With the new president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, a declared Baptist, and the overall Baptist community numbering more than 3.5 million, the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) had much cause for rejoicing during its 150th anniversary celebration April 16-20.
Even heavy rains couldn’t dampen spirits as thousands of Nigerians descended on M.K.O. Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, where Baptist work started. The convention now encompasses 7,000-plus churches with 880,000 baptized members.
Among those attending the celebration were Denton Lotz, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), and Jerry Rankin, president of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB), which started work in Nigeria on Aug. 5, 1850, with the arrival of the first missionary, Thomas Jefferson Bowen.
“It was a great moment when Jerry Rankin gave greetings,” Lotz said, “since the NBC is the result of the outstanding pioneer mission work of the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention).”
Star attraction
Lotz had an opportunity to greet Nigerian President Obasanjo on behalf of Baptists worldwide. Obasanjo himself, however, by far was the convention’s star attraction. He was greeted enthusiastically when he came and led the crowd in singing, “To God Be the Glory.”
“This is one of the most fulfilling hours of my life,” Obasanjo said. “I stand here as a man who must say ‘To God be the glory’ for this great period of Baptist history. May God grant to us more fruitful years of service.”
The president singled out the IMB and thanked Southern Baptists for planting the seeds of the gospel and working diligently to nurture and grow Nigerian Christians.
“Their work has influenced millions of Nigerians and other African countries. I speak as one of those touched by their work,” said Obasanjo, who attended a Baptist boys’ high school, where he was first introduced to the love of Jesus Christ.
Jailed for his opposition to the military government in Nigeria, Obasanjo became a much more committed believer to Jesus Christ during his imprisonment.
There he wrote a book on “Guides to Effective Prayer.” In the introduction he writes, “… the greatest weapon of humankind today is prayer … to bring about change in the human situation and the world situation at every level.”
In light of recent Muslim-Christian unrest in Nigeria, Obasanjo stressed the need for reconciliation between the two groups, and he called on Christians and Muslims to fast and pray for two days for peace.
Obasanjo also underscored the need to fight all forms of sectarianism which divide Nigerians.
He implored Baptists to be involved in education. This follows the expressed wish of many government and Christian leaders that all of the former religious schools be returned to the denominations because the quality of education from those schools has not yet been matched by the national government.
Lotz, addressing Nigerian Baptists, tapped the theme “Jesus Christ Forever. Yes!” He called on Baptists to say yes to Jesus Christ, to human rights, to freedom of religion, to separation of church and state and to the priesthood of all believers.
Perennial leaders in evangelism, Nigerian Baptists in 1999 started 851 churches and baptized 30,150 people. The convention also has sent out 36 missionaries to serve in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea.
Nigeria was the springboard for Baptist work in Africa. Nigerian Christian traders shared their faith as they traveled in and out of Benin, Ghana and Togo. Small pockets of believers developed along the trade routes and began asking for missionaries and pastors.
In the 1950s, Baptist missionaries were sent to Ghana. A few years later, six Nigerian missionaries moved to the other side of the continent to start Baptist work in East Africa.
Today Southern Baptist missionaries, their African Baptist co-workers and other Great Commission Christians are making plans to take the gospel to every people group on the continent. (BP)
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