Chapter one

Introduction

1.1 backgrounds to the study

The Assemblies of God Nigeria is one of the fastest growing Pentecostal Churches in Nigeria in the 21st century.  In Africa and indeed Nigeria, religion permeates all the activities from birth to death. In spite of this the Nigerian Constitution defines the country as a secular state. There are three major religions predominate in the Nigeria which are Christianity, Islam and Traditional practice. Since the year 1967, Pentecostal churches like assemblies of God have played a tremendous role in the majority of African nations in spreading Christianity. However, the new Christian movement has had a significant impact on the expansion of Christianity in Nigeria since the 1980s (Ndiokwere 1981).

This was made clear by the constant reporting on the activities of the Assembly of God church in the print media. Additionally, the Assemblies of God Church dominates the electronic media with their healing, evangelizing, and miracle services, prosperity gospel, and self-proclamation through literary works and tracts, itinerant preaching, new ministries, Bible colleges, Sunday schools, and Internet use, all of which have a positive influence on the growth of Christianity.

In the year 2011, a Pew Forum study of global Christianity found that there were an estimated 279 million classical Pentecostal church members with assemblies of God church being included in the population making 4% of the total world population. This represented 12.8% of the world’s Christian Pentecostal churches population (Pew Research Centre 2011). According to Pew Research Centre (2011) Christianity makes up about more than half of the population of Nigeria which is about 56 percent. Barrett and Johnson (2012) opined that one estimate places the membership of Pentecostal congregations at least one-fourth of the two billion Christians worldwide. At the triennial Pentecostal World Conference in South korea in 2016, Vinson Synan, the dean of Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, stated that around 25% of all Christians worldwide, including the assembly of God church, are Pentecostal (The Magazine 2016).

Barrett (2016) in his statistics also submits that about 450 million are Pentecostal churches in the world today. Also according to Pew Forum analysis carried out in 2011 on the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are about 279 million Pentecostal Christians and 305 million charismatic Christians in the world.

The origin of the assemblies of God church in Nigeria can be traced to campus Christianity of the 1970s according to Ojo (2006) through student prayer and Bible study groups such as inter-Varsity Christian Union. This was at a time of increase in education in southern Nigeria. The evangelical revival of the 1930s by Joseph Ayo Babalola with its African indigenous Christian spirituality and its emphasis on the efficacy of prayer and allowing its members to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit coupled with the influence of Western Pentecostal preachers like Oral Roberts through their print and media messages help fueled the development and growth of Christianity in Nigeria. It was the entry of churches like assemblies of God church into institutions of higher learning according to Ojo (2006) that triggered the spread of Christianity in the country as educated youths with widened horizons of experience with their educational attainment promoted Christianity in Lagos and Nigeria at large.

According to Yamsat (2010) the primary task of Christians (assemblies of God) in the world is to go into the world in order to preach the Goodnews to all creatures, a command which was given by Jesus Christ. (Mark 16: 15-16). In relation to the spread of gospel in Lagos and the entire world, it seems likely that many Christians have neglected their roles in the society. It seems that the attention of many Christians is now directed towards fulfilling their own will to the detriment of the spread of Christianity. There is no denying the fact that by reading the “signs of the times” that assemblies of God in Africa and the developing world develops its unique self-understanding in response to the challenges posed by Africa’s Socio-economic, political and cultural context.

Umoh (2013) opined that the key point is that the Church's relevance and legitimacy depend on how well it responds to the dominant social context in Africa and the rest of the developing world, regardless of whether we define the nature of this response as "message" or "mission." The African church has the choice of either preaching a gospel that addresses the structural issues of a region that is often disadvantaged, or Christians will find itself sinking with the continent's unmet expectations (Yamsat 2010).

If assemblies of God church in Lagos neglect this, certainly she stands the chance of risking the loss of the Church’s relevance and credibility (Yamsat 2010).

 It is urgently necessary to evangelize and re-evangelize individuals in order to establish a Church that is expanding at a reasonable rate in the context of Nigeria's and the world's current levels of development. Here, we argue that, in addition to bringing non-Christians to a saving knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, proclaimed Christians also need to rediscover their calling as evangelists (Umoh 2013).

There is no denying the fact that assemblies of God is so structured in a way that its operative measures cuts across all spheres of life. Its evangelical venture is geared towards building an enabling environment and spreading Christianity. Assemblies of God are expected to be a builder and as the Christians build, they are able to take into cognizance the temperament, the culture and the psychology of the people and the society. This was exactly what Jesus did. He was able to cut across all the areas of the people’s life. He had the laws and social functions to contend with hence he paid his tax and that of his disciples there by drawing people to God.

