Two professors from the School of Ministry spent their spring break in Nigeria training West African church leaders.
Dr. Nathan Lane and Mike Griffin traveled to Lagos, where they taught about 20 pastors and missionaries from Nigeria and Ghana. Lane, associate provost for instruction, led a class on interpreting the Bible. Griffin, assistant professor of intercultural studies, taught an introduction to missions.
The professors share about their experiences in Nigeria with their students here.
“It’s important for our students to know we’re doing what we’re teaching them and telling them they need to do,” Lane said.
Dr. Jonathan Grenz, dean of the School of Ministry, previously taught a leadership course. The faculty were invited to teach in Nigeria by Alex Abiola, missionary and overseer of the Churches of God there. Abiola lives in West Palm Beach and attends Cross Community Church with Lane when he’s not overseas.
Nigeria has at least 250 ethnic groups composed of people who speak more than 370 languages. The North is predominately Muslim, while the South is largely Christian. Lagos is a fast-growing city in the southwest with a population of roughly 21 million people.
A church there has outgrown an outdoor sanctuary that seats 250,000. It is building a new one that will accommodate one million people, Lane said.
Of Lagos, Lane said: “It’s going to be incredibly important for the economic future of Africa.”
