TARABA REGION

This region was created as a response to the growth of the ministry to cope with the expansion and the proliferation of the ministry’s churches. The region was created more than 10years ago, Taraba region has grown by leaps and bounds to the state, it is today an imposingly visible presence all over the catchment space of the region.

Like a new loving bride with a lot of promises, Taraba region with catchment area of Taraba and all the states of Northern Eastern part of Nigeria (Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Borno, Katsina) has evolved evangelism strategies on how to take out the gospel of Christ to the targeted people within recorded time, the shortcomings notwithstanding. The question of growth in the region would increase in the number of churches, numerical strength of worshippers or parishioners, viability in the source of income of the region, coordinative, responsive, managerial disposition and administrative outlay of the region together with the welfare of the clergy and the laity. In all of the aforementioned, the region has shown tremendous appreciation with prospects of improvement with time.

The regional overseer, Rev. Clement Apezan in his chat with the healing hand magazine had said that Taraba had great prospect of growth in the ministry than any other region giving its location, scope of work and the targeted to be won unto Christ.

He said that the region which had few number of churches during its creation can boast of 23 number of full grown churches now with mission churches springing up continually through the instrumentality of the rural evangelism commission wing of the ministry in tandem with evangelism schedules of the region, stressing that there were promises of growth if sustained work was done.

Rev. Apezan said that the region with its temporally headquarters in Dan Anacha had a focus and hence a zeal to invade the neighboring state with massive evangelism campaigns and outings that would convey the gospel of Christ to the outdoors of the locals. He remarked that total take over was possible if other evangelism parameters were also total. He further categorized the parameters into natural and domestic (man-made) parameters. For instance, one of the worst impediments against accelerated gospel in Taraba region is the recurring communal crises, religious crises and conflicts and herdsmen onslaught on the indigenes of the region who are predominantly Christian local farmers.