AUTHORITY AND LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA, ANGLICAN COMMUNION IN A WORLD OF CHANGE

Abstract

There is no gain saying the fact that the world is dynamic and daily under-going changes in every sphere of human endeavour. The Anglican Church in Nigeria is not left out in this change especially since it became an autonomous Church of the Anglican Communion. This is evident in the changes it has experienced in its leadership structure. Leadership is a human phenomenon instituted by God for the purpose of maintaining order in society. The Anglican Church in Nigeria as a human – religious organization has leaders whose duty it is to maintain order by offering quality control of the organization according to set guidelines. This paper set out to x-ray what leadership is, using the analytical descriptive method of data collection and interpretation in arriving at the finding. The finding revealed that prior to the inauguration of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion in 1979 leadership in the Anglican Church in Nigeria was in the hands of foreigners, but that has changed since then with Nigerian Clergy and Lay being in charge of the day to day administration of the Church. It further revealed that as people who possess certain level of authority, the Bishops and Clergy as leaders are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly manner. No leader can lead without people hence it becomes imperative for the leader to possess rational skills to be able to carry the people along. In conclusion, this work recommends that both secular and religious leaders should recognize the place of the divine (God) in leadership, in the exercise of their authority over the people they lead for the good of all.