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Church Planting In Nigeria: Issues And Prospects
[A CASE STUDY OF REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD (RCCG)]
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In a statement made by Ogidi (1997), he categorically asserts that,
“Nigeria is a country with easily the largest number of churches per
capital in the world.â€(Ogidi, 1997).Fayomi (1993) also described Nigeria
as “a fertile soil for the growth of independent churches.â€(Fayomi
1993). In urban cities and even rural areas, for lack of space and
accommodation, six or more different churches could make do with a
storey building. Such is the present state of events all over Nigeria.
For example, in Ekiti State, as rightly observed by Tokunbo (2007),
there are well above One hundred and fifty-seven Pentecostal
denominations alone between 1970 and 2004 (Tokunbo, 2007). More parishes
and new religious movements continue to be springing up each passing
day. The spiritual discernment reportedly used by the Pastors and
leaders planting churches in Nigeria is, “We prayed about it, and God
said go and establish your own church.†Very often, one cannot compete
with the self-proclaimed revelations and answers to prayers received by
leaders looking to baptize their whims in God-talk. The phrase is
usually evoked to silent objections and avoids careful teaching and
accountability. And apparently, its use is on the rise, “God told me soâ€
is now perhaps the dangerous four-word-sentence uttered by church
leaders and planters. Several factors have been found to be responsible
for this massive church planting. They include economic recession, rapid
evangelization, beliefs and practices, unhealthy rivalry, genuine
thirst for spiritual nourishment, theological issues, fanaticism,
leadership tussle and the likes (Falayi, 1998).
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The
phenomenon of church planting has its merits and demerits. The merits
include, rapid evangelization, development of new leadership, provision
of checks and balances to orthodox churches, promotes specialization in
ministry and enhances the provision of an atmosphere in which human
problems are at times solved (Adesanya, 2004). On the other hand, the
demerits include, personality clashes, unhealthy competition for convert
via homiletical propaganda, lack of unity, monetary crises, heresies,
fanaticism and bickering (Tokunbo, 2007).
Although, massive church
planting has certain demerits as noted above, but they are not strong
enough for total condemnation of the phenomenon. This is because Jesus
was reported in the Bible to have said that, the Gospel should be
preached to all nations (Mk. 16:15). Then, Paul in Philippians 1:15-18,
supports church planting and proliferation for the expansion of the
kingdom of God. This is because religion is not fossil, but a living and
dynamic phenomenon. It will surely continue to increase. In this study,
the researcher examines the issues and prospects of church planting in
Nigeria, with particular reference to the Redeemed Christian Church of
God (RCCG).
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of this study:
To examine the issues and prospects of church planting in Nigeria.
To determine the merits and demerits of massive church planting in Nigeria.
To examine the factors encouraging the proliferation of churches in Nigeria.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study was conducted to examine the challenges and prospects of church planting in Nigeria. Church planting is among the visions of numerous denominations and even other faiths like Islam. The intention or motive is to convey the message (gospel) of the Jesus Christ to as many as possible. This is not far from the instruction given by Jesus Christ himself when he admonished his disciples to preach the word of God from Judea, to Samaria and then to the uttermost part of the world, Nigeria inc ... Continue reading---
