Nigerian Baptist Convention
Encyclopedia
The Nigerian Baptist Convention is the second largest Baptist
convention affiliating with the Baptist World Alliance
, and the third largest in the world after the Southern Baptist Convention
, USA, and National Baptist Convention, USA. Conservative estimates of the size of the Nigerian Baptist Convention claims three million baptized believers and a worshipping community of more than six million. Virtually most Nigerian Baptists belong to churches affiliated with the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
but the convention also operates bookstores across the country. The Nigerian Baptist Convention has several conferences constituting subsidiary organizational structures.
project of the Southern Baptist Convention
of the United States of America. The Nigerian Baptist Convention was officially formed in 1914. The Nigerian Baptist Convention is now completely self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting. It has started other Baptist conventions in West Africa
notably in Ghana
(now the Baptist Convention of Ghana), and in Sierra Leone
, now the (Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone).
by the Bowen University in Iwo. The Nigerian Baptist Convention operates another top flight Baptist Hospital located in Eku and several other minor hospitals across Nigeria.
, named in honor of Rev. Thomas Jefferson Bowen, the first American Baptist missionary from the Southern Baptist Convention. Bowen University is located at Iwo
in Osun State, and is housed in the old 1,300 acre (5 km²) campus of the Baptist College, a teacher-training institution on a beautiful hill just outside the city. Bowen University opened in 2002 as a residential institution with 500 students with a current enrollment of about 3,000 students, and a target capacity of at least 5,500 students. The idea of a Nigerian Baptist university was conceived in 1938, and endorsed in 1957 by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. Bowen University is “conceived as a centre of learning and research of distinction, combining academic excellence with love of humanity, borne out of a God-fearing attitude, in accordance with the Baptist tradition
of ethical behavior, social responsibility
and democratic ethos”.
MEDICAL MISSIONARIES
With the handing over of medical missionary work by trailblazers like Dr. George Green, Dr Martha Gilliland, Howard McCamey DDS and others, the mantle fell on: Dr Olaleye Aremu, First Nigerian Medical Secretary of Nigerian Baptist Convention, appointed in 1969. He was dental surgeon at the Baptist Dental Centre Oke Bola, Ibadan
Dr Jedidiah Agbowu,of Baptist hospital Eku became the medical secretary after Olaleye Aremu in 1977,Other indigenous medical Missionaries include Dr Victor Olubi Fatunla of Baptist Hospital Shaki, as well as Mr Ola Akande, hospital secretary of Baptist Hospital Ogbomoso and Dr Peter Olusola Elemile, First indigenous medical Superintendent, Baptist Medical centre, Ogbomoso.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
convention affiliating with the Baptist World Alliance
Baptist World Alliance
The Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist World Congress.-History:...
, and the third largest in the world after the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
, USA, and National Baptist Convention, USA. Conservative estimates of the size of the Nigerian Baptist Convention claims three million baptized believers and a worshipping community of more than six million. Virtually most Nigerian Baptists belong to churches affiliated with the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
Administration
The main officers are currently Rev. Dr. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle, General Secretary (and chief executive officer), Rev. Dr. Uche Enyioha, President. The headquarters and administrative building of the Nigerian Baptist Convention is located in IbadanIbadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
but the convention also operates bookstores across the country. The Nigerian Baptist Convention has several conferences constituting subsidiary organizational structures.
Origin
The Nigerian Baptist Convention started in 1850 as a foreign missionaryMissionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
project of the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
of the United States of America. The Nigerian Baptist Convention was officially formed in 1914. The Nigerian Baptist Convention is now completely self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting. It has started other Baptist conventions in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
notably in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
(now the Baptist Convention of Ghana), and in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, now the (Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone).
Theological & medical institutions
The Nigerian Baptist Convention operates nine theological training centers for pastors, the largest being the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogbomoso, which grants undergraduate, masters’ and doctoral degrees. In the 1950’s survey of African seminaries by Bishop Stephen Neill for the Theological Education Fund, the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary was ranked as one of the best seminaries in Africa. The Nigerian Baptist Convention also operates several hospitals and medical training institutions across the country. The Baptist Medical Centre in Ogbomoso remains one of the leading hospitals and is to be used as a university teaching hospitalTeaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
by the Bowen University in Iwo. The Nigerian Baptist Convention operates another top flight Baptist Hospital located in Eku and several other minor hospitals across Nigeria.
