People come and go, that’s the nature of life in general. However, leaving a church is not the same as changing jobs. When ministry relationships break down and it is time to part ways, there are always two types of departure: “went” and “sent” .And each of them must be handled differently because sometimes it may lead to a church split.
Redeemed Christian Church of God, have produced some charismatic pastors, whose impact will never be forgotten, a good number of them have gone on to establish successful ministries. This article will be chronicling five of the prominent ones.
1.PASTOR TUNDE BAKARE
He was born on 11 November 1954 to a polygamous Muslim family in Abeokuta, after which he studied Law at the University of Lagos
In 1984, he started his private law firm , EI-Shaddai Chambers after he had worked in the chambers of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Chief Rotimi Williams.
He served as a pastor at the Deeper Life Bible Church where he rose to the post of legal adviser before he left to join the Redeemed Christian Church of God which he soon left to form his own.
When he was a young pastor with Redeemed Church, he introduced the Model Parish. The first model parish was eventually inaugurated in May 1988 in Ikeja, Lagos with him as the first pastor. There were reports that few months to the first anniversary of the church; Pastor Bakare said God had led him to start his own ministry.
In 1994, after nursing the dream for 15 years, he established the Latter Rain Assembly, now known as the Citadel Global Community Church. Majority of the members followed him to start the new work for God leaving only about 18 people.
Bakare has operated the Latter Rain Church at a single location in Ogba, Lagos without any other branch anywhere, for many years. The church is about to complete his mega church project reported to cost N18 billion.
The Latter Rain Church 18 Billion Project
2. PASTOR TONY RAPU
Pastor Tony Rapu was in born in Kano State on January 1st 1957.He is a teacher, film maker, medical doctor, life coach, social reformer and Senior Pastor of The House of Freedom as well as Head of a group of ministries comprising This Present House, God Bless Nigeria and The Water brook.
The Rapu’s flanked by the Adeboye’s at their wedding ceremony.
After, Pastor Tunde Bakare left RCCG the assignment to seek out the upwardly mobile professionals and bring them to Christ from Pastor Adeboye fell on Tony Rapu. He gave all he had including selling his car and other valuables to bring the model parish vision into reality .In 1991, under the direction of Pastor Adeboye, Dr. Rapu led a team of some 50 newly converted born- again Christians, to begin the Apapa Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God,.
Afterwards, he worked tirelessly to plant many other parishes. He planted churches in night clubs, cinema halls and restaurants. It was he who began the giving of individual names to RCCG parishes, He began the first Bible School for graduates outside the Redemption Camp, the first model school (The Redeemers International School), a financial institution (Haggai Institute), a drug rehabilitation home (Hebron House), an outreach to area boys, a French church, and a hospital (House of Hope). This passion, inventiveness and excellence, have been the hall mark of the 1116 churches spread over 110 countries that make up the Apapa family till date .Pastor Adeboye was quoted to have said if he have a thousand boys like him(Tony Rapu) he will deliver the world to Jesus Christ in less than 5 years.
However, by 1995, it was becoming evident that there was some form of tension within RCCG. The Apapa Parish led by Pastor Tony were deemed to be flamboyant and considered “different” from the RCCG mainstream at the time. Even though, Pastor Adeboye was able to manage what was tending towards a crisis for the church with so much dexterity, it was evident that people within the old order saw Apapa Parish as a disruptive force. Eventually, a year after, Pastor Rapu started “This Present House” where he is now the Senior Pastor.
Today, Pastor Tony’s impact is more to the larger society through the thousands of men and women whose faith he helped to inspire and nurture. Through his mission and ministry, he continues to bring purpose, empowerment and life-changing opportunities to numerous people. His Freedom Foundation’s has several arms among which are the Genesis House (a residential rehabilitation program for girls and young women who have been victims of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation), House of Refuge (a drug rehabilitation and resource center which caters specifically for the rehabilitation needs of drug and alcohol dependent persons ), Bethesda Child Support Agency (which mobilizes community resources with the assistance of partners to help children from impoverished backgrounds secure a better future through education) and King Solomon’s Funds (which provides empowerment programs to young men and women via career skills training, business and entrepreneurial development training, vocational skills training, counselling and mentoring
3.PASTOR ITUAH IGHODALO
Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, was born in Ibadan on April 6, 1961. He attended the King’s College Lagos and the International School, University of Ibadan. He obtained a combined honours degree in Economics and Accounting in 1982 from the University of Hull, England, and attended a Business Certification Course at Harvard Business School in 2011.
He gave his life to Christ in 1993 and was ordained an Assistant Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in 1995 and full pastor in 2000 while Pastoring RCCG Christ Church, Gbagada.
While with the RCCG, he was actively involved in the settling up of International missions, helping to pioneer several RCCG Parishes locally and abroad. He left the redeemed Christian of church, when he was asked to resign because he remarried, ten years after he had divorce his wife, Lucy–Ann who had already married to another man.
He is presently the Pastor in Charge of Trinity House, a non-denominational, free flow Christian worship centre and is married to Ibidunni Ighodalo, CEO of Elizabeth R, a leading event management company.
4. PASTOR PETER BALOGUN
Pastor Peter Balogun, an Engineer from Ogun State started his spiritual journey in 1988, the year he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour .He Later joined the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Later that same year, he became a worker with the mission.
After the completion of the NYSC program, he went back into the church (RCCG), and was given a branch to pastor. The work prospered in his hands so much, that the parish in two years became a zonal headquarters. He left his job with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to go into the pastoral work full time and years later he was posted to Abuja. After serving in two different parishes in FCT he was moved to the Central Parish as the Zonal Pastor.
It was at Central parish that his crowd pulling Destiny Encounter, a non-denominational programme grew in leaps and bounds .The services were always heave with people, from all walks of life, bringing their myriad difficulties
However, in 2014 he was transferred in circumstances believed to be controversial and many of the well to do members of the church did not like the decision. It was reported that even when he was moved to Jikwoyi , an Abuja suburb, he continued with his popular Programme , and his continuation as well as the growth of the programme seems to have irked many of the leaders of the church in Abuja who moved against him and decided that proceeds from the Programme should go into the church account, a decision he resisted. The culmination of the stiff resistance coupled with a divine call to start his own ministry led to his decision to part ways with the church.
Citizens Church of All Nations.
On 14th February 2016, he founded the Citizen Church of all Nations, a church which today is one of the leading churches in Abuja and presently has a branch in Nigeria as well as well as two other branches outside the country,
6.PASTOR MATHEW MORAKINYO
Pastor Matthew Morakinyo was born 41years ago and had his first and second degree at the University of Calabar and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology respectively. Afterwards, he served at the Redeemed Christian Church of God for 20years, where he rose through the rank and file to the position of pastor in charge of zone .It is on record that every parish he pastors not only increases in attendance but also breaks into second and third services. In 2019, Pastor Morakinyo was redeployed to Abuja,where he pastored four parishes , namely Tribe of Judah , Lugbe, Christ the Anchor Jikwoyi , Central Parish and Overcomers in Gwarimpa .
Eventually Pastor Morakinyo resigned in March 2016.It is believed that his resignation may not be unconnected with the massive growth his non-denominational programme tagged Power Touch experienced during his spell at Central Parish and Overcomers Parish.
Multitudes At the Power Touch Anointing Service.
Today he is the founder of God’s City International Church (GCIC) Abuja, one of the fastest growing churches in Abuja. Pastor Matthew, as he’s fondly called is one of the most sought-after Pastors in Abuja. He is a deliverance, healing and restoration Minister. Within 4 years, the church has opened another 2 other branches.
3 Trackbacks / Pingbacks