The explosion of the church in Nigeria is phenomenal, with a forward momentum that is as remarkable as the missionary optimism of the first century Church. The history reveals a tightly woven narrative of the process of beginnings, growth, and change.

David Garrison, PhD University of Chicago, defines Church Planting Movements as rapidly multiplying indigenous churches planting churches that sweep across a people group or population segment. Garrison's Church Planting Movements: How God Is Redeeming a Lost World signaled a breakthrough in missionary church planting. After the publication of Garrison's book in 2004 it became impossible to talk about missions without referencing Church Planting Movements. Church Planting Movements examines more than two-dozen movements of multiplying churches on five continents. After presenting these case studies, Garrison identifies ten universal elements present in each movement. He then broadens the circle of examination to identify a further ten common characteristics, factors identified in most, but not all, of the movements. He concludes his examination with a list of "Seven Deadly Sins," i.e. harmful practices that stifle or impede Church Planting Movements. Important for evangelical readers, the author returns to his findings to see how they stand up to the light of Scripture. What he discovers is that Church Planting Movements are much more consistent with the New Testament lay-led house-church movements that swept rapidly through the Mediterranean world in the face of hostile opposition than today's more sedentary professional institutionalized Christianity. Learn more about Church Planting Movements from the book's website: www.ChurchPlantingMovements.com.

The book is an historical work that reflects on the good, the bad and the ugly experiences of a Southern Baptist missionary, T. J. Bowen and the relevant applications for African missions and contemporary missionaries. The significance of the study lies on the ability to pioneer missions among the people of strange culture, language, colour and values successfully. This book researches into problems observable in the life and works of Bowen that need clarification. They are problem of contextualizing mission, developing means and strategy for language barriers, mission funding and support, neglecting education as mission tool and ill-health challenges of missionaries which usually truncate dreams. This book, however, interacts with Nigerian Baptist Mission under GMB and her relationship with local churches on how to strengthen missionaries with SWOT Analysis. This book recommends suggested ways for African mission boards and agencies to be pragmatic in strategic making, be aware of the psychological welfare of her missionaries and provide a health insurance scheme for serving missionaries. When Mission Board and local churches hold hands together, missionaries will strive better on the field. Mission is still young in Africa dark soil, we only need men, methods and materials to grow gospel as God increases the open-doors for mission.

Olusegun Obasanjo has been the most important and controversial figure in Nigeria's first 50 years of independence and the most powerful African of his time. John Iliffe examines Olusegun Obasanjo's complex personality and the extreme controversy he arouses among Nigerians, and illustrates the immense demands made on a leader of a state like Nigeria.