The Apostolic Church Nigeria
| The Apostolic Church Nigeria | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Classification | Evangelicalism |
| Orientation | Pentecostal |
| Theology | Trinitarian |
| Structure | National Temple |
| Leader | E.S. Igwe |
| Associations | Christian Association of Nigeria |
| Branched from | The Apostolic Church, United Kingdom |
| Members | 4,500,000 (2009) |
| Tertiary institutions | Samuel Adegboyega University |
The Apostolic Church Nigeria is a Christian church in Nigeria. It is one of the biggest churches in Nigeria with over 4.5 million members and a National Temple that seats over 10,000 worshippers in a service.
The Apostolic Church Nigeria was borne out from the Apostolic Church of the United Kingdom through three Missionary delegates who arrived in Lagos, Nigeria on September 23, 1931; they were the late Pastors D.P. Williams (President), A. Turnbull (Vice-President), and W.J. Williams (International Prophet). Prior to their coming, a great revival started in the churches in fellowship with Faith Tabernacle Congregation of Nigeria which resulted to much persecutions in 1930.
In 1931, after exchange of doctrines and other fundamental scriptural truths between the missionaries and leaders of Faith Tabernacle Congregation of Nigeria, the leaders of the fellowship decided to affiliate with The Apostolic Church of the United Kingdom and adopted The Apostolic Church as a denominational name together with its principles and practices.
The Apostolic Church Nigeria is built on a fundamental doctrinal belief based on the Holy Scriptures. Its theological beliefs are summarised in its confession of faith, known as the Tenets, which read as follows:
The Constitution of the Apostolic Church in the United Kingdom states that "These Tenets shall forever be the doctrinal standard of the Apostolic Church and shall not be subject to change in any way whatsoever."
The Apostolic Church Nigeria is administered as a single entity by the National Council and it is headed by a President. The current President is Apostle E.S Igwe, the chairman of Igboland territory who succeeded Pastor G.O. Olutola in February 2017. Pastor G.O Olutola who succeeded Pastor Eyo Okon in 2011 retired at the age of 80 and handed over the mantle of leadership to Apostle E.S Igwe.
The church is categorized into sections called fields with a view of bonding members in a spiritual and healthy fellowship. The fields include:
In 2011, the church founded Samuel Adegboyega University, a tertiary institution located in Ogwa, Edo State, Nigeria and named after LAWNA's first territorial chairman Samuel Adegboyega.
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