Akindayomi, Josiah Olufemi
1909 to 1980
Redeemed Christian Church of God
Nigeria
Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi was the
founder and first general overseer of
what is today known as the
Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
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.
This group
blossomed into the Redeemed
Christian Church of God in 1952.
Josiah was born in 1909 into the
Akindayomi family in Ondo State,
Nigeria. From early childhood
Josiah’s parents noticed unusual
things about him.
When he was
sick, alledgedly his sickness, that
usually defied traditional medecin-
the most common treatment for
sickness in those days-would abate
and subsequently disappear once
he was bathed with ordinary water.
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.
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.
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.
Allegedly the letters forming the
name of the church appeared in the
English alphabet to Akindayomi,
who could neither read nor write.
Miraculously he was able to
scribble down the individual letters
which, when put together, read “The
Redeemed Christian Church of God.”
This has been the name of the
church ever since.
In this same vision God promised to
take the church to the ends of the
earth and declared that the Lord
Jesus Christ would meet the church
when he returned in glory.
The Lord
also established a covenant with
Akindayomi similar to the
Abrahamic covenant in the Bible,
promising to meet all the needs of
the church in wonderful ways if only
members would serve Him faithfully
and be obedient to His Word. The
Redeemed Christian Church of God
was formed, based on this
covenant, in 1952. The church
continued to meet at 9 Willoughby
Street until they acquired some land
and relocated to their headquarters
at 1-5 Redemption Way, Ebute-
Metta, Lagos (formerly 1a Cemetery
Street). In the 1950s it was quite
fashionable for Nigerian
independent churches to affiliate
with overseas ministries for
expansion purposes. However,
according to sources, God strongly
instructed the Redeemed Christian
Church of God not to merge with any
foreign or overseas body. Today the
church has become one of the
fastest growing Pen