2012 PCUSA Mission Yearbook - Nigeria - March 24, 2012

From the PCUSA Mission Yearbook for March 24, 2012.

Although the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria is one of the oldest Christian denominations in the country, founded when Scottish and Jamaican missionaries arrived in Calabar in 1846, for many years it remained a small, regional church, based in Nigeria's southeast. 

Since 2008, the church has been undertaking a campaign to triple its membership.  It hopes to do this by planting new congregations and mission stations in unreached areas, and by evangelizing in parts of Nigeria where it has never been before.  During the past two years, the church has added about 150 new congregations and mission stations, raising the total number in the country to about 1400. 

The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria now requires all of its new seminary graduates to go through a two-year period as “Provers of Ministry” before they enter the ranks of the ordained ministry.  During this time, Provers are assigned either to plant a new congregation or shepherd a newly founded one.  Although the work isn’t easy, the number of students entering seminary remains high. 

The church believes that this emphasis on church planting and evangelism will not only allow it to grow, but will help spread the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Church to more parts of Nigeria.

Prayer:  Lord God, we lift up the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria as it works to spread your love, made known to us through Jesus Christ.  May the church touch more lives with the Good News of the Gospel.  May it be an inspiration for us, as we took work to spread the message of Christ in our own communities.  Amen.  

The Deputy Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Rev. Daniel Etim, with a pastor of one of the newly established congregations.