Page 245 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

The Twentieth Century and Beyond

official publication of the Assemblies of God and showed him their names.
Fellow missionary Phillips adds:

That settled it. The men insisted: “You must send missionaries
to us; we need help.” The next morning a group of believers
escorted them to the ship that would take them back to America.
Again they pleaded, “Please send us missionaries.” (14–15)

Lloyd and Margaret Shirer, Assemblies of God missionaries in the
Gold Coast (Ghana), were transferred to Nigeria from the Gold Coast
in 1939, and Everett and Dorothy Phillips arrived in Nigeria early in
1940. They soon learned about how God had poured out His Holy Spirit
among the Ibos. They responded by organizing churches and opening
a Bible school, and soon additional missionaries arrived. Although they
emphasized literature ministry and Sunday school, they did not neglect
women’s ministry and clinic work.

The church began to grow rapidly as leadership was developed. In 1961,
Matthew Ezeigbo became the first Nigerian General Superintendent,
and he was followed by Gabriel Oyakhilome in 1971 and Charles O.
Osueke in 1988. Phillips comments: “In half a century God has blessed
the Assemblies of God in Nigeria. Until today, it is the largest active
Protestant church in the nation” (133).

When Everett Phillips was asked about the the secrets of success of
the church in Nigeria, he explained that it was because of the following
reasons (134):

• Systematic training in God’s Word (Bible schools)
• Translation of material into the language of the people
• Close cooperation among the missionaries and national ministers
• Following an indigenous church model: self-supporting, self-
governing, and self-propagating
• Dedicated pastors, evangelists, and teachers
• Most importantly, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the people

The Nigerian church has expanded rapidly during the past twenty
years. Its leaders are focusing on the unreached in Nigeria, planting
churches, training workers in the Bible schools, organizing compassion

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