Evangelical Church of West Africa

The Evangelical Church of West Africa now called Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) is one of the largest Church denominations in Nigeria, reaching about five million people. ECWA is a partner church of the international Christian Mission Organisation: Serving In Mission (SIM, formerly Sudan Interior Mission). It was founded in 1954 when the SIM-related churches (initially in Nigeria) came together to form an indigenous body.[1] Since that time, mission stations, Bible Schools, academic schools, and medical programs have been transferred to ECWA leadership.

History

Throughout Nigeria but especially in the central regions, ECWA churches are growing rapidly. Some churches have experienced as much as 400% growth in the last several years. Churches in the Northern (traditionally more Islamic) parts of the country are also growing.[1] There are currently more than five thousand ECWA congregations with more than five million attenders and a church membership of over three million people. ECWA has eighty District Church Councils (DCC), here are the list of DCC's, number LCC's and Churches under it with their year of inauguration.

ECWA has started three Theological Seminaries (ECWA Theological Seminary Igbaja, established 1941, Jos ECWA Theological Seminary, and ECWA Theological Seminary, Kagoro), eight Bible colleges and fifteen theological training institutes. ECWA's Medical Department co-ordinates a wide network which includes four hospitals, a Community Health Programme with over 110 health clinics, a Central Pharmacy and the School of Nursing and Midwifery.[2] It is also involved in radio, publications for outreach and discipleship, rural development, urban ministries, and cross-cultural missions.[3] There are more than 1600 missionaries from ECWA churches who serve in Nigeria and other countries with the Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS), the missionary arm of ECWA.[1]

There have been a serious confrontation between evangelical Christians standing in opposition to the expansion of Sharia law in northern Nigeria by militant Muslims since 1999. The confrontation has radicalized and politicized the Christians. Violence has been escalating.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 SIM Country Profile: Nigeria
  2. ↑ Camp of the Woods - ECWA
  3. ↑ ECWA
  4. ↑ Terence O. Ranger, ed., Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Africa (Oxford University Press, 2008), pp 37-66

See also

External links

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