Nigerian immigrant Pentecostal churches and their impact on global Christianity

Abstract

One of the most discernible developments in World Christianity and mission study in recent years is the reverse flow of mission from the Global South to the North. A significant number of African preachers and missionaries from Latin America and Asia are taking the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to Europe and America. The majority of the ministers from Africa represent Pentecostal and Charismatic movements and it is perceptible that Nigerians and Ghanaians are major players in the planting and growth of these churches in the north Atlantic.  Accordingly, scholars consistently maintain that now more than ever before, Christianity which was previously referred to as the religion of the Global North: Europe and North America, is now primarily the religion of the Global South: Africa, Asia and Latin America. As the phenomenon of African diaspora becomes progressively a noteworthy part of the general global trend caused by economic, spiritual, social and political factors, Africans are migrating from their country of birth ostensibly to "seek for greener pastures". Several issues arise from the claims above.