Unity in Contextual Cravings of African Indigenous Churches and their Contributions to Christian Missions.

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the African Indigenous Churches (AICs) have been growing by leaps and bounds. At this point, their presence has become a major force in reshaping Christianity across the African continent. The researchers have a much better appreciation for the African Indigenous Churches because of recent people do not view them as a problem to be solved any longer but as a sacred part of the solution; that is, they are now a vibrant segment of the body of Christ with which other churches or denominations can partner with in God’s great commission of making disciples among the nations. In this partnership, there are several questions the stakeholders are still struggling to answer. For example: What exactly are the AICs? What are their belief and practices? How do they “contextualise” in ways that balance the demands of Indigenous identity with the broader call of the Christian mission? Why, for example, do the AICs, like Cherubim and Seraphim, Celestial Church of Christ, and Aladura Churches, all look alike? Why do the AICs across Africa, in the same way, preserve Christian traditions?

Keywords: African Indigenous Churches, Contextual Cravings, Christian Missions.