THE EFFECT OF DENOMINATIONAL PRACTICES ON THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
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Table of Contents
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract v
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER ONE: –
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of Problem
1.3 Objective of the Study
1.4 Research Hypotheses
1.5 Significance Of The Study
1.6 Scope And Limitation Of The Study
1.7 Definition Of Terms
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Concept of Denomination
2.1.1 Conceptualizing the Church
2.1.2 Concept of Church Growth
2.2 The Birth of the Church
2.2.1 Origin and Growth of Christianity in Nigeria
2.3 Major Church Denominations and their Doctrines
2.3.1 Roman Catholic Doctrine
2.3.2 Anglican Church Doctrine
2.4 The disparities Between Orthodox and Pentecostal Churches
2.5 Effect of Denominational Practice on the Unity of the Church
2.6 Danger Posed by Denominational Practice on the Unity of the Church
2.7 Effect of Denominational Practice on the Security of the Church
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Sources Of Data Collection
3.3 Population Of The Study
3.4 Sample And Sampling Procedure
3.5 Instrument For Data Collection
3.6 Validation Of The Research Instrument
3.6 Method Of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Data Analysis
4.3 Test Of Hypotheses
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Recommendation
References
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Christianity in Nigeria dates back to the 16th century when the Portuguese introduced Latin Christianity in Benin and Warri. Looking at Christianity from that early beginning to the present time, many stages of development had taken place resulting to the planting and growth of churches. The period of denominationalizm and missionary activities started from 1840 when missionary bodies set up in Europe and America in the 18th century succeeded in converting Nigerians to Christianity and opened permanent mission stations among the people. The period was just after the abolition of the slave trade; the abolition of slave trade stimulated a fresh religious enthusiasm among the Europeans and Americans. With the support of the missionary bodies, “The freed slaves in places like Sierra Leone and Abeokuta encouraged missionary enterprises. This was a period of denominationalism when many churches from the British Isles and America sent missionaries to the coast and interior of Nigeria. The Anglicans under the Church Missionary Society (CMS), were the first but the Niger Expedition in which they came in 1841 failed. However, the first successful penetration of Christian mission into the interior of Nigeria was made in 1842, when the Wesleyan Methodists on the invitation of the freed slaves who had settled at Badagry and Abeokuta, sent Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman and an assistant William de craft and his wife from the Gold Coast (Ghana) to Badagry and some months later Henry Townsend to Abeokuta. In the more southern part of the country, on the Cross River in the old slave-trading town of Calabar, the Presbyterians sent Rev. Hope Masterton Wadded accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Edgerl A. Chishalm and E. Miller, who arrived in Calabar in April 1846, to establish the church of Scotland Mission. Their work was very successful because a Presbytery, the Presbytery of Biafra, was created in 1858. The American Baptist Mission began work in Nigeria in 1850. The Rev. Thomas J. Bowen, the Pioneer Missionary, established stations at Ijaiye and Ogbomoso. The Roman Catholicism, through the Society of the African Missions, came in 1862. The ex-slaves were organized and stations established in Lagos and Abeokuta. When the Italian Priest, Father Broghero, visited Lagos in 1863, there was a catholic church in Yoruba land. The Holy Ghose Fathers started work among the Igbo of Eastern Nigeria in 1885 through Father Joseph Lutz working at Onitsha. Samuel A. Bill started the Qua Iboe Mission in the Qua Iboe River area from 1887, though it was not until 1891 that the Qua Iboe church was established as an Independent evangelical and interdenominational body. Mission work in Northern Nigerian started in 1893 through Rolland Bingham, Walter Gowans, and Thomas Kent in 1904, the Sudan United Mission (SUM) joined the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) in the mission work in the North, concentrating in the regions of Adamawa, Benue and Bornu.
Doctrinal controversies led to denominationalism which birthed Pentecostalism as one of the fastest growing Christianity movements in Nigeria. The increasing number of Pentecostal churches, which seems uncontrollable, is substantiated in the heavy presence of its churches in every nook and cranny of the Nigerian society. Today, the rate at which churches are springing up in Nigeria is alarming, almost every street in country has at least two churches not to mention the rooms and parlous which are converted to churches. Churches are now seen as a lucrative business ventures, to the extent that most Bible College students see it as a license to plant or open a church after completion of the college without considering the necessity of God’s calling (Ibiyinka, 2011).
Religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity (Nmah, 2012). It also refers to as a congregation of Christians in a region who have united themselves to work and worship together. They have a pattern of organizational work that they are to do, and funds they are to do this work. Christianity as a noun connotes Christian faith, religion, being a Christian character or the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ Christianity refers also to the history of Christianity that is a history of salvation (Adamolekun, 2012). It is a way people or ethnic group exhibits or practices its Christian faith.
READ ALSO: EFFECT OF DENOMINATIONALISM ON THE UNITY AND SECURITY OF THE CHURCH IN NIGERIA CONTEXT
1.2 Statement of Problem
There is no doubting that the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria has grown tremendously in terms of the number of churches and membership strength over the years. Indeed, the movement’s proliferation in Nigeria is a visible fact. Pentecostalism has clearly infiltrated mainline churches. Clearly, Pentecostalism is spreading and gaining followers on a regular basis. The growth of Pentecostal churches, which seems uncontrollable, is substantiated in the heavy presence of its churches in every nook and cranny of the Nigerian societies which are not left out in this. It is the speedy growth and expansion of church in the Nigerian societies constitute a major problem. It is to be noted that the early Christianity period in Nigeria was characterized by missionary’s activities being based on denominations and limited to the Southern part of the country. The missionaries who came were trained and really prepared, though many were swallowed up by the climate. The language barrier that had existed was reduced to the minimum by the use of interpreters and the missionaries themselves learning the language; Trained Nigerian Ministers started to emerge; churches and later schools and hospitals were erected. More importantly, baptism was administered to the converts as an indelible mark for the new faith they had embraced and the old ways they had forsaken. The above problems will be thoroughly investigated in order to highlight the key factors that are responsible for this rapid growth and expansion in the church. This therefore forms the basis upon which the work stands in order to explain the growth and expansion of the Pentecostal churches in Nieria.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The study sought to know the effect of denominational practices on the growth of the church. Specifically, the study sought to;
- Know whether denominational practices have significant effect on church growth.
- To determine whether denominational practices bring unity to Christianity.
- To ascertain the relationship between denominational practices and church growth
1.4 Research Hypotheses
For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher;
H0: Denominational practices have no significant effect on church growth
H1: Denominational practices have significant effect on church growth
H02: denominational practices do not bring unity to Christianity
H2: denominational practices bring unity to Christianity
1.5 Significance Of The Study
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this topic and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their work. This study will be of immense importance in the sense that it will help theologians have a better understanding about the meaning of denominationalism, origin of Christianity in Nigeria and its impacts on the society.
The findings of this study will be useful to every church general overseer, pastors, church leaders, government and the general public on the effect of denominationalism on the unity and security of the church in Nigeria.
The study will generate valid data on the causes of division among churches which if adopted by policy makers will help in combating inter-denominational crisis, religious conflicts and insecurity in the country.
This study will also serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in carrying out further research in this field subsequently, if applied will go to an extent to provide new explanation to the topic.
1.6 Scope And Limitation Of The Study
This study will focus on the effect of denominational practices on the growth of the church in Ikwerre local government Area, Rivers State. Furthermore, the work will also consider some stringent impact of churches for the development of Ikwerre local government Area and Nigeria at large.
One of the limitations to this work is insufficient fund which tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for relevant materials or literature.
Time Constraint is another limitation to this work. The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research. However, despite all these limitations mentioned here, the researcher would make efforts to carefully touch the necessary issues that are relevant and are of great importance to this research for the purpose of arriving at a reliable submission.
1.7 Definition Of Terms
Denomination: A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity. The term describes various Christian denominations (for example, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and the many varieties of Protestantism).
Church: A church building, often simply called a church, is a building used for Christian religious activities, particularly for worship services. The term in its architectural sense is most often used by Christians to refer to their religious buildings, but it is sometimes used (by analogy) to refer to buildings of other religions.
Church Growth: Is a movement within evangelical Christianity which aims to develop methods to grow churches based on business marketing strategies.
Christianity: Christianity is a religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, or its beliefs and practices.
Doctrine: Doctrine (from Latin: doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or belief system. The Greek analogue is the etymology of catechism.
Doctrinal differences: this is defined in this context as the different views, belief and mode of operation of various churches that varies with that of others.
Pentecostal: Pentecostalism or Classical Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Protestant Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
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