28/09/2025
Need For Missions Awakening In Ebonyi State
By Success K. Uchime
There is a serious need for a concerted and intentional missions awakening in Ebonyi State. Churches and mission agencies need to work together for this very purpose.
Definitely, Ebonyi State needs help in this direction. It is a mission field waiting for the end-time harvest. But the challenges are high: Simple observable survey clearly shows that of all the five Southeast states, it is the only state with the highest number of rural communities. This poses a very high challenge for missions, as some churches tactically avoid pioneer works in such locations.
Again, most churches in the state are not resourceful enough to embark on massive rural church planting, thereby giving way for much concentration of churches in and around Abakaliki urban - the only highly developed urban city in the state.
Furthermore, the dominance of Islam is at its highest level in the state, thereby also posing a greater threat and challenge for missions activities. They are getting stronger and stronger per day, and if much is not done by the church and mission agencies, Islam may overrun the entire state in the nearest future.
Moslems are capitalising on the perceived high level of poverty amongst the people to push Islam in the state, especially in the rural communities. Lands are being grabbed by all possible means for the purpose of building Islamic centers. Even some of their young ladies are being married off or illicitly impregnated by rich Moslem men with just little inducement. Very disturbing is the rate by which young people are being converted to Islam in the state on daily basis through same financial inducements.
We believe the time is now for churches/mission agencies to focus their mission radar on Ebonyi State, much more than before. Much of missions activities are required amongst the people, especially in the dominant rural communities where the highest number of people reside. We need to checkmate this incessant incursion of Islam in the state. The church need to come up with a working strategy for that.
What need to be done and urgently are: enduring missions research needs to be carried out in the state. This will reveal a lot, thereby making aggressive rural missionary activities much easier. Again, training opportunities are needed among the people. Our big churches and mission agencies should start thinking that direction. This will go a long way in equipping and mobilizing church planters/missionaries into action. Other missions activities like, educational, medical and agricultural missions need to be intensified in the state like never before. Some of these are the simple strategies the Moslems are using to win indigenes over to Islam.
Wether we like it or not, Ebonyi State is still the "weeping baby" of Southeast when it comes to missions. It is a Macedonia calling for help, of which the Body of Christ needs to be intentional in rendering that much needed help. Our Lord Jesus reminded us that the fields are ripe, and ready for harvest (John 4:35). The case of Ebonyi is much more than being ripe; the fruits are now falling off in great numbers under our watch. This calls for concern, it calls for the urgency of the mission harvest among the people. It calls for concerted prayers in order to pull down every stronghold militating against soul winning in the state.
Success K. Uchime is the Coordinating missionary of Kingdom Missions Outreach (KMO) Inc. a mission agency with its base at Ntezi, Ishielu LGA, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. To contact them call: Tel: (WhatsApp) +2348120708985 OR +2348147870370
Email: [email protected]