Leke Alder Consulting report on State of the Church in Nigeria

85 Pages·2016·4.92 MB·English

STATE OF THE
CHURCH REPORT
NIGERIA 2016
State of the Church Report Nigeria 2016
Contents
01 About the Alder State of Church Report 1
02 Research Methodology 2
03 The Cross & The Crossroads 3
The role of the Church in Nigeria.
04 Survey Result 8
.Demographics (Overall) 9
Demographics (Regional) 12
Results (Overall) 19
Results (Regional) 32
05 Our Recommendations 73
06 Matters Arising 75
The rise of internet porn & its generational impact.
Statistics.
About the
Alder State of
Church Report
Leke Alder
A mirror is a very powerful concept. It makes us
aware of self. To the extent therefore that a mirror
creates self-awareness, it becomes a psychographic
tool.
But not all mirrors are shiny flat surfaces made from
silica. Humans are mirrors too – four dimensional
reflectors occupying space and time. Humans are
technological interactive wonders. And so when an
institution like the Church needs to be aware of
herself and truly see herself, we must turn to
humans. But the information feedback from humans
is not necessarily reality - that's a very difficult
concept to grasp. What we call reality is actually
perception of reality. This State of the Church Report
is a compilation of perception of reality. And the
Church being a public institution, it is only fitting we
turn to the public for that perception of reality. The
Church in turn, moulds public perspectives and
viewpoints.
The essence of this report is not to critique the
Church. Rather, it is to provide an invaluable
feedback to the Church, to provide data for the
Church to work with. The Church has always worked
with information and data. The Church after all talks
about the Word. So, here’s another form of word for
the church to work with. It’s called the Alder State of
the Church Report.
Happy reading!
02
Research
Methodology
State Of Church
Report Nigeria
2016
Research integrity and Nigerian youth (18-35).
meticulousness of approach are
sacred. This philosophy is the The total number of respondents for
foundation for our over 15 years of the State of the Church survey (both
national, cross regional and cross online and offline) was 2805.
sectoral surveys in Nigeria. In 2001, Respondents spanned every
Alder published the first ever research geopolitical zone in Nigeria. A sample
based brand report in Nigeria - The of 600 respondents (100 each from
Alder Brand Report. In 2014, we the 6 geopolitical zones) was
produced Nigeria's first social media extrapolated to serve as a control
report - The Alder Social Media group and to provide regional data
Report. interpretation. Consider that the
Gallup Polls (one of the most popular
We employ globally accepted economic, political and current events
methods to cull data and intelligence polls in the US) polls just 500
on key issues. The State of the Americans for Presidential elections.
Church survey is no exception. Data In addition, the CNN/Times polls used
for the survey was collated using both for news telecasts is based on a
online and offline platforms (we sample size of 600 -1000
conducted an online survey as well as respondents. America's population
on-ground polling). size is 318.9m, 1.8 times that of
Nigeria’s.
Although the data collated is skewed
towards online respondents, studies From the conceptualisation of this
conducted by Pew Research Center* project to its completion, our goal was
conclude that surveys that are to provide information to clergy and
predominantly conducted online do the general public on the state of the
not adversely affect the overall results Church in Nigeria, and this report
and intelligence garnered. (Moreso, in does so.
a nation like Nigeria with a mobile
*Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank,
Internet penetration of 57.2%.) based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues,
public opinion, and demographic trends that shape the United
Furthermore, a predominantly online
States and the World.
survey proved most effective as a key
objective of the survey was to
determine the perceptions of the
03
The Cross &
The Crossroads
State Of Church
Report Nigeria
2016
The role of the Church in Nigeria
Recent events in the Church have and charlatans in collars. But there
generated social fervour about the are so many genuine men of God
lifestyles of men of the robe and the and ministries, thousands upon
governance structure of the Church thousands of them.
in Nigeria, in particular the
Pentecostal hue. This is as The Orthodox Church establishment
expected because the funding laid the foundation for modern
profile of the Church is primarily Nigeria. They are the offshoots of
derived from contributions from missionary work. They educated the
congregants. There is a lot of angst people we now refer to as the
out there because Nigerians are founding fathers of the federation.
experiencing economic hardship. They established the first set of
This provides some of the context hospitals and schools in Nigeria.
for the public backlash. However we CMS Grammar School, Methodist
risk throwing out the baby with the Boys' High School, Baptist
bath water if our passion becomes Academy and Our Lady of Apostles
a raging flood that sweeps away Grammar School are well known
reason and structural facts. examples of schools established by
missionaries.
Are there excesses in the church?
