BRIEF HISTORY OF CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH BENIN CITY 

 

The Beginning

Central Baptist Church Benin City came into existence in 1921. Benin Baptists as known then came out of Anglican Mission as a result of the wave of controversy that swept through the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Benin.

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The members who formed the pressure group that left the CMS church were formidable and men of high esteem in town. The first place of worship was the Benin Native Court Centre in front of the Oba Palace.  History has it that Late Mr. Cornelius Esemuede Asemota acted as Lay Leader of the church for some time. Thereafter, an itinerant Evangelist, Obadiah Emokpae who also left CMS church for similar reasons took over the leadership of the group.

Initially, the group had no connection to any church until few months after they left the CMS when a connection with Baptist Church in Broad Street Lagos linked the group with Baptist  Church in  Sapele that now became the mother church.

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The Growth..

The Church grew so rapidly under the pastoral leadership of Obadiah Emokpae who had by that time been trained at the seminary in Ogbomoso. Two decades later, the church experienced another Schism which divided the church into two; Benin United Baptist and American Baptist Church Benin City. The latter was forced out of their permanent site in Mission Road and was relocated behind the Palace of the Oba of Benin courtesy of the magnanimity of the ruling King, Oba Akenzua II.

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The creation of School alongside the Church at Ogbe Quarters managed by the American missionaries under the auspices of the Nigerian Baptist Church gave a high leap to the success of the mission work. 

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The Baptist work spread like a wildfire in the forest due to dedicated ministries of Church leaders who were church planters as well as mission-minded Pastors. Prominent among them are Rev. Prof. Osadolor Imasogie, Rev. Dr. P.O. Abolagba, Rev. B.I. Nwosu and Rev. B. O. Ekhator who led the church to plant and groom many churches in Benin city and environs.

 

A New Location

In the early 70's the Church was fortunate to be relocated to the center of Benin city through the influence of Late Mr. I.A. Afe who was the Secretary to the Defunct Midwestern Region. The relocation gave the Church it's present nomenclature; Central Baptist Church Benin City. 

 

The Present Level of Expansion
         

The Church assumed a new dimension of growth and expansion under the pastoral leadership of Rev.Dr.T. Olu Aibinuomo who was first the Pioneer Associate Pastor to Rev.B.O. Ekhator for eleven years and later assumed the position of Minister in Charge for upward of eighteen years now.
           

The height of the Growth of the Church at this point in time could be seen in multiple staff ministry the church assumed. That is, having five (5) Full trained pastors in the Church holding key ministries of the Church. 

 

Another accomplishment of the Church at this golden period in the history of Central Baptist church Benin city is the well planned aggressive church planting of twenty-one (21) Churches in seven (7) years in Benin City and environs.. (2014-2020).

 

This has become a feat that marked out the Church at her best in Mission and Evangelism in its almost a century of existence.

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Conclusion
Presently, Central Baptist Church in all ramifications has proved through numerous evidence that,  it's formation was divine and that she is truly the mother church of all churches in Edo State.

Written by Rev. Dr. T. Olu Aibinuomo  Minister in Charge, Central Baptist Church, Benin City.
January 2020