Church Planting in Nigeria: Issues and Prospects a Study of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)
CHAPTER ONE
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.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
The ministry of church planting is more exciting and rewarding, for it is through church planting that the mission of the Church advances and the Kingdom of God expands; this is always a difficult task. The Church planter is a missionary, whether he is planting a church in central Africa or the central United States. Virtually all new congregations start out with severely limited resources, inadequate facilities and few prospective members. Often the newly established congregation begins with no more than the church planter and his family. Everything seems to be against the new church; yet, new churches are started every year, and many of them grow and thrive.
While mega-churches get much of the media attention, they are not the norm. In fact, mega-churches have proven themselves much more effective in gaining members than in making disciples. It is in the myriads of smaller and little noticed congregations that the bulk of living and growing takes place. It is there that real disciples are formed in close knit, faithful and caring Christian communities.
Pioneer church planting is the method found in the pages of the Acts of the Apostles. IT is the most practical for a smaller jurisdiction with limited resources, and holds the greatest promise for the rapid expansion and growth of the Church. For Pioneering Church Planters to make a better start, they must avoid many of the mistakes that often threaten a newborn mission-church, and must be more effective in establishing a faithful, thriving and growing parish.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This chapter states the various methods used in research, as well as the population of the study, and sampling techniques used in determining the sample size for the research. How data was collected and analyzed is also discussed in this chapter. The main objectives of this research were achieved through quantitative methods, as inferential statistics were used to measure the level of accuracy and validate responses from the respondents in accordance to the objectives of the research.
STUDY AREA
The study was conducted in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos state. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a Pentecostal megachurch and denomination founded in Lagos, Nigeria. The General overseer (most senior pastor) is Enoch Adeboye, ordained in 1981. The church in Lagos has an average church attendance of 100,000. In 1981, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye became the General Overseer of the Church. In 1983, the land for the Redemption Camp in Mowe was purchased. In 1988, a students’ body known as the Redeemed Christian Fellowship (RCF) was established. It is the youth wing of the church concentrated within tertiary institutions of learning in the country. In 1990, Christ the Redeemer’s Friends Universal (CRFU), was established to garner financial and human resources from the very wealthy in the society. (Ukah, 2005)
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
This chapter is devoted to the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data gathered in the course of this study. The data are based on the number of copies of the questionnaire completed and returned by the respondents. The data are presented in tables and the analysis is done using the chi-square test.
CHAPTER FIVE
FINDINGS, SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The objectives of the study were to:
- 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.
Findings from the study revealed the following:
- That massive church planting improves the moral lifestyles of Christians.
- Nigeria’s Church population (worshippers)is one of the reasons for the proliferation of churches in Nigeria.
- There are challenges to church planting in Nigeria.
- Church planting in Nigeria demands huge financial commitment.
REFERENCES
- Ashton, C. H. (1987). “Cannabis: Dangers and Possible Uses”. British Medical Journal Conerstone Publishers Britain, Vol. 294, Pp. 141-142.
- Bamaiyi’s Magic Wand (1997) “Battle Against Drug Scourge”. A Publication of the Press Relations unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
- Barber, B. (1967). Drugs and Society. New York: Raven Press. B. E. Medical Services Limited (1995). The Reports for Six Thematic Workshops on Drug Demand Reduction (DDR) Held Between March and June.
- Brecher, E. M. (1972). Licit and Illicit Drugs. Boston: Little Brown and Co. Brunn, K. P. and Rexed, I. (1975). The Gentlemen’s Club: International Control of Drugs and Control. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
- Bassey, R. E. (1998). “Secret Cults: How Involved in Drug and Crime”? AntiNarcotics Journal of the African Council on Narcotics. First Publishers, Calabar: Vol. 3, Pp. 13.
- Chianrd, M. B. and Abbot, D. I. (1973).Crimes in Developing Countries. New York: John Willey and Sons.
