In 1913 three Danish missionaries, Dr. Niels Brønnum, his wife Margaret C. Young, also a medical doctor, and Miss Dagmar Rose left Denmark for Africa. They were sent by a small new Mission Society – The Danish Sudan Mission, founded in 1911. Within six months, Mrs. Brønnum died and Miss Rose took the Brønnums infant son to his grandparents' home in Scotland.
Dr. Brønnum, now utterly alone, refused to give up his call. He traveled farther inland and established work at Numan, in Yola province (now called Adamawa). He remained in Nigeria for many years and was joined by other missionaries from Denmark. Dr. Brønnum was one of the great Lutheran pioneer missionaries. The church took root and grew, hundreds of lay leaders were trained, and the first five Nigerian pastors were ordained in 1948.
The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) was established as an independent organization in 1956. The first Nigerian president, Pastor Akila Todi, was elected in 1960. The LCCN currently is led by Archbishop Nemuel Babba. The LCCN has over 1,200,000 members in 2000 congregations, served by 350 pastors. There are five dioceses, each with a diocesan bishop. The LCCN has had its share of internal disagreements, but has continued to grow and to be a light on a candlestick in the sometimes dark areas of political turmoil and economic decline in Nigeria.
The LCCN has a holistic approach in reaching people through health, social work, and evangelism. The LCCN has ten dispensaries and three maternity homes. A program for training evangelists and catechists helps to ensure good leadership for the church. Pastors and church leaders are trained at Bronnum Lutheran Seminary, Mbamba near Yola/Jimeta and in the interdenominational seminary, Theological College of Northern Nigeria near Jos.
Both Christians and Muslims have a strong presence in Nigerian life, resulting in strife and tension and sometimes violence. The LCCN provides leadership in promoting Christian-Muslim dialogue as a way of enabling Christians and Muslims to work together for the common good of all. It has sponsored international conferences for Christian Mutual Relations and established a center for dialogue in Jos, Nigeria.
Mission Afrika (former The Danish Sudan Mission) has now expanded the mission work to other African countries like Cameroon, The Central African Republik, Sierra Leone Mali and SAT-7.
For further information please read the Mission Statement
