CEFN General Overseer, Rev. Dr. Malachi Ogakwu
Christians Evangelical Fellowship of Nigeria (CEFN) has officially adopted a new name, Christians Evangelical Fellowship of Nations, as part of its broader mission to expand its reach beyond Nigeria’s borders.
The announcement came on Thursday, during the second day of the Fellowship’s National Conference, where the General Overseer, Rev. Dr. Malachi Ogakwu, declared that the rebranding was driven by a renewed global vision for the ministry.
Explaining the decision, Dr. Ogakwu said the name change was necessary to align with the organization’s expansion plan.
> “The name change has become necessary because of the vision to extend beyond the shores of Nigeria,” he stated.
Expressing confidence in the new chapter of the Fellowship, the General Overseer assured members of the spiritual and institutional transformation the rebranding would bring.
> “This new CEFN will wax strong. Carry members to new dimension and break every wall of Jericho that have kept them captive,” Dr. Ogakwu declared.
He further announced that the new identity would be accompanied by a fresh constitution, effectively rendering the old one obsolete.
> “The new name also comes with a new constitution that therefore makes the previous one invalid from now henceforth,” he said.
Dr. Ogakwu also revealed the introduction of a new logo and flag, stressing that their production and distribution would be centralized for consistency.
> “Let it also be clear to all branches and would-be ones that we now have new logo and flag. And for the sake of uniformity, production of this flag shall be the sole responsibility of the National Headquarters that is domicile in Anyigba, Kogi State and to be obtained on request from the respective Zonal Headquarters of each State before getting it across to local Churches,” he explained.
According to him, the rebranding is in fulfillment of the Biblical Great Commission.
> “The new name goes to fulfill the great commission as directed by our Lord Jesus Christ who ordered his disciples to go forth into the world and preach the gospel,” the General Overseer said.
While acknowledging the excitement surrounding the new phase, Dr. Ogakwu also cautioned that global evangelism would come with challenges.
> “He further listed some of the expected challenges to include, but not limited to logistic and financial strains, cultural and language barriers, adaptability challenge, as well as multiple seen and unseen barriers.”
He illustrated this by recalling the experiences of early Christian missionaries in Nigeria.
> “Giving example of how difficult language barrier could be for evangelism, Rev Dr Ogakwu made reference to when the white missionaries came to Nigeria and preached for 18 years only to have one single convert but were never discouraged, adding their relentless efforts have paid off as there are millions of Christians in Nigeria today.”
Dr. Ogakwu called on members of the Fellowship, particularly those with family abroad, to actively support the international mission.
> “Those of us who have relatives outside the shores of this country will be of great help towards actualizing our dream of foreign evangelism,” he said.
He then challenged members to evaluate their readiness for the new global assignment.
> “The question however before all of us now is having agreed for international evangelism, how prepared are we? Are we ready to finance the project, ready to make personal sacrifices in the areas of giving, and praying?” the General Overseer asked.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Dr. Ogakwu urged members to remain spiritually steadfast and focused on personal renewal in Christ.
> “Fix your thoughts, because only a fixed thought can embrace continued renewal,” he encouraged.
Speaking on the conference theme, “Sustaining Your Renewal,” the General Overseer admonished believers to stay true to their faith.
> “Talking about renewal in the Biblical contest means making someone have a change of heart, mind and to align his mind with the will of God,” Dr. Ogakwu said, cautioning against becoming what he described as “chameleon Christians.”
The conference, which continues through the weekend, is expected to outline the next strategic steps for the Fellowship’s new global outreach initiative.
