Ande Emmanuel

Ande Ikimun Emmanuel is a Nigerian Methodist bishop serving as the resident bishop of the Nigeria Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church (UMC).

Education

Emmanuel received a Diploma in Christian Ministry and a Diploma in Christian Religious Education from the United Methodist Banyam Theological Seminary in Bambur, Taraba State. He later earned a Bachelor of Theology from the Reformed Theological Seminary in Mkar, Benue State. He continued his studies in the United States, where he obtained a Master of Theological Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Career

Emmanuel began his pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church in Nigeria as pastor of the congregation in Yelwa Abbare. He later served as associate pastor in Sabon Gari and Mayogwoi, both in Jalingo, before becoming pastor of the United Methodist Cathedral in Jalingo. During this period, he also held leadership positions as Conference Youth and Young Adult Director and Conference Secretary of the Southern Nigeria Annual Conference. He was ordained a deacon by Bishop Arthur F. Kulah and later ordained as an elder in full connection by Bishop Julius C. Trimble during the Iowa Annual Conference in the United States. He served in several ministry and administrative roles. He worked as a camp counsellor at Wesley Woods Camp and Retreat Center in Iowa, a library assistant at Wesley Theological Seminary, and an intern with the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society. His work there focused on conflict resolution, advocacy, and African affairs. He later served as a consultant on congregational and community engagement, facilitating programmes on the church's Social Principles in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Emmanuel was elected bishop on the first ballot at the West Africa Central Conference held in Accra, Ghana, in December 2024. He was consecrated on 8 December 2024 and assigned to oversee the Nigeria Episcopal Area, which also includes the United Methodist mission districts in Senegal and Cameroon. He succeeded Bishop John Wesley Yohanna after Yohanna left the United Methodist Church earlier that year. He identified reconciliation and unity as key priorities, particularly in the aftermath of the division that led to the establishment of the Global Methodist Church in Nigeria. During his first months as bishop, he visited annual conferences and held consultations aimed at strengthening church administration and restoring normal congregational life. His episcopacy has coincided with legal disputes between the United Methodist Church in Nigeria and the Global Methodist Church over church property and leadership. During this period, he welcomed the Taraba State Government's decision allowing worship services to resume in affected congregations and acknowledged court orders directing the reopening of the United Methodist Cathedral in Jalingo.

He has also spoken publicly on doctrinal matters, stating that the United Methodist Church in Nigeria continues to uphold its traditional position that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

Publications

Emmanuel has written several books on church leadership and Christian-Muslim relations, including:

• Managing Religious Crises in Nigeria: Perspectives on Christian and Muslim Relations (2008)
• Reformation of the Pastoral Vocation: A Way Forward in Managing Church Conflict (2009)
• Tribute to His Lordship Bishop Arthur F. Kulah: A History of United Methodist Church Struggle in Nigeria (2010)