Anglican Church famed as the largest province in the Anglican Communion – Part 1
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Anglican Church famed as the largest province in the Anglican Communion – Part 1
By Engr Korede Akintunde
The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican Church in Nigeria. It is one of the largest Province in the Anglican Communion. It came out of the Province of West Africa and was inaugurated as an independent national Province on February 24, 1979 – St Matthias Day. There were 16 Dioceses at inauguration.
The Vision: “The Church of Nigeria shall be Bible-based, spiritually dynamic, united; disciplined; self-supporting; committed to pragmatic evangelism, social welfare and a church that epitomizes the genuine love of Christ.”
It is thoroughly evangelical in its theology. Its theology is fashioned by the Bible and yet there is room for tradition and reason in theological engagements and interpretation.
Scripture Tradition Reason (Richard Hooker) It shares and affirms the 39 Articles of Religion (Article of Faith). Since 2002 the Church of Nigeria is organised into 14 internal ecclesiastical provinces.
The 14 Provinces of the Church are: Abuja Province, Aba Province, Lokoja Province, Kaduna Province, Owerri Province, Lagos Province, Niger Province, Niger Delta Province, Jos Province, Kwara Province, Ibadan Province, Ondo Province, Bendel Province and Enugu Province.
Each Province is headed by the Ecclesiastical Archbishop who is elected to serve for a term of five years and can be so elected the second time and no more.
Becoming an Ecclesiastical Archbishop is by election not appointment. It operates the Anglican polity of being “episcopally led and synodically governed.
It has rapidly increased the number of its dioceses and bishops from 91 in 2002 to 164, as at today, May 28, 2024. The administrative headquarters is located in Abuja (St Matthias House, Plot 942 Ibrahim Waziri Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja). St Matthias House, Gudu, Abuja, its National Secretariat was built and commissioned for use during the Primacy of Archbishop Nicholas D. Okoh. It was dedicated on 24th April 2019.
It prides itself as the Church of the Great Church father Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther the first black Anglican Bishop who with others pioneered missions into the different parts of Nigeria. Remember the Anglican Church started in Nigeria in 1842. Many institutions have been named after Bishop Crowther –
Crowther Graduate Theological Seminary, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Bishop Crowther College of Theology, Okene, Kogi State, Crowther Mission Center, Osoogun, Oyo State, Crowther Radio, Abuja, Crowther Chariots, Abuja.
Many Cathedral stalls, hostels, houses, books, theses and dissertations have been written on Bishop Crowther. Some people have suggested that he be named the first Primate of the Church of Nigeria, this cannot be, because the Church of Nigeria became a province, a status that gave it the right to have Primate as its leader in 1979.
All the same, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther is loved and celebrated in the Church of Nigeria – October 3 is his Day. The Church of Nigeria has been headed by five Primates till date. Its fifth and current primate is Archbishop Henry C. Ndukuba (2020 till date). Archbishop Timothy Olufosoye was the first Primate from St Matthias Day in 1979 till 1988.
Archbishop Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye was the second Primate (1988-1999).
Archbishop Peter Jasper Akinola became the third Primate (2000 – 2010).
Archbishop Nicholas D. Okoh was the fourth Primate (2010-2020).
Autonomy: The Church of Nigeria is an autonomous Province within the Anglican Communion and does not report to the Archbishop of Canterbury. It became an autonomous Province in 1979 (24th February – St Matthias Day).
Primacy: The Primate of the Church of Nigeria is the head of the Nigerian Anglican Church, similar to how the Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader of the Church of England.
The Primate is elected at the Episcopal Synod for a single term of 10 years after which he retires even if he has not reached the constitutional mandatory retirement age of 70.
Also, if he reaches 70 years before his 10-year term he will also retire because the constitutional mandatory retirement age of 70 supersedes the 10-year term.
The Primate is the Archbishop and Metropolitan. He is also the Bishop of the Diocese of Abuja and the Dean of his Cathedral.
The Dean of the Church of Nigeria deputizes for the Primate. His roles are as assigned by the Primate. The first elected Dean to serve the full five-year nonrenewable term was the Most Rev’d Lamido A Buba, the former Archbishop of Kaduna Province and Bishop of the Diocese of Wusasa.
The current Dean is the Most Rev’d Blessing Enyindah, the Archbishop of Niger Delta and the Bishop of the Diocese of Ikwerre.
The General Synod meets once in 3 years, and it is the highest decision-making body of the Church. There are two secretaries of the General Synod who serve as minutes recorders during sessions and even during Standing Committee Meetings
Clerical Secretary and Lay Secretary. This helps you to know then that the General Secretary is an administrator not a recorder of notes – of course he takes notes at exclusive meetings for the purpose of administration with the Primate.
Whereas these two record proceedings, the General Secretary is the custodian of minutes and other documents of the Church.
The General Synod, Standing Committee and Diocesan Synods are made up of: The House of Bishops chaired by the Primate; The House of Clergy chaired by the Prolocutor, The House of Laity chaired by the Chairman. The Standing Committee of the General Synod meets twice a year to execute the decisions of the General Synod and take other decisions which will eventually be ratified by the General Synod.
To be continued
Engr. Akintunde is the Communication Officer of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
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