In February 1911, George Botha and Rev. C. W. Guinter, a missionary of the SUM, discussed the location for a mission station with the Tiv chief at Saaiutu (Salatu) and the first mission station in Tivland was started at Saaiutu in April 1911 by Mr Carl Zimmermann. Benyamen Akiga, the son of Chief Sai, became the first Tiv Christian.

The number of missionaries in Nigeria increased, and between 1913 and 1935, mission stations were established at Zaki-Biam, Sevav, Mkar, Adikpo Kunav, Turan, Makurdi, and Mbaakpur. Rev. George Botha is regarded the pioneer missionary from the DRC to the Tiv people in Nigeria, although he worked under the auspices of SUM. Many others followed in his footsteps.

During and after the Second World War, 24 of the 34 missionaries returned home because of safety concerns. However, the church continued to grow thanks to the religious instruction and the support of the Tiv evangelists trained at Mkar. In 1935 the church had only 25 baptised members, but by 1941 they had increased to 214.

The SUM officially handed over the Tivland Mission to the Dutch Reformed Church Mission (DRCM) in the early 1900s. In 1954 the missionaries began training Tiv pastors and evangelists in evening schools to establish an independent and autonomous church. The first four ministers were ordained just after the establishment, on 9 January 1957, of the Nongo u Kristu u Ken Sudan hen Tiv (NKST) or the Church of Christ in Sudan among the Tiv. They were Rev. Isholibo Sai, Ugo, Annum and Ayaka. The NKST then had 1,800 members, with 3,000 people attending Sunday services.

In the early 1960s, the DRCM had to leave Nigeria due to South Africa’s apartheid policies and their work was handed over to the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) of North America. By the 1970s, the NKST was considered the fastest-growing church in the world. Today more than a million people associate themselves with the NKST.

The NKST is a Reformed church holding to the three forms of unity: the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, and the Belgic Confession. The NKST envisions, by the NKST of God, to be a multi-ethnic Christian community, drawing in all nations and cultures of the world into its community. The NKST aims to be united in doctrine and purpose to provide a holistic service with the resources available to them to reach the unreached. Its mission is to glorify God through worship and the proclamation of the good news of salvation and to care for humanity holistically.

The NKST recalls that the mission, in their focus on evangelism, brought four ‘boxes’ to Tivland: Evangelism and the Bible: This box contained the Tiv translation of the Bible. Dutch Reformed Church missionaries assisted by Tiv speaking assistants translated parts of the Bible, which were then revised by others. The project started in the early 1900s and was completed and officially dedicated on 4 November 1964. This edition is currently being revised by the Bible Society of Nigeria.
A formal Christian education: The first school at Saaiutu was followed by many primary and secondary schools. This exposed 80% of Tiv people to education.
Healthcare: The medical training Botha and Hosking received in London contributed to a holistic approach to the ministry. Pioneer doctors M. C. Dippenaar and Paul Labuschagne were assisted by Miss Vosloo and Messrs Akaa, Akpeityou and Tarza. The first hospital was built at Mkar in 1925, with others to follow. Dr Maria L. du Toit, who worked in Nigeria for many years, contributed greatly to healthcare; she helped establish a training centre for nurses and her work significantly improved health services for Tiv women. Through the medical ministry, many people converted to Christianity.
Agriculture, trade, and technology: Fruit production was unknown in Tivland. Since the mission was established, the cultivation of mangoes, oranges, pineapples, cashew nuts and other fruits developed. Presently, fruit production is a significant source of income in Tivland. A variety of skills were also developed, such as carpentry, brickmaking, and building roads and bridges.

To ensure that all people, regardless of their race or tribe, come to know Christ as the only way to salvation.
To dismantle all socio-cultural (even political or religious) barriers that threaten effectively spreading the gospel of Christ.
To promote unity and foster a better understanding among Christian churches.
To promote and improve people’s standard of living and well-being.
To provide voluntary health, agricultural, educational, and social services to the public to enhance their quality of life and to complement the efforts of the public sector.
To undertake any appropriate action that represents service to God and humanity.
To collaborate, cooperate, and liaise with government organisations, non-governmental organisations, and international bodies in pursuance of the NKST mission and vision.

The NKST has a presbyteral system of church governance. The NKST Synod, which meets twice a year, is the highest decision-making body and is presided over by the president of the Synod. The NKST Synod has a seven-member executive council made up of the following offices: president, vice-president, general secretary, assistant general secretary and three appointed members. The headquarters, where the general secretary acts as chief executive, is at Mkar-Gboko in the state of Benue. There are 72 classis, 500 organised consistories, and 1,101 ordained ministers. There are about 700 evangelists and a followership of about one million people spreading across the world.
Financially the NKST is primarily supported by subsistence farmers. In order to render a holistic service to the people, the church has various departments focusing on health, education, literature, diaconal services, ministry to the youth, etc.

The NKST manages nine hospitals (with partners from the Netherlands) as well as four other health institutions in Mkar (the College of Health Technology, a school of nursing, a school of midwifery and the Lens Gabrieles School of Medical Laboratory Sciences). Education has also been a significant part of the NKST’s achievements. The Tiv language was put into writing by the first DRC missionaries, and this opened great educational possibilities for the Tiv people. After developing the Tiv orthography, they translated the Holy Bible into the Tiv language, and the Bible was dedicated on 4 November 1964. The NKST founded more than 500 primary schools and over 50 secondary schools. The Reformed Theological Seminary in Mkar has an extensive campus, and academic programmes extend up to master’s level. The University of Mkar was founded in 2005 to develop service-oriented students and a morally stable society. A Bible school for evangelists operates at Harga.