Chris Wright, International Director of Langham Partnership International, has given guidance and tuition to more than 150 pastors in an intensive training course on expository biblical preaching.

"Nigeria has long been a country that has had significant influence on the African continent, and whatever happens here has an impact on the rest of Africa," said Gideon Para-Mallam, Regional Secretary for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) and the convener of the Nigerian Conference.

Rev Dr Pandang Yamsat, President of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), and graduated Langham Scholar, added, "The challenge of raising the standard of Biblical preaching in our country is critical in the view of the enormous growth that we have witnessed within the Church. This is critical so that the numerical growth can be matched by growth in maturity."

The IFES and the COCIN came together to form The Nigerian Initiative for the Promotion of Expository Preaching, which has promoted and sponsored this first event. Hosted by the Nigerian Bible Translation Trust, pastors from nine denominations and one parachurch organisation came together.

Gideon commented that, "...sometimes it is easier for Christians to fight then unite, and we have been overwhelmed that Orthodox, Evangelicals and Pentecostals have come together with one parachurch organisation (NIFES) as the core participants."

As the seminar came to an end, the participants left enthused and wanted to help this new preaching movement spread throughout Nigeria, the Langham Partnership International said.

Following the seminar, the pastors said they now wanted to translate the materials into the three main languages of Houssa, Yourba and Igbo, and that by doing this, they felt that the grassroots movement would impact all of Nigeria significantly.

One pastor that attended the seminar concluded: "The Devil has lost a battle in Nigeria...and this will change the landscape of preaching in Nigeria."