The book for today tells the story of a pastor’s four years of service, warm fellow and great revival in a village in southwest of Nigeria. It is titled The Village Pastor: A Story of Faith, Community, and Calling (2026, Willy J Global, Ibadan), written by Rev. Adegboyega Adesoji Abifarin.
Rev. Dr. Abifarin is a pastor, church planter and researcher. He is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Gbopa Ologuneru, Ibadan. He holds multiple degrees from Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, University of Ibadan, and a PhD from Lead City University, Ibadan.
The Village Pastor… A review
In the author’s preface, the book was written to preserve the valuable experiences of a pastor who stepped into unfamiliar environment with faith, dedication and willingness to serve. It captures the true picture of a ministry among ordinary rural people who have extraordinary hearts, and demonstrate unique love and hospitality.
The book is put out there to showcase the profound encounters experienced by clergy men posted to usually overlooked rural areas for pastoral work. But while it provides entertainment, the author also intends to extract respect from the reader towards “those who labour faithfully in difficult and unnoticed places for the sake of the Gospel.”
The Village Pastor is therefore a memoir. It is the collection of the author’s life-changing experience working in rural areas. It is a 10-chapter book that tells the story of Pastor Baoku’s pastoral work in Onila Village, a suburb of Ogbomoso in Oyo State.
And the stage is set for a pulsating narration of his unforgettable journey into the novel, yet welcoming arms of residents of Onila.
Thus, the first chapter is a presentation of the author’s eventful travel to Onila, sandwiched in a rickety vehicle on roads no better than holes.
But he soon forgets the stress of travel as soon as he enters Onila. His new church members give him a welcome to remember and make him comfortably lodged.
Although there was no electricity, but strange welcome routines dazed him. Visit to “Baba Baale”, escort to the pastorium, festival or rats and mosquitoes, royal meals and the roster controversy, and boiling bath water.
In the book, the author is confronted by yet another strange scenario. It was his first Sunday Service in the church. But his early morning walk around the village produced a shocking moment for him.
Pastor Baoku met empty houses where he expected a good morning greeting from his people. Most of them had gone to the farms. The most shocking of the encounters was with Mr Olopade, the church secretary.
Mr Olopade was returning from the farm, with a gun slung over his shoulder! But he quickly learnt to understand that this was a village of people who were mainly farmers, unlike the city where he was coming from.
Well, the people came to church, even though many were late, but it turned out to be a great service of genuine celebration. But the nagging questions about Sunday, and other knotty issues were resolved with the use of the scriptures to the understanding and agreement of all.
One of the key issues that confronted our protagonist in this work is unplanned teenage pregnancy and its attendant effect on the community.
The book contains the author’s strong position against it, and showed the glorious impact of this decision. Staying true to the pastor’s teaching paid off in the village. The result of these issues is laid out in the book’s second and third chapters.
This book records very happy and sunny moments for the pastor. The author recalls days when he and the village people had celebratory commonality.
The book also records dark days. One unforgettable experience was when the community was jolted into uneasy moods on account of the death and burial of a man who was a dedicated member of the church. He and his family had impacted the church and community greatly. But he died.
Pastor Baoku’s sermon, drew from the inscription on the signpost of the cemetery. “We were once like you” strikes the heart, and the pastor preached about the inevitability of judgement for all mortals.
This message provoked many surrendering for salvation. One significant impact is the encounter of the protagonist and Sumonu, a Togolese. This encounter is recorded in the fourth chapter of the book.
In the book, we read about the exploits of young agile men in entrepreneurship. Young men worked hard, gathered money to do business in town. But church growth and attendance suffered. We read about the pastor’s intervention and how the situation was turned around.
But essentially, the book reveals something uniquely significant about village life. Agrarian communities experience emigration of young men, as farming alone will not sufficiently assuage their crave for financial freedom.
The book also shows that youths can be industrious if the community gives them encouragement. We see here the unity and commonality of the village people in collectively taking advantage of the vibrancy of their youth.
The book contains account of Pastor Baoku’s journey to Abuja, the Federal Capital of Nigeria. The eighth chapter of the book has the details, including the hilarious and the sobering.
Throughout the book, the hospitality and good nature of the village people would even strike the reader. The collective and individual sacrifice and zeal for things of God ooze through in all the 83 pages of this fantastic book.
It was four years of warm fellowship, faith and learning. The author’s honest presentation of the details in a narration filled with rustic imagery makes reading pleasurable for the reader as well.
One is left salivating by the tales of harvest celebration and sumptuous meals and meat, and mounds of yams and fruits. And as I read, I wished that I could visit this village today to enjoy the camaraderie and hospitality of the generous people of Onila.
Ultimately, The Village Pastor is Dr. Adegboyega Adesoji Abifarin’s experience, reflection and lessons acquired over four years of service in a village.
But it is also a rich collection of insight and resource material for all student pastors and missionaries who have the call to serve in underserved communities. In the book, they will find powerful inspiration and help reading this book.
