Church Unity in Nigeria
“The seed we are sowing is taking root…”
“In the past, you would call them and call them, asking where they are. Only a very few would actually come. But now I think the Spirit is spurring them on to prayer. We have a regular prayer meeting, scheduled for 3pm. The last time, five leaders came before 3pm and we began prayer, and by 4pm we had a full house of 28!”
Bishop Victor Umo Abasi, the president of the Mennonite Church of Nigeria, knows exactly why this drastic change has occurred:
“Once the Word of God has been given the seat of honor it gives meaning to all we do.”
The Mennonite church in Nigeria has experienced significant growth since their founding in the late 1950s, and now over 45 churches of almost 20,000 members are active in southeastern Nigeria.
The road has not been an easy one, however. Since the early 1980s, the church has suffered from a crisis of leadership. A 14-year split over national leadership resolved into an uneasy peace in 1995, but tension and disunity continued to be the norm. Many of the congregations remained distinctly independent for decades, and have resisted attempts to centralize. Church leaders and members across the nation were simply not connecting with Christ or each other in a healthy way. Because of this, leaders have neglected their families in service of their positions. Members only participated in activities of the church with grumbling and complaining.
But now, as it celebrates its 60th anniversary, the Mennonite church in Nigeria is entering a new era – an era characterized by the pursuit of fresh dependency on God and holistic, healthy leadership. Bishop Umo Abasi has whole-heartedly embraced the ConneXions Model, resulting in a repositioned leadership team at the highest levels of the Mennonite church. Recently, attempts to establish a unified church from top to bottom began in earnest.
LeaderSource held regular training opportunities throughout the summer for purpose of familiarizing and aligning the leadership on a journey to become healthy leaders. They made a point to hold several of the trainings with a remote diocese which had remained disconnected from national leadership for several decades. The time spent with these leaders revealed the desperate need for alignment; it was essential that the Mennonite leadership gather around a shared vision. Bishop Umo Abasi immediately recognized that this missing piece had resulted in the disunity they had suffered for decades. He confessed this publicly, and asked for further direction on how to achieve alignment. God was powerfully at work in the following trainings, and the fruit was abundant and obvious.
After a series of Spirit-led conversations, the national leadership and the disconnected diocese embraced peace and resolved to move forward with the same vision. The Bishop specifically gave up all administrative responsibilities to several newly-formed committees so he could focus on prayer and ministry to the leaders in his care. He initiated a “think tank” leadership team to help him move the church to the next level, and a reconciliation team to strengthen the new efforts in unity. The leaders present at the final training resolved to apply a servant-leader approach in all aspects of their ministry and in the entire leadership structure of the Mennonite church in Nigeria. Everyone asked for more training to solidify real and continuous growth.
As an exciting example of this new direction, Bishop Umo Abasi announced his commitment to re-establish a church that, during the leadership conflicts of the 80s, had ceased to exist. With five families who are on fire for the work of God, this church was reborn with a commitment to dependency on Christ and the holistic training necessary to thrive. The leaders are thrilled with this fruit.
“The seed we are sowing is taking root, and I believe that it will bring revival to not just the church, but the entire nation!”
