The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is definitely one of the popular churches in Nigeria.
It is so popular that people joke that there is at least one branch of RCCG in every street in the country. This, in fact, is one of the visions of Pastor Enoch A. Adeboye, which is to have an RCCG within five minutes of every home in the world.
With this type of popularity, it’s easy to think we all know about this church. But, as I’m about to show you, that’s not true.
Here are 7 interesting things you may not know about RCCG.
1. Pastor Adeboye does not found the Church: it is truly surprising how many people think that Adeboye founded the church. The truth is, in 1952 Rev. Josiah Akindayomi started RCCG.
2. The founder trained as a herbalist: The founder was on his way to becoming a herbalist years before RCCG was born. Originally named Ogunribido (meaning Ogun has a place to stay), the founder has been born into a home for parents with worshippers of Ogun. He decided to become a herbalist as he grew. He has got his training from a traditional doctor with this plan in mind.
But, when he started attending the Anglican Church in his Ondo State village, his plans changed. He became converted there. He dropped his name on conversion, and replaced it with Josiah. He also gave up the name Akindolie of his grandfather, replacing it with Akindayomi (name of his father).
3. RCCG was born with the help of the Holy Spirit:Josiah went in search of the spiritual, after abandoning his plans to be a herbalist. This brought him to the CMS, then to the Church of the Cherubim and Seraphim. It was there that he first heard of the Holy Spirit. This voice had said that he was a prophet. He had initially resisted as most do.
Finally, in 1940, he gave into God’s call. His ministry began when he became a prophet of full time C&S. He prayed a lot as a prophet, and performed many miracles. It gained him a certain popularity in Ife and Lagos.
4. The church had a lot of names before what we know it as today: As the ministry of Josiah grew he began to hold sessions of Bible study and prayer in his home. This was named Daily Prayer Band in 1947. This group, though under C&S, was attracting people who weren’t church members. This caused rumors that he started his own church to spread.
The group eventually became known as Egbe Ogo Oluwa (Glory of the Society of God). With time, their numbers were growing to the point where they needed a bigger place to meet. A group member donated his property, cementing the rumors he started his own church. That led to Josiah and his group being expelled by C&S elders in 1952. Thus, was born what we now know as RCCG.
From Egbe Ogo Oluwa, it became Ijo Ogo Oluwa (God’s glory Church), then Ijo Irapada (the Redeemed Church). The name was changed into The Redeemed Apostolic Church at some point. That has caused him some trouble with the Apostolic Church.
The name, RCCG, had come in a dream to Josiah. He had seen the words ‘Ijo Irapada ti Olorun’ in the dream. He wrote it down and showed it to Mr Olonade, who was a church educated member. He translated the words into ‘The Redeemed Christian Church of God’ and that’s how RCCG has become the name we all now know.
5. The Holy Spirit worked wonders in the early days of the church: According to Vanguard, the accounts of members of the RCCG in the fifties and sixties have a lot to do with the Holy Spirit. One person said that people wept a lot during the interview.
The person said, “In RCCG’s early days the Holy Spirit moved so much we usually wept after hearing the word during service. This is because you could see yourself before the Lord as being a filthy person. We were known as’ IJO ELEKUN’—THE WEEPING CHURCH. If a member comes with two or more wives to the RCCG, the Holy Spirit who knows our last days will advise the fellow on the restitution of marriages. Today we thank God for the Holy Spirit ‘s move. However, if we please God in all ways and increase brotherly love and care, the Holy Spirit will do more.
Another said, “The Holy Spirit chose Rev. Josiah Akindayomi, took him out of the miry clay, stepped his feet to stay on the rock, put the word in his mouth first to preach and taught him restitution. And above all, tell him about his successor, then just before Dr Enoch Adejare Adeboye joined the church.
6. A lot of people fought to become Josiah’s successor: People in line to be the successor to Josiah included Badagry Pastor J.B. Kappo, Pastor Igbe-koyi, and Papa Abiona. Despite these options, Josiah relied on the Holy Spirit who told him that Dr. Adeboye, a senior mathematics lecturer at the University of Lagos, UNILAG and Ilorin University, UNILORIN, would take over.
An elder said: “Pa Akindayomi was quoted as saying; ‘Omowe haun haun, lo ma gba ise lowo wa’—meaning ‘my successor is a thoroughly educated intellectual.’ Therefore, the members began picking each new member with sound education as the likely next general supervisor. They were all wrong, as Jesse did in the Bible.
Pa Akinda-yomi told them to avert distractions that his successor would be as tall as he was, and they both require measurement by the same tailor.
“By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the day our Daddy G.O first entered the church in 1973, Pa Akindayomi announced to the congregation that his successor had joined the church that day. That same day, he visited Daddy G.O for follow-up as RCCG is known for.’
7. Adeboye did not want to be the G.O: Adeboye resisted as did his predecessor. Adeboye, who was then a young lecturer, was reluctant to take over the church’s leadership. In 1975 he was ordained pastor but still resisted.
He finally obeyed Pa Akindayomi ‘s death in 1980 and became the RCCG G.O. This appointment was legalized by reading a sealed pronouncement from the founder of the church. There were only 39 parishes in south-west Nigeria at the time of the death of its predecessor.
That number grew to more than 20,000 parishes worldwide in 2015. The church now has Bible Colleges, schools, a university, a television station, numerous publications, and the Redemption Camp, which is a city itself.
RCCG was born in 1952 in one part of the country. Now, the Church is across the nation and beyond.
It is also located in Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, England, Germany, and the United States.
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