Redeemed Christian Church of God
| The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) | |
|---|---|
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| Classification | Evangelicalism |
| Theology | Pentecostal |
| Governance | Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer (1981–Date) |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Founder | Josiah Akindayomi |
| Origin | 1952 Lagos,  Nigeria
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| Official website | rccg.org |
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a Pentecostal megachurch and denomination founded in Lagos, Nigeria. The General overseer (most senior pastor) is Enoch Adeboye, ordained in 1981. As of March, 2017, RCCG had a presence in 196 countries of the world. The church in Lagos has an average church attendance of 50,000.
RCCG was founded in 1952 by Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi (1909–1980) after he had been involved in a number of other churches. Rev. Akindayomi chose Enoch Adeboye as the next General overseer. Enoch Adeboye was a lecturer in mathematics at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, as at the time he joined the church in 1973. Adeboye initially became one of the interpreters translating Akindayomi's sermons from Yoruba to English. He was ordained a pastor of the church in 1975, and his appointment as leader(General overseer) of the church was formalized by the posthumous reading of Akindayomi's sealed pronouncement. In 1990, Redeemed Christian Church of God Bible School is founded.
Andrew Rice, writing in The New York Times, calls the RCCG "one of [Africa's] most vigorously expansionary religious movements, a homegrown Pentecostal denomination that is crusading to become a global faith". The church's leaders preach that in the future "In every household there will be at least one member of Redeemed Christian Church of God in the whole world."
In 2016, the weekly worship attendance of the church in Lagos averaged 50,000.
The official RCCG website outlines its beliefs in the Bible and the Holy Trinity, that the Devil exists, that God formed man in his image, in repentance, in cleansing from sins by God's grace, in sanctification, water baptism, Holy Spirit baptism, restitution and that it is possible for God to heal without medicine (by His divine intervention e.g. through prayer). The church is a strong advocate of peace and holiness ("Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 - KJV). The church forbids "worldliness" (such as reveling and lewd dancing) and rebellion against church authority. The church is also against debt to finance either the church or its activities. It encourages abstention from all evil and reverence to parents and constituted authorities.
The church headquarters is located in the Ebute-Metta suburb of Lagos, Nigeria. As of March 2017, RCCG had a presence in 196 nations of the world, and the church is still rapidly expanding, utilizing evangelism as a core tool along with church planting.
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