By Rev. Canon Timothy Olonade, PhD
Consultant, Global Missions Affairs to the Primate

Part one of two reports on the World Missions Conference held in Abuja, 2025

When Archbishop Henry Ndukuba became the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, in March 2020, he issued a bold, Spirit-inspired mandate to the 18-million-strong Church: “The Decade of the Reign of God.” This was not just a slogan but a divine calling—urging every believer, leader, and congregation to engage wholeheartedly in God’s Kingdom agenda worldwide.

A Divine Summons

On 31 December 2021, the Primate invited me to the Episcopal House in Abuja. What began as a private discussion quickly turned into an unmistakable divine commission. His Grace shared a compelling vision for the global mission element of the Decade of the Reign of God.

In a calm yet firm tone, he looked me in the eye and said, “Brother Timothy, I would like you to serve as our Consultant on Global Missions in this Decade of the Reign of God.”

Earlier that same year, at the Primate’s request, our team from El-Rehoboth Global Leadership Foundation had conducted The Catalyst Course on World Evangelisation for the House of Bishops. Now, he was making the call more personal and urgent.

When it comes to active engagement in global missions, our clergy and laity have substantial untapped potential. With firm conviction, the Primate declared, as if he was speaking to more than just the two of us in that room, “God’s Global Mission must take centre stage in our Church’s ministry at all levels.” This resonated deeply with me because of its clarity and urgency. After our private meeting, I felt that if this burden, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is activated, it could mobilise the Church of Nigeria from complacency and enable it to participate actively in God’s global mission, building on existing initiatives and efforts before the end of the Decade of the Reign of God.

When it comes to active engagement in global missions, our clergy and laity possess substantial untapped potential. The Primate’s declaration, “God’s Global Mission must take center stage in our Church’s ministry at all levels,” resonated deeply with me – its clarity and urgency striking a chord. Though we were only two in the room, his conviction seemed to transcend our private meeting. I left with a profound sense that the Holy Spirit could empower this burden to mobilize the Church of Nigeria from complacency to actively participate in God’s global mission and build on existing initiatives before the end of the Decade of the Reign of God.

Translating Vision into Movement

The Primate’s vision—based on the Reign of God and driven by his passion for healthy, outward-looking churches—needed a strategic response. For the vision to succeed, leadership must take charge, and every believer should see themselves as a missionary within God’s unfolding redemptive story.

With the Primate’s blessing and approval, several strategic steps were undertaken, guiding us towards the inaugural World Missions Congress.

1. Leadership Sensitization and Training

The first step was to rekindle mission awareness among senior leaders. The Bishop’s House hosted retreats centred on The Catalyst Course on World Evangelisation (2021) and Leading the Church as Global Harvest Force (2023). These gatherings served as a reminder that global mission begins with local obedience.

2. Revitalisation of the Church of Nigeria Missions Committee

The Primate quickly reorganised the Episcopal Mission Council—consisting of Archbishops, Bishops, and Laity—ensuring that mission leadership and oversight covered every province within the Communion.

3. Provincial Mission Coordination

To make the vision practical and locally owned, the Primate appointed Provincial Mission Coordinating Bishops in each province. These bishops now serve as focal points—mobilising engagement, providing training, enabling strategic funding, and supporting catalytic mission programmes.

4. Engaging the Nigerian Diaspora

The Reign of God mandate extends beyond national borders. Through the Directorate of Missions, the Primate’s office organised global online gatherings to connect our sons and daughters in the diaspora—leaders and professionals strategically placed by God across nations. Many have since united to strengthen mission efforts, helping dioceses become both sending and supporting churches.

5. Building Strategic Partnerships

Recognising the turbulent nature of our times—characterised by insecurity, persecution, and moral decline—the Primate’s office initiated consultations with denominational leaders and mission agencies. These discussions foster collaboration, unity of purpose, and a collective response to the spiritual and social challenges facing Nigeria and other nations.

A Defining Moment: The World Missions Congress

These combined efforts resulted in the creation of a high-level planning committee for the inaugural World Missions Congress—a significant global gathering of mission-driven leaders.

Ultimately, from October 1 to 4, 2025, leaders gathered under the prophetic theme: “Arise and Shine.”

This is not merely a conference — it’s a clarion call.  This is a call to awaken the sleeping giant of the Nigerian Church, to reignite our passion for God’s house and to realign every structure, leader, and resource towards God’s ultimate purpose so that the earth may be filled with the knowledge of His glory.

Nigeria may be over-churched but under-missioned. This Congress marks a turning point—a new beginning for churches across denominations to reexamine their mission engagement and recommit to God’s global vision.

The Call Before Us

Our understanding of mission must broaden. It should extend beyond geography to shape culture—reaching nations and tribes, but also transforming the seven spheres of human endeavour: family, education, government, economy, media, arts, and religion.

This is the essence of the Decade of the Reign of God mandate—*that Christ may be Lord in every sphere of life.”

A New Awakening

The maiden Congress was planned for just 200 key leaders. However, 271 participants attended: pastors, bishops, mission directors, and lay leaders from Nigeria and beyond. The call, sent to a select few churches and denominations, has sparked a renewed hunger for the nations and ignited a strong resolve among God’s people to deepen their commitment to His global purpose.

Together—bishops and clergy, men and women, young and old— we stood united in response to the theme of the Congress: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”

As the Congress drew to a close, a universal vow echoed from every heart: to expand the frontiers of God’s mission until the last, the lost, and the least are reached with the gospel of Christ.