History of the Church of the Nazarene in Togo

Togo: Togo is on the south coast of West Africa bordering on Ghana to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Benin to the east. The Gulf of Guinea coastline, only 32 miles long (51 km), is low and sandy. The only port is at Lomé. The Togo hills traverse the central section.

The Voltaic peoples and the Kwa were the earliest known inhabitants. The Ewe followed in the 14th century and the Ane in the 18th century. The Danish claimed the land in the 18th century, but by 1884 it was established as a German colony (Togoland). The area was split between the British and the French under League of Nations mandates after World War I and subsequently administered as UN trusteeships. The British portion voted for incorporation with Ghana. The French portion became Togo, which declared its independence on April 27, 1960.

Togo's first democratically elected president, Sylvano Olympius, was overthrown in 1963. He was shot and killed by Sgt. Etienne Eyadema while he attempted to scale the walls of the American Embassy to seek asylum. The government of Nicolas Grunitzky was overthrown in a bloodless coup on Jan. 13, 1967, led by Lt. Col. Etienne Eyadema (now called Gen. Gnassingbé Eyadema). A National Reconciliation Committee was set up to rule the country, but in April, Eyadema dissolved the committee and took over as president.

He suspended the constitution, banned political parties, and created a cult of personality around his presidency; his official biography describes him as a “force of nature.” Under pressure from the West, Eyadema legalized opposition parties in 1993, but the first multiparty presidential election in Aug. 1993 (which gave Eyadema more than 96% of the vote) was considered fraudulent, as was his 1998 reelection. In Feb. 2005, Eyadema died—he had been Africa's longest-serving ruler (38 years).

A day after his death, the military installed his son, Faure Gnassingbe, to serve out his term. Gnassingbe took office on Feb. 7 amid strong international condemnation. Under internal and external pressure, Gnassingbe stepped down later that month and agreed to elections on April 24. Violent protests surrounded the elections, and these protests grew when the results were announced: Gnassingbe won 60% of the vote while main opposition candidate Bob Akitani received 38%. On May 4, Gnassingbe was sworn into office. In June, Gnassingbe appointed opposition leader Edem Kodjo as prime minister.

The church of the Nazarene was started in Togo through a contact from Ghana. Because of the language barrier (English in Ghana, French in Togo) and the connectedness of Benin and Togo, the contact was followed up by the Benin mission then directed by Rev. Gregory Crofford. A young Nazarene minister from Cote d’Ivoire, Pastor Honore Ledjou, was sent to help the work in Togo. Honore returned to his native Cote d’Ivoire in 2005 and was replaced by a Cameroonian Nazarene minister, Pastor Cyrille Ebam, who still serves there as the Ministries Coordinator. The teamwork and the strong relationship (the twin brothers!) between Moise and Cyrille have had a very positive impact in the development of the Church in Togo (Benin, Niger, and Cameroon).

The Church of the Nazarene actually counts about 60 churches in Togo, and the fire of the Church Planting Movement is burning; burning to take the message of holiness to every part of the voodoo land Togo.

It is so amazing to see the Holiness message making its way in the land from where the voodoo worship originated, and where the voodoo is called the god of the land and the god of the ancestors. Even though there is still a very long way to go, a good work has been started.

Update January 2010

The work in Togo continues to develop under the ministry of Rev. Cyrille Ebam who serves as the ministries coordinator for the country of Togo.  The recent district assembly showed positive growth in church plants and maturity.  New leaders have been appointed to develop the pastor training program and God is raising up new pastors and churches.

Pray for the continued expansion of the churches and strengthening of churches as the call to go and make disciples continues to inspire leaders and laity to spread the gospel of Christ.