Redeemed Christian Church of God
| The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) | |
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| Classification | Protestant |
|---|---|
| Theology | Pentecostal |
| Governance | Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer (1981 till date) |
| Geographical areas | Worldwide |
| Founder | Pa Josiah Akindayomi |
| Origin | 1952 Lagos,  Nigeria |
| Official website | http://rccg.org |
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The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a Nigeria-based Pentecostal Holiness ministry.
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[edit] History
The RCCG was founded by Nigerian pastor Josiah Akindayomi (1909-1980). After being involved in several churches, he founded the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 1952.
In the early 1970s Akindayomi started to look for a successor, claiming that God had told him to find a young, educated man who was not at that time a member of the church. He chose Enoch Adejare Adeboye, a university lecturer who joined the church in 1973. Adeboye, a lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Lagos, initially became one of the interpreters translating Akindayomi's sermons from Yoruba to English. He was ordained a pastor of the church in 1975. Adeboye's appointment as leader of the church was formalized by the posthumous reading of Akindayomi's sealed pronouncement.
The New York Times calls the church "one of its most vigorously expansionary religious movements, a homegrown Pentecostal denomination that is crusading to become a global faith".[1] According to Daniel Ajayi-Adeniran, a pastor of the church, "In every household there will be at least one member of Redeemed Christian Church of God in the whole world."[2]
[edit] Church mission
The RCCG’s Mission Statement is:
- to make it to heaven
- to take as many people as possible with them
- to have a member of RCCG in every family of all nations
To accomplish No. 1 above, holiness will be their lifestyle. To accomplish No. 2 and 3 above, they will plant churches within five minutes walking distance in every city and town of developing countries and within five minutes driving distance in every city and town of developed countries. The church intends to pursue these objectives until every Nation in the world has been reached by the Lord Jesus Christ.[3][4]
[edit] Fundamental beliefs
The church believes in the Bible and Holy Trinity, that the Devil exists, that God formed man in his image, in repentance and justification or new birth. Members also believe in sanctification, water baptism, Holy Spirit baptism, restitution and divine healing (healing without medicine). The church forbids rebellion against church authority, debts and worldliness and encourages abstention from all evil and reverence to parents and authorities.[5]
[edit] Church status
The church's headquarters are located in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, Nigeria. Elsewhere in Africa, it has a presence in Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
In Europe, the church has a presence in England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland, where it has parishes in County Dublin, County Cork, County Limerick, and almost all the other counties in the republic.
In the United States, it has a presence in Illinois, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, New York, New England, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Georgia, Oregon, and California. In the Caribbean, the church has a presence in Haiti and Jamaica. In Canada it has a presence in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta. Together, the United States and Canada groups form RCCGNA, which has its headquarters in Dallas, Texas.
In Australia, it has branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide and Perth. It also has a presence in New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Singapore.
In India it has a presence in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. It also has a presence in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
It has a bible college in Africa, with several campuses throughout the continent.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Rice, Andrew. "Mission from Africa". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/magazine/12churches-t.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- ^ Betty Rollins (8 January 2010). "Reverse Missionaries". PBS Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/january-8-2010/reverse-missionaries/5359. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ^ http://www.rccgsa.org/?q=statement-of-faith
- ^ http://www.rccgsa.org/?q=our-mission
- ^ Church website's page on its beliefs
- ^ http://www.rccgsa.org/?q=bible-college
