2011 – YEAR OF THE CHURCH? (3)

Rev Dr Moses Iloh.

'I have cited the fact of Christian Association of Nigeria’s triumph over a seemingly uniquely Nigerian evil - manipulated elections - which instead of putting the church umbrella body asunder has left us more united, and therefore stronger than ever under the current Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor-led executive. For those who might think I am overrating the import of this singular victory, please recall that, the crisis became so bad that a church elder statesman like Rev Dr Moses Iloh even called for the birth of an alternative umbrella body. '

The point is being made in this serial that these are defining moments for the Nigerian Church; that, like every such moments do to individuals, bodies corporate and even nations, these moments present us options and opportunities from which we must, of necessity, make our choice, the choice, which once made, will define us.

It has been said that, of the several fronts where the church must make critical choices and take courageous actions, the April general elections and the opportunity for the Nigerian nation to chart a new course politically, economically and socially that they present.  And as recent events have confirmed, there’s also the never-been-more-urgent need for the protection of the lives and rights (religious and civil) of Nigerian Christians particularly in the north of Nigeria”.

In explaining how the Church arrived at this critical juncture, it has been suggested that 2011 and the first few years of this Jubilee decade have become of such strategic historical significance, not because of the above mentioned issues, since they are not new. It is comparative state of readiness of the Church itself; its recent battles and victories; its, for want of a better expression, combat readiness. In other words, this writer perceives that, for the first time in a long, long time, the Church seems willing in these days of the Lord’s power (see Psalm 110:3).

I have cited the fact of Christian Association of Nigeria’s triumph over a seemingly uniquely Nigerian evil - manipulated elections - which instead of putting the church umbrella body asunder has left us more united, and therefore stronger than ever under the current Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor-led executive. For those who might think I am overrating the import of this singular victory, please recall that, the crisis became so bad that a church elder statesman like Rev Dr Moses Iloh even called for the birth of an alternative umbrella body.  

Also cited was the coming together of some highly respected senior citizens with identifiable, exemplary Christian witness under the aegis of Christian Consultative Forum of Nigeria, which was convened by Pastor Oritsejafor as President of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.  It was a development I described as one of the gains of the succession crisis, which resulted from the ill-health and subsequent death of the late President Umar Yar’Adua.   

The communiqué that emerged from that forum, excerpts of which were reproduced in this column last week, clearly indicated a dispassionate and, I believe, largely Holy Spirit-led diagnosis of the situation we faced then and still do today. It also can, as has been said here in the past provide the way forward. A few of the points made in the serial, “That CCFN Communiqué” can bear repetition here. So, here goes:

was the need to avoid the seeming lack of consensus to discourage the march towards putting in place an “action plan,” based on the communiqué, as was proposed at the forum. 

“The process of arriving at an action plan promises to be interesting, and controversial, because the Church is not yet that close-knit body that the Lord Jesus birthed, and is coming to rapture. If anything, we are a body seemingly suffering from Parkinson’s, with many of the parts, at best, reluctant to receive communication from or cooperate with the head, and with each other. Recall that, that meeting did not have representation from the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria. And the fact that a body like CCFN was required, in the first place, may also be saying something about the inclination or disinclination of sections of the Church on the issues at hand. But we must not be discouraged. The presence of Dr Christopher Kolade who was an Anglican organist, Mr Gamaliel Onosode a Baptist deacon, Mr Felix Ohiwerei, an elder from the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Mr Femi Pedro, a catholic, among many others, is indicative of an emerging consensus.

Doctrinal issues will also come up, hopefully for discussion and resolution rather than with confrontational arrogance. In fact, the communiqué raised one such issue up-front, as it were; the issue of prosperity. It immediately caught the attention of one of the respected readers of this column who sent in a comment (pointing out that prosperity must not be equated with materialism). But it is important to find common grounds on the major doctrinal issue of whether the church, in fact, does have a role in how the world around us, the world which we are in, is governed. I believe that, for far too long, the Church has allowed the enemy to sell us the lie that, politics is politics and faith is faith, the twain never meet. It is the same dummy many of us also bought concerning business, such that we keep our faith out of the work place; different rules for each!  Those of us who believe that the Church has roles and responsibilities to society, beyond praying for those in authority, and cleaning up their mess, need to prayerfully and lovingly get our brethren, who think otherwise, to see the need for change. Until they do however, we have to move full blast ahead with our conviction.”  

On this very important issue, the election of the current executive points to an improvement in the ambience. And as convener of the forum at which the communiqué was produced, he ought to be able to use his new-found leverage to widen the support base for the action plan. 

The other key issue identified as “one of the core challenges we face in the Church’s journey to national relevance; in the journey to, as one of the clauses in the CCFN communiqué put it, “lead in the transformation of our nation…” is what the CAN president has articulated as the Church “being salt and light to the world.” On this score, the CCFN communiqué was quite hard on the Church, rightfully so. It emphasised, in virtually every clause, the need for the Church to put its house in order, if it’s going to be able to lead”.

In concluding this serial next week, I’ll address this and the choices before the Nigerian Church, as I see it. (TO BE CONCLUDED)