Biography, history, age, beliefs, and ministry of the Redeemed Christian Church of God
Lagos, Nigeria, saw the founding of the Pentecostal megachurch and denomination known as the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). Enoch Adeboye, who was ordained in 1981, is the general overseer (most senior pastor). In 2022, 50,000 people on average attended church in Lagos.
History
Following his experience in various churches, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi (1909–1980) created the RCCG in 1952. Enoch Adejare Adeboye was selected by Rev. Akindayomi to be the next general overseer. At the time of his 1973 church membership, Enoch Adeboye was a lecturer of mathematics at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. At first, Adeboye joined the team of interpreters responsible for translating Akindayomi’s sermons from Yoruba to English. His position as the head (general overseer) of the church was established by the posthumous reading of Akindayomi’s sealed proclamation in 1975, the year he was ordained as a pastor of the church. The Redeemed Christian Church of God Bible School was established in 1990.
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye was appointed the church’s general overseer in 1981. The Mowe Redemption Camp’s property was bought in 1983. A student organization called the Redeemed Christian Fellowship (RCF) was founded in 1988. The church’s youth division is focused on the nation’s tertiary institutions of study. Christ the Redeemer’s Friends Universal (CRFU) was founded in 1990 with the goal of obtaining financial and personal resources from society’s very wealthy. [5] Redeemer’s University was founded in 2005.
The RCCG is described as “one of [Africa’s] most vigorously expanding religious movements, a homegrown Pentecostal denomination that is crusading to become a global faith” by Andrew Rice in The New York Times. [6] According to the leaders of the church, “there will be at least one member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in every household in the entire world” in the future.
In 2008, it had 14,000 congregations and 5 million members in 80 countries, including Nigeria.
Diverse regions of the world have different structures for the global church.
There are currently 25 areas in Nigeria that are used to group local churches. Additionally, it is organized in the majority of the world. The Holy Ghost Service, which takes place in Nigeria on the first Friday of every month, is a notable example of a particular spiritual event. Then, with various dates, there is the yearly Holy Ghost Convention in August and the Holy Ghost Congress in December.
The Lagos Church had 50,000 members in 2020.
Beliefs
The official RCCG website outlines its beliefs in the Bible and the Holy Trinity, that the Devil exists, that God created man in his image, in repentance, in being cleansed from sin by God’s grace, in sanctification, water baptism, and Holy Spirit baptism, as well as in restitution and the ability of God to heal without the use of drugs (by His divine intervention, e.g., through prayer).
Be the first to comment