Akindayomi, Josiah 1909-1980

[Adeboye, Olufunke “Joseph Ayo Babalola” in Phyllis Jestice (ed.), Holy People of the World:
A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia, Vol. I (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 2004), 93-94.]

Akindayomi, Josiah
(1909-1980 C.E.)
Pentecostal Christian sect founder

Founder of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Josiah Akindayomi was one of the
leaders of the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria. Born in 1909 in Ondo town, southwestern
Nigeria, Akindayomi received no formal education but was trained as a blacksmith through the
traditional Yoruba apprenticeship system. He was baptized into the Anglican Church in 1927. In
1931, he joined the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) Church, a brand of the popular Aladura
(prayer-marked) movement, and became interested in prayer, fasting, and visions. By 1947, he
had moved to Lagos, the capital of colonial Nigeria, where he carved a niche for himself as a
man of prayer and a preacher of holiness. He became known as a prophet of God and in 1949
founded the Glory of God Fellowship. He eventually broke away from the C&S, and in 1952 he
transformed his fellowship into the RCCG.

The healing miracles of Akindayomi made his fame spread throughout Lagos and beyond. The
story is often told of a vision that he had in which the name of the church he was to form was
communicated to him in English by God even though he was an illiterate who could barely read
or write. According to this tradition, he was supernaturally enabled to write down the words on a
piece of paper.

Akindayomi made many prophecies about his church that have been fulfilled. He predicted that
the RCCG would spread to all the nations of the world and that mighty miracles and wonders
would characterize its growth. He also said his church would be at the forefront of a Pentecostal
explosion on African continent. He chose a successor E.A. Adeboye, who has actualized most of
these predictions since Akindayomi’s death in 1980, and this has been applauded as another
supernatural feat.

The RCCG now has parishes in more than fifty nations. Akindayomi laid a solid foundation for
the church. Indeed. The unprecedented expansion of the church has been attributed to a “divine
covenant” due to Akindayomi’s close relationship with God.

O. Adeboye