Pa Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi

THE FOUNDER AND SUPERINTENDENT OF REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD:

PA Akindayomi Josiah Olufemi, his original birth name  which was Ogunribido, was derived from the god of iron. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi was the founder and first superintendent of what is today known as the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The church, today acclaimed as the fastest growing Pentecostal church in the world, started in 1947 as an independent prayer fellowship, the Glory of God Fellowship. 

Josiah was born around 1909,(though there was no proper birth records maintained at that time) into the Akindayomi family of Ondo State, Nigeria. From early childhood Josiah’s parents noticed unusual things about him; when he was sick, whicjh most times defied traditional medicine which was the common treatment in his times. The sickness would abate and suddenly disappear once he was bathed in ordinary water to the amazement of many. Josiah himself also had an inkling that he was different, for although he grew up in an environment where the worship of Ogun (the Yoruba divinity of iron and war) was prevalent, he was aware of the existence of a greater power and yearned to know the true God who created the earth and everyone in it.His yearning after God led him into the Anglican Church where he was baptized in 1927. Still spiritually unfulfilled, he joined the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in 1931. A few years later he began to hear a voice inside him declaring that he would be a minister of God. He was not at ease with this voice, which he identified as God’s call to full time ministry. For seven years he ignored it, since he had never intended to be a pastor. During this period, virtually everything went wrong for him. All his business ventures failed; heavily in debt and without peace of mind, he found himself totally dependent on the grace of God.

The turning point for Josiah came when, in 1940, he dreamed of an old man scratching his leg. He woke up the next morning with a sore on his leg that deteriorated significantly within a short period of time. Then he heard the voice inside him telling him to submit to God’s will and to serve him. When he asked for signs to confirm that the call was from God he was given the following passages as confirmation: Jeremiah 1:4-10, Isaiah 41:10-13, and Romans 8:29-31. [1] Without the use of medication, the Lord healed the sore on his leg. This marked the beginning of a definite relationship with God. Totally broken, he yielded to God, saying, “Lord I will go wherever you want me to go.” The Lord assured him that he would provide for all his needs as he would henceforth receive no salary from anyone. This promise from the Lord was a comforting reminder to him during his trials in subsequent months.



By 1952 he felt persuaded to leave the Cherubim and Seraphim Church. The fellowship he had started then grew into the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The name of the church was said to have been revealed to the founder in a vision which read “The Redeemed Christian Church of God.” This has been the name of the church ever since. During the early stages of the church he put together a  program for members of the church who could not read or write, to help them learn to read the bible and write down sermons and messages.



Akindayomi was married in 1947 and relocated to Lagos in the latter part of that year. In Lagos, he worshipped with the Cherubim and Seraphim Church at its Ibadan Street, Ebute-Metta branch, where Prophet Onanuga, the immediate successor to Prophet Moses Orimolade, the church founder, was the leader. He was still with the church in 1947 when a zeal for a better service and a deeper experience with God prompted him to start the prayer fellowship later known as the Glory of God Fellowship that met at 9, Willougby Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Initially there were nine members; however the fellowship gradually grew as the news of the miracles that occurred in their midst spread. It became so popular that it drew not only members of the church, but others from the neighborhood.



It is claimed that God made a covenant with Pa Akindayomi that is synonymous to Abraham’s covenant. He said that He the Lord would meet all the needs of the church in an awesome way if only members would serve Him faithfully and be obedient to His Word. It is upon this covenant that the Redeemed Christian Church of God was built. Thus in 1952, the Redeemed Christian Church Of God was born. The church continued to meet at 9 Willoughby Street until they relocated to 1-5 Redemption Way (formerly 1a Cemetery Street). Pa Josiah Akindayomi Sometime in the early 70s, Pa Akindayomi claimed that God had spoken to him about his successor. He claimed that The Lord told him that this man, who was not a member of the church then, would be a young educated man. Thus when a young university lecturer joined the church in 1973, Papa was able,as was claimed, to recognize him in the Spirit as the one that the Lord had spoken about in the past. This man, Enoch Adejare Adeboye who was then a lecturer of Mathematics at the University of Lagos soon became involved in the church. He became one of the interpreters translating Pa Akindayomi’s sermons from Yoruba to English. He was ordained a pastor of the church in 1975. As Papa was preparing to meet his Creator, he sent for Pastor Adeboye and spent several hours sharing with him details of the covenant and the plans of the Lord for the church. Even though a year before this, the Lord had revealed to Pastor Adeboye that he would be Papa’s successor, it was still too difficult for him to fully contemplate such an awesome responsibility. Pa Josiah Akindayomi was 71 years old when he died. Amidst controversy, Pastor Adeboye’s appointment was formalized by the reading of Pa Akindayomi’s sealed pronouncement after his burial.



Since 1981, an open explosion began with the number of parishes growing in leaps and bounds. At the last count, there are over 2000 parishes of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Nigeria. On the International scene, the church is present in other African nations including C’ote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Gambia, Cameroon, and South Africa. In Europe the church is spread in England, Germany, and France. In the United States there are parishes in Dallas, Tallahassee, Houston, New York, Washington, Maryland, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Delaware, DC, New Jersey, Rhode Island, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Chicago (in fact nearly all the states in the United State) and also in the Caribbean states of Haiti and Jamaica. Pa Josiah Akindayomi. One of the well-known programs of the church is the Holy Ghost Service, an all night miracle service that holds on the first Friday of every month at the Redemption Camp at km. 46, Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The Holy Ghost Service now holds in London quarterly and in other parts of the world. Another major service is the Holy Ghost congress which holds in the second week of December every year at the Redemption Camp.



Some of the said promises of the Lord to the RCCG are as follows: 1. That He will meet this Church on His return. 2. That this Church will become a model to the whole world. 3. That other Churches from all over the world would come to learn and worship in this Church.