Educational institutions
The Nigerian Baptist Convention has founded and operated thousands of primary and secondary schools most of which were taken during military dictatorships and operated as public institutions. The Nigerian Baptist Convention now operates Bowen UniversityBowen University
Bowen University is a private Nigerian university owned and operated by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. Bowen University is located at Iwo in Osun State and is housed in the old 1,300 acre campus of the Baptist College, a teacher-training institution on a beautiful hill just outside the...
, named in honor of Rev. Thomas Jefferson Bowen, the first American Baptist missionary from the Southern Baptist Convention. Bowen University is located at Iwo
Iwo, Nigeria
Iwo is a city in Osun State, Nigeria that is the seat of the Iwo Kingdom, a traditional state. The Iwo people, like all other people of Yoruba stock are said to have originally belonged to Ile-Ife from where they migrated sometimes in the 14th century. The earliest settlement initiated by Adekola...
in Osun State, and is housed in the old 1,300 acre (5 km²) campus of the Baptist College, a teacher-training institution on a beautiful hill just outside the city. Bowen University opened in 2002 as a residential institution with 500 students with a current enrollment of about 3,000 students, and a target capacity of at least 5,500 students. The idea of a Nigerian Baptist university was conceived in 1938, and endorsed in 1957 by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. Bowen University is “conceived as a centre of learning and research of distinction, combining academic excellence with love of humanity, borne out of a God-fearing attitude, in accordance with the Baptist tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
of ethical behavior, social responsibility
Social responsibility
Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the...
and democratic ethos”.
Prominent and Famous Nigerian Baptists
- Chief Olusegun Mathew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, former President of NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
; alumnus of Baptist Boys' High School, Abeokuta, Nigeria's first Baptist secondary school - Rev. Dr. S. T. Ola Akande, former General SecretaryGeneral SecretaryThe office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
(and chief executive officerChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
) of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. - Rev. Dr. S. Ola Fadeji, former General SecretaryGeneral SecretaryThe office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
(and chief executive officerChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
) of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. - Rev. Prof. Yusufu Ameh Obaje, former chaplainChaplainTraditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the Nigerian presidential chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
in AbujaAbujaAbuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
, former President of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogbomoso - Rev. Dr. Solomon Ademola Ishola, former General SecretaryGeneral SecretaryThe office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
(and chief executive officerChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
) of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. - Rev. Dr. Paul Omieka Ebhomielen, first indigenous Missions Secretary; pioneer of Baptist work in the Ishan area of Edo state, delegate to the 1974 International Congress on World EvangelizationFirst International Congress on World EvangelizationThe First International Congress on World Evangelization held from July 16–25 July 1974, is sometimes also called the "Lausanne Congress", "Lausanne '74", or "ICOWE"....
, Lausanne, Switzerland, former Conference Secretary Bendel (now Edo/Delta) Conference. - Rev. Prof. Osadolor Imasogie, first Nigerian president (now President Emeritus) of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso; former Vice-President of the Baptist World AllianceBaptist World AllianceThe Baptist World Alliance is a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches and organizations, formed in 1905 at Exeter Hall in London during the first Baptist World Congress.-History:...
- Rev. Dr. James Tanimola AyorindeJames Tanimola AyorindeJames Tanimola Ayorinde, more well known as J.T. Ayorinde, was the first Nigerian General Secretary of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, in the 1960s. Ayorinde served as General Secretary from 1962 until his retirement in 1970sRev. Dr...
, first Nigerian General Secretary (and chief executive officerChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
) of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (1960's); national delegate to the 1974 International Congress on World EvangelizationFirst International Congress on World EvangelizationThe First International Congress on World Evangelization held from July 16–25 July 1974, is sometimes also called the "Lausanne Congress", "Lausanne '74", or "ICOWE"....
, Lausanne, Switzerland - Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Akinyemi Adelaiye, former Executive Secretary of Nigerian Baptist Convention Men and Boys Department, former Moderator Ibadan Baptist Association, former chairman "OPERATION I FOUND IT" evangelism project of CAN in Oyo State. 20-year veteran Minister in charge of Salem Baptist Church Yemetu Ibadan.
