Grace Communion International - Nigeria Assembly is part of an international denomination (https://gci.org) that participates in Jesus' ministry by living and sharing the gospel.
We pursue this disciple-making mission grounded in the identity, beliefs and values described below. Also provided is information about our leadership and history.
Who we are
Grace Communion International places great emphasis on the gracious triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Our pastors and the people they serve point others toward the Triune God, helping them participate in the love and life of God, in union with Christ, by the Spirit.
We are inclusive informers, teachers, and pastor-theologians who pursue God’s Word (the Living Word, Jesus, revealed in the written Word, the Bible). It is our quest to follow where Jesus, by his Word and Spirit, leads.
We are passionate about equipping, training, and proclaiming the relational nature of the triune God. Our goal is faithful and healthy churches that seek to be a part of God’s renewing work in the world.
We are intentional about developing leaders, and new and renewed churches that grow and multiply. In faith, we lead into the liberated love and life of the Father, Son and Spirit. Our consistent effort is high support with high challenge, and grace always.
Grace Communion International is a trusted theological voice. We have shown ourselves willing to lose it all so that we may gain Christ. We seek to help those who join us embrace and share the love of God in genuine ways.
Some people ask, “What are your distinctive qualities —what makes you different, or superior?” The answer is that we aren’t in competition with other churches. We simply strive to be the most faithful and healthiest expression of the Christian church we can be. Through Jesus, by the Spirit, we seek to proclaim the Good News in all our communication and in all the ways we interact with others. The Gospel about Jesus is good news for everyone—that’s the message you will hear and experience in Grace Communion International.
Grace Communion International
Divine Participation
What we believe
Grace Communion International believes that theology should be rooted in the Bible, especially the New Testament. We see a reliable theology articulated by Irenaeus, Athanasius, Gregory Nazianzus, and more recently, Karl Barth, Thomas F. Torrance, and many others. This theology is often referred to as Trinitarian Theology due to its emphasis on the relational nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as revealed in the incarnate Son, Jesus Christ.
Here is a summary of our core beliefs:
- In one Triune God in three divine Persons: Father, Son, and Spirit whose eternal being is Holy Love.
- Jesus Christ, as The Word made flesh, is fully God and fully human.
- Jesus accurately reveals the truth, goodness and love of God and reveals humanity as God intended us to be.
- As the incarnate Word, Jesus revealed God to all humanity and as one of us represented all humanity to God as our One True Mediator.
- Jesus Christ atoned for all sin and suffered its full consequences in our place and on our behalf.
- The Triune God intends for all people to benefit from Christ’s vicarious humanity: his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
- God has in Christ reconciled all humanity to himself through his Son, Jesus (Colossians 1:20). Such reconciliation calls for us to receive that gift of grace and be reconciled to him (2 Cor. 5:20) (Thus, universal atonement on behalf of all should not be equated with universalism that all will necessarily, causally, automatically, impersonally receive that gift of grace.)
- The judgment of God against evil has been executed in Jesus Christ so that all might repent and receive forgiveness and, through the Holy Spirit, share in Christ’s resurrected, eternal life.
- People are exhorted to respond to this reconciliation and being incorporated into the Body of Christ by receptivity to the freeing and drawing of the Holy Spirit to the Lord Jesus, participate in the life for which we were all created.
- Jesus, as the mediator of divinity and humanity, has enabled humanity to participate in the life and love of the Trinity, which was God’s intent from before the beginning of time.
If you are interested in a comprehensive look at our theology and doctrines, read The God Revealed In Jesus Christ and The GCI Statement of Beliefs. Also see We Believe, which sets out our core beliefs in a question and answer format. For answers to frequently asked questions about our beliefs, click here
What we value
GCI’s churches and members strive to live out the following values, leading to the multiplication of followers of Jesus across the globe.
Inclusive
We are socially inclusive. That inclusivity means we are visibly diverse, open and welcoming all who are seeking to know the God revealed in Jesus Christ.
Passionate
We are emotionally passionate. We push ourselves to be emotionally courageous and convinced and to grow deeper in understanding the truth of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
Intentional
We are intellectually intentional. That intention can be seen in the way we thoughtfully engage our faith and how we place value on the education of our clergy.
Loving
We are socially loving and express this as faithfulness, hopefulness, graciousness, and overflowing with the holy love of Jesus Christ toward others.
Genuine
We are spiritually generous and strive to remain stable, honest, and humble as we engage with the communities that surround us.
GCI’s churches and members strive to live out the following values, leading to the multiplication of followers of Jesus across the globe. All the following should match what is above.
Our leadership
In Grace Communion International, we are structured in the episcopal model. We believe this is the best way for our churches to have doctrinal soundness and stability. We believe this model works best to serve our churches and their members.
The head of the church is Jesus Christ. All leaders within the church should seek his will in all things, in their own lives as well as in the functioning of the congregations. The leaders are to be Christ-like in their leadership, which means that they must seek to help others, not to benefit themselves.
GCI Nigeria Assembly is led by an executive committee from the Church’s headquarters in Lagos.
Our history
Why we exist today
Our strengths as a denomination include a fresh awareness of the importance of grace, a high respect for Scripture, and a willingness to do what it says. We recognize that Jesus, as our Savior and Lord, has reconciled us to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We rejoice in the implications of incarnational Trinitarian theology—for an overview of that theology, click here.
We know that Jesus makes a difference in the way we live. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, he transforms our lives in this age, and gives us eternal life in fellowship with our Creator. Jesus is alive and active, therefore he is not done with us yet. We are still being shaped and fashioned for his purpose. We praise him and worship him, and seek to know and do his will for our lives.