Today, many established churches continue to operate in a Western fashion, even as some newer churches are choosing to worship with drums and dance or to teach Gods Word using call-and-response patterns while sitting on mats under trees. Okpalike, C. J. Reverend Henry Townsend. B. G., & Nwadialor, K. L. (2015). As a result, many African converts began breaking away from European churches and forming their own. The entire staff was African, mainly from Sierra Leone, and Venn moved toward an Anglican version of the three-self formula by securing Crowthers appointment in 1864 as Bishop of the countries of Western Africa beyond the Queens dominions. In the upper and middle Niger territories Crowther pioneered an early form of Christian-Muslim dialogue for Africa. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=1791737&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Crowther, Samuel, James Frederick Schn, and William Russell Bascom. Photo by Nicole Clark. Missionaries who followed in Livingstones footsteps by addressing both spiritual and physical needs have had a profound impact on the continent. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Basden's appointment seems remarkable. The desire to train African church leaders led to the establishment of seminaries and Bible schools. Hospitals established and often run by missionaries are frequently the only available source of health care, particularly in rural areas. His role in producing the Yoruba bible, which set new standards for later African translations, was crucial. Early African churchgoers were taught to sing hymns accompanied by a piano and to listen to sermons while sitting on rows of benches in a concrete building. He oversaw J.C. Taylors ground-breaking work in Igboland and directed the evangelization of the Niger Delta, with notable results at such centers as Bonny. Crowther, Samuel, James Frederick Schn, and William Russell Bascom. The workers seek assistance for this aid and efforts to provide converts from Islam with places of refuge and new land and housing in secure areas. The question is, what kind of Christians will they be? WebThe work of the missionaries in southern Nigeria was not easy sailing, for while a few Africans and their rulers patronized missionary enter-prise, others rejected missionary intrusion in any form. The Black Bishop, Samuel Adjai Crowther, with Preface by Eugene Stock, Revell: New York, n.d. Tasie, G. O. M. Christian missionary enterprise in the Niger Delta 1864-1918. This was the start of a global economy, and colonialism. Reverend Henry Townsend. Required fields are marked *. The workers seek assistance for this aid and efforts to provide converts from Islam with places of refuge and new land and housing in secure areas. 3. _____. WebList of Early Missionaries in Nigeria Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther. 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. Here are ten ways missions has impacted Africa. The students will be able to explain how the Nigerian, African, European, and American missionaries worked together to plant churches in Nigeria. Well-meaning Westerners simply mimicked their own church experiences rather than encouraged Africans to develop their own practices. On the whole, support or lack of support for missionary work was greatly influenced by internal developments in southern Nigeria. This was the start of a global economy, and colonialism. The Christian missionaries of the Colonial Age worked in very different ways from the missionaries of today. Webthe missionary propaganda that prepared the way for the governor, the explorer and the trader. Christianity in Nigeria was first introduced in the 15th century by Portuegese Catholic priests during the Age of Exploration. Missionaries attempted to convert as many native people as possible to Christianity. Interdenominational Faith Missions in Africa: History and Ecclesiology. This affect of this works is still apparent today where nearly half of Nigerians are Christian (Nigeria United). African people did not have to give up their cultural identity in order to follow something Western and foreign. Mission policy, racial attitudes, and evangelical spirituality had taken new directions, and new sources of European missionaries were now available. British missionaries even promoted the Natives into leadership positions within the church. Your email address will not be published. In the fifteenth century, Christianity came to Africas coastlines through forts established by European slave traders. Introduction The history of Christian mission in the southern part of Nigeria The content of this site is published by the site owner(s) and is not a statement of advice, opinion, or information pertaining to The Ohio State University. The British, French, and Portuguese, spurred by the desire to expand empires and mine resources, dominated Africa in the 1800s and 1900s. The students will be able to explain how the Nigerian, African, European, and American missionaries worked together to plant churches in Nigeria. Christian missions in Nigeria, 1841-1891; the making of a new lite. London: Cambridge U.P. The missionaries felt that spreading the gospel to these people was of great importance, and actively tried to erase their beliefs in Polytheism. Bethany Global University. Today many countries, particularly in southern and central Africa, claim to be at least 80 percent Christian. He was a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society of the Church of England that arrived Sarah Townsend. All rights reserved. There was also a growing number of Nigerian pastors and independent Nigerian churches at the time. WebAs local missionaries help the displaced with food, clothing, shelter and education, they have shared the gospel and seen many people put their faith in Christ. Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone is well-known for marrying his colonial and missionary motives. In the 19th century more stable missions were sent into Nigeria as European nations gained tighter control over their African colonies. Two thousand years later, Christian presence has left indelible marks on the continentsome positive, some less so. IMB missionaries and indigenous believers are striving to ensure they are Great Commission-minded Christians whose faith is both Scripturally solid and culturally relevant. This list may not reflect recent changes. WebNiger mission: Bishop Crowthers report of the overland journey from Lokoja to Bida, on the River Niger : and thence to Lagos, on the sea coast, from November 10th, 1871 to February 8th, 1872. London: Church Missionary House, 1872. Crowther, Samuel, James Frederick Schn, and William Russell Bascom. Nwachukwu J.Obiakor. In conclusion, Christianity planted its roots only when a more secretic form was formed. While seminaries offered insight into complex topics like the assurance of salvation, Africans are often more concerned with day-to-day concerns, like How can I be cured of this illness? Now African believers are increasingly turning to the health, wealth, and prosperity teachings of televangelists and modern-day prophets who are tuned in to the everyday wants and needs of African people. This paper explores medical missionary activities and its contributions to healthcare development in rural areas in southwestern Nigeria. The missionary activities in Nigeria, especially their educational programs helped to whip-up the consciousness of a shared identity and helped to train a new set of elite that championed the course of nationalism and constituted a virile leadership for the young nation at independence. Missionary Researches and Travels, no. Between 1931 and 1937, the Anglican missionary G. T. Basden represented the Igbo people on the Nigerian Legislative Council. Journal of an expedition up the Niger and Tshadda rivers, undertaken by Maegregor Laird in connection with the British Government in 1854. Crowther, Samuel Ajayi. In online Dictionary of African Christian Biography: Bishop Before His Time, from Christianity Todays Christian History and Biography.. Basden's appointment seems remarkable. Fiedler, Klaus. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. By the middle of the first century, churches had been established in northern African by early converts to Christianity. The Yoruba embraced the gospel and planted Baptist churches throughout western Africa as they traveled for trade. Much of the existing works on the history of the evolution of modern Nigeria seem to be concentrated on the activities of three principal bodies from Britain: the British explorers, the British traders and the British colonial administrators. The Igbo had not elected Basden as their representative; he had been appointed by the colonial government. The gospel on the banks of the Niger: journals and notices of the native missionaries accompanying the Niger Expedition of 1857-1859. In 1850, US Baptist missionaries arrived in Nigeria to work among the Yoruba people. Crowther was old, Venn dead. A charge delivered on the banks of the river Niger in West Africa. 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. WebAs local missionaries help the displaced with food, clothing, shelter and education, they have shared the gospel and seen many people put their faith in Christ. They saw a way to incorporate the loving message of the religion with their own unique lives. For Christian missionaries of Nigerian nationality, see, Category: Nigerian Christian missionaries, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Christian_missionaries_in_Nigeria&oldid=772768090, Christian missionaries by mission country, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 29 March 2017, at 06:34. Europeans were not only curious to explore the lands but also the native people. In fact, the British were successful in largely eliminating common practices in Nigeria of human sacrifice and the killing of infant children. Crowther, Samuel. Basden's appointment seems remarkable. _____. New York, Chicago: F. H. Revell, 1909. 3. By degrees, Crowthers mission was dismantled: by financial controls, by young Europeans taking over, by dismissing, suspending, or transferring the African staff. Photo by William Haun. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1892. The story of missionary work in colonial Africa begins with The Age of Discovery. Though the missionaries primary aim was to bring the gospel to Africans, some Africans consider Christianity a white mans religion that was used to subdue and control them in the process of colonization. If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact u@osu.edu. By 1885, they had become the largest European-led churches in Nigeria, spreading further inland. Their justification for colonization was that they were providing better education and healthcare to the natives (Nigeria Influence). Livingstone is considered a national hero in Zambia because of his desire to improve the lives of Africans. _____. Office: Office 1, Forest House Business Centre, 8 Gainsborough Road, London, England,E11 1HT. _____. Clay heads in Cape Coast Castle dungeon depict pain and sufferings the captured slaves endured. https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. Schools emphasized literacy because the ability to read offered Africans both the opportunity to study the Bible and to advance in society. History. 2. Ibadan history series. He was a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society of the Church of England that arrived Sarah Townsend. Among the Igbo, Catholic missionaries were particularly present. Page, Jesse. Evanston [Ill.]: Northwestern University Press, 1965. Studies on religion in Africa, 3. Webthe missionary propaganda that prepared the way for the governor, the explorer and the trader. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Hair, P. E. H. The early study of Nigerian languages: essays and bibliographies. Henry Martyn Lecture III: Crowther and Trade on the Niger. "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. 1842. Christian missionary activities in West Africa. This was the start of a global economy, and colonialism. Accessibility Statement. Today, missionaries have brought Holistic Development Centers, education, and medical care into Nigeria with the purpose of spreading the Gospel. _____. London: Church Missionary House, 1855. Accessed February 27, 2021. The Church of Nigeria is the second largest province in the Anglican Communion after the Church of England. Nigeria Influence of the Christian Missions, countrystudies.us/Nigeria/14.htm, Nigeria United States Department of State. U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/nigeria/, Reviews in American History: A Quarterly Journal of Criticism. Their justification for colonization was that they were providing better education and healthcare to the natives (Nigeria Influence). The Church of Scotland started missionary work in the area of Calabar. 