Originally a freed African slave from Freetown, Sierra Leone of Yoruba ancestry, was instrumental in the establishment of Christian missions in Nigeria. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. They had their own particular system of laws, administrative organization, and the strong influence of the traditionalists power. "But I rejoice that I am here notwithstanding; and God is here.". https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. With the support of the Propagation of the Faith within the Vatican, whose Cardinal Secretary became Pope Gregory XVI, various Roman Catholic missionary societies were founded. 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. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. Mr & Mrs Jim & Doris Guth Custer (served at SIM Teachers Training College, Igbaja) 4. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. Father Jean Marie Coquard, operating in and from Abeokuta for forty years, was renowned among the Egba as a priest and surgeon in the second half of the nineteenth century. Senate President Ahmad Lawan, says the 9th National Assembly has performed credibility well in terms of delivering democracy dividends to Nigerians, since its inauguration in 2019. CUP Archive, 1979. *African Church School, Kajola, Ifo, 1943; Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. They were instrumental in setting the scene which would meet the colonists when they started arriving. AMVERIFIED: Africas indigenous social network community. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. One of the few ethnic groups that were always open to the influence of different religions is the Hausa people. That part of Africa was then known as the White Man's Grave. The Niger areas were first touched by the Christian missionaries thanks to the effort of Sir William Wilberforce who fought for the freedom of the slaves. Elliot and his fellow missionaries initiated contact with the tribe after being taught some of their language; first by dropping gifts down from a plane and later establishing a camp not far from the Waodani settlement. 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. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. The Presbyterians, also, opened hospitals in several parts of the country, including the one at Agogo in Asante-Akyem. He was converted to Christianity along with his brothers while at Eton. She also travelled to dangerous regions where previous male missionaries had been killed, and was known for her pragmatism and sense of humour. He is also reputed to have helped Rev. *Methodist Boys High School, Lagos, 1878; Called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. Daystar Press, 1978. He was a missionary of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that arrived Nigeria in 1937 to lead the mission work of WELS. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. This cannot be appreciated until we run our eyes through the list. 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. The work of the missionaries also had little success initially. Later on, she and her husband, Rev. 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. 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. *Baptist Academy, Lagos, 1885; People accepted Jesus Christ but still had the mentality impacted by the indigenous religions. According to ot the Nigeria Christian Fellowship, there are at least seventy million people who consider themselves Christians. Calabar and the neighbouring communities were the areas she performed her missionary work. The others include the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, which was tasked with the responsibility of promoting the translation and printing of the Holy Bible. But despite the work of Portuguese missionaries based on the island of Sao Tome and later of Spanish missionaries in Benin, it was not until the nineteenth century that the Christian religion was firmly established in Nigeria. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. 11 March 2021 | They were closed down in 1852 in favour of schools opened in Lagos which, in 1851, had one time British control. Prepared by Doug Nichols, Action International Ministries, (and a few other well-known historical and church figures and events), Bible Translation, founded boarding schools with Carey(India), A missionary leader with the British Baptist mission(India), Jamaica One of first American missionaries, Pastored first black church in America and becamemissionary to Sierra Leone, With Rev. *Barewa College, Zaria, 1921; The identity of each is easy to decipher. Collection consists largely of historical essays and archives written and collected by Cecil Roberson to document the history of Baptists in Nigeria. Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, List of missionaries to the South Pacific, List of Protestant missionaries to Southeast Asia, "Uganda's White Man of Work: A Story of Alexander M. Mackay", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Christian_missionaries&oldid=1151997040. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. A Scottish missionary with the Scottish Presbyterian Church. Here, the history of Christianity turns its new page in the 1840s. 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. