ABSTRACT
The Anglican Church has experienced fluctuating fortunes in Nigeria. Generally regarded as the fastest-growing and largest Member Church in the global Anglican Communion, 1 it has also suffered periods of stagnation and decline. This chapter explores the factors that account for this growth and decline. According to the World Christian Database, in 2005, Anglicans in Nigeria numbered 18 million, compared to 10.1 million in Uganda, 3.4 million in Kenya, 3 million in Tanzania and 2.8 million in South Africa. 2 These figures must be understood against the backdrop of the overall number of Christians in Nigeria. According to Pew Research Center, in 2011, Nigeria was rated sixth in the list of countries with the largest number of Christians (behind the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and the Philippines), with an estimated 80.5 million. 3
National population and religious demography are also important factors that need to be taken into account when considering Anglican Church growth. Nigeria is currently Africa’s most populous nation with an estimated 167 million people in 2011. 4 The country is evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, though estimates of the exact balance vary. The situation is complicated by the geographical distribution of the two faiths. Of the three main ethnic groups, the Northern Hausa-Fulani are predominantly Muslim, the Eastern Igbo are predominantly Christian, and the Western Yoruba are divided between the two faiths. Northern Nigeria as a whole has a majority Muslim population. The Middle Belt, which is roughly the lower half of northern Nigeria, has a large number of Christians while the ‘core north’ has only a small percentage of Christians. Regional variation in religious demography is partly responsible for differential rates of Anglican Church growth in the country, as we will see later.