No doubt. The eco-system is It was the Church that educated the
imperfect and cannot be perfect for first set of civil servants in Nigeria.
the simple reason that Pastors are And the Church has always been at
men after all. And the operations of the nexus of cultural re-orientation in
some snake oil merchants have Nigeria. Who can ever forget the
only served to compound issues. work of Mary Slessor, the diminutive
There are now magicians in robes, nurse who fought against the
economic opportunists in cassocks, barbaric culture of the killing of
ecclesiastical predators in surplices twins? And so when we chant about
The Cross & The Crossroads State of the Church Report Nigeria 2016 I 4
the “labour of our heroes past,” we must the establishment of the phenomenon of
not forget that some of these heroes are the baptism of the Holy Ghost in Nigeria. We
missionaries and the orthodox must of course acknowledge the incredible
establishments. apostolic ministries of Brothers Timothy
Oshokoya, Lucas Obakoya and D. T.
Now we do not know why but clearly, God Robins founders of the Apostolic Faith in
raised a generational stream of young men Nigeria. They are credited with raising
and women to build on the foundational people from the dead.
work of the orthodox churches. The work
began with the establishment of the However something major took place in the
Scripture Union (S.U or C.U – Christian early 80s. A then unknown medical student
Union) in primary and secondary schools. at the University of Lagos was ordained a
From that movement emerged the Pastor by the Assemblies of God Church.
generation of those who now head the This was an extremely radical event for that
Pentecostal institutional churches today, in period. His name is Dr. Tunde Joda of the
particular the unassuming Pastor Enoch Christ Chapel fame. He was a product and
Adeboye and the self effacing Pastor proponent of the Faith Movement and was
William F. Kumuyi. Incidentally both highly influenced by the ministries of Rev.
attended The Apostolic Faith before fate Kenneth E. Hagin and Kenneth Copeland
directed their trajectories. and other generals of the Faith Movement.
Both are very well educated. Pastor He opened the door for his generation and
Adeboye has a PhD in Applied Mathematics made God exciting to young people. That
whilst Pastor Kumuyi has a first class was a generational advent and invariably
honours degree in Mathematics. At the time members of that generation became
of their ascendance, the “faith movement” pastors.
was taking root in America and this
spawned the ministries of the late Because of the educational background of
Archbishop Benson Idahosa who “fathered” the generation, the Pentecostal movement
Bishop David Oyedepo and Pastor Ayo acquired sophistication. The emergent
Oritsejafor. Archbishop Idahosa also pastors are generally creative in approach,
mentored Dr.Myles Munroe. We must also aggressive, uninhibited, resourceful, and
note the great work of a little known well grounded in progressive understanding
Englishman who settled in Ile Ife, the late Pa of God's word. Many emerged through the
Elton. He would be responsible for the “model parish” structure of the Redeemed
mentoring of the next ministerial generation Christian Church of God. Dr. Tony Rapu
and the establishment of Pentecostal would prove pivotal to that structure though
doctrine in Nigeria. He is often credited with there is evidence to the effect that Pastor
The Cross & The Crossroads State of the Church Report Nigeria 2016 I 5
Tunde Bakare was perhaps the first model term “Pentecostal” has come to signify
parish pastor. That was before he went on exuberant loud worship and gifted oratory).
to found the Latter Rain Assembly. But Tony They redefined what a man of God is and till
Rapu did incredible work and took today, the redefinition presents a challenge
Redeemed Christian Church of God to society. So aggressive are members of
international. this Pentecostal movement that in a strange
twist of fate, they exported Christianity back
Reverend Chris Okotie would emerge post to the UK. And they have established
Dr. (Rev) Tunde Bakare as an apostle of the churches in Ukraine, Ireland, America and
doctrine of grace. In Ibadan, Dr. Olubi all over the world.
Johnson was establishing the faith
movement, whilst in Ilorin the ministry of Nigeria as a nation has no social security
Rev. George Adegboye was also very system. The absence of safety nets is why
established. individuals take care of the economic needs
of their parents in old age. This familial
Some in that generation are now in full time approach to social security leaves huge
ministry but many maintain a dualism – they swaths of needy citizens unattended to. Into
work as professional managers and this void has stepped the Church. The
entrepreneurs whilst running the churches Church complements the efforts of some
on a full term basis. (Some are in State governments who clearly cannot cope
government). And so we arrived at a literal with the deluge of developmental
prophetic era in Nigeria church history – the challenges facing Nigeria. And the
era of the order of priest-kings technically Pentecostal generation has acquitted itself
known as the Order of Melchizedek. All wonderfully at this task.
Christians belong to this Order but these
young pastors in dual callings typify the Let's be more particular. Pastor Taiwo
Order. Most are successful in their secular Odukoya, a man of grace runs The Fountain
callings and it would be uncharitable to of Life Church. It has a hospital, an
assume that they went into ministry for orphanage, a school for the indigent and
money. Most do not collect salaries from orphans and a vocational farm. Pastor Ituah
their churches. Instead they contribute. Ighodalo, the founder of Trinity House and a
These emergent pastors signified a former Redeemed Christian Church of God
generational move of God. The generation pastor, supports indigent students with
is noted for “speaking in tongues” – a scholarships. His Lydia Grace Foundation
peculiar glossolalia dating back to supports the rehabilitation of lower class
Pentecost. They are thus referred to as prostitutes, among so many other initiatives.