- Rev. Dr. Solomon Adeniyi BabalolaSolomon Adeniyi BabalolaRev. Dr. Solomon Adeniyi Babalola is a retired Nigerian Baptist pastor. Born in Oke-Ila, Nigeria, he graduated in December 1949 from the three-year theology course of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomosho...
, former Nigerian missionaryMissionaryA missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
(1952-1955); national delegate to the 1974 International Congress on World EvangelizationFirst International Congress on World EvangelizationThe First International Congress on World Evangelization held from July 16–25 July 1974, is sometimes also called the "Lausanne Congress", "Lausanne '74", or "ICOWE"....
, LausanneLausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; 17-year veteran pastorPastorThe word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of one of Nigeria's top Baptist Churches, the Oke-Ado Baptist Church, IbadanIbadanIbadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
; the former Director of Academic AffairsProvost (education)A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary in Ogbomoso - Evangelist Job Adegboyega Alabi, first Nigerian Baptist Evangelist; former Pastor of First Baptist Church[Jebba], set-man of Covenant of Peace Evangelistic Association[Ogbomoso]; bible teacher greatly influenced by Billy Graham; and Initiator/proclaimer of the move of the Holy Spirit throughout Baptist Churches in Nigeria and beyond.
- Deacon Gamaliel Oforitsenere Onosode OFR, former Presidential Adviser on Budget Affairs and Director of Budget, Nigeria; Member of the inaugural Provisional Governing Council of Bowen UniversityBowen UniversityBowen University is a private Nigerian university owned and operated by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. Bowen University is located at Iwo in Osun State and is housed in the old 1,300 acre campus of the Baptist College, a teacher-training institution on a beautiful hill just outside the...
, Iwo. He is currently Chairman of the Global Missions Board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention; Chairman of the Governing Council of The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso. He was also the founder of Good News Baptist Church which started in the Sitting Room of his residence in Surulere, Lagos and has grown to a large church and a force to reckon with in the Nigerian Baptist Convention in terms of missions and evangelism. - Dr. Onaolapo SoleyeOnaolapo SoleyeOnaolapo Soleye is Nigerian scholar, an ally and adviser of President Obasanjo and a former minister for finance during the regime of General Buhari. He was also a former commissioner for Finance and Industry in Ogun State. He currently sits on the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum...
, former Minister of Finance, and former Minister of Industries, Nigeria - Rev. Dr. Mojola AgbebiMojola AgbebiMojola Agbebi was a Nigerian Yoruba Baptist minister. He was formerly named David Brown Vincent, but during the wave of African nationalism in the late 1880s, he changed his name. Agbebi was a strong advocate of indigenous leadership for African churches...
, founding member of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Lagos who changed his name from David Brown Vincent during the wave of African Nationalism in the late 1880s. He was also a founding member of member of the Native Baptist Church (First Baptist Church), Lagos. - Rev. J.P Lafihan. ,former Principal Olivet Baptist High School , Oyo ,Nigeria
- Deacon A. M laosebikan ,Former Principal Baptist College Iwo , Nigeria
- Chief.S.O Omitade ( MON) ,Founding Principal Iwo Baptist High School ,Iwo Nigeria and the former chairman Oyo State Executive Council and Commissioner for Works and Housing
- Professor T.A Okedara ,The first Vice Chancellor Bowen University Iwo , Osun state Nigeria.
MEDICAL MISSIONARIES
With the handing over of medical missionary work by trailblazers like Dr. George Green, Dr Martha Gilliland, Howard McCamey DDS and others, the mantle fell on: Dr Olaleye Aremu, First Nigerian Medical Secretary of Nigerian Baptist Convention, appointed in 1969. He was dental surgeon at the Baptist Dental Centre Oke Bola, Ibadan
Dr Jedidiah Agbowu,of Baptist hospital Eku became the medical secretary after Olaleye Aremu in 1977,Other indigenous medical Missionaries include Dr Victor Olubi Fatunla of Baptist Hospital Shaki, as well as Mr Ola Akande, hospital secretary of Baptist Hospital Ogbomoso and Dr Peter Olusola Elemile, First indigenous medical Superintendent, Baptist Medical centre, Ogbomoso.