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid and mine.". Ben Ayade came late. The first context was that of the Islamic raids which got so popular that people not always could escape from it and choose what they wanted to believe in. In any study of colonial Nigeria, the groundwork accomplished by the missionaries in pre-colonial days must be a central concern. Clarke, Peter Bernard. Christian missions also took a leading role in the campaign to end the slave trade and to suppress slavery. The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. And yet this was what earlier missionaries in pagan Europe had done when, for example, they had changed the Sabbath to suit the pagan Sun Day (hence Sunday), and had also adopted the dates of the pagan festivals to celebrate Christmas Day and the Easter festival. Please click here to learn how. He was in charge of the Ake Church in Abeokuta originally erected by Rev. What Are The Impacts Of Missionaries In Nigeria? This is what we can state about the situation with the Christianity in Nigeria and the impact it has on the population. *Methodist Boys High School, Oron, 1903; Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. The northern area of the state was where Hausa and Bornu people lived. 1813-1873. It is doubtful that many of the early missionaries were well, if at all, prepared for this aspect of their mission. The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. Wife of Rev. He was a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society of the Church of England that arrived in Nigeria in 1843. From the 15th Century until the 17th Century, the efforts to evangelize made by the French, Portuguese, Catholic-controlled Italian Government, and missionary bodies in the Benin and Warri areas were futile and resulted in catastrophe. The lead was followed by other missionaries, notably the Roman Catholic, whose first higher institution was St Edwards Secondary School in Freetown. No doubt, we shall continue to be in the dark, unless God leads us into His light. *Edo College, Benin, 1937. The first attempts to bring Christianity to the area where the modern country is today date back to the 1470s and 1620s. The vast majority of the people of The Gambia are Moslems; but a sizeable percentage of the population, especially in and around the capital Banjul, are Christians. 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. Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. Stay up to date with the latest Christian news! Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. Finally, they established new missions to keep up the good work. She was a British missionary with the Christian Missionary Society. The topic of our focus is, BEHAVING WISELY. It is lifted from 1 Samuel 18:14,15 and 30. Finally, another factor that the Church had to deal with was that of the British invasion which brought its own system. 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. She went on to serve in the Chinese government as a 'foot inspector' visiting women all over the country to make sure they were following the new law against foot-binding which she saw as part of her missionary work. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. Both in England and North America, the theme, "The Sudan, the worst manned mission field in the whole world" was beginning to ring louder and louder in many missionary conferences, especially the Keswick conventions in England and later Canada. 3 (2002): 555-584. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12), Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange was happening to you. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. Teacher training colleges in Ghana did not expand as fast as the secondary schools. 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. He facilitated several social reforms such as the abolition of human sacrifices in aristocratic funerals, in collaboration with Rev. Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. Christian missionary activities in West Africa. How did Christianity come to Nigeria? Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. *Baptist High School, Bodija, Ibadan, 1940; Bangladesh 166.99. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. Christian missionaries believed that their dedication to Christianity would be enough for conversion. 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. They believed in juju, magic and witchcraft. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. Indeed, in some situations the converts were taught to feel that they were absolved from obeying their own traditional rulers and certain laws of the state. Shaw, Mark. In such asituation, provisions and other things had to be sent into the country not in large quantities as would have been desired by the missionaries. This page is not available in other languages. Unfortunately, a lot of conflicts, sometimes even military ones took place here and in between the tribes. 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. 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. . Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. *United Memorial Grammar School, Ibadan, 1928; The brief history of Christianity in Nigeria. However, despite all the efforts of the Portuguese missionaries, there was not much fruit from this. Thus, for instance, in 2008, the survey by one organization showed that there are at least 53% Muslims, and 45% Christians, while the other study demonstrated other numbers which were 50% Christians and 49% Muslims. Debrunner, Hans Werner. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. However, by the turn of the Nineteenth Century there was systematic efforts by churches of Christian Europe, namely: Anglicans, Methodists, and Baptists who were active in Sierra Leone and, with Presbyterians, in Nigeria, while Methodists also set up missions in Ghana, Gambia, and Dahomey. 