Missionary work in Africa has a rich and complex history, dating back to the early centuries of Christianity. From the first churches established in North Africa to the modern missions of today, Christianity has left an indelible mark on the continent.
Map of Christian missions in Africa in 1919
Early Christian Presence in Africa
Christianity reached Africa first in Egypt around the year 50 AD. Mark the Evangelist became the first bishop of the Alexandrian Patriarchate in about the year 43. At first, the church in Alexandria was mainly Greek-speaking.
By the end of the 2nd century, the scriptures and liturgy had been translated into three local languages. At the beginning of the 3rd century the church in Alexandria expanded rapidly, with five new suffragan bishoprics. At this time, the Bishop of Alexandria began to be called Pope, as the senior bishop in Egypt.
In the Ethiopian/Eritrean Kingdom of Aksum, King Ezana declared Christianity the official religion after having been converted by Frumentius, resulting in the promotion of Christianity in Ethiopia (eventually leading to the foundation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church).
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The Impact of Islam and the Survival of Christianity
The Islamic conquests into North Africa brought pressure on Christians to convert to Islam due to special taxation imposed on non-Muslims and other socio-economic pressures under Muslim rule, although Christians were widely allowed to continue practicing their religion. The Eastern Orthodox Church of Alexandria and Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria (which separated from each other during the Chalcedonian Schism) in Egypt and the Orthodox Tewahedo Church survived Muslim invasion.
Islamization of Muslim-ruled territory occurred progressively over the next few centuries, though this process is not fully understood by historians. Restrictions on church building and demolition of churches in Egypt, along with occasional persecutions such as during the reign of al-Hakim (996-1021), put additional pressure on Copts in Egypt.
In the Middle Ages, the Ethiopian Empire was the only region of Africa to survive as a Christian state after the expansion of Islam. The Ethiopian church held its own distinct religious customs and a unique canon of the Bible.
The Rise of Christian Missions in the 19th Century
The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. For instance, on 2nd October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed followed by the interdenominational London Missionary Society which was established in 1795.
The others include the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, which was tasked with the responsibility of promoting the translation and printing of the Holy Bible. Initially, a majority of the missionary journeys was done with English-Speaking Protestants and later, in the 1820s and 1830s, they were joined by continental Protestantism from Germany, Switzerland and France.
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From the second half of the eighteenth century, a fervent wave of evangelical spirit developed in the United Kingdom, Europe and the New World which inspired men and women with the missionary fervour to found religious societies whose members would go out to Africa and the other lands.
They were to spread the message of the Gospel, render social services to the people and to assist in the suppression of slavery and the slave trade. Among the early Protestant evangelical societies founded in Great Britain were the Baptist Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the Wesleyan Missionary Society and what became known as the Presbyterian Missionary Society of the Church of Scotland. Similar organizations were formed in several other European countries.
These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. While the protestant evangelical movements were gaining ground in West Africa, similar movements were being promoted by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe.
With the support of the Propagation of the Faith within the Vatican, whose Cardinal Secretary became Pope Gregory XVI, various Roman Catholic missionary societies were founded. Among these were the Congregation of the Holy Ghost (commonly known as the Holy Ghost Father), the Society of African Missions (SMA), the Society of Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as the White Fathers because of the white Muslim-like clothing which the Fathers wore, and the society of the Divine Word (SVD, abbreviated from its Latin name).
Key Figures in Missionary Work
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a missionary to Africa during the 1800s. One key part of his mission was mapping Africa. He thought, how could slavery in Africa end if there wasn’t even a map of the continent? His goal was to travel the whole width of Africa.
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Bravely, he traveled over 2,000 miles on foot in 1853. During this time, he saw how horrific the slave trade was up-close and in person. This ignited a greater passion inside him to end slavery. His work helped to change how people in Britain view Africans. They started to see them as people and not a race below them.
Britain ended up stopping their supporting of colonies that enslaved Africans. David Livingstone dedicated his life to telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ and help to free people in Africa from the bondage of slavery by mapping the continent.
The Story of David Livingstone
Mary Slessor
Mary Slessor was the first women missionary in Nigeria, Africa, during the early 1900s. In honor of David Livingstone’s life, she dedicated her life to spreading the Gospel in Africa. She reached Nigeria for the first time in 1876. At the time, she was doing the unthinkable: being a single woman, in Africa, on the mission field.
When she saw the ruthless killings taking place within Calabra, Nigeria, she knew it was time to stand up for the women and children in the villages and help end the wasting of life. In 1892, Mary became the appointed judge for the British government in the African territory she lived in.
She used her role to protect the people in Nigerian from the British government which sought to get rid of the tribes’ culture. Instead, she worked to transform the culture through love. Mary Slessor’s life shows her heart for the Lord and the people of Africa.
