Page 168 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Samuel Crowther
Samuel Ajayi Crowther was born in the Yoruba town of Osogon, Nigeria
in 1806. As a young man, he saw Muslim forces conquer his village, and he
was among the many residents taken captive. Samuel Crowther was only
15 years of age when he was sold into slavery. However, the Portuguese
ship on which he was carried was captured by a British squadron
patrolling the West Africa waters. As a result, he was taken to Freetown,
Sierra Leone and treated as a recaptive. Given the name Samuel Crowther
by a missionary from the Church Missionary Society, he was educated in
its schools and showed great promise both academically and spiritually.

While serving as a teacher, he urged the Church Missionary Society
(CMS) to take the gospel to the inland Africans. In 1841, he joined a CMS
survey expedition up the Niger River.
Since most of the Europeans associated
with the expedition succumbed to
malaria, the journey was aborted and
the ship returned to Sierra Leone.
Nevertheless, this experience gave
Crowther an increased missionary
burden. After the Church Missionary
Society gave him a scholarship, he went
to England for training.

In 1843, Crowther was ordained by
the Bishop of London. At the urging of
Henry Venn, he took a leading part in
Figure 9.2—Samuel Crowther
the planning of the CMS Niger Mission
and in 1843 returned to Freetown. He was warmly received as he
conducted his first church service in English. Soon, he began a ministry
to the Yoruba speaking people, including those who were Muslims. He
was convinced that each person needed a relationship to Jesus Christ.
In 1844, with others, he sailed to Badagry, on the coast of Nigeria, where
returning recaptives had established a Christian presence. However, he
had his mind on the Yoruba, and in 1845 he returned to Abeokuta where
he met his mother and sisters.

Eager to share the message of freedom and forgiveness found in
Christ, Crowther was a messenger of hope to those filled with religious

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