Nigeria is a religious country and one of its main religions is Christianity. Just like Christianity is practiced in many countries of the world, there are different Christian denominational callings in Nigeria. Many of these denominational callings have hundreds of churches that spread across Nigeria.
Some of these churches are so big that they can conveniently harbor tens of thousands of Christian worshippers in a single service. But which of these churches is the biggest in Nigeria? This article is written to give a precise and detailed answer to this question.
Which Church is the Biggest in Nigeria?
The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is the biggest church in Nigeria. The church has more members and branches than other churches in Nigeria.
Redeemed Christian Church of God or RCCG – as it is popularly called – is the biggest church in Nigeria. It was founded in 1952 by the late Pa Josiah Akindayomi. Before the death of the founder (in 1980), he ordained and handed over the Redeemed Christian Church of God to Pastor E. A. Adeboye in 1975. Pastor Adeboye has remained the General Overseer of the church till today.
RCCG boasts millions of members in Nigeria and around the globe – as of 2017 it has branches in more than 196 nations in the world. The church has several hundreds of branches scattered all over the 36 states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. RCCG holds the record of the Pentecostal church with the most branches in Nigeria. This record is justified in the sense that you could have come across two or three RCCG branches before you come across just one branch of another church in Nigeria.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God also has a camp which is called the Redemption Camp. The camp, located in Ogun State, sit on over 40,000 hectares of land along the popular Lagos-Ibadan expressway. RCCG host its monthly Holy Ghost service as well as it’s annual Congress at the Redemption Camp. On several occasions, it has been recorded that the church camp accommodated over 1 million worshippers at once, especially during its annual programs.
Apart from being the location of RCCG camp grounds, the Redemption Camp also has exquisite real estate and other infrastructures that were once valued at over $1 Billion. RCCG also has its own private university named Redeemers University which is located in Ede, Osun State.
The headquarters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God is located at Ebute-Metta in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Who has the largest church in Nigeria?
The Hand of God Church is the largest church in Nigeria
The Hand of God Auditorium is the largest church building in Nigeria. Salvation Ministries is the owner of this church auditorium and it is located in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Designed to have five-finger-shaped cylindrical structures which carry at least 20,000 worshippers at once, the Hand of God Auditorium is the largest church building in Nigeria presently, though still under construction and nearing its completion.
Based on a report, it is estimated the auditorium will be able to accommodate about 120,000 after completion. Pastor David Ibiyeomie is the senior pastor of Salvation Ministries.
Glory Dome is the second largest church in Nigeria
The Glory Dome is located in the city of Abuja and can conveniently accommodate about 100,000 worshippers at once – making it the second-largest church building in Nigeria. Dunamis International Gospel Centre is the owner of the magnificent edifice and Dr. Paul Enenche is the senior pastor of the church.
Faith Tabernacle is the third-largest church in Nigeria
Faith Tabernacle has a capacity of 50,000 making it the third-largest church building in Nigeria. It is located in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, and owned by Living Faith Church which is popularly known as Winners Chapel. On January 24, 2008, Faith Tabernacle was claimed by the Guinness Book of Records as having the largest church auditorium in the world. Bishop David O. Oyedepo is the General Overseer of the church.
Conclusion
The biggest church in Nigeria is the Redeemed Christian Church of God which is also known as RCCG. The church has millions of members and several hundreds of branches spread across the 36 states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. RCCG has a presence in 196 nations of the world (as of 2017). The church has its own camp called the Redemption Camp which can accommodate more than 1 million worshippers at a time. Pastor E. A. Adeboye has been the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of Christ since 1975.