“Pentecostals”. (In modern parlance, the Pastor Tony Rapu, now the senior Pastor of
The Cross & The Crossroads State of the Church Report Nigeria 2016 I 6
This Present House runs one of the most establishment of a university, the Pan
successful drug rehabilitation programmes African University. That university has taken
through the Freedom Foundation network. up a major responsibility for skill
His God Bless Nigeria Church is a development in the private sector. The
specialised ministry to miscreants and Church also founded Loyola Jesuit
“area boys”. It's hugely successful. Pastor Secondary School. Bishop David Oyedepo
Poju Oyemade organises a bi-annual youth (Winners Chapel) founded two
empowerment seminar called The Platform. universities! No other Nigerian, living or
It's so popular. Reverend Sam Adeyemi, a dead has accomplished such a feat. His
gentleman of the robe runs Daystar ministry also runs 153 primary schools (147
Christian Centre. His Church has a in Nigeria and in 6 other African countries)
community impact programme and has as well as 23 standard secondary schools.
renovated 5 State schools, among so many Invariably almost every church has bent its
other programmes. He is particularly noted back to carry the burden of the State and
for leadership training. Pastor Paul it's a huge burden.
Adefarasin of the House on the Rock
Church hosts an annual cultural impact A wholesale condemnation of the Church is
programme called The Experience. It is a not helpful. The Church through its
major engagement platform for youths programs saves Nigeria from the
through music. The City of David, a consequences of its dereliction in
Redeemed Church parish runs a most governance. Perhaps there is a need for a
successful soccer academy and acclaimed compendium of the good works by
football club, COD United FC. These are churches that is accessible to the general
just a few examples of what these particular public. The Church essentially aggregates
ministries are engaged in and space will not resources to create a social security net for
permit us to name the works of so many Nigeria. Otherwise we will have more drug
other ministries. Many church ministries run addicts, prostitutes, orphans, hapless
schools, hospitals, orphanages, sex worker widows and certainly more crime. We will
rehabilitation programmes, drug also have less kids in school, less young
rehabilitation programmes, community men acquiring trade skills, less micro-
development programmes and youth financing of small businesses, and less
development programmes. By the time we value orientation and instruction for our
scale up to the network of Redeemed youths.
Christian Church of God and the like, the
At the heart of the ongoing debate is the
exponential value of Church ministries
nature of church economics. Why do
becomes staggering in proportion. The
people give to churches in such huge
Catholic Church is responsible for the
figures? Why would a pastor take money
The Cross & The Crossroads State of the Church Report Nigeria 2016 I 7
from the poor? To the man looking from the in an economic downturn. And the parable
outside those giving ten percent of their of the widow's mite establishes the principle
salaries are either gullible or hypnotized. of relative deprivation as a measure of
But the notion of giving is a fundamental of value.
the Christian faith. Jesus said, “Give and it
shall be given unto you”. Apostle Paul That said, it must be mentioned that the
wrote, “He who sows sparingly will also Church has oft times operated with a silo
reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully mentality. There has to be better
will also reap bountifully. So let each one engagement between the Church and civil
give as he purposes in his heart, not society. And there has to be a better
grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a engagement of the youths. Many churches
cheerful giver”. (2 Cor 9: 6 – 7). Giving in struggle with the youth demographic and
Christianity is predicated on the principle of the new culture of social media. In addition,
sowing and reaping. And giving is a socio- a peer-to-peer review system must be
economic ladder according to Christian instituted. If the pastors judge themselves
doctrine. It is also proof of love for God. It is they will escape condemnation. Some
within this context that we can advocate state interference in religious
understand why the poor give to churches. affairs. Regulating the Church sounds okay
The poor man's faith teaches him to give his in theory but it can prove a very dangerous
way out of poverty, though we must admit idea in a tri-religious society like Nigeria.
that the role of industry is sometimes Not with all the goings on. And we may
neglected in some teachings. There are have a peculiar situation of a man of
perversions of the doctrine of giving but that different faith sitting in judgment over
does not make the doctrine any less Christian economics without doctrinal
fundamental. understanding and vice versa. We must not
rush us into dangerous territory. But the
Now, unlike some religions, Christianity runs Church has to recognize that society has
an economic commonwealth when it comes significantly altered, and yet for many
to institutional development and building Nigerians it is the one true institution.
programs. Everyone contributes to the
commonwealth. And the value of a gift This is my humble contribution to the
before God is relative to deprivation. That ongoing debate.
would seem heartless to the outsider and
some will consider it exploitative, but the
story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath
is a wonderful illustration of the dynamics of
giving to a man of God (or church ministry)
04
Survey
Results
State Of Church
Report Nigeria
2016
Introduction

The survey for the State of the Church
report was done in 2 parts:
a. Online general survey
b. O ffline regional survey