The African Church

The African Church is a Christian denomination that was established in the British colonial areas that later became Nigeria in 1901.

[1] Since 1983 clergy are trained at the African Church College of Theology which since 1992 has been affiliated with the University of Ibadan.

These revolutionaries protested the mode of worship, which had no regard for African musical instruments, and the fact that people had to wear European clothes and sing only Western hymns.

The church met at the Rose Cottage, Marina (a site later occupied by Leventis Stores) for its first service.

Relating the first worship experience at this young church in 1901, the Pa Coker in his unpublished biography wrote: On Sunday, the 20th of October, 1901 the first divine services was held in Rose Cottage under a canopy.

Some of those who had formed the church acted as the choir and Lay Preacher D. A. J. Oguntolu preached his first powerful sermon taking his text from Song of Solomon chapter 1 verse 6: "Don't look down upon me because I am black because the sun has tanned me,--my brothers were angry with me and made me work in the vineyard.

This effort was led by J.K Coker, a wealthy layman often regarded as the father of African Independent Churches.

Since 1983 clergy are trained at the African Church College of Theology, which was affiliated for many years with the University of Ibadan.

Its mission statement reads: The African Church receives and accepts the Bible as the standard of its faith.

However the two churches differ on doctrines of marriage, burial of the dead, ministerial hierarchy and the authority of the clergy.

The council considered a document entitled Anglican-African Conversations, which was jointly agreed to by leaders of both churches.