianity in Africa. The style they acquired in the origins and movements were manifested in the thousands of the indigenous churches and have changed so radically in the face of the Christianity. This is because of the proclamation of a holistic gospel of the salvation that usually includes the deliverance of the sorcery, evil, spirits, poverty, and sickness (Anderson, 1999).

Because of the various changes and influences coming from the western churches they adopted, the continuity of the Indigenous Churches to manage and lead the peculiarity is not properly disseminated. The custom of the Indigenous Churches are based on the tradition that serves as their foundation of their being and uniqueness. Administering the custom is hard when there is an influence and duly affecting their leadership. It is important that the Africans pay attention in administering the needs and the tradition but can manage the biblical teachings. Through the use of the indigenous language, the teachings of the leaders of the church are emphasized and the culture, tradition and the tradition way to preaching can be valued and preserved.

WORKS CITED

Aldred, Joe. Presentations on Black Majority Churches in Britain.  Church of God of Prophecy, 1995.

Anderson, A. The Gospel and Culture in Pentecostal Mission in the Third World. 1999. http://www.epcra.ch/papers_pdf/hamburg/anderson_1999.pdf. Accessed 15 Feb 2010.

http://Wikipedia.com - the free encyclopedia).

Ogunewu, Leke. African Indigenous Churches. Unpublished Publication, 2010.

Ogungbile, D. The Dynamics of Language in Cultural Revolution and African Spirituality: The Case of Ijo Orile-Ede Adulawo Ti Kristi (National Church of Christ) in Nigeria. Nordic Journal of African Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1. 2001. http://www.njas.helsinki.fi/pdf-files/vol10num1/ogungbile.pdf. Accessed 15 Feb 2010.

Ogunrinade, Adewale O. Predilection for African Indigenous Practices in the Pentecostal Tradition of African Indigenous Churches with reference to Christ Apostolic Church Agbala Itura. http://www.cyberjournal.com. Cyber journal for Pentecostal-Charismatic Research #18, 2009.

Oosthuizen, G. C. Post-Christianity in Africa: A theological and anthropological Study. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968. 52.