The African Church

This is one of the Christian religious movements that originated in Nigeria in 1901. The African church is a revolutionary or dissenting body from the Anglicanism.

This is equally one of the channels that millions of mortals seek after Yahoshea Meshiyach and his way of life.

Origin of the Movement

History of the movement hold its existence to the instrumentality of Elder Jacob Kelvade Coker who was called the “people's worker” in 1901.

Elder J.K. Coker led some Anglican converts out of Anglican church in protest over the ill-treatment meted to Africans in the then white controled churches.

The protest was based on the model of worship of the Anglican Communion that had no regard or recognition to the African cultural musical instrumentation and equally made mandatory that the people had to wear European dresses and to sing western hymns.

Traditionally, the Anglican Communion in Nigeria was colonial project under the influence of the C.M.S. (Anglican) church.  The African natives enrolled into western education as the Communion installed Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther who was the foremost black African leader of the Anglican church and translator of the Bible into the Yoruba languages as the head of church of Nigeria.

This new light of civilization opened the early elites to the realization of cultural and religious domination that associated with Anglicanism and indeed other Christian movement.

Since the Anglican communion was not ready to adjust to accommodate some of the vexing issues, the elites protested and formed the African church.

This led to schisms that finally gave birth to an indigenous African church that accommodate some cultural values of African natives.

The first church service or worship of the movement was on Sunday 20th October 1901 at Rose Cottage Marina in Lagos State of Nigeria.  The first service was held in a canopy and attracted an estimate of 800 worshippers and they were viewed as founding members of the movement.  Some of the first worshippers acted as the choir. The first service was officiated by Lay Preacher D.A.J. Oguntolu who emphasized that Africans have been worshiping Christ in the form put forth by Europeans who were watching, governing and guiding their cultural heritage, beliefs and mode of worship while ignoring their African cultural values.

Preacher Oguntolu motivated the audience that Christ to Europeans was an European and to Africans, he must be an African.

Establishment and Seperations

The movement built its first church in 1901 and dedicated it for worship.  The second African church evolved at Salem which later had separate incorporation and expanded efforts. The Salem and Bethel separate churches later merged with the name African church incorporated.

Other African churches began to emerge and sought to incorporate to the African church.  The efforts were thwarted by differences on some religious practices. For example, the United African Methodist church and the United Native African church made move to merge with the African church but were frustrated by their belief of polygamy which the African church forbid.

Those African churches developed their separate identities and the African church as well maintained its separate body from the Anglican communion. Unlike the Anglican communion of those days, the African church baptized the offspring of polygamists and allowed its members to take traditional titles.

Recently, there are discussions of unification of African church with Anglican Communion in Nigeria. This is prompted by their common opposition to the consecration of gays in priesthood.

Though both movements differ on marriage, burial of the dead, ministerial hierarchy and the authority of the clergy, yet it engaged in dialogue that target at unification. The dialogue was originated with eight delegates from each movement including Bishops, clergy and laity.  The dialogue held in Ibadan and was concluded with a document entitled, Anglican – African conversation that was jointly agreed upon by the leaders of both church. 

Doctrines and Creeds

      In doctrinal affairs, the African church is related to Anglican tradition.  It holds the Bible as its final standard of faith.  It treasures both Old and New Testaments as sufficient for salvation. The movement equally hold to the trinitarian concept of Christianity.

The church practices the doctrine of sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion as obtainable in other Christian movements.

It equally spread across cities of the Old Western Nigeria province and had its headquarter in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The movement is governed by the General conference that is headed by a primate and its clergy are trained at the African church college of theology which is presently affiliated with the university of Ibadan.

The church runs schools, hospitals and some social centres.  It equally published a daily Bible reading guide in English and Yoruba languages. 

Conclusion

The African church is one of the protesting churches that exist via its disagreement with the Western Christian methodologies.  Its claim is to incorporate some of the African values into  Christian worship.

The protest is minor because it was never targeted at restoration of sacred values that were devoured by the mainline Christianity.

It was mainly for adaptation of African cultural values into the Christian worship.

Therefore, regarding to this simple submission, the African church like other Christian traditions is never suitable for seekers to Yahosheanim.