The Christian Church Today – JSS3 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

The Christian Church today is the worldwide body of believers whose mission is to spread the good news of salvation to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. state the mission of the Church according to Matthew 28:19-20;
2. give reasons why the first missionaries did not succeed in Nigeria;
3. list some Orthodox churches in Nigeria;
4. name some Indigenous churches and give reasons for their rise;
5. name some Pentecostal churches in Nigeria.

What is the mission of the Church? (Matthew 28:19-20)

The mission of the Church is to spread the good news of salvation to all nations of the world.

• The command of Jesus: Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, baptise them and teach them (Matthew 28:19-20).
• Purpose: Jesus does not want any part of the world to be ignorant of the salvation God provided through Christ.
• Early spread: the early church started from Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, then spread to the whole world (Acts 1:8).
• Early audience: the early church preached the gospel to Jews and foreigners in the Roman Empire.
• European missionaries: Europeans who had received the gospel later took over the work of spreading it.
• Result: with the help of the Holy Spirit, the gospel reached Africa, South and North America and Asia.
• Period of greatest growth: the nineteenth and twentieth centuries saw the greatest expansion of the gospel in all continents.

Who is a missionary?

A missionary is a person sent out to spread the Christian gospel in another place or country.

• Work: preaching, teaching and helping people in need.
• Example: the European missionaries who first came to Nigeria.

How did Christianity come to Nigeria?

Christianity reached Nigeria through European missionaries in two stages: an unsuccessful first attempt and a later return after the abolition of the slave trade.

What was the first attempt to bring Christianity to Nigeria?

The first attempt was made by European Catholic missionaries in the fifteenth century.

• Who came: the missionaries came with Europeans who were mainly traders.
• Where they went: Warri, Benin, Port Harcourt and other towns near the sea.
• Response: the people preferred to listen to the traders.
• Trade method: trade was by “barter”, that is, exchange of goods.
• Outcome: the missionaries could not establish any church.

Why did the first missionaries not succeed?

1. The people preferred to listen to the traders instead of the missionaries.
2. The climate was not favourable to the missionaries.
3. There was a language barrier.

What happened after the abolition of the slave trade?

After the slave trade ended, freed slaves returned home and helped Christianity take root in Nigeria.

1. The slaves were released to go home.
2. Those taken from Nigeria came back to Nigeria.
3. Most of them had become traders.
4. They settled in places such as Lagos, Badagry and Abeokuta.
5. Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, a former slave, translated the Bible into the Yoruba language.

What are the main kinds of church in Nigeria today?

There are three main kinds of church in Nigeria: Orthodox, Indigenous (Independent African) and Pentecostal.

Which Orthodox churches settled in Nigeria?

Orthodox churches are the foreign churches brought to Nigeria by European missionaries.

1. The Anglican Church.
2. The Methodist Church.
3. The Baptist Church.
4. The Presbyterian Church.
5. Foursquare Church.
6. The Catholic Church.
7. Seventh-day Adventist.

What are Indigenous (Independent African) churches?

Indigenous churches are churches started by Africans, separate from the European and American mission churches.

• Beginning: all churches in Nigeria first belonged to European and American churches, then some Nigerians started their own.
• The Church of the Lord (Aladura): an Indigenous church.
• Christ Apostolic Church (CAC): an Indigenous church.
• Celestial Church of Christ: an Indigenous church.
• Cherubim and Seraphim: an Indigenous church.
• Converts: they won many people in villages and towns, both educated and illiterate.
• Needs met: they met the needs of the people for healing, deliverance and similar concerns.

Why did the Indigenous churches rise?

• Simple worship: the method of worship is easy for the people to understand.
• Local songs: they compose their own songs and translate foreign ones into local languages.
• Spiritual needs: Africans believe they can know their future and that misfortunes can be dealt with at once.
• African leadership: Africans wanted to lead their own churches.

What are Pentecostal churches?

Pentecostal churches are later churches that emphasise the power of the Holy Spirit.

1. The Redeemed Christian Church of God.
2. Living Faith Church.
3. Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
4. The Redeemed Evangelical Mission.
5. Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry.
6. Believers’ Loveworld.

Evaluation

1. Who is a missionary?
2. Mention four Orthodox churches.
3. State three reasons why the first missionaries did not succeed.
4. Mention four Pentecostal churches.
5. Give two reasons for the rise of Indigenous churches.

Assignment

Answer the weekend questions below, using this note and the Bible.

Reading assignment

• Christian Religious Knowledge for JSS, Book 2, by T.N.O. Quarcoopome et al. Pages 107, 111-112, 119-129.
• Christian Religious Knowledge for JSS, Books 1-3, by A.F. Bello. Pages 193, 199.
• Fundamentals of Christian Religious Knowledge for JSS, Book 2, by Adeyinka et al. Pages 24-25.
• Ilesanmi Christian Religious Studies for JSS, Book 2, by Tunde Erumol et al.
• Revised Standard Version Bible (compulsory).

Weekend assignment

1. ____ started the Christian church. (a) The Apostles (b) Jesus (c) The Catholic Church (d) The missionaries
2. These were the places the missionaries visited at the first attempt to bring the gospel to Nigeria except ____. (a) Benin (b) Ibadan (c) Warri (d) Port Harcourt
3. All are regarded as Indigenous churches except ____. (a) Living Faith Church (b) The Church of the Lord (c) Celestial Church of Christ (d) Christ Apostolic Church
4. The following are regarded as Orthodox churches except ____. (a) Anglican (b) Baptist (c) Believers’ Loveworld (d) Methodist
5. The people who spread the gospel outside their country are known as ____. (a) trekkers (b) spreaders (c) propagators (d) missionaries

Theory

1. Mention two Indigenous churches in Nigeria.
2. State three Pentecostal churches.