CHURCH CONFLICT: A STUDY OF BREAKAWAY PHENOMENON MOUNT ZION LIGHT HOUSE FULL GOSPEL CHURCH NIGERIA UP TO 2015
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of the Study
Before 1914, the church was the center of the social, spiritual and political aspirations of educated Africans and illiterate converts (Ayandele, 1966:178). The church is by itself solemn, revered by its congregants and held as sacred by the society. Because the church is beyond a building and is not complete without her congregants, the occurrence of conflict is inevitable. The incidences of conflict in the church further strengthen the assertion that conflict is ever present in all human relations. Conflict in churches usually result in excommunication, litigation, suspension of membership, transfer of clergy.As a phenomenon, breakaway is neither new nor common to Nigeria. Human relation is the all-important recipe for conflict, notwithstanding the umbrella that unites them
Change and continuity theory holds that although the society is constantly undergoing change, there is a continuation of a cycle rather than a progression of historical events over a period of time, and the recognition of those events as inseparably inter-connected (Kleen, 2005). What this explains is that circumstances may differ but the fundamental issues surrounding the occurrence of conflict in human relations have remained the same over time. Wherever church conflict escalates to crisis and probably ending in breakaway, or ex-communication, the underlying causes are usually traceable to leadership tussle, doctrinal change, financial misappropriation, indiscipline/insubordination to constituted authority, nepotism and favoritism. Although some church founders give reason for establishing their own churches as “acting in response to a call from God”, further probing usually reveals other underlying causes.
In Germany, Martin Luther, a Catholic Priest (1483-1546) became popular for his attempt and effort at reforming the Roman Catholic Church. He rejected some practices of the church as were contained in the “Ninety Five Theses”. He strongly criticized the doctrine of Indulgences and by this had committed heresy against the Catholic Church (Shelley, 2008). By June 1520, Pope Leo X issued his Bull condemning Martin Luther and gave him sixty days to recant his heresy. By January 1521, Luther had not recanted and was therefore excommunicated from the “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” at the Imperial Diet held at Worms (McGrath, 1988). By this time, Martin Luther had gathered a good number of followers. Upon his excommunication, the Lutheran Church was established throughout Germany many other countries in Europe and from there to the rest of the world.Subsequently, a major seat of Protestantism developed in Geneva under John Calvin. Like Luther, he had developed his own principles which were “Salvation by faith alone, The authority of the Bible, and The priesthood of all believers” (Fisher, 1994:270). Calvinism became a state religion in Scotland. The Calvinist Church of Scotland was later renamed Presbyterian.
In England, King Henry VIII appealed to Pope Clement VIII for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which had produced him no sons. By 1533 Henry went against the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and married a second wife Anne Boleyn. Henry was excommunicated by the Pope, and the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church and became known as the Anglican Church, with the King as its secular head. Also, within the Anglican Church, John Wesley an ordained Anglican clergy, founded the Methodist Movement. Eventhough he claimed he had no intention of separating from the Church of England, his activities which was climaxed by his ordination of a superintendent and seven Presbyters with power to administer the sacrament, pointed towards separation (Fisher, 1991-1994). It eventually led to separation.
In Nigeria, The Native Baptist Church established in April 1888, was the first African Church in Nigeria (Ayandele, 1987). For the first time since the beginning of foreign missionary activities in Nigeria, an indigenous Church was established. The breakaway came as a result of pent up feeling against white missionary administration of the Church over time. With the establishment of newspapers owned by Nigerians between 1878 and 1887, the natives aired their views loudly. Although, they supported missionary enterprise, they wanted one that was Pro-African.
The Policies of various missions came under fire and the behaviour of individual white missionary came under review (Ayandele, 1966: 1971).
The breakaway of the Native Baptist Church dealt a great blow on the Mission Church as membership was reduced to eight. An excerpt from a pamphlet entitled Africa and the Gospel written by MojolaAgbebi in 1889 reads:
CHURCH CONFLICT: A STUDY OF BREAKAWAY PHENOMENON MOUNT ZION LIGHT HOUSE FULL GOSPEL CHURCH NIGERIA UP TO 2015
