History of the Nazarene Church in Benin

Benin:  Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001. Since 2006, the country is ruled by a brilliant economist, Dr. Yayi Boni, a complete outsider to the Benin political scene.

Benin has a land area of 112, 620 sq kilometers with an estimated population of 8, 791, 832 (2009).

The Church of the Nazarene entered Benin in 1999 through Moise Toumoudagou, now the District Superintendent of the Benin/Togo District, and Rev. Gregory Crofford and Mrs. Amy Crofford, the first Nazarenes missionaries to Benin. Moise met and joined the church of the Nazarene in Cote d’Ivoire and returned to his native Benin in 2008. The Croffords, accompanied by their children, were sent to Benin as missionaries in 1999. Rev. Crofford contacted Moise, marking the true beginning of the Church of the Nazarene in Benin.

To paraphrase the word of our DS in his report during the 2007-2008 District Assembly, “The Church that started as a stream of water is  now growing to become a big river”.  The Corridor reported 494 churches and a total membership of 10,679 at the last district assembly. As of June 2009, our statistics show 727 churches with a total membership of 14, 403. Benin alone represents about 80% of the churches and membership of the Corridor.

News Update (January 2009)

Written by Timothy R. Eby

God continues to bless the work in Benin.  This year’s district assembly was held in a northern town in Benin called Tanguieta.  It is one of the major centers for the northern zone and central to much of the growing work for the Church of the Nazarene.

As the people gathered there was a sense of a growing Nazarene family.  Nearly 800 people came for the assembly where we celebrated the stories and reports of what happened over the year 2008.

This northern area is now being referred to as the Sahelian corridor because the growth has stretched across country borders of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.  Leaders are working among the similar people groups and the churches are spreading like wild fire.

There are now more than 400 churches across this broad region and no indication that the growth is diminishing. 

The DS, Rev. Moise Toumoudagou challenged the assembly to win 10,000 souls for Christ in 2009. 

The shout across the assembly was to have the church of the Nazarene in your home, in your village, and in the places you know. 

If every person grasps this challenge and returns to open the church among their contacts and their home villages, we are surely going to see 10,000 people join the church in the coming year.

The singing was jubilant, the testimonies hopeful, and the reports positive.  Rev. Mark Louw, FSC for the Africa West Field and presiding chairman over the assembly challenged everyone to begin with the transformation in their own lives that would truly spread the message of holiness across this region.

“It was a great day of celebration and a testimony to the hard work of these leaders to see such growth this year,” commented Rev. Mark Louw.  This assembly was one of the most encouraging gatherings on the Africa West Field and we give God all the praise for what is happening here.

Respectfully Submitted

Rev. Timothy R. Eby

Assistant to the FSC

News Update (May 2008);

Written by DS Moise Toumoudagou

Koupkega, a small village in the north-west part of Benin received the gospel just after our visit from Koupkega with the assistance of a team of brethren (whose lives have been touched by the Lord) this past January. We had a good result seeing  one of the influential leaders in the village, a former mayor of Matesi and also the former Director of Poimaise school and a founder of a private school by the name of TOUMOUDAGOU Emmanuel, gave his life to the Lord.

Presently in this small village where both of our pastors , Pastor Moise and Norbert TOUMOUDAGOU were born, all that is needed is the construction of the first Nazarene Church  in this area. In the past, there has been a bad image of evangelism work in the Koupkega area. We pray that the Lord will make this village a small village of love, prayer, and evangelism.

Further more, a small village close to Parkou received a Nazarene team from the other areas. They had a warm reception and the town chief offered  a large piece of land   to the Nazarene church. Some weeks later, the son of this official gave his life to the Lord and became very influential and was assigned to  Pastor CHABI Habib who is the coordinator for the zone. His name is ALLAGBE Pierre. The Lord is beginning to use him effectively and there are many churches that are beginning to increase in numbers as a result of his commitment.