With this, we can say that the church is a medium through which a kind of control measure is introduced into the society, we Can one insinuate that a full involvement in the affairs of society will help in the growth and development of Christianity in Lagos and Nigeria .

Umoh (2013) opined how has our style of worship in this situation impacted the spread of Christianity There is no denying the fact that for evangelism to have any meaning in the life of the Church and as a way of life through professing Christ, it ought to be reflected in the way of life of all those who profess Christianity and who, by extension, are the evangelizers. But can one really say that with the stiff challenge of modernization, that Assembly of God has faced challenges in the spread of Christianity in Lagos. Therefore the study centers on the role of assemblies of god Nigeria in the growth of Christianity in Lagos state

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

In Lagos, the Assemblies of God church faces many difficulties. Christians who make up the church wish it were simple to share the gospel with the nonbelievers in our community, but this is not the case given the prevalence of modern challenges. The growth of Christianity and the message of our Lord Jesus Christ are currently threatened by significant obstacles that the Assemblies of God church must overcome. Compromise with global norms or following the global course are some of these problems.

Today, it appears that rather than the society having an impact on the church, it has been the other way around. Despite the fact that the vast majority of individuals in the society claim to be Christians, the spiritual climate in which they live is deteriorating. Even though the church has been making every effort to propagate Christianity, we have not had much success in the study field. The reality today is that there is widespread biblical illiteracy and a lack of fundamental Christian morality, ethics, and character. Observationally, there has been moral disintegration in more secular society among professing Christians. Alcoholism, drug misuse, domestic violence between couples, and other issues seem to be prevalent among churchgoers.

The church is also faced with a dilemma due to a lack of funding and poverty. In most cases, poverty is characterized by a lack of essential resources. One issue preventing the church from reaching and persuading non-Christians is poverty. Lack of resources prevents any church from reaching unbelievers and assisting in the spread of Christianity, which is applicable to churches today.. It is to this the study centers on the role of assemblies of God Nigeria in the growth of Christianity in Lagos state

1.3 objectives of the study

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of assemblies of god Nigeria in the growth of Christianity in Lagos state. Other specific objectives include;

1 To examine the impact of church evangelism towards the spread of the gospel in assemblies of God church Lagos state

2To examine the roles of church in the growth of Christianity in Lagos state

3 To outline the challenges faced by assemblies of God church towards the growth of Christianity in Lagos state

4 To recommend ways of propagating Christianity through evangelism in Lagos state

1.4 Research Methodology

The term methodology is used to describe all activities involved in the collection of the necessary information required for this research work. Methodology used in the study is the quantitative research method

1.5 scope of the study   

The study is restricted to the role of assemblies of God Nigeria in the growth of Christianity in Nigeria. The study is restricted to assemblies of God church mainland district in Lagos state.

1.6 significance of study

Assemblies of God have already established their roots in Nigeria, and it is therefore necessary that they should be investigated to determine whether or not they provide or address the relevant needs for the growth of Christianity. This study will identify the needs of the society in order to help assemblies of God church to take the necessary steps to reduce the current problems faced by the society as much as possible which serves as a way of propagating the gospel. It is expected that the results of this study will benefit the community, Christian churches in Nigeria. It could also help them to re-examine their responsibility as a church. Finally, the result of this study will contribute to the existing body of the study.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The researcher was faced with the following constraints in carrying out this study:

Time: The time within the researcher is too short to carry on the detail study on this topic.

Resources: Another constraint of the researcher is financial resources to carry on the detail study of this topic.

Data: Another limitation to this study will be lack of data to make valid study on the research problem.

1.8 operational definitions of key terms

Christian: A religious person who believes in Jesus Christ, belongs to a Christian denomination, and follows Jesus Christ's teachings or shows his attributes or spirit. Christians are persons who believe in or consider themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ. Christianity is the most widely practiced of all world religions, with significant representation on all of the world's populous continents.

Church: A structure constructed for Christian groups to worship in. It might be small and basic, just big enough to hold a neighborhood congregation, or it can be massive and complex, like a grand cathedral, with numerous sections for different religious activities and observances. God's Church is not only located in a beautiful and majestic temple or building constructed by human hands. It's more than just a group of people meeting in one location. It is more than just a gathering of people. It's a spiritual gathering. Remember that the church is the body of Christ, with Christ as its head. The genuine church of God is a full body made up of people who are connected in the Holy Spirit, with Christ as its head.

ROLE: A role is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given individual social status or social position