Europeans were not only curious to explore the lands but also the native people. The story of missionary work in colonial Africa begins with The Age of Discovery. Part of the Niger Mission retained its autonomy as the Niger Delta Pastorate Church under Crowthers son, Archdeacon D.C. Crowther, and at least one of the European missionaries, H.H. Patients from all over Zimbabwe come to Sanyati Baptist Hospital for treatment because they know they will receive quality care and will not be turned away even if they cant pay. Many are of the opinion that the missionary bodies were mere spiritual arms of various European governments Mission policy, racial attitudes, and evangelical spirituality had taken new directions, and new sources of European missionaries were now available. His role in producing the Yoruba bible, which set new standards for later African translations, was crucial. 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 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. Crowther, Samuel, James Frederick Schn, and William Russell Bascom. The students will be able to explain how the Nigerian, African, European, and American missionaries worked together to plant churches in Nigeria. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1892. A charge delivered on the banks of the river Niger in West Africa. Until his last day on this Earth, he worked hard to bring God to Nigerians". Christian missionary activities in West Africa. Photo by Luke In. This paper explores medical missionary activities and its contributions to healthcare development in rural areas in southwestern Nigeria. Today 49% of the Nigerian population is Christian. Photo by Nicole Clark. Accessed February 27, 2021. Christian missionary activities in West Africa, https://wasscehistorytextbook.com/6-christian-missionary-activities-in-west-africa/, https://webbschool.libguides.com/PurpleHibiscusResearch2021. Crowther was born with the name Ajayi in Osogun, in the Egba section of the Yoruba people, in what is now western Nigeria. Missionaries have often unwittingly imported their cultural preference into the churches they started. 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. He was part of the first British Government sponsored Niger Expedition of 1841. The British colonized many nations including Nigeria in order to exploit native labor and natural recourses beginning in the 1700s (Reviews). Some of these early missionaries focused on ministering to freed slaves sent to Liberia and Sierra Leone while others evangelized indigenous populations. The Nigerian Baptist Conventionthe second largest Baptist convention in the worldis composed primarily of Yoruba churches and sends both national and international missionaries. WebRoman Catholic missionaries in Nigeria (20 P) Pages in category "Christian missionaries in Nigeria" The following 2 pages are in this category, out of 2 total. The Church of Nigeria is the second largest province in the Anglican Communion after the Church of England. https://www.legit.ng/1145690-history-christianity-nigeria.html. WebThe Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. Crowther, desolated, died of a stroke. They saw a way to incorporate the loving message of the religion with their own unique lives. _____. Lottie Moon Offering & Generosity Resources, Lottie Moon Offering and Generosity Resources, 40 percent of the worlds Christians will reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. As the abolition of slavery progressed in the different European colonies, converting freed slaves became a powerful motive for setting up European Christian missions. Unfortunately, the emphasis on reading gave the impression that literacy was necessary to learn Scripture, and uneducated people were unintentionally alienated. African people did not have to give up their cultural identity in order to follow something Western and foreign. In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. This was the start of a global economy, and colonialism. 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. In 1964, he became the first black Bishop of the Anglican Communion. New York, Chicago: F. H. Revell, 1889. Experiences with Pagans and Mohammedans in West Africa. Another primary justification for colonization was for missionary work. However, this early wave had no success as local kings were more interested in obtaining guns rather than the tales of Christianity. Legit Nigeria. Chaplains were assigned to forts, but their role was to serve the Europeans, not to evangelize Africans. 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. Today many countries, particularly in southern and central Africa, claim to be at least 80 percent Christian. With Henry Townsend and C.A. Basden's appointment seems remarkable. In the 1990s, IMB missionaries pulled out of many seminaries, schools, and hospitals in order to focus on evangelism and church planting among unreached peoplesethnic groups with few or no believers and little or no access to the gospel. 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. When they realized they were not effectively evangelizing other ethnic groups due to language and cultural differences, they asked Nigerian and US Baptists for assistance. They were not strangers from a foreign land, they were native people. 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. Reverend Henry Townsend. This is a period where European powers set their sights on exploring the world. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. _____. 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. 1. Between 1931 and 1937, the Anglican missionary G. T. Basden represented the Igbo people on the Nigerian Legislative Council. Photo by William Haun. Missionary Involvement in Nigeria. 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. _____. These churches incorporated their old religious and cultural ideals with their new teachings of the Bible. In 1850, US Baptist missionaries arrived in Nigeria to work among the Yoruba people. The question is, what kind of Christians will they be? Walls, A.F., A Second Narrative of Samuel Ajayi Crowthers Early Life, Bulletin of the Society of African Church History 2 (1985). Some freed slaves who had embraced Christianity in America also worked to spread the gospel upon their return to Africa. 