A brief history of Churches, RCCG and the Aladura movement in Nigeria

Learn something today.

Today, I want to talk to you about the Aladura movement in Nigeria. If you don't know what that is, don't worry, I'll explain it to you in a way that will make you laugh and learn at the same time.

The Aladura movement is a religious movement among the Yoruba people of western Nigeria, who are also known as the "owners of prayer" or "praying people". They are part of the independent African churches that emphasize divine healing, prophetic visions, and spiritual warfare. They also used to reject Western medicine, which is a bit ironic, because they started as a response to an influenza epidemic in 1918.

That's right, when a deadly virus was sweeping across the world, killing millions of people, some Anglican laymen decided to form a prayer group and call themselves the Precious Stone Society.

They believed that God would protect them from the disease if they prayed hard enough and avoided any medicines or vaccines. They also had some dreams and visions that convinced them that they were on the right track.

One of them was Joseph Shadare, who dreamed that he saw a large stone with the words "The Precious Stone" written on it. He took this as a sign from God and named his group after it. Another one was Sophia Odunlami, a schoolteacher who had a vision of Jesus Christ telling her to join Shadare's group and spread the gospel. She became one of the first female leaders in the movement.

The Precious Stone Society soon broke away from the Anglican Church and joined forces with an American church called the Faith Tabernacle, which also believed in faith healing and adult baptism. They also attracted a new prophet, Joseph Ayo Babalola, who had a series of visions that led him to join the group and become a famous evangelist. He claimed that he could heal people with "water of life", which was water that he blessed with his prayers.

Needless to say, Babalola made some enemies along the way. The British colonial authorities were not happy with his anti-medicine stance and his witch-hunting activities. They arrested him several times and tried to stop his movement from spreading. The Anglican Church and other Christian denominations also denounced him as a heretic and a false prophet.

In 1932, they sought affiliation with the Apostolic Church, a British Pentecostal denomination that sent missionaries to Nigeria. However, this relationship soon soured over issues of authority, doctrine, and practice.

But Babalola and his followers did not give up. They eventually split from the Faith Tabernacle and formed their own church, called the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), which became one of the largest Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. They also inspired other Aladura churches, like the Cherubim and Seraphim Society and the Church of the Lord Aladura.

The Aladura movement is still alive and well today, with millions of adherents across Nigeria and beyond. They still believe in prayer, healing, prophecy, and spiritual warfare. They also have their own schools, hospitals, businesses, and media outlets. They are one of the most influential religious groups in Nigeria and have contributed immensely to social and political development.

Another prominent Aladura church is the Cherubim and Seraphim Society, which was founded by Moses Orimolade Tunolase and Christiana Abiodun Akinsowon in 1925. They also claimed to have received divine revelations and visions from God, and established a church that incorporated elements of Yoruba culture and spirituality. They wore white robes and used candles, incense, bells, and holy water in their worship. They also practiced healing through prayer, fasting, anointing with oil, and laying on of hands.

The Aladura churches have contributed to the development of Christianity in Nigeria by contextualizing the faith to their local realities, dedicating themselves to evangelism and social service, proliferating new churches and denominations, creating sacred spaces for worship and pilgrimage, and raising the status of women in leadership roles. They have also spread to other parts of Africa and the world through migration and missions.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) also has its roots in the Aladura movement. It was founded by Josiah Akindayomi in 1952 as an offshoot with a similar ministry profile as of the Christ Apostolic Church. Papa Akindayomi was a former illiterate farmer who became a Christian after a series of supernatural encounters with God. He received a vision of a church that would spread across Nigeria and beyond.

The RCCG grew slowly under Akindayomi's leadership until his death in 1980. He was succeeded by Enoch Adeboye, a former mathematics professor who transformed the church into a global phenomenon. Adeboye introduced several innovations that boosted the growth and impact of the RCCG, such as establishing parishes in every state of Nigeria, organizing annual conventions and crusades that attracted millions of people, launching various ministries and programs for different segments of society, expanding the church's media presence and outreach, and planting churches in over 190 countries around the world.

The RCCG is part of what some scholars call "reverse mission", which is the phenomenon of African Christians sending missionaries to Europe and North America to re-evangelize these regions that are perceived as spiritually declining. The RCCG has established several parishes in major cities such as London, New York,

I knew you would learn something.

Grace to you!