By Olivia Obijiaku
Former Director of St Pope John Paul II School of Evangelization, Graceland Zaria, Rev. Fr. Ezekiel Danlami Tijjani has attributed the withdrawal of some charismatics and trained evangelizers from the movements to unmet expectations. He intimated that though both groups were established by the Church to achieve the mandate for the Great Commission, some people saw them as platforms for self-expression and enterprise.
The clergyman delivered a paper tilted, ‘The Role of the Trained Evangelizer in the Evangelizing and Teaching Mission of the Church’ during the 2025 Annual Retreat of the Association of Catholic Trained Evangelizers in Nigeria (ACTEN), of the Catholic Diocese of Zaria, at St Mary’s Parish, Samaru Zaria, on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
“The charismatic is not only a society.” He catechized. “It is a movement of the Church, as a way of paying attention to the workings of the Holy Spirit. In the same way, the Church decided on evangelization, now New Evangelization. But some people seem to have hijacked this vision and mission of the Church.”
“Over time, some people have seen these two groups – charismatic and New Evangelization as a way of making money for themselves. Some came, got trained and later discovered that this evangelization is not a place of relevance and self-aggrandizement, rather it is a place where sacrifice is asked of you. So they were disappointed.”
“You do not see them around again because originally, their motive was not good enough. Here, you go on outreaches in villages, where there is no good water. You have to cross rivers in order to proclaim the Word of God. But their motive was not to preach the Word of God, but to enjoy and show themselves.”
“They have left because they thought that New Evangelization Movement of the Church is a place where a title, ‘Evangelizer’ that makes you superior to other members of the Church, who do not go by the name, ‘Evangelizer.’
Fr. Tijjani encouraged the remnants to remain focused on the task ahead, defending that they can minister the Word of God beyond the shores of Zaria, in order to encounter Christ with the converted. He assured them that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are still with them, despite the reduction in their number.