The Society of Missionaries of Africa
The Society of Missionaries of Africa was founded in 1868 by Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, Archbishop of Algiers and Carthage in North Africa, to evangelize the people of Africa. Cardinal Lavigerie adopted a white habit for the Society’s members, based on the traditional North African dress of a white gown (gandoura) and a white hooded cloak (burnous). A rosary is worn around the neck to show we are men of prayer.
The Missionaries of Africa have been geographically, socially and culturally focused on Africa and its peoples. For several decades, the initial training of the first missionaries was done in Europe and North America.
Modern Missionary Work
To this day, there are still missionaries serving in Africa. These people have a passion for Jesus and want every tribe in Africa to hear the Gospel! Youth with a Mission is a discipleship training program and they have bases around the world. Seventeen of their bases are in Africa.
YWAM’s core mission is to fulfill the Great Commission given in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Through their training program, students complete two phrases: lecture and outreach. During the lecture phase, students learn about the Bible and how to share the Gospel with others around the world.
Then, they start the outreach phrase this is where they go one of the two hundred bases around the world. The first YWAM training in Africa took place in Rhodesia during January 1973. They had 54 students, many of whom felt called to stay on the mission field permanently.
Today, the YWAM base in Uganda is focused on helping orphans through a program called “Orphans Know More.” They are currently assisting 19 families and help them to send their children to attend school, have enough food, and supporting their young adults to attend a university or vocational school.
The YWAM base in Rwanda has a wide range of programs to help the community. They have a street ministry for kids and youth, local church ministry, ministry to Pastors, farming help, counseling, and many more programs for children. They are making an impact in Rwanda by serving the community with Christ-like love.
Pastor Bill and Linda Campbell have been serving in Uganda, Africa since 2003. The Campbell’s ministry called, Prepare the Way, spans many areas including; their children’s home & school, local Pastoral discipleship programs, weekly evangelism, and child sponsorship program.
One vital piece of their ministry is child sponsorship. Through child sponsorship, children are able to get an education in a safe environment, learn about Jesus, and eat hot meals daily. Sponsors are able to write letters and send gifts to the child they sponsored as well.
Prepare the Way ministries go out into different villages every Saturday for evangelism. Pastor Bill & Linda partner with a local church every time they evangelize, so they can connect the people to a church in their community. The Campbell’s ministry in Uganda shows their love and passion for Jesus and the people in Africa. They long for Christ to be exalted in Uganda!
The Expansion of Christianity and its Impact
The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. The anti-slavery issue and the humanitarian conscience also played a vital role in stimulating European interest in Africa and gave an impetus to mission work. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (“legitimate commerce”, i.e. non-slave trade), Christianity, Civilization and Colonization.
West Africa owes to the Christian missionaries not only a new religious faith which has changed the beliefs and life of millions of people, but also the foundation of western education. The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. Also the missionaries set up model farms where scientific agriculture was taught and new crops were introduced for the people, to go alongside longstanding indigenous production.
The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick.
Challenges and Criticisms
The achievement of the purpose of these Christian Missions came with some costs. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. Again, in West-Africa, the efforts to go beyond the coast to reach those inland with the gospel coincided with the southwards expansion of Islam which posed some threat to the expansion of the work of Christian evangelizing missions.
The work of the missionaries also had little success initially. The people received the message with indifference. Repeatedly, Africans complained about the missionaries’ arrogance and cruelty. If they rebelled against the White, they were punished or locked up in prisons.
The Future of Christianity in Africa
Today many countries, particularly in southern and central Africa, claim to be at least 80 percent Christian. Although some Africans who profess Christianity actually follow a mix of biblical teachings and animistic or neo-Pentecostal practices, there are also millions of faithful believers. In fact, it’s predicted that almost 40 percent of the world’s Christians will reside in Sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2050.
Examining the mistakes and successes of the past offers insights into how to work in Africa more effectively. As a result, missionaries are re-forming partnerships with seminaries and working alongside African leaders to teach sound theology that filters down into churches.
While continuing to serve unreached peoples and places, they are also renewing efforts to disciple existing believers, empowering them to take the gospel to their own people and around the world.
As we learn of missionaries who gave their lives to serve and share the Gospel in Africa, we should remember what our role in the Great Commission is. Seek God and ask Him what your role is! Maybe it’s supporting a missionary finically, sponsoring a child, taking a short-term mission trip, or praying for an unreached people group in Africa. Whatever your role looks like, you can honor God by helping to fulfill the Great Commission.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 50 AD | Christianity reaches Africa in Egypt |
| 300s | King Ezana declares Christianity the official religion in Ethiopia |
| 1792 | Baptist Missionary Society was formed |
| 1800s | David Livingstone's missionary work in Africa |
| 1868 | The Society of Missionaries of Africa was founded |
| 1876 | Mary Slessor's missionary work in Nigeria |
| 1973 | The first YWAM training in Africa took place in Rhodesia |
| 2050 (Projected) | Almost 40% of the world’s Christians will reside in Sub-Saharan Africa |
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