Redeemed Christian Church of God

{{Short description|Pentecostal megachurch and denomination}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
|name                = Redeemed Christian Church of God
|image               = Rccg logo.png
|imagewidth          = 150px
|caption             =
|abbreviation        = RCCG
|type                = [[Christianity]] 
|main_classification = [[Protestant]]
|theology            = [[Evangelical]]
|orientation         = [[Pentecostal]]
|scripture           = [[Bible]]
|founder             = Josiah Akindayomi
|governance          = [[Synod]]
|leader_title        = General Overseer
|leader_name         = [[Enoch Adeboye|Enoch Adejare Adeboye]]
|founded_date        = 1952
|founded_place       = [[Lagos]], [[Nigeria]]
|headquarters        = '''National headquarters:'''<br/> 1-5 Redemption Way (formerly 1A Cemetery Street),<br /> [[Ebute Metta]], [[Lagos]],<br />[[Lagos State]]<br/>'''International headquarters:'''<br/> Redemption Camp, <br/>Kilometer 46, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, [[Mowe, Nigeria|Mowe]], [[Ogun State]],<br/> [[Nigeria]] 
|associations        =
|area                = Worldwide, especially [[Nigeria]]
|congregations       = 51,580 (2021)
|members             = 9,938,617 (2021)
|tertiary            = [[Redeemer's University Nigeria|Redeemer's University]]
|seminaries          = Redeemed Christian Bible College
|website             = {{URL|https://www.rccg.org/}}
}}

The '''Redeemed Christian Church of God''' ('''RCCG''') is a [[Pentecostal]] [[megachurch]] and denomination in [[Lagos]], [[Nigeria]].

[[Enoch Adeboye]] has been the General Overseer ('''most senior pastor''') since 1981. The church in Lagos had an average church attendance of 50,000 in 2022.<ref>Warren Bird, [http://leadnet.org/world/ World megachurches], Leadership Network, USA, retrieved August 21, 2016</ref>

==History==
The RCCG was founded in 1952 by Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi (1909–1980) following his involvement in other churches.<ref>Ruth Marshall, ''Political Spiritualities: The Pentecostal Revolution in Nigeria'', University of Chicago Press, USA, 2009, page 74</ref><ref>Nimi Wariboko, ''Nigerian Pentecostalism'', Boydell & Brewer, USA, 2014, page 57</ref> Reverend Akindayomi chose [[Enoch Adeboye|Enoch Adejare Adeboye]] as the next General Overseer. Adeboye was a [[mathematics]] lecturer at the [[University of Lagos]] and joined the church in 1973. Adeboye was initially hired as an interpreter to translate Akindayomi's sermons from [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] to [[English language|English]]. He was ordained a pastor of the church in 1975. His appointment as the leader (General Overseer) of the church was formalized by the posthumous reading of Akindayomi's sealed pronouncement. In 1990, the Redeemed Christian Church of God Bible School was founded.<ref>Laurent Fourchard, André Mary et René Otayek, ''Entreprises religieuses transnationales en Afrique de l'Ouest'', Karthala Editions, France, 2005, page 343</ref>

In 1981, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye became the General Overseer of the Church. In 1983, the land for the Redemption Camp in [[Mowe, Nigeria|Mowe]] was purchased. In 1988, a students’ body known as the "Redeemed Christian Fellowship" (RCF) was established. It is the youth wing of the church, concentrated within tertiary institutions of learning in the country. In 1990, Christ the Redeemer’s Friends Universal (CRFU), was established to garner financial and human resources from the very wealthy in the society.<ref>{{cite book
 |url        = https://books.openedition.org/ifra/805?lang=en
 
 |title      = Globalisation of Pentecostalism in Africa: evidence from the Redeemed Christian church of God (Rccg), Nigeria
 |author     = Asonzeh F.-K. Ukah
 |series = IFRA-Nigeria French Institute for Research in Africa, Nigeria : IFRA Special Research Issue Vol. 1 African Dynamics 
 |date       = 2005
 |pages = 93–112 
 |publisher = IFRA-Nigeria 
 |isbn = 9791092312201 
 |access-date = 2021-01-13
}}</ref> In 2005, [[Redeemer's University Nigeria|Redeemer's University]] was established.

Andrew Rice, writing in ''[[The New York Times]]'', calls the RCCG "one of [Africa's] most vigorously expansionary religious movements, a homegrown [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] [[Christian denomination|denomination]] that is crusading to become a global faith".<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |title= Mission from Africa|first=Andrew |last=Rice |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/magazine/12churches-t.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=19 November 2011|newspaper=New York Times |date=12 April 2009}}</ref> 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."<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="pbs">
{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/january-8-2010/reverse-missionaries/5359|title=Reverse Missionaries|last=Rollins |first=Betty |date=8 January 2010 |publisher=  PBS Religion & Ethics Newsweekly|access-date=17 November 2011}}
</ref>

In 2008, it had 14,000 churches and five million members in Nigeria, in 80 countries.<ref>Stephen M. Cherry, Helen Rose Ebaugh, ''Global Religious Movements Across Borders: Sacred Service'', Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames, 2016, p. 35</ref>

The international church is structured in different areas throughout the world.<ref>Donald E. Miller, Kimon H. Sargeant, Richard Flory, ''Spirit and Power: The Growth and Global Impact of Pentecostalism'', OUP USA , USA, 2013, page 190</ref> The local churches are now grouped into regions, with 25 regions in Nigeria. It is also organised throughout most of the world. Notable special spiritual programs are the Holy Ghost Service, which holds on the first Friday of every month in Nigeria. Others include the annual Holy Ghost Convention  in August and the Holy Ghost Congress in December, both held in Nigeria, as well as others held abroad.

In 2020, the main church in Lagos had 50,000 people.<ref name="Leadership Network">Warren Bird, [http://leadnet.org/world/ World megachurches], leadnet.org, USA, retrieved February 15, 2020</ref>

==Beliefs==
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 God can heal without medicine (by His divine intervention e.g. through prayer).<ref>cite web |url=https://www.rccg.org/our-beliefs/ |title=DIVINE HEALING(WITHOUT MEDICINE)</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Evangelical Christianity|}}
*[[List of the largest evangelical churches]]
*[[List of the largest evangelical church auditoriums]]
*[[Worship service (evangelicalism)]]
*[[Christ Apostolic Church]]
*[[The Redeemed Evangelical Mission]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.rccg.org/ Official Website]

{{coord missing|Nigeria}}
{{Megachurches}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pentecostal denominations]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1952]]
[[Category:Church of God denominations]]
[[Category:Christian denominations established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:1952 establishments in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Churches in Lagos]]
[[Category:Holiness denominations]]
[[Category:Pentecostal denominations established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Evangelical megachurches in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Pentecostal churches in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Churches in Nigeria]]