Methodist Church Nigeria

In 1842, a man named Thomas Birch Freeman, the son of an African father and a British mother, landed on the coastal shores of Badagry, Nigeria.

He wasn’t alone. A community of freed former slaves known as the Saro had already returned home to West Africa, carrying a burning faith they refused to leave behind in captivity. They had been gathering under an Agia tree, desperately praying for someone to come help them shepherd the movement.

When Freeman arrived and preached that first official service, he didn’t just launch a mission, he stepped into a harvest that had been watered by tears and silent prayers for years.

Fast forward to today.

That humble gathering under a tree has grown into the Methodist Church Nigeria (MCN), a denomination with approximately 2 million members worshipping in around 2,000 congregations across the country, a family of faith so large it can be hard to picture.

They have spent nearly two centuries planting churches, building hospitals, and standing in the gap for the most vulnerable – leprosy centers, care for people with mental illness, homes for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. This is a church that has always shown up where the need is rawest.

Nigeria is a nation full of extraordinary opportunity. It’s also a place where many Christians face significant challenges. Economic uncertainty, political instability, and violence have tested churches for years. Yet the Methodist Church Nigeria continues to preach Christ, disciple believers, invest in schools and healthcare, and serve communities with remarkable perseverance.

Every Sunday, millions of Nigerian Methodists gather to worship. They sing. They pray. They open Scripture. They baptize new believers. They care for widows, children, and neighbors. They continue the work of evangelism because they believe the hope of Christ is still the hope the world needs.

That same mission connects all of us.

Whether you’re worshipping in Lagos, London, Lima, or Louisville, we’re part of one Methodist family, united by the same gospel and called to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

World Methodist Evangelism has a long and productive relationship with the Methodist Church Nigeria. Archbishop Sunday Onuoha serves on the WME Board of Directors as well as a WME Area Ambassador. The MCN has hosted numerous evangelism seminars over the years as well as meetings of our Africa Area Ambassadors.

Let’s stand alongside our sisters and brothers in Nigeria, this family needs our prayers. Not the polite kind. The real kind. For safety from kidnapping and violence, for economic relief, for the courage MCN’s leaders keep choosing to show even when the headlines are grim. Would you pray with us?