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. It is important to emphasize that the modern history of the Christian Mission in Africa started from the late Eighteenth Century, the Catholics had been there earlier in the first centuries of the Christian era especially during the first Portuguese adventures. The Glasgow Missionary Society pamphlet of 1796, "Report on the Character of a Missionary, etc." lays considerable stress upon "piety, prudence and aptitude to teach" but not once mentions the need for craft skills (Williams 1959 . Porter, Andrew. *CMS Grammar School, Lagos, 1859; *Methodist Boys High School, Lagos,. Some early success included the Liberian coast where Afro-Americans and freed slaves were converted. He was part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. He saw no conversions for seven years, his son Peter died of dysentery and his wife's mental health deteriorated rapidly. Noble were the exertions, labour and sacrifice that went into giving Nigeria foundational materials Gov. In the 19th century more stable missions were sent into Nigeria as European nations gained tighter control over their African colonies. As an institution introduced by agents with radically different values, the Christian religion damaged the culture and traditional beliefs of the people of West Africa. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. Henry Townsend. *Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Ijebu-Ode (Anglican), 1913; The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. *St. Annes School, Molete, Ibadan, 1896; 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. Here are six Christian missionaries who gave up everything for Christ. Missionaries today have brought education, medical care, and Holistic Development Centers into Nigeria. He and other missionaries facilitated the abolition of human sacrifices in the Calabar area. 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. The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. *St. Theresa College, Ibadan, 1932; Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. They preached Christianity in a way that took into consideration the geographical and cultural differences between Europe and Africa. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. 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. For instance, on 2nd October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed followed by the interdenominational London Missionary Society which was established in 1795. The Eastern territories had no structure or organization in their lands. In . Until his last day on this Earth, he worked hard to bring God to Nigerians". 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. . She and her husband were charged by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to lead missionary expeditions in Nigeria. Great were the thoughts that went into establishing Mission Schools. 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. How did missionaries try to reach out to the Africans? The couple later transferred to Lagos to become co-principals of the Christian Missionary Society (CMS) from 1871 till 1872. However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. Accessed February 27, 2021. Poju Oyemade: Biography, Career and Lots more, Fathia Balogun: Biography, Career, Movies & More, Prospa Ochimana Biography, Career & Lots More, Aliko Dangotes Private Jet: What We Found Out, Liz Benson: Biography, Career & Other Details. If youve been impacted by our resources, we invite you to make a year-end gift before December 31. The next year, he travelled to India with his family, but his struggles continued. With collaborations with other missionaries like William De Graft, he built a Mission house and Chapel, which was completed in November 1842. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Before the missionaries came to Nigeria, there were no Christians in the country. 70-155/160. They were replaced in Sierra Leone by the Holy Ghost Fathers in 1864, who made converts in large numbers not only among the pagans but also among the members of the then competing Christian churches. Accessibility Statement. Get the hottest stories from the largest news site in Nigeria, BREAKING: Photos emerge as president-elect Tinubus ADC assumes duty, Bride-to-be insists friend must shave hair for fear she will upstage her on wedding day, List of new courses NUC approves for Nigerian universities, "How much did you spend?" Similar organizations were formed in several other European countries. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. 3. Category:Christian missionaries in Nigeria Tools Subcategories This category has the following 4 subcategories, out of 4 total. Kalu, Ogbu. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. Thomas Birch Freeman - Anglo-African missionary and colonial official in West Africa Francis Dunlap Gamewell - chief of fortifications, Boxer Rebellion, China Mary Ninde Gamewell - American missionary in China; writer Mary Porter Gamewell - American missionary in China George Richmond Grose - missionary to China He was among the missionary staff involved in mission work in Nigeria between 1944 and 1948. Mzuni Press, 2018. Pope Francis has said that missionaries are the "heroes of evangelism". 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. Kaffraria (South Africa), 1885-1908. They were martyrs who offered up their lives for the Gospel. A.G. Frazer, did much to encourage the promotion of indigenous culture, but by and large the colonial authorities contributed to dwindling a good deal of our cultural heritage. Initially, a majority of the missionary journeys was done with English-Speaking Protestants and later, in the 1820s and 1830s, they were joined by continental Protestantism from Germany, Switzerland and France. *Offa Grammar School, Offa, 1943; 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. This influenced the country greatly too. