02/06/2025
Things to Know About the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
1. The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is one of the largest Province in the Anglican Communion.
2. It came out of the Province of West Africa and was inaugurated as an independent national Province on February 24, 1979 – St Matthias Day. There were 16 Dioceses at inauguration.
3. The Vision: “The Church of Nigeria shall be Bible-based, spiritually dynamic, united; disciplined; self-supporting; committed to pragmatic evangelism, social welfare and a church that epitomizes the genuine love of Christ.”
4. It is thoroughly evangelical in its theology. Its theology is fashioned by the Bible and yet there is room for tradition and reason in theological engagements and interpretation.
5. It shares and affirms the 39 Articles of Religion (Article of Faith).
6. Since 2002 the Church of Nigeria is organised into 14 internal ecclesiastical provinces.
The 14 Provinces of the Church are:
Abuja Province
Aba Province
Lokoja Province
Kaduna Province
Owerri Province
Lagos Province
Niger Province
Niger Delta Province
Jos Province
Kwara Province
Ibadan Province
Ondo Province
Bendel Province
Enugu Province
Each Province is headed by the Ecclesiastical Archbishop who is elected to serve for a term of five years and can be so elected the second time and no more.
Becoming an Ecclesiastical Archbishop is by election not appointment.
7. It operates the Anglican polity of being “episcopally led and synodically governed.
8. It has rapidly increased the number of its dioceses and bishops from 91 in 2002 to 164, as at today, May 28, 2024. The administrative headquarters is located in Abuja (St Matthias House, Plot 942 Ibrahim Waziri Crescent, Gudu District, Abuja). St Matthias House, Gudu, Abuja, its National Secretariat was built and commissioned for use during the Primacy of Archbishop Nicholas D. Okoh. It was dedicated on 24th April 2019.
9. It prides itself as the Church of the
