The Diocese of Makurdi is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Church of Nigeria The Church of Nigeria is the Anglicanism, Anglican Church body, church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest Province (Anglican), province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptised membership (not by attendance), after the Church of Englan ...

, in the

Abuja Province The Abuja Province is one of the 14 ecclesiastical provinces of the Church of Nigeria. It is one of the original 10 provinces, created when the current division was adopted in 2002, due to the huge dimension and growth of the Church of Nigeria. ...

, that is roughly contiguous with

Benue State Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is th ...

. It is divided in 25 parishes and 4 archdeaconries, Gboko, Katsina-Ala, Makurdi and Zaki-Biam.

History

The diocese was founded as one of the eight

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

created in

Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...

at the start of the Decade of Evangelism.Anglican Diocese of Makurdi at the Anglican Communion Website
/ref>

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popula ...

was the centre of the southern

archdeaconry An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of the Diocese of Jos and is the capital of

. The diocese was founded on 24 September 1990 with the enthronement of Nathan Nyitar Inyom (the then-

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

) as the first

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Makurdi. The staff of the diocese were five other

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and

evangelists Evangelists may refer to: * Evangelists (Christianity), Christians who specialize in evangelism * Four Evangelists, the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament * ''The Evangelists ''The Evangelists'' (''Evangheliştii'' in Roma ...

and congregations in thirty-one churches. The diocese saw dramatic growth through the decade and at the end of 2000 had grown to over two hundred churches, while the number of the workers have increased to fifty clergy and ten layworkers.

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

and

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

continue to be the stated priorities of the

, but unrest in the period following the return to

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

in 1999 has led to the church responding with more work in

conflict resolution Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abou ...

and reconciliation.

List of bishops

* J. T. Iyangemar (first bishop, consecrated 29 April 1990, Kaduna)Samuel Gambo Kwashang, "The Anglican Church in Northern Nigeria under the episcopacy of Bishop Titus Eyiolorunsefunmi Ogbonyomi from 1976 to 1996" (June 2006
pp. 36–37
/ref> *

Nathan Inyom Nathan Inyom is an Anglican bishop in Nigeria. From 1990 he has been the Bishop of Makurdi, one of 13 dioceses of the Anglican Province of Abuja, itself one of 14 provinces of the Church of Nigeria The Church of Nigeria is the Anglicanism, Angl ...

, 1990–present

References

External links

Anglican Diocese of Makurdi at Church of Nigeria Official Website
Church of Nigeria dioceses Christian organizations established in 1990 Anglican bishops of Makurdi {{Anglican-diocese-stub