The Assemblies of God Nigeria was born through a bold, faith-inspired decision by individuals who were obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Today, that simple step in obedience has blossomed into a ministry that has touched millions of lives with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and through the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.
In The Beginning...
- (June 1930)
- Brother Augustus Ehurie Wogu, an illustrious son of Old Umuahia, then a civil servant with the Nigerian Marine Department, is converted to the Christian faith. With his new found faith in Christ Jesus, he leaves the Anglican Church for the Faith Tabernacle Church.
- (January 1931)
- Based on the wonderful testimony and ministry of Brother Augustus Wogu, several other people are converted into the Christian faith. These include George M. Alioha, (later a Reverend Minister). From Brother Alioha's witness, Abel Nwoji, James Nwoji, Wilfred Woko, Augustus Asonye, Godwin Akwarandu, Ebenezer Eborgu (all later Ministers of the Gospel), and many others are converted into the Christian faith, all under the Faith Tabernacle Church.
- (August 1934)
- The brethren, fresh with zeal for the Lord, and deep into the scriptures, discover the promise of the Holy Spirit meant for all who believe in Jesus Christ as written in Acts 2:39. However, the doctrine of the baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, is rejected by the Faith Tabernacle Church and this leads to the ejection of the brethren from the Faith Tabernacle Church. With the ejection, a new church - "The Church of Jesus Christ" is born, with Reverend Augustus Asonye as the first Pastor and Reverend George M. Alioha as the pioneer Overseer. Churches are opened in Old Umuahia and Port Harcourt.
- (June 1939)
- Reverend W.L. Shirer and his wife, US Assemblies of God foreign missionaries to then Gold Coast (Ghana) make their first historic visit to Nigeria, upon visitation to assess the situation of the young Church.
- (September 1939)
- First General Council held; Brethren accept the doctrines of the Assemblies of God, especially as pertaining to the Holy Spirit. A new name now emerges for the Church - Assemblies of God Mission in Nigeria. Reverend Shirer becomes first District Superintendent. Port Harcourt brethren filled with the Holy Spirit, Matthew O. Ezeigbo, later the pioneer General Superintendent, is converted at Enugu.
- (February 1940)
- First official resident Missionaries - Reverend and Mrs. Everett L. Phillips (and their son Donald), arrive Nigeria, replacing Reverend and Mrs. Shirer, who return to Ghana, their original place of assignment. A Bible School is opened at Old Umuahia.
- (1941 - 1943)
- The pioneer work was geared up and this period witnessed the conversion of Gabriel O. Oyakhilome, then a civil servant with the Governor's Office in Enugu. Oyakhilome then pioneered the work at Ewu in the then Bendel State of Nigeria, became the first Supervisor of Mid-Western Area, and later the first District Superintendent.
- (1944 - 1950)
- Missionary work spread to the Igedes in Benue State, mostly as a result of migration by traders from the Ibo members of the Church. From here, the gospel spread to Kafanchan in the North and Ogoja in the South East. Also during this period, the Mid-Western Bible Institute was founded.
- (1951 - 1954)
- During these years, Reverend M.O. Ezeigbo and his wife pioneered the work in the Abakaliki axis. Reverend Ezeigbo was then appointed Area Supervisor of Northern Igboland Area, and later moved to Ohabiam, Imo State. Also during this period, the Northern Bible Institute in Saminaka was founded by Ralph C. Cobb.
- (1955 - 1957)
- Pioneer work began in Lagos within this period primarily due to the efforts of Reverends J. Ohiagbara, U.M. Okpo, and J.U. Omereonye while Reverend Ward Wood, a Missionary, pioneered the work in Ibadan. Reverend Glenn Reeves and wife, arrived as missionaries and resided at Uyo. From there, they pioneered the work in the then Calabar Administrative Division, which spans the present Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.
- (1958 - 1965)
- Much work was carried out during this period especially in the Western Region of Nigeria, which is predominantly Yoruba. This was achieved mostly through the evangelistic efforts of some brethren, most notably Reverend Israel Ajayi Shofile, who strengthened the indigenous missionary effort in the Western Region. During this era, Bible Schools sprang up at Iperu in the West, Saminaka in the North, and Ogoja in the East. Also this period saw the establishment of the Church's first secular educational institution, Evangel High School, Old Umuahia.
- (1966 - 1968)
- During this pre-Civil War Period, Reverend M.O. Ezeigbo was elected the first General Superintendent, with Reverend Gabriel O. Oyakhilome as his assistant. This period recorded tremendous growth for the Church as the Church recorded a total of 560 churches, 479 Pastors, 50,057 members and adherents, with about 25 foreign missionaries.
- (1968 - 1970)
- The Nigerian Civil War disrupted evangelistic expansions, as foreigners living in Nigeria, particularly the brethren of Ibo Extraction returned home. While home churches in Eastern Nigeria swelled, the Churches in Northern and Western Nigeria shriveled.
Describing the situation in the West, Reverend Glenn Reeves, then Western Area Supervisor reported (in 1967):"Many of our brethren have returned to their native homes. Our average church attendance has dropped by 60%. For quite some time, we have had only three Pastors for 14 congregations" (19th General Council Report, March 1967).
From the North, Reverend Harry Shumway, then Northern District Superintendent, also reported: "There have been both losses and victories in the Northern District during the past year. Six of our township churches were closed and the buildings destroyed. With the exception of Kano Church, these have all been re-opened and now record an attendance of 20... All these have been repaired. The Kafanchan section has suffered a great loss in both the Kafanchan and Lafia Township Churches due to the return of members to the East."