1. 1. Journals of the Rev. Missionaries who followed in Livingstones footsteps by addressing both spiritual and physical needs have had a profound impact on the continent. The Black Bishop: Samuel Adjai Crowther, with Preface by Eugene Stock. Christian missionary activities in West Africa, https://wasscehistorytextbook.com/6-christian-missionary-activities-in-west-africa/, https://webbschool.libguides.com/PurpleHibiscusResearch2021. Contribution to missions in Nigeria Presently, a lot of Irish missions, orders for priests, and congregations for sisters exist in Nigeria some dating back to early 1900s. The missionary activities in Nigeria, especially their educational programs helped to whip-up the consciousness of a shared identity and helped to train a new set of elite that championed the course of nationalism and constituted a virile leadership for the young nation at independence. 1842. WebMissionaries have been involved in Nigeria during the late 1800s through training young men as evangelists and helping womens rights improve among the tribal people. Registered In England and Wales. Photo 2: Bishop Crowther. Frontispiece in Jesse Page, The Black Bishop: Samuel Adjai Crowther. In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. Cass library of African studies. Wife of Rev. Privacy Statement In the 1800s he explored the African interior under the motto Christianity, commerce, and civilization. His goal was to open up new river routes so the slave trade could be abolished through legitimate trade and the embracement of Christianity. WebThe missionary activities in Nigeria, especially their educational programs helped to whip-up the consciousness of a shared identity and helped to train a new set of elite that championed the course of nationalism and constituted a virile in association with the West African Languages Survey and the Institute of African Studies, 1967. Samuel Crowther: The Slave Boy Who Became the Bishop of Niger. Many are of the opinion that the missionary bodies were mere spiritual arms of various European governments Accessed February 25, 2021. Unfortunately, African pastors often were not empowered to be self-theologizingthat is, to examine Scripture and develop contextualized answers to the African churchs questions. _____. Countless children have been and continue to be educated in schools established by missionaries. WebThe Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. Missionaries had not yet embraced traditional oral teaching methods like stories and songs, as many have today. In Yorubaland, for In Yorubaland, for The workers seek assistance for this aid and efforts to provide converts from Islam with places of refuge and new land and housing in secure areas. Again Christian missionaries who had been active in Nigeria since the 1840s had encouraged their converts in the creation of a modern nation state that would take its place in the comity of nations. WebNiger mission: Bishop Crowthers report of the overland journey from Lokoja to Bida, on the River Niger : and thence to Lagos, on the sea coast, from November 10th, 1871 to February 8th, 1872. Oates, Joan. In fact, its predicted that almost 40 percent of the worlds Christians will reside in Sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2050. Today, missionaries have brought Holistic Development Centers, education, and medical care into Nigeria with the purpose of spreading the Gospel. Crowthers visit to Britain in 1851 influenced government, church, and public opinion about Africa. _____. Missions has been a part of Africas story since just after Jesus ascended into heaven. Contribution to missions in Nigeria Presently, a lot of Irish missions, orders for priests, and congregations for sisters exist in Nigeria some dating back to early 1900s. Falae, Vivien. Reverend Henry Townsend. Reg. The Igbo had not elected Basden as their representative; he had been appointed by the colonial government. BBC. The missionary activities in Nigeria, especially their educational programs helped to whip-up the consciousness of a shared identity and helped to train a new set of elite that championed the course of nationalism and constituted a virile leadership for the young nation at independence. On the whole, support or lack of support for missionary work was greatly influenced by internal developments in southern Nigeria. Hospitals established and often run by missionaries are frequently the only available source of health care, particularly in rural areas. New York, Chicago: F. H. Revell, 1909. Contextual blog, systemic injustices showcase, and final projects, Role of Christian Missionaries in Colonial Africa. They are embracing oral strategies, training believers to share the gospel in local languages through traditional methods like story and song. Page, Jesse. Missionaries have often unwittingly imported their cultural preference into the churches they started. Crowther, Samuel, James Frederick Schn, and William Russell Bascom. WebOne of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. Again Christian missionaries who had been active in Nigeria since the 1840s had encouraged their converts in the creation of a modern nation state that would take its place in the comity of nations. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml. 3 (2015): November 2015. Gollmer, he then opened a new mission in Yorubaland, centered in Abeokuta, by now the homeland of Crowthers Egba people. This was the start of a global economy, and colonialism. Press, 1973. Henry Martyn Lecture I: Philanthropy in Sierra Leone. London: Church Missionary House, 1872. Kanayo LouisNwadialor, Different denominations of Christianity divided the Nation into their own spheres of influence in order not to compete with each other. Many young people educated in mission schools became leaders in the fight for independence, including Nelson Mandela in South Africa and Julius Nyerere in Tanzania. Unfortunately, the emphasis on reading gave the impression that literacy was necessary to learn Scripture, and uneducated people were unintentionally alienated.