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: Seeley, Jackson & Halliday, 1866. Your email address will not be published. Reg. 1842. Different denominations of Christianity divided the Nation into their own spheres of influence in order not to compete with each other. A pastor leads a Bible class at Liberty Baptist Church in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in northwestern Uganda. 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. Ibadan history series. The Igbo had not elected Basden as their representative; he had been appointed by the colonial government. This article is reprinted from Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, Macmillan Reference USA, copyright 1998 Gerald H. Anderson, by permission of Macmillan Reference USA, New York, NY. Required fields are marked *. Niger 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. Their justification for colonization was that they were providing better education and healthcare to the natives (Nigeria Influence). Melanie Clinton is a writer for IMB. Crowther, Samuel, James Frederick Schn, and William Russell Bascom. Hospitals established and often run by missionaries are frequently the only available source of health care, particularly in rural 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. Livingstone is considered a national hero in Zambia because of his desire to improve the lives of Africans. He was a missionary of the Christian Missionary Society of the Church of England that arrived Sarah Townsend. Fiedler, Klaus. He assisted John Raban and (probably) Hannah Kilham in their studies of African languages, and in 1841 he joined J.F. 3. [Leicester]: Study of Religion Sub-department, University of Leicester, 1976. In the 19th century more stable missions were sent into Nigeria as European nations gained tighter control over their African colonies. Until his last day on this Earth, he worked hard to bring God to Nigerians. Journals of the Rev. Niger 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. Crowther, Samuel, James Frederick Schn, and William Russell Bascom. London: Church Missionary House, 1855. Missionaries had not yet embraced traditional oral teaching methods like stories and songs, as many have today. Today, due in large part to Livingstones legacy, Zambians are generally sympathetic to the message of missionaries and see themselves as having a Christian heritage. How did Christianity come to Nigeria? Although some Africans who profess Christianity actually follow a mix of biblical teachings and animistic or neo-Pentecostal practices, there are also millions of faithful believers. All rights reserved. In 1964, he became the first black Bishop of the Anglican Communion. Wife of Rev. 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. London: Church Missionary House, 1872. Everyone recognized Crowthers personal stature and godliness; his place in the history of translation and evangelization has often been undervalued. The students will be able to explain how the Nigerian, African, European, and American missionaries worked together to plant churches in Nigeria. WebOne of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. https://bebegolf.com/history/. History. The students will be able to apply the factors that contributed to the successes or failures of evangelism to their own lives and ministries. Neither text, nor links to other websites, is reviewed or endorsed by The Ohio State University. Crowthers visit to Britain in 1851 influenced government, church, and public opinion about Africa. 1842. Dobinson, repented of earlier hasty judgments. Page, Jesse. Examining the mistakes and successes of the past offers insights into how to work in Africa more effectively. No. Press, 1973. Introduction The history of Christian mission in the southern part of Nigeria Photo 2: Bishop Crowther. Frontispiece in Jesse Page, The Black Bishop: Samuel Adjai Crowther. Excelling at school, he became a mission teacher and one of the first students of the Fourah Bay Institution, founded by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1827 to train able Sierra Leoneans for Christian service. The Church Missionary Society established churches in several towns like Abeokuta, Lagos, Idaban, Oyo, and Benin. Bebe Golf Ranch. In fact, the British were successful in largely eliminating common practices in Nigeria of human sacrifice and the killing of infant children. Samuel Crowther: The Slave Boy Who Became the Bishop of Niger. Here are ten ways missions has impacted Africa. He was part of the first British Government sponsored Niger Expedition of 1841. When he died, his African attendants buried his heart under a tree in Zambia before transporting his body over one thousand miles to Britain for burial. Edward Dima, president of the South Sudanese Baptist Convention, has opened a Bible school in the camp to provided theological education to leaders who are planting churches in the refugee camp blocks. Thanks to the efforts of missionaries and African believers who have diligently shared the gospel over the past two millennia, Africa is forever changed. Among the Igbo, Catholic missionaries were particularly present. 2. The British, French, and Portuguese, spurred by the desire to expand empires and mine resources, dominated Africa in the 1800s and 1900s. Today, missionaries have brought Holistic Development Centers, education, and medical care into Nigeria with the purpose of spreading the Gospel. This affect of this works is still apparent today where nearly half of Nigerians are Christian (Nigeria United). Okpalike, C. J. There was also a growing number of Nigerian pastors and independent Nigerian churches at the time. British missionaries even promoted the Natives into leadership positions within the church. The students will be able to apply the factors that contributed to the successes or failures of evangelism to their own lives and ministries. The Church of Scotland started missionary work in the area of Calabar. The Yoruba embraced the gospel and planted Baptist churches throughout western Africa as they traveled for trade. Many are of the opinion that the missionary bodies were mere spiritual arms of various European governments By 1885, they had become the largest European-led churches in Nigeria, spreading further inland. Accessed February 28, 2021. Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone is well-known for marrying his colonial and missionary motives. Journal of an expedition up the Niger and Tshadda rivers, undertaken by Maegregor Laird in connection with the British Government in 1854.