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Both of these missionaries are working to share the Gospel with the Nigerian people. Therefore the period for the rise of Christianizing Missions in the late Nineteenth Century has been considered as reprise. As happened in other colonial territories, the government did not show great interest in the provision of education in Ghana until the missionaries had extended their services throughout the country and had set up primary schools and a few secondary schools and training colleges. The evangelical societies founded in the Americas included the Baptist Missionary Board and the Nova Scotian Methodists, whose members went to work among the Maroons, who had settled mainly in Liberia. That is why, they had a contact with the rest of the world throughout the whole time, especially during the Middle Ages. Apart from giving to the converts a new religious faith which they consider is superior to the traditional religions, the Christian missionaries did pioneering work in introducing new crafts, industries, Western education and modern health services. How did Christianity come to Nigeria? The effects of work done by Bishop Ajayi Crowther, assisted by the Igbo recaptive the Rev. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. They believed in evil spirits, and other things peculiar to this religion. 1931. She died aged 67 in 1970, and her story was made into a film 'The Inn of the Sixth Happiness'. 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. Their converts, for many years, were confined to the people of southern Nigerian extraction resident in the north, and to the-large non-Muslim population of the north. Accessed February 27, 2021. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. My only joys therefore are that when God has given me a work to do, I have not refused it.". The Hope Waddell Institute is named after him. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. Randy was interviewed by his local church, Good Shepherd, for their annual Global Outreach weekend. 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. 60% of unreached people groups live in countries closed to missionaries from North America. Their converts increased steadily in numbers until 1821 when a section broke away to form the first independent African, Christian church in West Africa, called the West Africa Methodist Church. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. He started this massive campaign in the Great Britain stating that African slaves should be freed. In the early missionary literature, Nigeria and indeed Africa was characterized as one of the universal den of desolation, misery, and crime, and certainly, of all the divisions of the globe it has always had an unfortunate preeminence in degradation, wretchedness and woe (Coleman, 1986). Cohn Teaguefirst American missionariesto Sierra Leone, Devotional writer and promoter of missionary awakening(South Africa), Slavery abolished throughout British colonies, Indian pioneer in educational and medical missions, Norwegian missionary to Swaziland (South Africa), William Henry Shepherd (African American), Canadian missionary to China and Indonesia, Literacy pioneer and missionary (Philippines), Founder of SIL/Wycliffe and missionary to Guatemala, 1991 - 2023 Eternal Perspective MinistriesAll Rights Reserved. As a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society, he wrote hymns and translated the Bible into the Yoruba language. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. Longman Publishing Group, 1980. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. READ ALSO: Soyinka is unfair, Christianity is a peaceful religion - CAN, How 2 useless presidential candidates will emerge in 2023 - Sanusi goes prophetic. Also, the traditional doctors more often than not could not diagnose illness accurately. Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. 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. New missionary societies (the LMS, the CMS, the Holy Ghost Fathers, the White Fathers, etc.) From Lagos, efforts moved to the East. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. According to his biography by Norman Grubb, in one of his last letters home, Studd wrote: "As I believe I am now nearing my departure from this world, I have but a few things to rejoice in; they are these: 1. 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. There were related organizations that sprang up in Scandinavia, Holland and the USA. Tinubu said in his administration workers will find a dependable. They saw a way to incorporate the loving message of the religion with their own unique lives. A history of Christianity in Africa: From antiquity to the present. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. Rendall) wife of Rev. Trained as a shoemaker, William Carey became known as the 'father of modern missions' for his missionary work in India. He was a missionary that participated in missionary work in Ibesikpo under the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod during the mid-1940s. They were able to successfully establish churches in Ibesikpo. BBC. Although Lokoja had a small C.M.S. Furthermore, during this same period, the anti-Islamic sentiment was quite high in Europe and North America within Christian circles. He also founded Serampore College to train local ministers. Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican missionaries were all trying to convert the native African people, often coming into conflict with one another. However, were here to serve everyone without cost, so please dont feel obligated to give unless the Lord leads. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. That God called me to China and I went in spite of utmost opposition from all my loved ones. She was reputed to have made indelible contributions to the area she served during her missions in Nigeria. He was a missionary under the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod that carried on missionary work in Ibesikpo between 1944 and 1948.
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