As at this period, only 70 Pastors were left in the whole of the North to continue the work. During this period, some Missionaries left the Country. There was also a drop in financial support according to Reverend Shumway's Report: "All Make-Up Pastors' Salaries from the Sectional tithe have been stopped since August 1966. This financial crisis has made the whole work in the North more difficult." The situation however was different in the East, although towards the end of 1969, most churches had been closed down and members fled for refuge in neighboring towns. No known accurate growth records were kept.
In spite of the setbacks the Church faced during the Civil War, a great revival swept across the Church at the end of the Civil War. War survivors who pledged to serve God if kept alive, fulfilled their promises; Backsliders were restored, the scattered flock returned and the shepherds resumed duty. - (1971 - 1975)
- As the revival fire was burning with the Government's programme of Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction, brethren from the East returned back to the West, North and other parts of the country. Reverend Gabriel O. Oyakhilome was elected General Superintendent. This period was a crucial period of rebuilding for the Church.
- (1975 - 1985)
- This period witnessed some glorious as well as trying moments for the Church. Operation Counterpart Evangelism (OCE), an evangelistic Programme aimed at getting everyone to win one other, was launched. Results were tremendous and from all indications, the Programme was a huge success. As a direct outcome of this Programme, a total of 14,200 souls were reported saved and the Church membership swelled to 125,798 by the end of 1976.
Another landmark Programme that characterized this era was the Operation Teach the People Programme (OTP), which was launched to complement Operation Counterpart Evangelism. According to Reverend Israel A. Shofile, then Western Area Supervisor,"The OCE has given birth to OTP...The OTP has proven to be God's will and a blessing to both the Pastors and Members. We really thank the Lord for the OTP Programme." This period also witnessed the first executive participation of the Assemblies of God leadership in International Conferences and Meetings. - (1985 - 1989)
- Towards the beginning of this period, the Church went through some trying moments, which threatened its very existence, but the Lord gave victory to His people and the Church bounced back and waxed stronger. In 1988, a new administration headed by Reverend Charles Osueke as General Superintendent, came into being. In 1989, the National Church celebrated its Golden Jubilee at in colorful ceremony attended by United States Assemblies of God Executive Committee delegation led by its then General Superintendent.
A transition from the 1st and 2nd generation leadership was giving way for the 3rd Generation. Rev Dr E A E Umoh then combined the role of the General Secretary and Treasurer until after the first tenure of the new administration. Rev Umoh retired later. - (1990 - 2000)
- The Church began to grow. A National Secretariat was acquired at Coal City of Enugu. When Rev Umoh retired, the national leadership and the operations of the Church was restructured to reflect the growing trend. Among key changes were the election of the full time Assistant General Superintendent, Rev Franklin Ukomah, along other Executives - Rev John Ikoni - General Secretary and Rev Deme Bot - General Treasurer. The Lord then set out to heal all the wounds that had plagued the Church and returned stability within the rank and file of the National Church. Having now put behind her the "dark ages", the Church embarked upon the Decade of Harvest Programme, which was an evangelistic and missionary initiative, aimed at planting a Church in each of the 6,451 autonomous communities strategic enough to facilitate the evangelization of all the 9,000 autonomous communities in Nigeria. This programme lasted a full decade and also saw a launch into foreign missions that yielded fruitful results. The Decade of Harvest was officially concluded in November 2000 at a National Convention tagged Hosanna 2000, which held at the Evangel Camp. Among those who facilitated the Decade of Harvest in Nigeria were Rev Charles Osueke, the General Superintendent, Rev Dr Chukwuma Iroezi,who served as Taskforce Chairman (1988-1993); Rev UcheChukwu Ama who was in charge of Research and Planning (1988-2000) as well as the Secretary to the Joint Action Committee (JAC) and Taskforce (1988-1993) of the DOH and Rev Samuel Asiedu who later served as its Executive Secretary (1994-2000). In 1994, the Osueke's administration received another mandate at the General Council held in Port Harcourt. By 1998 General Council, Rev Dr Deme Bot had retired and Rev Dr Effiong Isangadighi, former District Superintendent of Eket District was elected as the successor.
- (2000 & Beyond)
- With the challenges of the 21st Century, the Church is re-evaluating its goals and objectives and has taken a number of steps:
The leadership has restructured the General Council functions to reflect its new role. In addition to the its administrative and supervisory functions, the Evangel House now serves as the CENTER FOR MINISTRIES for the national Church. The Evangel House (Corporate) Ministries was established in 2003 to facilitate this.
The Church administrative units have grown from few Districts and Areas to forty (40) Districts and nineteen (19) Areas, with over 9,000 churches set in order and nearly 9,500 pastors and full time workers. Similarly, Departments have either been merged or restructured to fit into a more strategic function.
About nine (9) theological institutions namely - Assemblies of God Divinity School of Nigeria (AGDSN), Old Umuahia, Nigeria Advanced School of Theology (NAST), Ewu and the Evangel Theological Seminary, Jos has been established and upgraded to over first and second degrees. Other Diploma awarding Colleges have also been established and invigorated.
The Leadership has established an International Conference Center named EVANGEL CAMP whose Central Hall Capacity will take over 60,000 at a seating.
A University is in the pipeline among other things and Strategy Committee has been set up to get it established.
A 21st Century Committee headed by Rev Isaac Mpamaugo, the Lagos District Superintendent and a member of the Executive Committee has been constituted to make recommendations on how to overhaul the entire system to fit into the future church.