Redeemed Christian Church of God

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a Holiness Pentecostal megachurch and denomination headquartered at the Redemption City of God in Mowe, Ogun State, Nigeria. The church was founded in 1952 following a divine revelation received by Reverend Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi— originally an adherent of the Ogun deity and a traditional healer, who had previously passed through the Church Missionary Society and the Cherubim and Seraphim Church before departing to establish his own congregation. Akindayomi, who could neither read nor write English, reportedly received a vision in which the words "The Redeemed Christian Church of God" were supernaturally revealed to him, along with a divine promise that the church would spread to the ends of the earth. He passed away in 1980, and Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, a former university mathematics lecturer who had joined the church in 1973, was named his successor and assumed leadership as General Overseer in 1981. In terms of core beliefs, the RCCG holds that the entire Scripture — both Old and New Testaments — was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and represents the written and revealed will of God. Central to its theology is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which the church teaches should follow salvation and is often evidenced by speaking in tongues, prophecy, and divine healing. The church also upholds sanctification, water baptism by immersion, and the Holy Communion as key ordinances, while prescribing a strict moral code that forbids swearing, dancing halls, and other perceived worldly indulgences. In terms of practice, the church holds the "Holy Ghost Service" on the first Friday of every month, the annual "Holy Ghost Convention" in August, and the "Holy Ghost Congress" in December.As of 2024, the RCCG is present in more than 190 countries with over 40-50 million global members worldwide. This poll was written from the standpoint of orthodoxy. I studied the RCCG as part of a broader examination of neo-Pentecostal churches in Nigeria during 2020–2021, within the framework of a larger research project titled "Religious Groups and the Impact of Covid-19 in Nigeria."